Late Saturday afternoon, Hamidou Diallo will end the speculation, and announce his college choice, picking among Kentucky, Connecticut, Syracuse, Indiana, Arizona or Kansas.
The 6-foot-6 shooting guard from Queens, a consensus top-10 prospect known for his athleticism and highlight reel dunks, will make one school and its fan base very happy. Somewhere in the back of the room at Our Lady of Angelus Catholic Academy, the place where Diallo got his start playing CYO basketball and where he will announce his decision, will be Rob Diaz, remaining in anonymity.
Few nationally know Diaz, a New York City detective who has run the NYC Finest basketball program going on 14 years. But when discussing how Diallo went from an unknown after two years at Flushing’s John Bowne High School to one of the most sought-after players in the country, the conversation must start with Diaz. He saw something unique in Diallo from the start.
“When I played him up in age groups, he would take on challenges. He rose to the occasion,” Diaz said in a phone interview. “You never knew how far he was going to get, but you knew he was going to be one of the special ones.”
Diaz is the man behind Diallo, the non family member he trusts the most, a mentor who uses the word “we,” when discussing everything Diallo, because in his mind, it is always about the kid. Never about him. He is merely helping.
After all, it was Diaz who took Diallo out of the city, suggested he attend prep school at Putnam (Conn.) Science Academy. There, while facing better competition and without distractions, he blossomed into a national recruit. Diallo’s high school coach wasn’t upset about the move because that man was Diaz, who still is an assistant at Bowne.
“At that point,” Diaz recalled, “his future was bigger than us thinking about our program. He would benefit in a place that could provide a more focused atmosphere. We were all excited for him. We knew he would do much better.”
Diallo was in the eighth grade when he first met Diaz, who had coached his older brother. The Lefrak City native was just 5-foot-4 then, rail-thin Diallo joined NYC Finest, and had a solid first two seasons at Bowne. He grew to be 6-foot-1 by the end of his sophomore year and averaged 20 points per game that season. By then, the two had become very close, their relationship going beyond basketball. They would talk about family and life goals more than jump shots.
One day, Diaz suggested a change, and Diallo trusted it was the right move .
“It was a big impact,” the highly recruited Diallo told The Post in August. “God knows where I would be [if I didn’t leave Bowne]. I probably wouldn’t be ranked.”
Diallo moved in with associate head coach Josh Scraba a month before school started at Putnam Science, determined to get off to a fast start. He had no offers at the time, but took off, improving as steadily as he grew. Diallo became the all-time leading scorer in Putnam Science history, and is ranked as high as ninth in the nation by 247sports.com.
Wherever he lands, Diallo should make a major impact next year. The 18-year-old will enroll immediately at the school of his choice, but not play, sources say, determined to be prepared for the next level.
Diallo, who is eligible to enter the NBA Draft in June because he graduated from Putnam Science Academy last year, is not planning on anything but college right now. One NBA scout said Diallo is making the right move, believing he needs more time to develop and get tested against stronger competition.
“It’s all potential [right now],” the scout said. “He should [become] a major league defender and rebounder [for his position]. He has big-time bounce.”
Diaz’s NYC Finest remains a small local program, playing in tournaments around the city. Diaz will send his players to high level AAU programs when the time is right. He did it with former Hofstra star Charles Jenkins and current UConn freshman Mamadou Diarra. He did the same with Diallo, who joined the NYC Jayhawks around the time he left the city. Last summer, he played with New York Rens on the Nike EYBL circuit.
In the cutthroat world that is AAU basketball, Diaz is an anomaly, selfless and putting his players interests before that of his program’s.
“Every college I speak with, first thing I say, ‘There’s not a guy out there like Rob Diaz,’” Scraba said. “He doesn’t want any headlines, he doesn’t want to be in commitments speeches. Really what he does for these kids is amazing.”
St. John’s hosted top junior target, shooting guard Luther Muhammad of Hudson Catholic (N.J.), and Our Savior New American (L.I.) junior wing Boubacar Diakite, who has verbally committed to the Red Storm, for its loss to Creighton on Wednesday.
Rutgers landed a verbal commitment on Thursday from junior college guard Souf Mensah of Marshalltown Community College in Iowa.
Harlem native Anthony Nelson, a junior guard who attends South Kent (Conn.), picked up a scholarship offer from Rhode Island on Wednesday.
Queens H.S. of Teaching wing C.J. Kelly visited Rutgers on Sunday and was at the St. John’s-Creighton game Wednesday as a visitor of the Bluejays.
Football
Cardinal Hayes quarterback Christian Anderson committed to Army on Monday.