Massamba Diop Shocks ASU Fan Base With Latest Announcement

Guard Noah Meeusen entered the portal in the early hours of Tuesday after one season in Tempe, center and foundational piece Massamba Diop followed on Wednesday afternoon in an unfortunate twist of events for Bennett's program.

Matt Zenitz and Chris Hummer of CBS Sports were the first to report the breaking news.

It was also noted that Diop entered with a "do not contact" tag, suggesting that the rising big man has an idea of his next destination. Expect programs such as Duke, Kentucky, UConn, Kansas, and others to be heavily involved in the process, but a return to Tempe now feels incredibly unlikely.

What Diop Meant to Arizona State

Diop became a symbol of patience paying off for Bobby Hurley in his final season as the head coach at Arizona State, as the Senegalese talent had been playing in Spain when he was identified by the ASU coaching staff.

The 7'1" force quickly became a standout over the final several weeks leading into the season opener and ultimately became proof that the international player route is a more than worthy way to go in the roster-building sphere.

The unfortunate fallout from Diop's exceptional freshman season is that there are now programs that are intently focused on his services and have much more robust financial backing than the Sun Devils, although there are avenues for Bennett to rebound from a huge loss.

How Arizona State Bounces Back From Loss

The most out-in-front solution to replace Diop lies in Bennett's former center at Saint Mary's, in Andrew McKeever.

Make no mistake - the 7'2" center doesn't have Diop's post scoring skill, shooting touch, or sheer ability to disrupt opposing players at the rim, but he does bring many positives to the table that make this reunion a palpable one.

McKeever is functional - even proficient - as a screener/play finisher, while also flashing as a passer on the high block. He isn't quite a game-changing defender, but he knows Bennett's system well and is more than passable as a rim protector. The best trait in McKeever's game is his elite rebounding ability, which surpasses what Diop has shown thus far. The soon-to-be junior draws many parallels between past players of similar stature - such as Donovan Clingan - in the rebounding department.