Note to Michigan: It's Zoom Diallo's Team Now

With a sellout assured for Wednesday night's Washington-Michigan basketball game, no doubt this means some visitors to Alaska Airlines Arena will coming out to see the Huskies for the first time either in awhile or period.

Basically, here's what they've been missing.

This is Zoom Diallo's team.

With only center Franck Kepnang and Diallo returning from last season's last-place Big Ten team, Husky coach Danny Sprinkle brought in a lot of guys and could have gone in a much different direction for starting guards.

In fact, he did when the season began -- opening with USC transfer Wesley Yates III and freshman JJ Mandaquit.

Sprinkle brought Zoom off the bench for the first three games, after he came out preseason practice a little banged up, for the Huskies (10-6 overall, 2-3 Big Ten) before putting the 6-foot-4 sophomore from Tacoma into the starting lineup where he belongs.

Zoom Diallo attacks the basket against Ohio State. | Dave Sizer photo

"Knowing what Sprinkle wants in a team and what he wants as a leader, I think that's how I've grown," Diallo said. "I'm not a frehman anymore."

No, he's not, as the Wolverines (14-1, 4-1) will find out.

Diallo, who averages 15.1 points per game and has started the past 13 games, is the UW's most determined guy in driving to the basket.

Whereas last year he treated the 3-pointer an afterthought, going 6-for-33 over 31 games, he's matched his attempts and doubled his makes in just 16 games.

"That's thousands of reps," he explained. "I had to reflect on my first year. I had to make it easier on myself. Going down there and driving against three or four guys, it wears on you at a certain point. So you know one thing I wanted to do was extend my range. I feel confident in my shot now."

Against Utah, he almost nonchalantly took and drained a 30-footer because the shot clock was winding down.

He had a career-high 24 points in the 74-65 victory over the Utes, one of his three 20-point games this season. Last year, he had just one.

Zoom Diallo levitates as he splits the Ohio State defense. | Dave Sizer photo

Against Ohio State, he dropped in a team-high 22 points to lead the Huskies over Ohio State 81-74, looking ever the Husky leader. He had 3 assists, hit a pair of 3s, connected on all six of his free throws.

Mixed in with the new UW guards, Diallo is the true survivor.

Yates has missed five games after having wrist surgery. Quimari Peterson, the 2025 Southern Conference Player of the Year, has had to change his game some and scores less. Desmond Claude is in Sprinkle's doghouse. Mandaquit, hitting a freshman road bump, comes off the bench now.

For all of you new Husky fans coming in the door, that makes it Zoom's team.

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