Top 20 Zoom Diallo updates recruitment, talks potential upcoming visits
Zoom Diallo is the No. 2 point guard in the updated 2024 On3 150. After averaging 20.8 points this summer with the Beauchamp Elite program on the Adidas 3SSB Circuit, the 6-foot-4 Diallo announced he is transferring to Napa (CA) Prolific Prep for his senior season.
This season, at University Place (WA) Curtis Senior High, Diallo won a state championship en route to being named Washington State Gatorade Player of the Year. He averaged 20.2 points and 5.5 assists per game.
“I’ve been able to show my passing skills over the last few months,” Diallo told On3. “Not only my ability to get into the paint but to create and look for others and spray out to the three-point line. I’ve shown that I can not only score but help guys get better. I watch a lot of Luka Doncic, with his pace. How he never gets rushed.”
On3 caught up with Zoom Diallo at the recent Under Armour Elite 24 camp to break down his recruitment.
Diallo talks recruitment
Zoom Diallo issued a top six schools in January. Florida State, Gonzaga, USC, Arizona, Washington, and Kansas made the cut. The four-star point guard has taken four official visits so far to USC, Florida State, Arizona, and Gonzaga.
Gonzaga: “My relationship with them has grown a lot. Especially since Coach (RJay) Barsh came over. He was my lead recruiter at Florida State, and now he is at Gonzaga; he is really all in to get me. He is really competitive, and he just lets me know that he cannot fail in this recruitment. My relationship with Coach (Stephen) Gentry and Coach (Mark) Few is good too.”
Arizona: “We’ve continued to get closer since my visit. I’m talking a lot with Coach (Steve) Robinson and then Coach (Tommy) Lloyd too. Coach Lloyd continues to reach out to me, and he continues to let me know that I’m the guy he wants, I’m his top target. We’ve continued to grow.”
Florida State: “My main recruiter there was Coach Barsh. So when he went to Gonzaga, they are kind of on the outside looking in now.”
Diallo talks potential future visits
“As of right now, I don’t have any future official visits set up,” Diallo said. “I’m still talking to the same schools, and Alabama has gotten into the picture.
“I’m talking with USC about setting up another visit. I’ve been talking with Washington too, and now Alabama about setting up an official there.”
USC: “I want to see more of the school environment. When I went there for my first official, it was when school was winding down, and I didn’t really get to experience that. So if I go on another visit there, I want to take in the atmosphere and the vibe of the school and what it feels like just to be there.”
Washington: “My relationship is great there. Coach (Will) Conroy has been recruiting me really hard. Coach Hop (Mike Hopkins) has been on me hard. I mean, that’s home for me. They have really been trying to instill in me that I can be a hometown hero there.”
Alabama: “They’ve been trying to instill in me that they play in an NBA system. The NBA is where I want to be. I was talking to Coach (Nate) Oats, and he is saying it is a perfect scenario. It is like one step away from the NBA basically because of their system and how they play. That is something that I am looking forward to learning more about.”
…at the end of the day
“I would like to try and have a decision by the Fall side of my senior year,” Diallo said. “As of right now, that is what we’re looking at. I do want to sign early.
“I want to be able to trust the coaching staff, go somewhere that we have formed an authentic relationship. Authentic in that they don’t just want me for basketball but also bring me into a family environment. I’ll want to play for a coach who is going to let me play through my mistakes.
“I will look at the play style some too. I want to play with some pick-and-roll reads, get up and down and play in transition. I like to get the ball out and play fast while the defense is still getting back. Playing in an NBA system, the NBA uses a lot of spacing and a lot of pick-and-rolls.”