According to a report from Evan Daniels of 247 Sports, Duke is among a new wave of interest in 2021 French prospect Ousmane Dieng.
Multiple programs had already reached out to Dieng, a 6-foot-9 small forward, who plays at INSEP Academy in Paris by early June. That list included Arizona, Washington State, Oregon State and Cincinnati. However, four new programs have entered the mix: Duke, Wake Forest, Stanford and Memphis. In fact, Penny Hardaway and the Tigers have offered Dieng a scholarship.
Dieng informed Daniels that he recently had a virtual meeting with Duke’s roster of assistant coaches: Jon Scheyer, Nates James, Nolan Smith and Chris Carrawell. Dieng explained to Daniels that he felt honored by Duke’s staff expressing interest: “It was really interesting to learn about The Brotherhood. Very inspiring. The coaches also discussed player development, how they envision me fitting into their program and how they can prepare me for the NBA.”
Of course, it helps to have every coach on that call be a member of The Brotherhood, too. Duke’s entire staff is made up of guys that played for Mike Krzyzewski at Duke — each for four years, too.
During the 2019 FIBA U-16 European Championship, Dieng made a name for himself. France finished second place in the tournament, while Dieng averaged 8.9 points, 3.6 assists and 2.7 rebounds per game. While at the event, Dieng played with 7-foot-2 Victor Wembanyama, who is on the rise as one of the most coveted international NBA prospects.
As usual, Duke is in the process of assembling a dynamic recruiting class for 2021. However, this has the potential to be a special class. The Blue Devils already have a commitment from 5-star wing AJ Griffin, a possible candidate to go No. 1 in the 2022 NBA Draft.
It’s not just Griffin, though. Duke is also in the running for 5-star forward Patrick Baldwin Jr. (another likely lottery pick in 2022), 5-star power forward Paolo Banhero, 5-star shooting guard Max Christie and 5-star point guard Kennedy Chandler, among others.