Arizona State Center Continues to Impress During Freshman Season
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TEMPE -- Bobby Hurley has been nothing short of incredible when finding "diamonds in the rough" during his tenure as head coach at Arizona State.
The exceptional players that Hurley brought to Arizona State that were considered under-the-radar range from Tra Holder, to transfers such as Rob Edwards and Zylan Cheatham.
Perhaps the most scintilating addition that Hurley has made in recent years is none other than Mor Massamba Diop - a freshman who originally hailed from Senegal before moving to Spain, where the 20-year old began a professional basketball career.
ASU point guard Moe Odum has been one of the most vocal supporters of the first-year member of the college game - the constant belief and encouragement have paid dividends thus far during the season, which came full circle when Odum spoke after the win.
Odum Speaks on What Diop Showed
Diop was given some truly challenging matchups in recent weeks - this wasn't any different against the Bearcats. Diop was pitted against Moustapha Thiam, who grew up just a few miles away from him in Senegal - as well as forward Baba Miller, who frequently found himself in the lane during a 23-point showing.
Odum didn't mince any words when Arizona State on SI asked what impression Diop left on the team in yet another strenuous matchup.
"I kind of got on Massamba earlier. I feel like he wasn't playing hard. Then he responded the second half came out blocking shots, rebounding. I think he finished with 10 rebounds. I think they can finish with 10 rebounds. So he just responded really well. You know, the Big 12 is crazy, like from guards to bigs to the frontcourt.
So it's like, we got our hands full. Massmba got his hands full. So it's like, I don't know. I'm gonna just start telling the bigs, like, let's see who could get more stops and big guards. I just, I'm trying to bring that competitive fire back. So I just really like what I saw from Massamba."
While Diop didn't have the most gaudy statistical output, he did grab nearly one-third of the team's rebounds, while also collecting four blocks and serving as the anchor during the stringent defensive showing in the second half. The sentiment of Diop being a game-changing player has echoed throughout the Big 12, as West Virginia head coach Ross Hodge brazenly opined that the 7-foot center will play in the NBA one day.
The next opportunity to see Diop in action is on the road against UCF on Tuesday night.
Read more on why the Arizona State men's basketball team will exceed expectations in the 2025-26 season here, and on why the bright future of the football program isn’t dimmed by the loss to Arizona here.
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Kevin Hicks is an Arizona State alumni and now serves as the Arizona State Beat Writer On SI.