7-foot freshman brings energy and a new look to Gonzaga Bulldogs

18-year-old Ismaila Diagne might have saved Gonzaga's season

Gonzaga freshman center Ismaila Diagne. / Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

There’s nothing quite as invigorating as a college basketball team discovering a new, two-way option late in the season.

It could be due to luck or perhaps divine intervention. Or, in the case of the Gonzaga Bulldogs, it was foul trouble at Santa Clara on Tuesday night that gave the college hoops world its first real look at 7-foot freshman Ismaila Diagne.

Diagne’s teammates were well aware of his work ethic and the energy he brought to the practice floor, valuable intangibles that can be big when a season starts to drag.

Coach Mark Few had no choice but to summon Diagne after Graham Ike and Braden Huff got into foul trouble. The big teenager from Senegal — yes, he’s only 18 — checked in with the Zags trailing 35-27 and the Broncos having gone 8-of-9 from behind the 3-point line. 

Two possessions later, Diagne had a two-handed dunk and then quickly followed that up with an authoritative block. The Zags later said Diagne had as much to do with the 95-76 win as anyone, with a game-altering performance at a desperately needed juncture.

“He sure showed up big tonight and saved the game for us,” Few said.

Gonzaga Bulldogs center Ismaila Diagne (24) dunks the basketball against the Santa Clara Broncos. / Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

That win gave the Zags a big boost heading into Saturday night’s game against San Francisco at the Chase Center. The winner gets the No. 2 seed and a quadruple bye into the semifinals of the conference tournament that starts next week in Las Vegas.

Diagne finished Tuesday night with nine points and four rebounds in 19 minutes, all season highs, as well as one block and one steal.

So where has Diagne been?

“He’s always given us a great rim protector. He just had the knee thing and then he had a concussion and then he was sick, and he’s playing behind two really good guys at his position,” Few said, referring to Ike and Huff.

Diagne suffered a sprained MCL in late November. Through that injury and everything else, he’s kept himself ready while exhibiting a great attitude.

“I thought big man Izzo was huge for us, man,” point guard Ryan Nembhard, who broke the WCC’s single-season assists record on Tuesday night, said while surrounded by his teammates during a postgame interview with CBS Sports Network.

Later, Nembhard was quick to point out that Diagne turned 18 just two months ago. 

What stands out to Nembhard is “just the joy he plays with every single day. Just the energy he comes in with. He’s always the loudest guy when we’re stretching and doing stuff like that. He always has so much emotion. That’s huge. A lot of times he’s on the scout team and doesn’t even get reps with us.

Gonzaga freshman Ismaila Diagne dancing before matchup against Arizona State on Nov. 10, 2024 at the McCarthey Athletic Center. / Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

“I think he just loves playing defense as well, too,” Nembhard said. “He likes getting blocks. He’s passionate about that side of the ball. It’s huge to have a guy like that.”

Few echoed his star point guard, saying that Diagne has “just been such a positive force on this team. He’s just such an incredibly positive person, he’s just so upbeat and so inspirational to our guys. I told him that afterward, he deserved that and maybe something good was going to happen because of how he handled himself during this whole time.”

Beyond the stat sheet, the Zags credited Diagne’s presence in the middle with changing their coverage of Santa Clara’s long-range shooters, who had hit 18 3-pointers in a win in the Kennel on Jan. 18 and then shredded Washington State for a WCC-record 23 3’s last Saturday. After the Broncos made their first eight long shots, the Zags allowed only three more the rest of the night.

Asked whether his favorite play was his first of two dunks in the first half or the blocked shot, Diagne said: “I guess the block. I like blocks.”

Gonzaga freshman center Ismaila Diagne. / Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

Diagne arrived in Spokane after leading Read Madrid’s U-18 team to a championship win at the Adidas Next Gen Tournament in Berlin, Germany, where he averaged 10.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists. He also appeared in four games in the Spanish Liga Endesa and two games in the EuroLeague with the national team.

“Even though I know I’m not getting a lot of minutes or something like that, I’m always like hyping up my teammates to do great from the bench and I always stay ready if they need me defensively,” Diagne said. “Defensively I can help anytime.”

Diagne’s play certainly helped change the Zags’ mood after their home loss to Saint Mary’s on Saturday night, which clinched the regular-season title for the Gaels and a season sweep. And it could pay off since every game now is critical for a team that wants to hear its name called on Selection Sunday for the 26th straight time.

“He anchored our defense,” Nembhard said. “He got blocks, made shots difficult and that just adds another dimension to our team. It’s huge for an 18-year-old to come in and do something like that, especially in a big game like this.”

Gonzaga freshman center Ismaila Diagne. / Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

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