The wait finally ended for the college decision for one of the elite post players in America's 2022 Class, as AZ Compass Prep's 7-foot, 200-pound senior post Adrame Diongue made his college decision - electing to sign a national letter of intent with Washington State University and Head Coach Kyle Smith and his staff. The decision was a big one for Diongue, who narrowed down his list of schools before making his big decision to play in the PAC-12 Conference.
Diongue signed with Washington State after trimming his list of schools down to a final five that included UNLV, Kentucky, Kansas and Texas Tech. Washington State won out big for Diongue amidst such a loaded group of schools.
The past two high school seasons for AZ Compass Prep, Diongue was a force and helped the program to a #1 overall ranking in the country, alongside a loaded lineup of Division-I college prospects that included Kentucky star guard Ty Ty Washington. Diongue played at a high level the last two seasons, as the program came up just short of a national championship at the GEICO Nationals.
Diongue then was a bright spot last summer at the prestigious Pangos All-American Camp, which featured many of the nation's elite prospects and loads of size. Diongue proved that he is among the very best post talents around, and his activity and willingness to compete at a high level were glaring in the event. Diongue spent time last spring and summer with Belmont Shore (CA) and also the Oakland Soldiers (CA).
Very rarely do you find someone of his size, length and agility, combined with a nice overall offensive skillset and a very high motor. His potential for the future and upside has me almost in amazement of just how good he can eventually become. He runs the floor like a guard and is agile for his size, which is so rare for 7-footers. He is still very thin physically, but has gotten much stronger over the past year and now finishes very strong at the rim and over defenders. He has superior upside and as he continues to mature physically and fills out his length, he will become a superior inside presence at the collegiate level. Like for most taller and lengthy post prospects, Diongue's best years are well ahead of him. He is already an absolute force defensively and blocks or changes many shots around the paint, where he has very good timing and keeps balls in play - leading to nice fast breaks for his teammates.
An African native, Diongue played his freshman season at Mount Zion Prep in Virginia, but chose to move to Arizona two summers ago (2019), to live with his uncle and guardian, former University of Arizona standout Mohammad Tangara. Tangara has been everything to Diongue, providing him with complete support in his transition from Africa just two years ago. As a sophomore, Diongue first attempted to play for Chaparral High School, but due to some erroneous transfer rules, which were very unclear by the AIA and Chaparral HS, Diongue would only be cleared to play for the program's junior varsity, but not the school's varsity team. As a result, Diongue attended classes at Chaparral for an opportunity to receive the excellent level of academics at the school, but then later decided to transfer to Bella Vista Prep, where he ultimately played his sophomore season and developed. Diongue then decided to transfer to AZ Compass Prep for his junior season.
Congratulations to Diongue and the AZ Compass Prep program on another big signing. Diongue worked very hard to put himself in position for this opportunity, and I believe he chose the right program for himself, as he will have a chance to play right way for the Cougars.
