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Piece by Piece: Syracuse Looks for Commitment from Moustapha Diagne

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via Syracusefan

Late Monday night, shooting guard Franklin Howard became the third member of the Syracuse recruiting class of 2015.  Now, with two guards locked in for 2015, the Orange can focus on another big man.

One forward who is on the Orange’s radar is Moustapha Diagne, a 6’8” power forward out of New Jersey.  A highly touted prospect, Diagne has a 7’3” wingspan that would surely look good in the Syracuse zone.

Diagne is considered the eighth-best power forward in the class, and is a 4-star prospect according to 247sports.  He has received offers from many other high-profile schools like Kansas, Connecticut and Memphis.

Diagne has also drawn interest from Ohio State; head coach Thad Matta scouted him earlier in the year.

Diagne knows that his body is perfect for the Orange zone defense, and if he didn’t know it before he attended the Orange Elite Camp in 2013, he certainly knows now.  While there, Diagne was offered a scholarship to SU.

According to his high school coach, Jason Hanson, Diagne is a:

‚Äú[…] very athletic, explosive athlete and he’s got a lot of skills.¬† He can shoot right and left-handed hooks. He has a repertoire of post moves. He’s a very good defender, a very good shot-blocker on the weak side and on the ball. He’s one of the best I’ve seen blocking shots without fouling anybody.‚Äù

Diagne also features a nice jump hook with either hand, semi-reminiscent of the Arinze Onuaku days.  He is also working on his shooting from around 15 feet.  This season, Diagne has been a double-double machine, with a strong ability to offensive rebound.  However, he really has no post presence.

Being from Senegal, he may feel a close connection with SU.  Current senior Baye Moussa Keita is also from Senegal.  His defensive-first mindset and work ethic is reminiscent of Keita.

Diagne has also already visited Syracuse University twice: once for Orange Madness, and again for the Orange’s home game against Duke.  It’s hard to not like a school with 35,000 fans packed into a dome.

Although it is just speculation, Diagne could end up becoming the second forward and the fourth member of the Orange’s 2015 recruiting class.

Posted by: Jason Weingold

The Fizz is owned, edited and operated by Damon Amendolara. D.A. is an ’01 Syracuse graduate from the Newhouse School with a degree in Broadcast Journalism.

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