Curtis guard Zoom Diallo is The News Tribune’s 2023 All-Area boys basketball player of the year
The past two trips to the Tacoma Dome provided a similar script for Curtis High School guard Zoom Diallo — late Saturday night, in front of a packed crowd, he lifted the Class 4A state trophy into the air, surrounded by his teammates and coaches.
Last season as a sophomore, Diallo led the Vikings on a convincing run against some of the state’s top teams, and to the program’s first championship in nearly a decade.
He made key baskets in the overtime thriller against top-seeded Mount Si, scored a game-high 22 points and earned tournament MVP honors.
This March, the 6-foot-4 junior guard paced the Vikings to another title, scoring a game-high 21 points in a state championship win over 4A South Puget Sound League rival Olympia, and repeated as the tournament’s MVP.
“A lot of grit,” Curtis coach Tim Kelly said of what Diallo showed that night in the Tacoma Dome. “ … He played through some stuff tonight. I’m really proud of the way he stepped up.”
Diallo dedicated the victory to his dad, and hugged his mom at midcourt after the game. And for the second consecutive season, along with his teammates and coaches, brought a state championship to University Place.
He reflected on all the Vikings had achieved last weekend, standing back on Curtis’ home court.
“It means a lot,” Diallo said. “A lot of people in our area, around the state just congratulating us, and just seeing the support system, knowing going back-to-back meant something — I feel like it’s a really exciting experience for us.
“It’s something we can look on and talk about for the rest of our lives.”
Diallo has stepped up at every opportunity during his impressive three-year career at Curtis, earning 4A SPSL North honors as a freshman, sophomore and junior — including back-to-back division MVP selections the past two seasons.
He has collected 1,405 points in his high school career, second only in Curtis’ program history to teammate and Point Loma-bound guard Tyce Paulsen, who has 1,506 the past four seasons.
Diallo scored more than 600 points this winter — Curtis is set to play again in April at the State Champions Invitational in Washington, D.C. — and is on pace to join the rare 2,000-point club with one high school season still to play.
This winter, he showcased his ability at both ends of the court, pacing Curtis to repeat championships at every stage.
The Vikings completed a second consecutive undefeated 4A SPSL North regular season title in January.
They won back-to-back 4A SPSL tournament crowns with a 15-point victory over Olympia in early February.
They repeated as 4A West Central/Southwest district champions two weeks later, again edging the Bears in the title game.
And, of course, they ended another impressive weekend in the Tacoma Dome with another 4A state trophy.
Diallo was a centerpiece for the Vikings every step of the way, and is The News Tribune’s 2023 All-Area boys basketball player of the year.
A smooth scorer and the leader of Curtis’ offense, Diallo averaged a team-best 20.2 points per game this season, and added 5.5 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 1.3 steals.
Diallo has “a great pace” on the floor, Kelly said, doesn’t get sped up on offense, and his ability to get by defenders and to the basket sets him apart.
“I think it’s his pace of play,” Kelly said. “He’s able to get by anybody and get to the rim. He’s got a great pull-up (jumper). … He can get into the lane, he kind of comes to that stop and he really powers up off his legs and gets up over people. Tough to stop and guard, and of course he’s got length and he’s strong.”
Diallo was also recently named the state’s Gatorade Player of the Year, the state player of the year by MaxPreps, and surely has more achievements ahead before his high school career is complete.
Through everything, he strives to consistently put in the work, which has led to so much success the past three seasons.
“I just tell myself that no matter what, I’ve still got to play basketball at the end of the day,” Diallo said. “I try not to let it get to my head, I try to just stay in the gym because that’s what got me to where I’m at right now. … I just stay with my main principle of, ‘Keep the main thing the main thing’ — and the main thing is basketball.”
Diallo loves to compete, his coach said. When the Vikings found out who their opponent would be in the opening round of the invitational at Georgetown University next month, Diallo was already looking at film.
“That’s the kind of kid he is — always working,” Kelly said.
Diallo is considered a five-star recruit, the consensus top player in Washington in the 2024 class and currently listed as the No. 9 player in the nation in the class by 247Sports.com and No. 36 on the 2024 ESPN60.
He holds high-major offers from programs across the country, and announced his top six — Arizona, Gonzaga, Florida State, Kansas, USC and Washington — in January.
Still, following another highlight-reel performance in the Tacoma Dome earlier this month, Diallo was quick to recognize the work of his teammates. What did his performance in a second state championship win show?
“I’m one of the best in the country, and my team is one of the best in the country,” Diallo said following the victory. “We did it together. I wasn’t the only guy who did it. We did it together.
“Without these guys, this wouldn’t have happened. Every single one of them. From everybody on the bench to everybody starting, everybody on the coaching staff, the trainers, all of that group. Couldn’t have done it without any one of them. So, man, it’s a blessing.”
Paulsen, a three-time TNT All-Area selection, who played alongside Diallo even before high school basketball, noted the importance of that bond following the Vikings’ title game win.
“Me and him, we’ve been playing for a while,” Paulsen said. “It’s a big deal to have that connection with him on and off the court for sure.”
Diallo said the two — who are both also younger brothers of former Curtis players — used to talk about the possibility of leading the Vikings to multiple championships.
“Me and Tyce would talk when we were little like, ‘Hey, we are going to make something special at Curtis.’ We were going to come together, have a strong season together and win as much championships as we could,” Diallo said. “ … I knew coming in that we had the chance to be something special. We dreamed about it.”
That dream is now a reality.
For Diallo, one season remains to further add to an already impressive legacy as a high school basketball player, reach more goals and continue to prepare for the future.
“I just want to continue to see my development grow, get more prepared for me going into my freshman year of college,” he said.
