Cartier Diarra
Diarra with Kansas State in 2020
No. 9 – Cape Town Tigers
PositionShooting guard
LeagueBAL
Personal information
Born (1998-02-06) February 6, 1998
Manhattan, New York
NationalityAmerican / Malian
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High school
College
NBA draft2021: undrafted
Career history
2021–2022AB Contern
2023–presentCape Town Tigers

Cartier Ducati Diarra (born February 6, 1998) is an American-Malian basketball player who currently plays for the Cape Town Tigers of the Basketball Africa League (BAL). He played college basketball for the Kansas State Wildcats and the Virginia Tech Hokies.

Early life and high school career

Diarra grew up in Harlem, New York, and broke his foot at the age of two. His father is from Mali.[1] He was mainly raised by his mother, Danyelle Lee, alongside siblings Abraham, Cyncere and LadiRoyale, and rarely spoke to his father. Diarra grew up taking dancing lessons at Uptown Dance Academy. As a freshman, Diarra played basketball for Cardinal Hayes High School in The Bronx, New York.[2] After one year, he transferred to West Florence High School in Florence, South Carolina, where he began living with his aunt, Lillian Shabazz.[3]

Diarra joined West Florence's varsity basketball team despite not having much organized basketball experience. As a sophomore, he averaged seven points and 3.7 rebounds per game.[2] Former National Basketball Association player Sharone Wright, whose son befriended Diarra, became his mentor and father figure.[4] As a junior, Diarra averaged 12.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.2 steals per game. In his senior season, he averaged 18.8 points, 11 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 3.6 steals and 2.1 blocks per game, registering eight triple-doubles.[3] Diarra was named The Morning News Player of the Year.[5]

College career

Kansas State

Diarra redshirted his first season at Kansas State after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament, bur recovered quickly and was able to practice with the team and add strength.[6] On November 10, 2017, he made his college debut, recording 13 points and four assists, shooting 4-of-4 from three-point range, in an 83–45 win over American.[7] Diarra initially came of the bench but began making an immediate impact as soon as he was placed in a starting role, after Kamau Stokes broke his left foot against Texas Tech on January 6, 2018.[8] On January 13, he scored a freshman season-high 18 points, including 16 in the second half, in a 73–72 loss to 12th-ranked Kansas.[9] As a freshman, Diarra averaged 7.1 points, 2.5 rebounds and two assists per game. He shot 40.5 percent from three-point range, the third-most by a freshman in program history.[10]

Diarra missed eight games of his sophomore season with a broken finger.[11] On March 15, 2019, at the 2019 Big 12 tournament semifinals, he scored a season-high 15 points and grabbed seven rebounds in a 63–59 loss to Iowa State.[3] As a sophomore, Diarra averaged 6.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.[10] On December 30, during his junior season, he was named Big 12 Conference Player of the Week, one day after scoring a career-high 25 points to go with seven assists and five rebounds in a 69–67 victory over Tulsa.[12] On January 18, 2020, Diarra scored 25 points for a second time, while posting six rebounds and four assists, in an 84–68 win over West Virginia.[13] As a junior, he averaged 13.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.8 steals per game.[10] On March 25, 2020, he announced that he would transfer from Kansas State.[14]

Virginia Tech

On March 31, 2020, Diarra committed to play for Virginia Tech in his senior season. He was immediately eligible as a graduate transfer.[15] In four games, Diarra averaged 7.5 points, 2.3 assists and 2.5 rebounds per game. On December 16, 2020, he announced he was opting out of the season, citing concerns over the spread of COVID-19.[16]

Professional career

After going undrafted in the 2021 NBA draft, Diarra made his professional debut with AB Contern of the Luxembourg Basketball League in 2020, and averaged 10.4 points in the 2021–22 season.[17]

In October 2023, Diarra joined South African club Cape Town Tigers for the 2024 BAL qualification tournament.[18] He was eligible as an African import player due to his Malian heritage.[19] He helped Cape Town qualify for the main tournament, and scored the game-winning basket in the West Division final against City Oilers.[19]

Career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2016–17 Kansas State Redshirt Redshirt
2017–18 Kansas State 372223.8.469.405.7232.52.0.8.17.1
2018–19 Kansas State 26925.5.404.365.7023.31.7.9.36.8
2019–20 Kansas State 322731.3.412.305.6693.84.21.8.313.3
2020–21 Virginia Tech 4019.8.435.125.6922.52.3.0.37.5
Career 995826.5.427.339.6923.12.61.1.29.0

References

  1. ↑ Moser, Megan (February 23, 2018). "I WONDER | How do I pronounce Diarra's name?". The Mercury. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  2. 1 2 Woods, Greg (November 10, 2017). "The life of Cartier Diarra: How a New York native found his way to the other Manhattan". The Manhattan Mercury. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 Moore, CJ (November 12, 2019). "The World According to Cartier Diarra". The Athletic. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  4. ↑ Regan, Brett (April 13, 2016). "Diarra's basketball journey steers him to K-State". KStateOnline. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  5. ↑ Chancey, Scott (March 20, 2016). "Boys Basketball Player of Year: West's Diarra credits slick moves on court to dancing background". The Morning News. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  6. ↑ Robinett, Kellis (October 20, 2017). "Bruce Weber sees bright future for K-State guard Cartier Diarra, when he dunks". The Wichita Eagle. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  7. ↑ Robinett, Kellis (November 10, 2017). "Kansas State throttles American 83-45 in season opener". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  8. ↑ Robinett, Kellis (January 28, 2018). "Cartier Diarra makes a name for himself as K-State point guard". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  9. ↑ Bisel, Tim (January 14, 2018). "K-State's Cartier Diarra becoming a name to remember — just ask Bill Self". The Topeka Capital-Journal. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  10. 1 2 3 "Cartier Diarra". K-State Athletics. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  11. ↑ Green, Arne (March 13, 2019). "Wade out, Diarra in for opener". The Pratt Tribune. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  12. ↑ Black, Ryan (December 31, 2019). "Kansas State guard Cartier Diarra wins Big 12 Player of the Week award". The Manhattan Mercury. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  13. ↑ Woods, Greg (January 18, 2020). "Cartier Diarra lost 7 turnovers against West Virginia, but his playmaking helped K-State win its 1st conference game". The Manhattan Mercury. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  14. ↑ Rocha, Taylor (March 25, 2020). "K-State junior guard Cartier Diarra enters transfer portal". KSNW. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  15. ↑ Arvin, Chris (March 31, 2020). "Virginia Tech lands transfer Cartier Diarra". 247Sports. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  16. ↑ Barber, Mike (December 16, 2020). "Virginia Tech's Cartier Diarra opts out of basketball season, for now". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  17. ↑ "DIARRA Cartier Ducati - Fédération Luxembourgeoise de Basket Ball FLBB". DIARRA Cartier Ducati - Fédération Luxembourgeoise de Basket Ball FLBB (in French). Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  18. ↑ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  19. 1 2 "Cape Town Tigers crowned East Division Elite 16 champions". FIBA.basketball. November 26, 2023. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
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