Mohamed Diarra

Mohamed Diarra had a winding path in France before breaking through in NCAA at North Carolina State. Born in Montreuil, he grew up in the Paris region and played soccer until age 15. Being tall, he finally started basketball as a teenager when his uncle was coaching at a club.

Dismissed from BCM and Orleans

Six months of training were enough for him to join BCM Gravelines-Dunkerque's youth academy. But off-court issues brought him back to the Paris region in 2017-2018, where he joined the Marne-la-Vallée club. Used only twice in Nationale 3 (NM3), he mostly played for the second senior team and U20s. Another youth academy, Orleans, then recruited him. At OLB, Mohamed Diarra found his place with the Espoirs team in NM3 (7.2 points per game) but new behavioral issues ended his experience after just one practice with the professional team.

When he thought about quitting basketball and became an Uber Eats courier, Mohamed Diarra seized the opportunity to go to the United States while being blacklisted in France. Despite new setbacks notably related to COVID-19, he made a name for himself at Garden City Community College in Kansas. Ranked #1 among all Junior Colleges (JuCo) players in the United States in 2021-2022, he joined Missouri's NCAA program before transferring to North Carolina State in 2023.

The 2024 ACC tournament, the turning point for Mohamed Diarra

At the Wolf Pack, Mohamed Diarra initially had inconsistent playing time before putting together several standout performances in the ACC, the best NCAA conference, becoming a key player for NC State. While his team finished mid-table in the regular season, they managed to eliminate Duke, Virginia, and North Carolina to win the title. Mohamed Diarra broke the ACC tournament rebounding record (60). This trophy allowed the Montreuil native to participate in his second March Madness after 2023 with Missouri. In this March Madness, he started the competition with another double-double (17 points and 12 rebounds) against Texas Tech. Riding this momentum, the Wolfpack reached its first Final Four since 1983, 41 years ago, with another victory against neighbor Duke in the Elite 8.