Big-time offers flying in for Curtis guard Zoom Diallo. Where will he end up?
There’s no relaxing summer in Zoom Diallo’s world. Few days are spent lounging at the lake or playing video games with friends. It’s all basketball, all the time for the Curtis High School star, who is going into his junior year at the University Place school. Diallo has spent the summer flying around the country, playing in different tournaments with his AAU team, Elite Sports Academy.
“My mom is getting tired of taking me to all these flights,” Diallo told The News Tribune, laughing.
Diallo was one of the 20 high school players nationally invited to Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard’s inaugural Formula Zero basketball camp in Portland, Oregon. Twenty college players were also invited, pitting Diallo up against some of the country’s best young talent.
The recruiting attention has come Diallo’s way, too. Considered a four-star recruit by 247sports.com, Diallo has picked up offers from LSU, San Diego State, Arizona, Florida State, USC and UCLA this summer.
“It’s a blessing,” Diallo said. “Just growing up watching these teams that are offering me now is a dream come true. When I was younger, I always wanted to play for these bigger-name schools. Just them seeing the potential in me means a lot to me and what they see in my game.”
There’s plenty to like in the 6-foot-4 guard’s game. Diallo is a fluid athlete, handles the ball well, can score at the rim and from behind the arc and has excellent body control: he can adjust in midair or stop on a dime off the dribble.
As a sophomore, Diallo averaged 17.8 points, 5.1 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game en route to being named the 4A SPSL North MVP. He was named the 4A state tournament MVP after leading Curtis to the 4A state championship, scoring a game-high 22 points in the title game against top-seeded Mount Si, including a clutch layup and free throw late in the fourth quarter to force overtime in the win. He was a first-team selection to The News Tribune’s 2022 All-Area team.
Diallo will likely take some unofficial visits soon to some west coast schools; Gonzaga, Arizona, UW, and Oregon have all expressed interest. Diallo said he’s also talking with Arizona and Gonzaga about setting up official visits during the season. Gonzaga recently scheduled a home-and-home series with Kentucky, beginning this season in Spokane. Mark Few and his staff may look to bring Diallo to campus then.
It feels surreal for Diallo sometimes: all the attention, the big-time offers, the stars next to his name.
“Most definitely,” he said. “This is something I planned and dreamed of. It’s kind of crazy it’s all hitting me. It’s what I wanted.”
It can be overwhelming at times. Diallo said sometimes he has to put his phone on rest mode because of the sheer volume of text messages and calls coming from recruiters on a daily basis.
Classmates often try to pry information from Diallo in the hallways of Curtis High School, but they’ll generally find their attempts futile. He’s taking pride in keeping things close to the vest.
“I don’t want nobody to know where I’m going,” Diallo said.
Some recruiting websites, such as 247, have a “crystal ball” feature, in which recruiting analysts will make their predictions on which college a player will commit to. Diallo is making it his mission for the crystal ball to remain blank.
“I want mine to be completely a puzzle,” he said.
The only hint: He’s looking for a family atmosphere.
“I want to fit into their playstyle,” he said. “Them being family oriented, caring about me, not just because I’m there to play basketball. Having a coach that will let me play through my mistakes. I’m going to be an 18-year-old playing against 22-year-olds. And just having my family trust their system.”
Diallo was already one of the state’s best players as a sophomore. He said he’s been working on his shooting consistency and athleticism this summer. He offered a prediction for the 2022-23 season.
“There will be a lot more dunks this season,” he said.” There’s gonna be a lot of throw-downs.”
The bulk of Curtis’ state title-winning roster returns, including Tyce Paulsen, who was also a first-team selection to the TNT’s All-Area team.
“It’s very exciting knowing the fact that we still have our strong core,” Diallo said. “This year will be more challenging knowing we are the state champs. I feel like that’s the most exciting part. I love knowing that teams are coming for us. Just reflecting on winning that, I still think about it to this day. I have photos in my room, memories on my phone.”
