COLUMN: Mohamed Diarra is NC State men’s basketball’s human energy drink

It wasn’t until late in the second half of Saturday’s Sweet Sixteen matchup that junior forward Mohamed Diarra ate food and drank water for the first time in hours. The sun went down at 7:46 p.m., but Diarra, who’s observing Ramadan, didn’t check out of the game until a couple of minutes later, when he digested a banana and an applesauce squeeze packet.

Saturday’s game was the first since the first round of the ACC Tournament that Diarra went without sustenance for nearly the entire game. Since the game was in Dallas, Texas, the 6:09 p.m. local tip-off time forced him to go most of the game without having food or liquids since before dawn.

In the first game Diarra played during Ramadan, against Louisville, he had the least productive game of his postseason: He was limited to just four points and four rebounds in 18 minutes of game time. 

Now that he’s been going without food or water for over three weeks when the sun is up he was more prepared against Marquette. The 6-foot-10 forward dominated the Golden Eagles, snatching 15 rebounds to go along with 11 points in his fifth double-double in the last six games. 

Diarra did the bulk of his work in the first half, when he had nothing to fuel him. He pulled down 11 rebounds in the first 20 minutes. When he grabbed his 11th board, he had more rebounds than Marquette did as a team.

While fasting during this postseason stretch, Diarra’s been the hardest working player on the court, fighting for every rebound while hounding whoever he’s guarding on defense. It’s a testament to his commitment to the game of basketball and his religion.

“He has stayed true to his religion. He’s stayed true to our basketball team,” said head coach Kevin Keatts. “We're talking about a young man that gives us everything every time he steps on the court.”

Throughout NC State’s eight-game win streak, different players step up every game. Junior forward Ben Middlebrooks led the team in scoring in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, graduate forward DJ Burns dominated in the second round against Oakland, but there’s been one constant during this stretch.

You know what you’re going to get from Diarra every time he steps on the court. He’s going to crash the glass harder than anyone on the court and play with unmatched passion. It’s no surprise he’s been the most consistent player given his strict routine.

During the game against Marquette, CBS showed a graphic of Diarra’s schedule. He wakes up at 5:30 a.m. and then eats breakfast while getting liquid IVs before the sun comes up. After the sunrise, the team monitors him the rest of the day and makes sure he’s mainly resting before tip-off. Then when the sun sets, he downs a glucose gel, a banana and fluids.

There’s no doubt that his routine off the court has led to success on it. Diarra’s dedication to his craft inspires his teammates to play harder.

“When you have a player that’s giving it their all, it makes you want to have their back too,” said graduate guard Michael O’Connell. “Knowing that he’s going out there fighting for us is unbelievable that we can all feed off that energy.”

Diarra has reached a status where greatness is expected. He is expected to put up double-doubles night in and night out. His coach didn’t even realize the masterclass his starting forward was putting on.

“What happens is when good players start getting great stats, you don't even realize they have it until the end of the game,” Keatts said. “He's been so valuable. Double-doubles and playing great defense, and we're asking so much of him. I'm proud of him.”

NC State’s miraculous postseason run has been characterized by its never-give-up attitude. There isn’t a player that embodies that mentality more than Diarra. 

In the ACC tournament, the Wolfpack needed to win its fifth game in five days against No.1 seed UNC-Chapel Hill in the ACC final to make the NCAA Tournament. That was no big deal for Diarra, who recorded 11 points, 14 rebounds, three blocks and three steals in the win.

The Pack needed Diarra to play 35 of the 40 minutes against the Golden Eagles without the ability to fuel up until late in the second half. Once again, that was no problem for Diarra, who led the team in rebounding.

The Wolfpack’s human energy drink has been the catalyst behind this no-quit mentality of the Pack. With Diarra leading the charge, NC State will keep trying to prove everyone wrong and continue its improbable run.

“Going into every game, we're pretty much the underdogs,” said graduate guard Casey Morsell. “We have that conversation heading into every game about trying to embrace everyone doubting us and just proving everyone wrong and going into the locker room and celebrating.”