Syracuse basketball offers 4-star, top-10 center who has exploded onto national scene

Syracuse basketball has gotten into the recruiting mix for a fast-rising big man in the 2026 class.

Not too long ago, the Orange staff offered a scholarship to four-star center Aliou Dioum, the 6-foot-11 prospect disclosed on his X page. Dioum, originally from Senegal, is playing high school basketball for a powerhouse program in Arizona.

To date, per his X page and recruiting services, Dioum's early offer sheet also includes schools such as Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Arizona State, Fresno State, Missouri, Georgia Tech and Georgia.

In the 2024-25 season that just got underway, Dioum is suiting up for CIA Bella Vista in Phoenix, which competes in the loaded 14-member Nike Elite Youth Basketball League Scholastic ("EYBL Scholastic").

Recently, the experts at The Circuit unveiled their national preseason top 25 in high school basketball, placing CIA Bella Vista at No. 19 overall.

Syracuse basketball has offered a scholarship to 2026 four-star center Aliou Dioum.

Dating back to the spring of this year, Dioum has scored a lot of high praise from national analysts and scouts for his play on the AAU circuit and at various other showcase events. In grassroots hoops during the most recent AAU season, Dioum was a standout for the 16U team of the St. Louis-based Gateway Knights in the Under Armour Association ("UAA") league.

In late April, amid a UAA session in Rock Hill, S.C., top On3 national analyst/scout Jamie Shaw named Dioum one of his top performers, writing in part that this new Orange recruiting target "was a matchup question all weekend. The 6-foot-10 forward has a slender and athletic frame and he plays with a hot motor at all times. Offensively, Dioum was most comfortable facing up and taking his man off the bounce. He finished well at the rim, absorbing contact and finishing at the rim. Defensively, Dioum rebounded well and he showed versatility. He moved his feet with perimeter-based forwards and slid down to guard guys on the block. Dioum scored on the block and he finished with touch."

Dioum, earlier this year, also was lauded for his performances at both the Pangos All-American Camp in Las Vegas and the National Basketball Players Association ("NBPA") Top 100 Camp in Orlando, Fla.

When I wrote this article on Sunday, within the junior class, the industry-generated 247Sports Composite placed Dioum at No. 77 overall, No. 9 at center and No. 9 in Arizona. Over at On3, he is No. 69 nationally, No. 8 at center and No. 9 in Arizona.

The Orange staff has offered scholarships to a variety of 2026 prospects, with most of those players at the guard or small-forward positions. As far as I can tell, Dioum is the first center in the junior cycle who has received an offer from the 'Cuse.