NC State Basketball Spotlights Talented Canadian Newcomer

Ismael Diouf has been on campus less than a month. So, the NC State basketball program’s social media team wasn’t able to properly include him in this summer’s “Meet the Pack” series — until Tuesday, that is.

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Here’s the minute-long video that the Wolfpack’s account posted to introduce the intriguing transfer forward from Quebec:

Diouf, a 6-foot-9, 215-pound versatile junior who will sport No. 33 in his debut NC State basketball campaign, spent the past two seasons at Laval University in Quebec City.

As a sophomore, the silky stretch-four became the MVP of his squad’s national championship run. In April, he heard his name No. 1 overall at the Canadian Elite Basketball League Draft.

Now, roughly three months after committing to eighth-year NC State basketball head coach Kevin Keatts over bringing his talents to the pro ranks in Canada, it sounds like Ismael Diouf is thrilled about the opportunity to compete on the world’s brightest college basketball stage in the NCAA.

“It was pretty much at the visit [with the Wolfpack in June] that I knew that it was a no-brainer for me to come here and experience that lifestyle of playing in NCAA and great conference,” the 22-year-old Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu native, one of five transfer additions for the 2024-25 Wolfpack, says in the video. “It’s a great city. I saw that everybody, like, for the Wolfpack is really engaged into every team…

“I want to make the most of it and try to learn and develop over time. I have two good years coming to me [in Raleigh]. And, yeah, I’m really excited.”

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