NC State F Ismael Diouf enters transfer portal

NC State junior forward Ismael Diouf entered the transfer portal on Wednesday, becoming the sixth departure from the Wolfpack’s roster since Kevin Keatts was fired. He has one year of eligibility remaining.

The Canadian joins forwards Ben Middlebrooks, Dennis Parker Jr., as well as guards Bryce Heard, Marcus Hill and Mike James in the portal. NC State has nine available scholarships for the 2025-26 season.

Diouf, who arrived as a transfer from Laval University (Can.) over the summer, averaged 2.2 points with 1.4 rebounds in 18 appearances at NC State. A traditional four-man, Diouf was utilized as a center in his lone season with the Pack as the front court lacked consistent depth.

The 6-foot-9, 215-pound forward’s most impactful stretch with the Pack came during its two-game road swing to California. NC State was without center Brandon Huntley-Hatfield, who missed the trip due to injury, while Middlebrooks was in foul trouble in both games. Diouf was ready for the challenge, scoring 16 total points across the two games — his only two outings of 20-plus minutes.

Diouf scored a career-best 9 points on 4-of-8 shooting with five rebounds in 23 minutes played during the Pack’s 74-73 loss at Stanford on Feb. 8. He also logged 7 points on 3-of-4 shooting with three boards in a 74-62 loss at Cal just three days before.

But after those two games, where it seemed Diouf was finding his footing with the Wolfpack, he played a total of 16 minutes the rest of the season. That included three games he didn’t come off the bench in NC State’s final eight contests.

Before Diouf moved to the United States, he played two seasons in Canada’s U League with Laval. He averaged 10.1 points with 6.2 rebounds during his sophomore season. Diouf was a star of Laval’s Final 8 Tournament appearance with 18.3 points and 11.7 rebounds, leading his team to the title, and he was named the MVP of the event.

The post NC State F Ismael Diouf enters transfer portal appeared first on On3.