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nbadraft.net does not have profile for Ike Diogu, but ranks him 21st (behind Frye). draftcity.com has Ike listed at 13 with Frye at 30. Hoopshype does not have Ike in the first round while Inside Hoops has him at 29. My guess is that draftcity.com has Ike much higher than he is likely to go, since he will probably measure out at 6'7". Assuming that he stays in the draft, I would expect Ike to be available when the Suns draft.
Draft City is the only mock I've looked at that has a detailed description. It is obvious from their writeup why they rank him so high. Ike Diogu
Draft City is the only mock I've looked at that has a detailed description. It is obvious from their writeup why they rank him so high. Ike Diogu
Incredibly smart, tough, skilled big man, a double-double machine at the NCAA level. With the exception of possibly Andrew Bogut, Ike Diogu is easily the most skilled big man in the NCAA.
First his frame. He is lean, but very strong, with big broad shoulders that can take more bulk if needed. His arms are long and his hands are fantastic--soft, but huge, and he uses them to gobble up any rebound that is even remotely in his area. He is a simply a beast on the glass, using his excellent combination of strength (both upper and lower body), a terrific wingspan, fantastic anticipation skills and athletic ability to predict where the ball is headed and then devour any rebound that comes his way, on both the offensive and defensive glass. He is extremely tough to put a body on because he is constantly moving, has a slithery frame and just loves to bang in the post.
Offensively, he is about as skilled as they come. He can score from anywhere on the floor, and in many different ways. Inside the paint he has outstanding footwork, and he gets off the floor quickly and always finishes strong at the hoop, even in the most difficult situations. If backing his man down to the basket isn’t working, he can quickly convert and hit the turnaround jumper, maybe with a little kiss off the glass, a great skill to have for a big man in the NBA.
Diogu has great motor skills and controls his body better than any other post player at the college level. He has a wide arsenal of moves he can go to, and can finish well with either hand, even in traffic. No one in America outside the NBA is better than Diogu at getting to the line. He is sent to the charity stripe roughly 10 times a game, and converts 80% of his attempts. He’s not the type of player that needs plays called for him, as he can probably live off scraps if needed and still get a double-double if the minutes are there.
Diogu plays Center right now for his team, but will have no problem moving to the 4 spot in the pros. He has a beautiful (although not super consistent yet) jumper with a high release that makes it extremely tough to block. He is a solid mid-range shooter, but has range that extends all the way to the NCAA three point line, and shoots a good percentage when he steps behind the arc and lets one fly. He’s very good on the pick and roll as well.
Diogu’s handle is very good for a PF. It’s not rare to see him dribble the ball confidently down the floor, and his excellent feel for the game allows him to lead the break and deliver good passes in transition. He is very good moving without the ball, understands the angles and how to use them, and is quick at recognizing a hole in the defense and exploit it. Diogu understands the team concept and has no problem getting everyone else involved, despite being the undisputed star of his team; he is an unselfish player and still shoots an incredible percentage from the field for a player that draws so much attention. His court demeanor is excellent, cool and calm, and he appears to be a very good teammate on and off the floor. He is a humble player with a good work ethic according to everyone around him.
Diogu is a very intelligent player that is fundamentally sound. He spaces himself well to avoid the constant double teaming that is thrown his way, and understands the game well enough to make it easy for his teammates to get him the ball or score themselves. He knows how to clear space without drawing a foul to open up the lane for a slashing teammate, and will move to exactly the right space to receive the pass and finish in emphatic fashion.
Defensively, Diogu has become a terrific shotblocker this year, especially from the weak-side. His timing is fantastic and he gets off the floor quickly and accurately to intimidate and come up with huge rejections, but usually still keeping the ball inbounds. He is very tough to back down in the paint because of his excellent lower body strength, but he has yet to be fully unleashed on this end because of how important he is to Arizona State. To call them a one man team would be a compliment, if Diogu is not on the floor they have absolutely no chance of beating anyone in the Pac-10, and would struggle against almost any Division 1 team. His lateral quickness looks decent at times and not so great in others, but you can tell that he has been told to do anything to avoid getting in foul trouble at all costs, and that shows.
His size will always be the main one. He’s listed at 6-8 and should be in good, although not ideal shape as long as he stays there after measurements. Any less than that could spell trouble for him.
