Modibo Diarra
Modibo DiarraModibo Diarra is one of the toughest players you can meet on a basketball court. Off the court, he is soft-spoken and extremely friendly. When you first meet him you can not help but want to be friends with him. I had the opportunity to first see Modibo play this past summer at an AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) event. On the court any professional scout in America (including myself) will tell you that come next year Modibo will have the luxury to pick whatever school he wants. He is that talented and that special of a player. Still, there is something about Modibo off the court that makes him such a terrific human being. At a recent hoop tournament that I was covering, I was amazed to see how much excitement there was when Modibo stepped onto the court. At first, I thought well, everybody in the gym must be here to see this extraordinary 6\'9\" shot blocker perform. It is true a lot of people did want to see him perform on the court, but there is a different type of fan cheering when Modibo is out there. Friends close to him will tell you that Modibo has a following in and around Boston. People who don\'t even follow basketball still go to games and watch him play just because they met him and hope he succeeds. Modibo is some one special He has a gift on and off the court.
Modibo is no stranger to basketball. In his home country in Mali, Africa he was able to catch a glimpse of USA basketball through satellite. Just like any kid in America who has dreams of making it to the NBA, kids in Africa do have that dream as well. They have goals of being successful in life and taking care of their family. When a down and out coach from American University was trying to recruit another player to come to his school, that player decided on playing European ball instead. Scott Spinelli saw...
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