Replacing an All-American never comes cheap, and Gonzaga found that out in a big way while chasing Massamba Diop.
The 7-foot-1 center out of Arizona State committed to the Bulldogs in April after a long pursuit that also involved St. John’s, and the fit is obvious.
With Braden Huff already in place as one of the most gifted scorers in college basketball, Gonzaga needed a big who could clean up the glass, protect the rim and bring some force inside. Diop checks those boxes.
On3’s latest NIL valuation rankings put Diop ninth overall in college sports and fifth among college basketball players, a list topped by Miami quarterback Darian Mensah. The players ahead of Diop among basketball names were Milan Momcilovic (Kentucky), Flory Bidunga (Louisville), Tounde Yessoufou (St. John's), and Thomas Haugh (Florida), who were ranked two, three, six, and seven overall, respectively.
The football players in the top 10 were Oregon quarterback Dante Moore at No. 4, Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith at No. 5, and Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss at No.
- Kansas freshman wing and former Gonzaga target Tyran Stokes checked in at No.
The exact price tag for Diop isn’t public, but the estimate floating around during portal season for top-end big men was $4-5 million. Given how coveted he was, and how hard Gonzaga had to work to land him over St. John’s and coach Pitino, that number doesn’t sound far off.
Diop made a strong first impression at Arizona State, averaging 13.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.1 blocks as a freshman under Bobby Hurley. His shot-blocking is the headliner, but he’s also a strong screener, a dangerous rim runner and a player who can step out and knock down a jump shot.
There’s still upside there, too. Gonzaga’s two-big system should give him room to keep expanding his offensive game, though the Zags still need a point guard to feed him after Mario Saint-Supery’s surprise return to Spain in mid-July.
On3 also listed several other players Gonzaga had been involved with among its top 100 NIL valuations, including Providence wing Miles Byrd at No. 36, Tennessee wing Jalen Haralson at No.
41, Michigan center Moustapha Thiam at No. 42, Louisville guard Jackson Shelstad at No. 48 and North Carolina guard Neoklis Avdalas at No.
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