ORLANDO – The incoming class for the UCF men's basketball team grew by one more on Monday, as head coach Johnny Dawkins announced the addition of UNLV transfer Cheikh Mbacke Diong.
"We're excited to have Cheikh join our UCF Family," Dawkins said. "He's a versatile big, a very skilled offensive player, and he can really defend at a high level, which is what we hang our hat on. He has a ton of experience and will bring leadership to our locker room. We can't wait to get him on campus and get to work."
Diong is a 6-foot-11 forward, who played the last four seasons with the Runnin' Rebels, serving as a team captain last season. Originally from Dakar, Senegal – the home of Tacko Fall – Diong played high school basketball and Florida Prep Academy in Melbourne.
Last season at UNLV, Diong averaged 8.9 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, while shooting 60.7 percent from the field. He also had 27 blocks, 33 steals and 20 assists in 2020-21.
Diong ranked second in the Mountain West in blocked shots with 1.2 per game and was fifth in the conference with 7.9 rebounds per game as a junior in 2019-20. He has also earned All-Academic honors from the MWC during his career.
He joins Tyem Freeman, Ed'Xavior Rhodes, P.J. Edwards, and Darius Johnson in UCF's highly anticipated 2021-22 recruiting class.
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