Alabama transfer forward Mouhamed Dioubate commits to Kentucky

Alabama forward Mouhamed Dioubate has committed to Kentucky, via the NCAA Transfer Portal, according to On3’s Joe Tipton. Dioubate spent two seasons with the Crimson Tide.

He played in all 37 of Alabama’s games this season, averaging 7.2 points, 5.9 rebounds and 0.7 blocks in 16.0 minutes per game. Dioubate shot 61.7% from the field and 46.2% from beyond the arc but he only shot 26 total 3-pointers on the season.

Dioubate had his best performance of the season in Alabama’s 103-87 win over Vanderbilt on Jan. 21. In the victory, Dioubate tallied 22 points and 10 rebounds on 8-9 shooting. In Alabama’s three wins over Kentucky this season, the 6-foot-7 sophomore averaged 8.3 points and seven rebounds per outing.

Dioubate made 33 appearances for the Crimson Tide his freshman season but played a significantly smaller role. He averaged just 2.9 points in 7.7 minutes per game. Even when Dioubate wasn’t putting up jaw-dropping statistics for Alabama, head coach Nate Oats was happy with the forward’s hard-nosed hustle.

“He exemplifies what we’re trying to build this program into,” Oats said in January. “We call it ‘blue collar basketball,’ he’s as blue collar as they get. He’s all about getting stops.”

“… Occasionally we kind of joke with him, because he’s not at all Hollywood-type, he’s a New York City kid, so we call him Broadway Mo when we’re kind of trying to jab at him a little bit. Calling him soft to get him going a little bit, saying we got the Broadway Mo today and not the southside Jamaica, Queens Mo.”

Mouhamed Dioubate played high school basketball at Putnam Science Academy (NY), where he was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 99 overall player and No. 23 small forward in the 2023 recruiting cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Now, Dioubate is taking his talents to Lexington, Kentucky. The Wildcats are reloading this offseason after losing seven seniors from last year’s team. Nonetheless, head coach Mark Pope built some serious momentum during his first year at the helm of Kentucky.

The Wildcats posted a 24-12 overall record and a 10-8 record in conference play. Kentucky defeated Troy and Illinois in the NCAA Tournament before ultimately falling to Tennessee in the Sweet Sixteen. With transfers like Dioubate joining the program, Pope will look to help Kentucky take another step forward next season.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire.

The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.