Malick Diouf —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Despite coming from a long layoff, Malick Diouf, former UAAP MVP, proved to be handy for his team in his first-ever pro stint, helping the Zamboanga Valientes to a Grand Finals crown in The Asian Tournament.
“I think that I played the way I always do—I gave it my all,” the former University of the Philippines star said. “I hope that that was enough to catch the attention of some scouts there.”
Diouf had to delay his transition to the pros after going through surgery to repair his injured wrist. But the Senegalese big man hardly looked like he was out for a long time, figuring prominently in many of the Valientes’ games in the inaugural meet that featured up-and-coming clubs in Asia.
He said the only rough patch he encountered was dealing with the tightly packed schedule of the games. Teams would squeeze in back-to-back contests before moving to another city, and Diouf and the Zamboanga crew were no exemptions.
“It’s been good. I enjoyed the challenge of each leg being so close to each other. It challenged me and the team to recover fast and be ready right away for the next leg, the next challenge,” he said.
Diouf also had a chance to spend some time with 4-time NBA All-Star and Rio Olympics gold medalist DeMarcus Cousins—an encounter, he feels, that sets him up for success.
“Having the opportunity to play with, and to learn from such a decorated player is so surreal,” he said of the bruising American who is best known for his stint with the Sacramento Kings.
The pair, who served as World Imports for the Valientes, swapped jerseys after capturing the Grand Finals crown last Saturday before a rowdy home crowd at Zamboanga City Coliseum.
Diouf, who is now looking to land a new pro deal, is hoping that he doesn’t stay idle for too long. He has since said that he hopes to join close pal and Gilas Pilipinas naturalized player Ange Kouame in Europe.
Diouf also previously said that he would want to ply his trade in the PBA as well. And with the league finally doing away with the height threshold, the 6-foot-11 big man could finally have his chance to play again before Filipino fans.