Alabama Basketball Newcomer Breakdown: Mouhamed Dioubate

Dioubate brings a blue-collar playstyle that Nate Oats loves to see from his players.

This is the ninth and final part in a series where BamaCentral's Blake Byler will crunch the numbers and break down the film to give you everything you need to know about each of Alabama basketball's newcomers. 

When Nate Oats arrived in Tuscaloosa, he made it his goal to instill a "blue-collar" mentality in the program in a way that would establish itself as the hardest playing team in college basketball. 

Out of Oats' 2023 recruiting class, forward Mouhamed Dioubate isn't the highest rated or the flashiest, but he may exhibit that mentality and mindset the best. 

Dioubate was a 4-star recruit by way of Queens, New York, and played his high school basketball at prep school powerhouse Putnam Science Academy. This past year, Dioubate played a huge part in Putnam's prep school national championship, even earning the championship game MVP with a 14-point, 7-rebound, 3-block performance. 

Dioubate's game isn't about high-volume scoring or flashy dribble moves, but about hard-nosed, gritty, blue-collar plays that affect winning and don't always show up on the stat sheet.

The first thing that stands out about Dioubate's playstyle is how he played bigger than he looks. He stands at only 6-foot-7, a smaller height for a primarily interior player, but carries a 215-pound frame that provides sneaky strength to use on the glass and around the rim. 

In the above clip, Dioubate's strength inside is on full display. He catches the dump-off pass in the short corner, with an interior defender who has him beat in height guarding him vertically. Instead of settling for an outside jumper, he puts his head down and attacks the rim.

It takes just one power dribble for Dioubate's frame to move the defender enough to have space for him to rise up and convert on a tough inside finish. 

The aggressiveness he shows attacking the rim translates to his work on the glass, too. He finished his high school career as Putnam Science Academy's all-time leading rebounder, not because of his height but because of his motor, knack for the ball, and strength around the rim. 

Dioubate doesn't have much of a jump shot, which one would think could be a huge hinderance in the Alabama offense that shoots a high volume of 3-pointers. But it's not uncommon to see non-shooters have offensive success for the Crimson Tide. 

Think back a few years to how Alabama used Juwan Gary, another undersized interior player who played with a hard-nosed style. Gary was an excellent cutter, something Dioubate also excels at, and played a lot of his time in halfcourt offense in the dunker spot, where Dioubate is seen playing in the clip above. 

Dioubate has above-average athleticism and can rise above the rim for vertical finishes. It should be expected to see him receive plenty of dump-off passes around the rim after Alabama's guards draw help defense from penetrations. 

While it's unlikely to see Dioubate get a ton of playing time out on the wings, he has the ability to penetrate and get to the rim as seen above. He has good body control, which creates a unique finishing threat when combined with his strength and athleticism. 

Perhaps the biggest strength of Dioubate's game, though, is his defense. The forward has notable length and quick instincts, and can guard both interior players and bother guards on the perimeter. 

Dioubate's versatility on the defensive end and ability to guard multiple positions makes him highly valuable playing for a coach that always wants to utilize his best defenders. 

Because of Dioubate's defensive and rebounding abilities, it was believed that he could have a chance at some early playing time this season. That was, until Alabama used the transfer portal and late recruiting additions to solidify its frontcourt, on top of Dioubate suffering a knee injury that required surgery back in June.

Dioubate is expected to make a full recovery and be available to play once the season starts in November, but it is unclear what his role will look like after missing a few months of practice while the rest of the new faces in the frontcourt begin to gel together. 

Regardless of how much he plays this season, Dioubate has the skillset of a glue guy that's valuable to any team, especially one that values blue-collar effort like Oats does. It may not be this season, but Dioubate is sure to have a role for the Crimson Tide as he develops throughout his career.

See also:

Alabama Basketball Newcomer Breakdown: Aaron Estrada