We'll have to see how much court time new Syracuse basketball commit Tiefing Diawara will receive in the upcoming season, but several experts say the 6-foot-11, 240-pound center has high upside over the course of his Orange career.
On Monday, a source confirmed to me that Diawara, a 2025 three-star prospect originally from Mali, was committing to the 'Cuse for the 2025-26 term. He attends the DME Academy at St. John's Northwestern, a prep program located in Delafield, Wis.
According to some recruiting analysts and others who know Diawara's skill set, he's a developmental prospect, meaning that he isn't likely to play a lot in his freshman campaign.
However, he has great length and size at the center position, and it's worth noting that he's close to a 7-foot player, whereas the Orange's other two centers on its 2025-26 roster, three-star UCLA transfer William Kyle lll and Georgia Tech transfer Ibrahim Souare, are both listed at around 6-foot-9.
Syracuse basketball has a lot of athleticism at the center spot.
In recent weeks, I've seen comments from some 'Cuse fans expressing their desire that the Orange pick up a more traditional center. While I am not in that camp, I get the sentiment. Kyle and Souare might not have the same height as Diawara, but all three of them are athletic, mobile big men.
In 2024-25, head coach Adrian Autry and his squad suffered through Syracuse basketball's worst season in decades, going 14-19 overall. The 'Cuse had a woeful defense, and part of the issue, from my perspective, is that the Orange's centers weren't all that athletic.
While Kyle, Souare and Diawara aren't proven commodities in power-conference hoops, they are athletic, agile and mobile big men who can run the court well on both ends of the floor and should be more proficient in protecting the rim on defense, experts say.
Big Board Global Scouting notes that Diawara, with a 7-foot-3 wingspan, "has excellent size and length, plus good mobility and coordination for a big-bodied throwback low post presence."
Travis Branham, a top national analyst with 247Sports who first reported on Diawara's pledge to Syracuse basketball, wrote that "Diawara has great size and length at the position who has upside and the tools to develop under Red Autry."
On the Web site nbadraftjunkies.com, it lists strengths and areas to work on for Diawara. On the positive side, he's mobile and has a high motor. Diawara has touch around the basket and can finish with both hands near the rim. He has high upside, good hands, dunks with assertiveness and likes to crash the offensive boards.
Diawara's areas of improvement include extending his shooting range and scoring off his left shoulder. As nbadraftjunkies.com says, Diawara is a raw and unpolished prospect.
Still, he holds promise. This spring and summer, Diawara is competing for the 17U unit of the Milwaukee-based Team Herro in Nike's EYBL league.
In looking through his game log as Team Herro has competed in three spring sessions on the EYBL circuit, Diawara had one contest this past weekend where he corralled 14 rebounds. He tallied 11 points in another encounter.
Diawara is averaging 1.1 blocks per game, and he's also making 81.8 percent of his free-throw attempts.