Zoom Diallo walked off the floor with more than a stat line Saturday night. He left Rupp Arena with the kind of lift that can change a player’s mood, and maybe even his momentum, after a preseason that had gone sideways.
Kentucky’s season-opening win over Manhattan belonged to Milan Momcilovic on the scoreboard, but Diallo’s night mattered in a different way. The junior point guard posted 12 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals in 27 minutes, a solid response after a rough stretch.
He wasn’t spotless - four turnovers came with the bounce-back - but the bigger picture was hard to miss. When the crowd started chanting “Zoooooom!”
in the second half, it was clear the home fans noticed the difference too.
That support hit home for the Washington transfer, especially after he deleted his Instagram following last week’s UCF exhibition. Goose Givens asked him about the chant on the official postgame show, and Diallo made it plain how much it meant.
“Man, I’m not gonna lie. I love it, man.
Just me playing here, it brought that joy out that I needed, and I appreciate BBN most definitely for showing the love, man. I see everything, and it just makes it better.
I’m happy that I’m here, and I appreciate you guys, man. Thank you so much.”
Mark Pope kept the same starting five to open the season, but the game still featured some movement in the backcourt. Alex Wilkins handled the ball at times, while Mason Williams gave Diallo a breather off the bench. Diallo said he’s comfortable with that kind of shared responsibility.
“One thing I learned in my college career, it’s just that you’ve got to be versatile. I mean, there’s probably going to be moments in the game where it’s flipped.
There’s going to be moments in the game where Mason’s at the one. So, Coach Pope, we have trust in him and whatever he says.
So I mean, it just depends, depending on the game. Whatever our coach asks, we’ve just got to be versatile and willing to do it.”
Pope, meanwhile, used a sermon to describe what Diallo brings to the team. He told a story about a man running a 100-mile race with a friend, then needing help at the 90-mile mark when fatigue hit. The friend helped him finish, then stepped back near the line so the runner could have his moment.
“That’s Zoom Diallo,” Pope said. “That’s who he is.
He is carrying the pack for every guy on this team, and his value is going to always be more than the numbers. So, he’s going to continue to grow and have success, and he’s going to be a crucial part of what we are as a team this entire season.”
It’s just one game, but after three uneven ones before it, Diallo’s showing offered Kentucky something important: a reason to believe he’s settling in. He said he plans to keep pushing through the learning curve.
“It’s a long journey, but my coaches have trust in me, and I’m gonna do whatever it takes to get better and to win games here because I know it means a lot, and you know, I actually do care.
“So, it’s just a part of this learning curve, and it’s just a long journey, and I’ve just gotta keep my head down, and just every day just get better, get better, get better, get better.”
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