Cheick Diallo starts slow, finishes with a pose in Kansas debut

Freshman big man Cheick Diallo finally made his college debut Tuesday night as Kansas hosted Loyola (MD). After months of wrangling with the NCAA over his eligibility and questions about the legitimacy of his high school course work the young forward showed he’ll make the Jayhawks better right away.

The highlight of Diallo’s night came with just under five minutes remaining in the 94-61 rout when he snatched a loose ball and dribbled to the other end finishing with a resounding right-handed dunk with his left hand posed behind his head.

Diallo was the MVP of the McDonald’s All-American game in March scoring 18 points and 10 rebounds, and it was that potential that had Kansas coach Bill Self and Jayhawks fans so eager to get him on the floor.He served a five-game suspension for receiving extra benefits and put all the stress of that sitiuation behind him Tuesday.

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But this is a different level and Diallo was playing with and against players who had six games under their belts prior to Tuesday. It took him awhile to get going before ultimately finishing with 13 points and six rebounds and three blocks with almost all of that damage coming in the second half.

Diallo, a 6-foot-9 product of Mali, instantly brings a defensive presence in the form of shot blocking and rebounding that only makes an already deep team that much deeper. He is raw offensively and should find his way on that end of the floor as the season progresses.

He is more role player than star now, but the experience he gets over the next three months could have him playing at a different level when March arrives. 

He demonstrated against Loyola he is more than capable of finishing near the rim when his teammates feed him the ball in good situations. Right now he’s unlikley to fool many opponents with post moves to create his own shot or step outside and knock down a jumper.

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Diallo will compete for playing time with Jamari Traylor, Landen Lucas and Hunter Mickelson but he brings a different level of athleticism than those players. He’s a special player and with him in the fold, this has the makings of a special season for the Jayhawks.

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[Kyle Ringo is the assistant editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KyleRingo