Hami Diallo cannot remember a time when he did not love playing basketball.
“I just couldn’t not go a day without playing — just like now. I eat, sleep basketball,” said Diallo. “I am going to find a way to play basketball. I will sneak out do something basketball-wise. It is just in my blood. I can’t go a week without playing. I can’t go a day really.”
Still, the UK redshirt freshman did come close to leaving Kentucky after just one semester for the NBA. He waited until the last possible minute to pull his name out of the draft in hopes of staying at UK to win a national championship.
“I was definitely close. Up and down decision,” Diallo said. “I never feel pressure on me. I am the one making decisions and the one that has to deal with it. That’s type person I am. I had a bunch of teams contact me and bunch of teams show interest in me. I just decided to come back because it was the best thing for me. I feel like I am a leader. I have not shied away from that to get ready for this season.”
The biggest question about Diallo has been his outside shot. He can get to the basket or finish on the break, but can he he score from outside? He was 2-for-10 from 3-point range for Team USA and also made just 16 of 28 foul shots. Diallo says his shot could be better, but he disputes claims he’s a bad outside shooter.
“I wouldn’t say my shot wasn’t good. Just some shots I take make me not look as good. I am working to try and prove everybody wrong about my shot,” Diallo said. “I know I am going to get asked questions. I don’t want to get asked rest of my life. I just have to deal with it and get better.”
He took advantage of having his own key to the Joe Craft Center so he could get up shots any time he wanted 24 hours a day, including times at 2 a.m. when he’s gone to work on his shot.
“I have been in there all times of the night and day. That’s how you get better,” Diallo said. “If I can’t sleep, I just come to the gym and get up shots and then go back to bed.”
The 6-5 Diallo has a 40-inch vertical jump and a 6-11 wingspan. And he’s not slow.
“He can dominate you with his speed, but he can also dominate you physically,” Calipari said.
Walk-on Dillon Pulliam says the first time he saw Diallo take off and dunk, it was “crazy” and hard to believe.
“I am getting out of the way if he comes down the lane. I am not going to lie about that,” Pulliam said. “There’s really not anybody else like him. Malik (Monk) was close but he could not dunk with the force Hami does. Malik could probably jump as high, but Hami can rip the rim off. He’s just a freak. You get to where you kind of take him for granted on normal dunks but when he gets that extra bounce and takes off from the free throw line and dunks, wow is all you can say.”
Diallo enrolled at UK for the second semester last season but did not play. Instead, he practiced daily against Malik Monk, De’Aaron Fox and Isaiah Briscoe to improve his game. He considered still leaving UK for the NBA draft before deciding to return .
He said as good as Fox and Monk were, he could defend them.
“Everybody knows I defend pretty well. I just came in there and competed with them and made sure they were prepared for games,” Diallo said. “I just want to go out there and leave it all on the floor.”
He also sees himself as a better passer than many realize.
“That has always been me. I have never really been selfish. I feel like if the team is winning, then I am winning. That’s how I see it and why I will do whatever it takes to win,” Diallo said.
Diallo played on the USA under 19 team coached by Calipari that won a bronze medal in the FIBA World Cup in July. He averaged 10.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.
“His athleticism and quick twitch is unbelievable,” Calipari said. “He just has to play with a motor the whole time and stay in attack mode. I want him to be the best defender no matter who he’s guarding. He can be a lockdown defender for us with his athleticism.”