Alpha Diallo represented the country of Guinea, where he has also obtained citizenship, in the pre-qualifying Olympic games tournament in Lagos, Nigeria. Diallo competed for his ancestral homeland after previously representing the USA at the 2019 Pan American Games with fellow Friars David Duke Jr., AJ Reeves, Nate Watson, and Coach Ed Cooley.
Since the event was not under FIBA jurisdiction (it was organized by ODEPA – Organization Deportiva Panamericana), there was no conflict for him to be playing with Guinea. He played 3 games in 5 days (’cause that’s totally normal) and played extremely well throughout the tournament. He begun by making a massive statement by putting up a near triple-double in his opening match against Cameroon. Diallo put together an all-around masterclass, finishing with 25 points on 10/15 shooting, 9 rebounds and 9 assists, albeit in a losing effort to open things up.
Following that hot start, in an even better performance taking into account who they were playing was the defending champion Tunisia basketball team, Diallo responded with another masterful performance (18 points, 7 rebounds, & 4 assists) upsetting the top-ranked African squad. Tunisia was ranked #21 by FIBA while Guinea was ranked #75.
I mean, this move by Diallo was just sick…
Diallo and his team lost to Senegal (probably due to some fatigue) following their momentous win over Tunisia, even with the Providence product chipping in 19 points, 10 assists, and 6 rebounds. Guinea was in Group B of the African pre-qualifying tournament with the pair of Cameroon and Tunisia. Cameroon ended up winning the entire tournament, making Diallo’s play look even better in hindsight.
Through those three games, Diallo averaged an impressive 20.7 ppg, 7.3 rpg, & 7.4 apg. Across the entire tournament Diallo ranked 2nd in assists per game, 3rd in points per game, and 7th in rebounds per game.
Diallo currently plays for another African Club, Monaco (AS Monaco Basketb) having recently won their league Championship.
If the team AS Monaco Basket sounds familiar, that’s probably because four-time all-star and former UConn superstar Kemba Walker unexpectedly signed a one-year deal to play there last month. The team also fields former players such as Mike James (no, not that Mike James), Jaron Blossomgame, and Donatas Motiejunas.
The Morning Hangover 