Player Evaluations: How Did Georgia Tech Commits Moustapha Diop & Cole Kirouac Look At OTE On Thursday Night?

I got the chance to see Moutaspha Diop and Cole Kirouac in person for the first time, and I have some thoughts on their play and what they could mean to the Yellow Jackets' future.

Disclaimer: Both Cole Kirouac and Moutaspha Diop played each other's minutes, so when Kirouac was in the game Diop was on the bench, and when Diop was in the game Kirouac was on the bench. I am only evaluating one game. I have not seen both prospects entire body of work.

Cole Kirouac- He started Game 3 for the City Reapers and oftentimes had to switch on Eli Ellis or his brother Isaac Ellis. On the perimeter, you saw him try his best to stay in front of them and keep them at bay, but it was just a better offense by the Ellis brothers. One area Kirouac is good at is finishing around the rim. Now he didn’t get a lot of opportunities or touches because the offense is very guard-centric and looks for their own shots. When Kirouac did get his opportunities in Game 3, he went 2-2 from the field converting a dunk and a lay-up. Another area he stood out was on the defensive side of the ball, particularly at the rim. He showed the ability to be a help side defender and rotate over and block shots at a high level. Kirouac altered several shots at the rim and made the opponent think twice before coming in and trying to score in that painted area. He finished with a game-high three blocks on the evening showing the potential that he has on that side of the ball. At the end of the day, it is just one game but Kirouac can be a potential rotation piece in his first year for head coach Damon Stoudamire. He has good size and length, can rebound the basketball, and defend in the paint. It is also likely to see a lot of touches on the inside, especially with the return of Nait George next season. Kiroauc can give coach Stoudamire another potential body in a rotation which could prove valuable, especially with all the injuries they suffered this season.

Moustapha Diop- He is still very young and raw, but you can see the upside. Even though he didn’t get a lot of minutes he showed great energy and effort on both ends of the floor. He had a dunk in the open court that ignited the crowd and was part of a run for the City Reapers to get back into the game. He also had three rebounds and a steal in the game. Despite only playing nine minutes in the game, Diop has a plus/minus of 18 in the game showing he should see more time on the floor. From the looks of it, frontcourt players don’t get a lot of individual touches so it is tough to evaluate what Diop can be on the offensive side of the ball. Defensively, he showed great motor and the ability to defend the rim. He also is a good rebounder and did a good job in his limited minutes of securing rebounds and rebounding through traffic in a very physical game. The 6’10 prospect is a five-star for a reason and you can see some of those traits that can translate to the next level. For now, it will probably have to wait some with the role he is currently in not really fitting his play style and even potential as a player. As I mentioned earlier, Kirouac and Diop sub each other in and out of games as the City Reapers only deploy one big man on the floor at all times.

My overall synopsis from watching one game is that Georgia Tech will be fine at the frontcourt position for years to come. Coach Stoudamire has done a great job at recruiting the position and I think the development of both will be a big piece of how good the Yellow Jackets are in the future. They both proved that they are team-first guys and don’t really care about their stats but more about the team's success. If you have that, then you have a chance to help a team move in the right direction and get them back to where they want to be which is what Georgia Tech has been missing.

Additional Links

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