Men's Basketball

    14
    Mamadou Diarra
    Mamadou Diarra

    Class:
    RS Sophomore
    Hometown:
    Bamako, Mali
    High School:
    Stoneridge Prep
    Height / Weight:
    7-0 / 230
    Position:
    Forward
    Birthdate:
    08/29/1986

    12/17/2007

    USC vs. Delaware State

    USC vs. Delaware State, 12/17/07

    THE BREAKDOWN: Mamadou Diarra, 7-foot, 230-pound redshirt freshman forward, is an athletic and talented big man who can run the floor and be a strong defensive presence. Had an injury-plagued first season which limited him to three games. 2007-08: Played in three games for a total of 10 minutes. Had surgery to repair a hernia on Nov. 5 and returned to practice in late November. Played in his first game on Dec. 17 vs. Delaware State, making one of two free throws for his first career point. Also was 1-for-2 from the line vs. Cal Poly on Dec. 22. Played in his last game on Dec. 29 vs. UC Riverside and had one rebound in one minute of play. HIGH SCHOOL: Diarra averaged 8.1 points and 6.4 rebounds his senior season at Stoneridge Prep in Simi Valley, Calif. He led Stoneridge in scoring as a junior with an 11.1 average. Hoopmasters.com lists Diarra as the No. 4 ranked power forward in the 2007 recruiting class. Rated the No. 65 prospect in the country by Rivals.com, as well as the No. 15 power forward and the No. 3 prospect from California by the same service. CNN/SI's rankings of 2007 recruits had him listed as No. 40 and was ranked the No. 7 prospect among fifth-year players by Hoopsscooponline.com. Stoneridge head coach Babacar Sy had this to say about Diarra, "Mamadou was the best all-around big man in the country this year from a prep school. He was recruited by every major school in the nation. His size and athleticism will be a great asset for the Trojans." Attended Hamdallaye Plataux high school in Hamdallaye, Mali before enrolling at Stoneridge. PERSONAL: Diarra was born on Aug. 29, 1986. He is an undeclared major at USC. His parents are Sekou Diarra and Mariam Konate...He has four sisters and one brother. His hobbies include watching TV and listening to music, so it should be no surprise that his favorite channel to watch is MTV...Lists The Matrix as his favorite movie...His favorite type of food is African.