UTC freshman Latif Diouf drives against St. Mary's earlier in the season.
photo by GoMocs.com
Latif Diouf’s introduction to college basketball created a surreal occasion, the confluence of his past and his future intersecting in a memorable way he could not have imagined months earlier.
Starting at center for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in his first game as a true freshman, Diouf stood at center court inside Southern Cal’s Galen Center for the opening tip last November reflecting on his journey that made that moment a reality.
Diouf was raised in The Netherlands, honing his basketball skills and representing his country as a member of the 18-and-under national team. But he relocated to Southern California at the age of 16 hoping to gain increased exposure for his talents that might draw the attention of college coaches.
After signing with the Mocs his senior year at Dunn High School near Santa Barbara, Diouf suddenly found himself back in California a year later starting his college career only a couple of hours away from where he’d first heard about Chattanooga.
“I think I had like 30 to 40 people at the game, even though I only had tickets for maybe five,” Diouf said. “I was excited to be able to see people I haven't seen the whole year. It was so surreal when I got to start that first game, actually doing the opening tip off. Even my parents were surprised while visiting me there, seeing their son playing his first college game as a starter. It was such a weird moment to think what began in California took me all the way to Tennessee only to find myself back there.”
It was the first of nine consecutive games the 6-foot-9 Diouf started this season for the Mocs, a year that has seen its shares of highs and lows as the freshman adjusted to the rigorous demands of the college game. But the likeable Diouf has continued to develop his game, soaking in the wisdom of his veteran teammates along the way.
“The coaches always say what I’ve been through is a typical freshman year,” Diouf said. “Obviously, I'm more critical about it because I'm trying to grow and be better. It started off well, and then it went downhill for a little bit where I didn't have the same growth and wasn’t giving enough energy. When I realized that, it flipped the switch and I started working hard again and earned my way back into the rotation and started playing more minutes.”
It didn’t help matters that Diouf was sidelined two weeks with an injury in February, further eroding his confidence at a juncture when he was becoming a solid contributor at the post position. But through it all, he found an advocate in senior transfer Frank Champion, who constantly kept Diouf grounded when doubts would creep into his thinking.
While Champion was sidelined the first eight games recovering from a preseason injury, the North Georgia transfer provided constant encouragement to Diouf during the early stages of the schedule. Now with Champion again unable to play due to a knee injury suffered two weeks ago, his emotional investment into his teachable freshman teammate has continued.
“Frank has been a great teammate to me,” Diouf said. “He's just always talking to me and encouraging me. Even when he’s been out, he's in my ear telling me, ‘You should try and do this more or be more patient with this.’ He's always talking to me even during the game. Like the game we had (against MTSU) this week, he was the one talking to me whenever he saw something that I could do better. I appreciate the way he believes in me.”
Diouf has averaged nearly ten minute per contest in his first year, scoring three points per outing with a high-water mark of eight against St. Mary’s. He has also pulled down 2.5 rebounds per game and has learned to adjust to head coach Dan Earl’s offense that features the center position handling the ball with frequency.
He played a critical role in UTC’s win at UNC Greensboro that clinched the Southern Conference regular season title, scoring six points with seven rebounds and two assists in 15 minutes of action. Diouf has also been part of a rotation with Collin Mulholland and Makai Richards to fill the void created by Champion’s setback.
While not completely satisfied with his performance, Diouf has been able to appreciate his development since arriving in Chattanooga last summer.
“I was eager to learn, eager to do everything the first two or three months I was here,” Diouf said. “That's when I grew the most. You come in as a high schooler and you don’t know how hard you have to work. I would be so tired at the end of the practice where I literally struggled to get extra breath. But that's part of it. It's a different level. But I've gotten so much stronger, faster, and better at shooting already.”
Diouf admits that he needs to add some bulk and strength to his 240-pound frame to be able to hold his own in the paint, but has learned to process his failures as the part of the pathway to future success.
“I struggled when I came in worrying about making a mistake” Diouf said. “But I was overthinking things. I think I’ve made progress mentally to where I don’t worry about making mistakes, but I’m trying to focus on making something positive happen whenever I’m out there.”
Diouf had never been to Chattanooga prior to his official visit, with his only trip to the south coming when competing in an AAU tournament in South Carolina. But his outlook of pursuing his college career at UTC drastically changed when he set foot on campus.
“I was living in a beautiful spot, but I wanted to play at the D-I level,” Diouf said. “As soon as I heard about Chattanooga, I started doing my research and discovered it was a pretty good spot. When I got here on my visit, that's when I was like, ‘Wow, this is way better than I've ever imagined.’ My mom was more excited than me, and that said a lot to me. When I saw how excited my mom was about Chattanooga, I knew that was where I needed to be.”
It has been a year of learning and development for Diouf, but the future is bright for the rising Dutch prodigy. He has travelled the world from The Netherlands to California to call Chattanooga his college home. But it’s a journey that has been well worth the miles traveled.
Paul Payne can be emailed at paulpayne6249@gmail.com