Mo Dioubate describes putting on Kentucky gear for the first time: 'I felt like Fresh Prince'

Kentucky made a big splash in the Transfer Portal this offseason when it poached forward Mouhamed Dioubate from SEC-rival Alabama. As a pivotal member of last season’s Alabama team that reached the Elite Eight, Dioubate averaged 7.2 points and 5.9 rebounds and recorded a double-double in their Round of 64 game against Robert Morris.

Dioubate and the Crimson Tide defeated Mark Pope‘s Kentucky team in all three games (two regular season matchups and an SEC Tournament meeting) last season. In the three matchups against his future team, he averaged 8.3 points and seven rebounds per game.

Dioubate, who recently said that Kentucky was his dream school growing up, also revealed that putting on Wildcat gear for the first time made him feel like a certain 90’s sitcom character.

“I felt like the Fresh Prince,” Dioubate said when asked about donning the blue and white. “It felt good. All the fans told me that the color looked good on me, but I already knew that before because blue is my favorite color. I just already knew I was gonna look good in blue. But it felt good. It felt like a real, real good feeling.”

Dioubate reveals what drew him to Kentucky

“I felt like coach [Mark] Pope had a good plan for me and my future,” Dioubate said. “If you knew me, you’d know that Kentucky was my dream school when I was a kid. If I could’ve came there out of high school I probably would have. Just with the opportunity presented, where I was at that point in my life, I felt like that was the right choice for me and my family. That’s why I came here.”

The Queens, NY native was a four-star recruit coming out of high school, listed as the No. 92 ranked player nationally out of Putnam Science Academy in Flushing, NY. He committed to Alabama over schools such as Ohio State, St. Johns and Kansas State.

Dioubate has been a pivotal piece to Kentucky‘s star-studded Transfer Portal class, which is ranked No. 2 in On3’s rankings. He’s joined by Florida guard Denzel Aberdeen, Pittsburgh guard Jaland Lowe, Arizona State forward Jayden Quaintance, Miami (OH) center Reece Potter and Tulane forward Kam Williams to go along with returners guard Otega Oweh, forward Brandon Garrison, forward Trent Noah and guard Collin Chandler.

The ‘Cats are seeking their first Final Four since 2015 and first National Championship since 2012 this season.