Hassan Diarra has carved out a vital role with the UConn Huskies, transitioning from a supportive bench player to a significant contributor as a senior guard. Standing at 6′ 2″, Diarra’s journey to UConn is marked with hardships and a constant sense of improvement. But how did he end up in UConn?

Born in, Queens, New York, Hasan and his brothers grew up with a passion for basketball. In fact, his elder brother, Mamadou Diarra, whose footsteps Hassan tried to emulate, would play for the same middle school and college as Diara. He is also the current Director of Player Development for the Huskies. Meanwhile, their younger brother, Cherif, is a sophomore at Southern Connecticut State University, which is a D-2 college in the NCAA.

Hassan began his journey, emulating the footsteps of his elder brother Mamadou at Putnam Science Academy in Putnam, Connecticut, where his team won the National Prep Championship in 2019 and 2020. This is also where Hassan would finish as the all-time leading scorer with 1,469 points in his three years, setting the school record. This led to him being declared a four-star prospect by 247Sports, ESPN, and Rival.

This would also result in him being ranked as the No. 55 prospect by ESPN, and also rank as the 11th best point guard nationally. He would also be ranked as the No. 1 player in Connecticut by 247Sports and ESPN. Hassan would then go on to the Nike EYBL circuit where he played for the PSA Cardinals and averaged 13.2 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.

However, the best was yet to come as he would transfer to UConn in 2022-23 as a junior after two seasons at Texas A&M. This is where he would really come into his own. While he only appeared in 36 games as a junior, he averaged 2.1 points and 1.8 assists per game. What stood out, however, were his 28 steals which ranked him third on the team. In the postseason, he had a 1.7 assist-to-turnover ratio. This would all change in the 2023-2024 season, though.

As, while he would just play in 40 games, primarily coming off the bench, he averaged 6.1 points and 3 rebounds per game in just under 20 minutes of play. This performance culminated with him winning the 2024 BIG EAST Sixth Man Award.

While reflecting on this immense improvement of his across all facets of the game, Diarra would later state, “Just staying consistent, following the coaching, being coachable. And just coming in each and every day and working. That’s it, putting in the work and going out there and producing,” emphasizing that the work he put into his game had finally started paying off.

This work ethic of his has not gone unnoticed, especially by head coach Dan Hurley, who acknowledged Hassan’s contributions to UConn’s victory and stated, “We wouldn’t be here in this position without Hass taking the big jump and becoming a vital cog here.”

A Gradual Rise to Prominence

Diarra’s big jump indeed was vital for UConn as his increased accuracy from beyond rose to 38%. This was also a significant leap from his struggles in the previous season, where he shot below 20%. However, in the 2023-24 season, Hassan averaged 19.8 minutes compared to the 13 minutes of play he averaged in the 2022 -23 season. He was able to double his scoring output and also increase his assists and blocks by a small margin.

And this improvement of his would not be possible without the guidance he received at UConn. Coach Dan Hurley, who is tremendous at nurturing young players, also played a crucial role in helping Diarra modify his shooting mechanics. This was reflected in Diarra’s statements about the Coach where he shared, “Coach has helped me a lot… I’ve got a lot of arc on my shot and I just needed to shorten it up.”

Although this has helped him contribute to the Huskies’ offense, Diarra’s uniqueness, however, still is his defensive skills which have made him a valuable asset to the Storrs team. His grit on the court, which ends up with him regularly taking on the challenge of guarding the opponent’s best player, has been integral to UConn’s success.

And this has been highlighted by the 2023-24 season, where he recorded a career-high 12 blocks and 33 steals, while also improving the number of rebounds he grabbed from 48 in his junior year to 119 last season, showcasing his prowess on the defensive end. This has also earned him the reputation of being the defensive stalwart of UConn.

However, that’s not all, as in critical moments, Hassan has shown that he can rise to the occasion as an offensive player when needed. In fact, his standout performances, which include scoring 14 points against DePaul and contributing 11 points against Illinois in the Elite Eight, are testaments of the same.

This increasing popularity of Diarra has also helped him secure several NIL deals, including partnerships with Dunkin’ and Bleeding Blue For Good. According to On3.com’s NIL Deal Tracker, while Diarra’s valuation is undisclosed, he has amassed a modest following on social media, with 4.7K followers on Instagram and 2.9K on Twitter.

Looking Ahead

With his Covid eligibility allowing him to extend his college career, Hassan Diarra has decided to return to UConn for the 2024-2025 season. As UConn under Dan Hurley’s guidance aims for a three-peat and faces roster changes, retaining Diarra offers stability to the team. And this will prove to be perfect for Coach Hurley as Hassan’s attitude and doggedness are a great fit with the Big East style of play,

As Hassan Diarra steps into his final season at UConn, the Huskies will look up to his leadership and defensive prowess, to lead them to a 3-peat. In fact, UConn will look to Diarra not just for his stats, but for his heart and hustle that defines what it means to be a UConn Husky.