SPRINGFIELD — When Cheick Diallo, the No. 7 prospect in the class of 2015, leaps for a rebound, it's almost always impressive.
Most noticeable is Diallo's flexibility. The 6-foot-9 power forward has a massive 7-foot-3 wingspan, which allows him to reach much higher than his opponents, pulling down boards from up in the clouds. But he can also fold his body in any number of strange directions, reaching over his opponents and pulling back around to start the fast break.
Diallo was electric on Sunday, one of the few bright spots in a 75-57 loss to Huntington St. Joseph Prep for Diallo and Our Savior New American. He scored 24 points, many of which came in the second half during a brief run by Our Savior New American, and pulled down nine rebounds.
"He's got a good overall game," Our Savior New American coach Ron Stelzer said. "He runs, he jumps, he blocks shots, he plays defense, he extends out to about the 3-point line, and he can — of course do damage around the basket. We try to put him in a position to score, and his effort does the rest."
Diallo, a native of Bamako, Mali, is still acquainting himself with basketball, but he doesn't look particularly raw. His strong hands help him corral loose balls and errant passes that would skip away from many high-school big men, and he has soft touch around the rim that helps generate a lot of points on offensive rebounds and put-backs. Most of Diallo's damage, however, comes on rim runs — getting out in transition and crushing home massive dunks.
"That's kind of natural for me," Diallo said. "That's just what I do on a fast break."
At last year's Hoophall Classic, Diallo tallied a triple-double. Since that time, Stelzer said he has been polishing his game overall.
"He's just growing up and getting better," Stelzer said. "He didn't play at a high level until two years ago. He's got tremendous upside, as you can see, probably more than some kids who have been in school since they were three years old."
Much of that upside is on the defensive end, where Diallo has the measurements and athletic ability to be a big threat. He has the foot speed to cover a pick-and-roll, and the leaping ability to be a dangerous help-side defender and rim protector. Stelzer said Diallo and junior Kassoum Yakwe both have potential as rim protectors.
"Both averaging three or four blocks per game," he said. "They both get up quick, they both get up high and they both have nice long arms."
That potential has made Diallo attractive to plenty of college coaches, including Kentucky, Kansas, Iowa State and St. John's, all of whom have given Diallo offers and all of whom have received visits from the big man. Diallo declined questions about recruiting on Sunday, but he said the presence of all the college coaches at the Hoophall Classic had no effect on him.
"I play hard every game, no matter what college coach is here or not here," he said. "I play every game like a championship. I don't really care about college coaches. I just want to play my game."