BUTTE — Sindou Diallo carved out an All-American career in Butte, and last week he returned to Kelvin Sampson Court after spending his first professional season some 7,400 miles from the Mining City.
The 2022 Montana Tech graduate signed to play with Al Shamal of the Qatari Basketball League last December and spent the past months getting his first professional basketball experience in Qatar, which he described as "the new Dubai." His team ultimately placed second in the league.
"I loved the experience," Diallo said while helping run Montana Tech's High Potential High School Camp at the HPER Complex. "We made it all the way to the championship game. We had a fantastic season. It was a good experience for my first year."
Diallo was the Orediggers' highest scoring player during the 2021-22 season that saw Tech clinch the Frontier Conference regular season and tournament titles and advance to the national tournament for the first time in program history.
The Orediggers continued to build on that success this past season, repeating as conference champions and advancing to the quarterfinals of the national tournament.
"It feels amazing, it's my first time seeing the banner since it's been unveiled," Diallo said. "I see what the group of guys did. Me being here the past three years I just want to give back and come back to the community and show these kids a lot about basketball."
Diallo's next move is still to be decided as he continues his dream of playing pro basketball. He's willing to resign with Al Shamal but ideally would like to land a contract with a European team, with France, Spain or Germany being his preferred landing spots.
The opportunity to play overseas has been an incredible experience, but being away from home for long stretches isn't always easy. But Diallo recognizes that it's something he has to do to get where he wants.
"Wherever I went has always been a challenge," Diallo said. "So I really don't try to look at the negatives, I try to turn the negatives into positives. I might not be home for eight months but this is my life and what I want to do. I have to make sacrifices."