Athletically, he’s not a run/jump type freak. If you combine those two physical attributes its not a stretch to say that he won’t find it as easy to finish around the basket as he does in the NCAA. His jump shot is solid right now, but could use some more consistency.
Defensively, he is largely untested, as he does not play in a conference that is overflowing with NBA caliber big men, and his man to man defense could stand to improve, especially when going up against much taller and more athletic players in the NBA.
He doesn't have superstar potential, he's more of a solid starting type PF at his size.
Diogu plays in the Pac-10, an up-tempo guard loving conference which doesn’t have a lot of great big men, certainly no one that can contain him. He is constantly facing double and triple teams and manages to still put up huge numbers despite not playing with a true PG.
Against the top big man in the Pac-10 and one of the top C’s in the country, Channing Frye, he fared very well in their two matchups. In the first he had 23 points, 11 rebounds and 5 blocks (many of them on Frye himself), while Frye had 21 points, 6 rebounds and no blocked shots. In the second matchup Diogu had 25 points, 5 rebounds and 2 blocks, while holding Frye to 10 points (3-11 FG), 9 rebounds and 3 blocks.
Diogu has declared for the draft, without an agent.
"I want to declare for the NBA draft, leaving my options open without having an agent," said Diogu, who won't attend any of the draft camps, but will participate in private workouts for interested teams.
Sun Devils coach Rob Evans agreed with the decision.
"He needs to explore his options at this time, and the NBA has a very good program to help him," Evans said. "Arizona State is behind him, and we are going to do whatever Ike feels is best for him and his family."
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Diogu should be considered a lock for the 1st round, with strong workouts possibly making him a potential lottery pick. How he fares against similarly ranked players at his position, if they will dare to risk matching up with him, will decide where he is selected in the draft. If he thinks that he can go higher next year with the potential age limit kicking in (and that's a possibility) he may elect to stay and terrorize Pac-10 frontcourt players for another season.
With a player like Ike Diogu, you are really better off looking at what he CAN do on the basketball court rather then what he can’t. No he isn’t 6-10 with a 40 inch vertical, but he’s about as skilled a player as you will find outside the NBA right now. People will say that he is not an athletic freak, the same thing that was said about Luol Deng, but I think that he is actually a very good athlete who is great getting up and down the court and has superb elevation off the floor.
Diogu owns all kinds of Arizona State and Pac-10 records and the fact that he may be running out of space in his dorm room for all the awards he has won so far may have played a role in his decision to declare for the draft.
Related DraftCity Articles:
Should they stay or should they go?: Vol. 1
Scouting the NIT
In Case You Missed It: The best NCAA Performances, 2/1 - 2/6
Scouting the Pac-10
Chuck Everett's 2005 Mock Draft
NCAA Preview: Part 2
Related DraftCity Daily Posts:
1/29 Saturday Recap: Keynote Performances
1/20 Thursday night early recap
Misc. Links
Diogu declares for NBA, doesn't sign agent
ESPN Profile
Arizona State Profile
Name:
Ike Diogu
Height/Weight:
6' 8"; 242 pounds
Current Team:
Arizona State, Junior
Position in the NBA:
PF
Date of Birth :
9/12/1983 (21 Years Old)
High School:
Garland
Hometown:
Garland, TX
Earliest Draft Class:
2005
Current Position:
PF
Expected Position:
PF
Possible Positions:
SF/PF
Best Case Scenario:
Zach Randolph With Heart
Worst Case Scenario:
Rich Man's Udonis Haslem / Malik Rose
Profile Written By:
Jonathan Givony
Last Updated:
3/29/2005
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Weakness
His size will always be the main one. He’s listed at 6-8 and should be in good, although not ideal shape as long as he stays there after measurements. Any less than that could spell trouble for him.
Athletically, he’s not a run/jump type freak. If you combine those two physical attributes its not a stretch to say that he won’t find it as easy to finish around the basket as he does in the NCAA. His jump shot is solid right now, but could use some more consistency.
Defensively, he is largely untested, as he does not play in a conference that is overflowing with NBA caliber big men, and his man to man defense could stand to improve, especially when going up against much taller and more athletic players in the NBA.
He doesn't have superstar potential, he's more of a solid starting type PF at his size.
