Mouhamed Dioubate: 'Kentucky's always been my dream school as a kid'

Mouhamed Dioubate spent two seasons playing elsewhere in the SEC. However, upon entering the transfer portal this spring, the opportunity to play for the program he always wanted to be at came.

Dioubate discussed what made him commit to transfer to Kentucky from the NCAA Transfer Portal with the media on Monday. He said Big Blue being his dream school growing up had a lot to do with it, with the color and some of his favorite players, including one from his city in Hamidou Diallo, only adding to that dream.

Kentucky has always been Mo Dioubate's dream school pic.twitter.com/KbLW9S2FCm

— KSR (@KSRonX) June 23, 2025

“If you know, Kentucky’s always been my dream school as a kid,” said Dioubate. “Like, if I could have came there out of high school, I probably would have, you know what I’m saying? So, just the opportunity presented. You know, where I was at at a point in my life? I feel like that was the right choice for me and my family. So, that’s why I came here.”

“It was just, I don’t know. Blue is my favorite color. So like, that’s, you know – blue is my favorite color,” Dioubate said. “Me being like a new – because, when I was younger, I was watching NBA a lot. But, when I got to start watching college, that happened to be the first team that I actually liked. The players they got? They were just so good. You know, they were so good. That’s why I thought, that’s what I expected from, like, college players, the Kentucky players I was watching when I was younger.”

In the present, though, Dioubate liked what he heard as far as how he could be playing for the Wildcats. That’s with two years of eligibility left in college to possibly spend playing for Mark Pope.

“It was like, I felt like, Coach Pope, he had a good plan for me, for my future,” said Dioubate.

Dioubate spent his first two seasons, with 70 appearances made off of the bench, with Alabama. He would average 5.2 points (57.1% FG, 35.1% 3PT) and 4.3 rebounds, improving to 7.2 points (61.7% FG, 46.2% 3PT), 5.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists as a sophomore, for the Crimson Tide. Still, rather than remaining in Tuscaloosa, Dioubate entered the portal as a Top-75 overall transfer who, within three days of his entry, would commit to UK.

So, how has it been for him so far at his dream program in Lexington? Dioubate says he has enjoyed it as he continues to work with his new team so far this summer.

“Yeah, it’s been good,” said Dioubate. I didn’t expect anything easy, honestly. Like, you know, my whole life, I worked hard for everything I had. So, like, coming in, I didn’t expect anything to be handed to me. So I wanted to go after everything I wanted. But it’s been good, though. I’ve been working, you know. So, yeah.”

Dioubate was a productive underclassman on a pair of successful teams at ‘Bama. Now, as an upperclassman, he’ll look to do the same, and more, as he trades in red for blue in his transfer.