Jasper Johnson Calls Mo Dioubate 'The Physical Person Who Will Always Be the First to Initiate'

After Friday’s Kentucky Blue-White Game on Friday, a question came up about who UK’s “ring leader” has been to start the year. The first person that came to Jasper Johnson’s mind was Mo Dioubate.

“I’m going to definitely say it’s a couple of guys. Obviously, Mo, being the physical person who will always be the first to initiate that,” Johnson told reporters postgame. “Maybe a shot goes up in practice, first play, he might hit somebody, and then we all snap into that mode and get into it.

Dioubate provided that punch on Friday, finishing with eight points on 3-for-5 shooting in just under 17 minutes. He also had three rebounds, but his team was unable to come away with a win.

“The blue team had the edge on us today. They played harder than we did,” Diobuate said. They got more second-chance opportunities than we did.”

Mo Dioubate Almost Led a Comeback

The white team, led by Mo Dioubate, had a rough start to the Blue-White game on Friday. They fell into a double-digit deficit with the Elam Ending looming down 33-18.

Dioubate was able to impress, scoring a string of six straight points, working to keep his team in it. It wasn’t enough, as they eventually fell 35-26.

Mo Dioubate has scored the last six points for the White Team, trying to drag them back into this one.

Fan. Favorite.

Shameless plug to read more about him ⬇️https://t.co/lBHVSXY5Tppic.twitter.com/rqwcjmUx5p

— Tyler Thompson (@MrsTylerKSR) October 18, 2025

His Backstory

Mouhamed Dioubate could be a fan-favorite for Kentucky fans this season due to the story of his journey to Kentucky. KSR’s Tyler Thompson traced back the story of how Mo Dioubate’s journey intertwined with Hamidou Diallo’s, and how he eventually ended up at Kentucky.

Dioubate spent the past two seasons at Alabama playing under head coach Nate Oats. The former top 100 recruit played a crucial role in Alabama’s Final Four run in 2023.

Dioubate had his fair share of excellent games against Kentucky. That likely played a big role in why Mark Pope wanted to pursue him in the portal, eventually landing his commitment on April 7.

“It just seemed right, and so there wasn’t much to talk about,” Dioubate told KSR’s Tyler Thompson. I didn’t want to waste any time. I didn’t want to waste any other coaches’ time, and I just wanted to be straightforward. It took about like, two phone calls for me to make my mind up. I just felt like it was the right decision, and I didn’t think twice about it.”