Yesterday, we showed you some pretty awesome footage of Louisville point guard Peyton Siva pulling off a sweet 360 between the legs dunk at Adidas Nations. Now it’s one of Siva’s teammates that makes the highlights as the Cardinals’ 7 foot center Gorgui Dieng flips a soccer style scissors kick alley-oop to a teammate at the Nations’ Open Run.
As Team USA Blue(2013), made up of some of the nation’s top incoming senior HS players like Nate Britt(UNC), Nigel Williams-Goss(Washington), and Isaac Hamilton(Uncommitted) were getting the better of their younger counterparts on the Class of 2014 squad with Jahlil Okafor, Trey Lyles, and Isaiah Whitehead in the Adidas Nations Championship Game, Louisville’s dominating shot blocker was entertaining the crowd a bit earlier, completing the oop to Ed Daniel of the Murray State Racers.
After averaging a ridiculous 7.2 blocks per game as a senior in HS, Dieng was initially ruled ineligible at Louisville as a freshman before the decision was overturned seeing the big man average nearly 2 blocks in limited action. In his sophomore season last year, Dieng had a coming out party, averaging 9.1 ppg, 9.1 rebounds, and 3.2 blocks in helping Louisville to another 30 win season and a Final Four appearance.
With Kentucky’s Anthony Davis, undoubtedly last season’s best shot blocker, now hooping it up with the Team USA and the New Orleans Hornets in the NBA, Dieng may very well be this year’s best collegiate shot blocker. After all, the Senegalese born big man did lead the Big East in blocks in 2012 and set a Cardinals NCAA Tournament mark when he sent back 7 shots in a Sweet 16 match-up against Michigan State.
Is it me, or does Dieng’s flavorful oop bring back fond memories of Steve Nash’s soccer themed assist to Amare Stoudemire in the 2005 NBA Slam Dunk Contest?
Check out Gorgui Dieng’s Soccer Style Oop to Ed Daniel:
Allen Moll has been a lifelong NBA and NCAA College Basketball fan who watches and studies games religiously, and coaches youth basketball in his native Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. Allen has also provided content to Bleacherreport.com, Upperdeckblog.com, Cleveland.com, CSN Philly.com, Buckets Magazine, in addition to being a tenured NBA and NCAA columnist for TheHoopDoctors.com.
