Crier Recruiting Corner – Introducing Alabama Forward Mouhamed Dioubate

Providence had a tall task facing it at the start of the offseason. PC had a multitude of players enter the portal (Pierre, Fernandez, Essandoko, DeLaurier, Bonke…and Hopkins), as well as a handful lose their eligiblity (Cardet, Joseph, Abdur Rahim). At one point in the offseason, Providence only had three scholarship players on the roster in Oswin Erhunmwunse, Ryan Mela, and Corey Floyd Jr.

Fast forward a few days, and the composition of the Providence roster looks quite different. PC needed to replenish and reload its entire roster, to be frank. Oswin, Mela, and Corey are quite a trio to serve as the foundation for the 2025-2026 Friars, but help was needed to get them in a position to compete for an NCAA tournament. Kim English took note and acted accordingly. They’ve added four supreme talents to the backcourt and wing in Jason Edwards, Jaylin Sellers, Stefan Vaaks, and Daquan Davis. They have also added a rugged, high energy frontcourt player in Cole Hargrove.

What’s next? A high level starting four man. Providence is hunting for a player that is presumably the final piece to its roster rebuild, and they have narrowed in on a few candidates that will likely be the starting four man for the Providence Friars. Providence has a lot to offer for this final spot: the chance to be in a starting line-up that should compete for the top position in the Big East and guaranteed minutes whether in the starting line-up or first big off the bench.

The Providence Crier will highlight a few four men the Friars are interested in. For this article, I’m focusing on one of my favorite candidates for the starting four spot. He may not have the flashiest of numbers when box-score watching, but I personally think he would be the best “fit” to round out the roster and its remaining needs.

Mouhamed Dioubate is a 6’7 forward entering his junior year of college. The New York native, who played at Putnam Science, has played his first two years of college ball for Nate Oats and the Crimson Tide of Alabama. While never a focal point for the Tide during his two years (part of the reason for the transfer), he was absolutely a key rotational piece for a program that is considered a Top 10 program nationally. The Top 100 recruit had plenty of suitors coming out of high school and is looking to find a home for the next two years of college.

I’ll detail below his college production to date and why I think he’s such a great fit for the Friars, even over some other candidates that may have more eye-popping stats at the collegiate level.

BREAKING: Alabama forward Mouhamed Dioubate has entered the transfer portal.

Dioubate spent two seasons in Tuscaloosa. He was arguably the best defender on Alabama’s roster in each of the last two seasons.

The New York native finished his sophomore season averaging 7.2 PPG and… pic.twitter.com/bEg6kRs1M6
— Brody Smoot (@BrodySmoot) April 4, 2025

College Production

2023-2024 (True Freshman): 33 Games Played, 8 minutes/game, 3 points a game

2024-2025 (Sophomore): 37 Games Played, 16 minutes/game, 7 points/game, 6 rebounds/game, 62% FG percentage, 46% from 3 (only 26 attempts on season)

18 Points, 10 Rebounds against Robert Morris and Alvaro Folgueiras, another 4 man the Friars are interested in

22 and 10 against Vanderbilt

Analyzing His Game

You get the sense that the best is yet to come for Dioubate. While his 7 and 6 won’t wow you, realize he is doing that on just 16 minutes of game time as a true sophomore on a Top 25 team. You extrapolate that out to starter’s minutes, and Dioubate is your athletic 4 that is putting up close to a double double every game.

His calling card is defense. You bring him in first and foremost to improve your defense and rebounding efforts. What he brings offensively is an added bonus.

Some really good transition defense by Mouhamed Dioubate against Auburn.

He sees Nelson get knocked down, sprints back to cover Broome and gives enough resistance to allow Nelson to get back and block the shot. pic.twitter.com/dqjxVQSEoh
— Jack Knowlton (@JackKnowlton_) March 11, 2025

With all that said, maybe Alabama wasn’t fully utilizing him offensively, and a change of scenery can unlock certain aspects of his game. For instance, his three point field goal percentage is fantastic, and I wonder if English has given assurances that he can get up more looks from deep when available.

Offensively, his game in the half court right now is slashing to the hoop and using his athleticism to finish. It is that mixed in with finishes at the rim off rebounds.

Dioubate is going to give Providence a lot of extra opportunities on the offensive end by keeping the play alive with volleyball tip-outs or securing the board outright.

