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Will Hamidou Diallo stay in the NBA Draft or return to UK?
That’s arguably the biggest offseason storyline facing the Cats right now, as Diallo would be one of, if not the best player next season if he’s back in Lexington. However, Diallo wants to see what the NBA thinks of him as he goes through the pre-draft process, but that may be all he’s doing.
In an interview with Cats Pause’s Chris Fisher, Diallo’s prep school coach, Tom Espinosa, said he thinks his former pupil will stay in college for one more season.
"I'd be surprised if he doesn't come back to Kentucky next year," Espinosa said Tuesday night. "Maybe not as confident but I still believe he will. Now that he's invited to the combine and his stock is in the first round, I'm not 99 percent. May be closer to 90."
Espinosa said Diallo is a smart and mature student who will make the right decision, which most would argue is coming back to school for at least one more year.
"He's a very mature guy and he's got a lot of great people supporting him. His family, his mother, brother, sisters, Rob Diaz, his mentor in New York. That's his guy," Espinosa said. "He thinks about what he's going to do and has good people telling him what to do. He's going to make the right decisions."
Espinosa also sees a big season for Diallo if he remains at UK, even though he has yet to log a single college minute.
"I think he's going to have a great year," Espinosa said. "He's been preparing for this his whole life. With the 10 months he'll have under his belt, he's going to be ready to go. I think he'll come out with a bang."
We can only hope.