Mullin Offers Diallo
On Thursday it was Shaka Smart who made an early offer to Bruce Brown, only hours after being named the new head coach at Texas.
Friday brought a similar occurrence when Chris Mullin, only 48 hours removed from his introductory press conference at St. John's, extended a scholarship offer to Putnam Science sophomore guard Hamidou Diallo.
Mullin, the former St. John's star who went on to have a Hall of Fame NBA career including a spot on the initial Dream Team, wasted no time in reaching out to the top New York City prospects upon landing the job at his alma mater. First was Christ the King junior swingman Rawle Alkins, a consensus top 50 player in the country and far and away the best New York City product in the 2016 class.
Not long after it was Jordan Tucker, a skilled six-foot-six wing who holds a similarly high distinction in the national class of 2017.
Diallo was the third prospect to be offered by Mullin though, a testament to his status among prospects originally from the greater New York City area.
It's hard to imagine but Diallo was a relatively unknown just a year ago. It was on Memorial Day weekend, at the Super 16 Showcase, that he first appeared in New England with the New York City Jayhawks, returning again a month later at the Elite 75 Showcase. His talent was immediately noticeable at both events and he went on to have a breakout summer, scoring his first division I offers in the process.
It was just more of the same during his first full season at Putnam Science as St. John's joins a list of offers that now includes UConn, Providence, Minnesota, Temple, South Carolina and Iowa State among others.
Bruce Brown
Hamidou Diallo