I won’t pretend to be an expert on Alabama basketball, but I do believe in the ability to get a good understanding on a player by reading comments from fans of the school the player is leaving from. For instance, see the comments on South Carolina’s post when they landed Essandoko…

Mouhamed Dioubate is an intriguing piece of Alabama’s rotation to watch develop.

With a shooting leap, his game resembles a lot of the long modern wings in the NBA. Switchable on defense with vertical & potential floor spacing.

Must watch with a closer eye beyond box # all year pic.twitter.com/LgHfwL91jn
— the center hub (@thecenterhub_bb) October 3, 2024

Almost every Bama fan says something along the lines of Dioubate being “tough” or “making the most of every opportunity”. Some folks went so far as to chastise Oats for letting him leave because of how tough he is on the glass and how elite of a defender he is. Yes, please.

Fans are not happy to see Dioubate leave, which I find incredibly telling given he only played 16 minutes and put up rather ordinary stats. Not that this comparison is like for like, but I think of the way fans describe Justin Minaya in Providence circles. His impact wasn’t shown on the stat sheet , but he was arguably one of the most vital pieces to that Sweet 16 team. Dioubate may be that defensive stopper whose impact is felt more in-game than on the box score.

Fit For the Friars

With the additions of Sellers, Edwards, Vaaks, and Davis, Providence has added serious offensive firepower. There is only one ball to go around, so I want to find a 4 man that first and foremost plays good defense and is athletic enough to guard on switches. Dioubate fits the bill.

In my opinion, PC doesn’t need another portal player who is looking to put up 10-15 shots/game. You want a guy who understands his role as the defensive stopper who can manufacture offense off rebounds and put-backs.

Dioubate is transferring from Bama because he wants more of a guarantee that he can start and play 20-30 minutes a game. For what it is worth, he may have been able to do that at Alabama this upcoming year, but if he wants those reassurances elsewhere, Providence can presumably offer it. The portal addition of Bol Bowen by Alabama likely means he would have been playing next year in a super-sub role, which isn’t what he wanted after paying his dues the last two years. Providence may be the beneficiaries of this development.

The Providence frontcourt is not deep right now with the only “true” frontcourt players Hargrove and Oswin. Jamier Jones can play the 4 in a pinch, but he strikes me more as a big bodied wing that plays the 3/4. Thus, English can state truthfully to Dioubate that he’ll be getting significant time and likely would be the starting 4 for Providence.

One of his best assets, in my opinion, is his motor and high energy level. Pairing him with Oswin and Hargrove means the frontcourt defenses Providence plays against will have to be conditioned well enough to run up and down the court with this trio. He doesn’t seem to take his minutes for granted, and he will be a workhorse every time he steps on the court for Providence.

I also love that he has two years of eligibility and can be a building block alongside Oswin, Mela, Daquan, Vaaks, Harrell, and Jamier. English is both solving for the immediate term as well as building for future squads.

Summary

I like this potential fit for the Friars because it is another high major player who has played serious minutes in an elite conference. The jump to the Big East won’t be a shock to him, and he can hit the ground running.

I also like that he comes from winning cultures at both Putnam and Alabama. We need more players where the expectation is winning at the highest of levels. Success begets success. You want dudes who come to Providence with elite practice habits and know what it takes to win. Bensley Joseph was our most productive transfer last year, and it is no surprise given he came from an elite team (at that time) with Jim Larranaga and Miami.

Dioubate playing at Putnam Science is no small matter, as this could further reinforce the PSA – Providence pipeline. I’ve tongue-in-cheek said we should take one player/year from this school. Given the success of Oswin his freshman year, Providence is likely being spoken of highly within the halls of Putnam and its coaching staff. This could help.

You are starting to see the vision of Kim English with these targeted portal additions. He wants more guys that love playing the game. Dioubate comes across as that type of player.

Too many players on last year’s roster took playing for Providence for granted and seemingly prioritized everything else over basketball. No more of that. I couldn’t stand watching guys make six figure salaries be so indifferent about the sport they play.

With NIL a real thing, these players are now professionals and need to play knowing their salary was contributed partly by the fanbase.

All Providence fans want to see is a team that works hard, hustles, and has a burning desire to win. Dioubate brings all of those things, and I think Providence would be lucky to land a player of this caliber. We’ll see what happens.