Kansas lands Diallo

Early Tuesday morning, a source close to five-star big man Cheick Diallo said that the prospect was "very close" to making his choice. Tuesday afternoon, the No. 5 player in the class of 2015 went from very close to committed by selecting Kansas.

Diallo explained to Rivals.com the reasons for which he selected the Jayhawks.

"I picked Kansas because the way the develop bigs especially with Joel Embiid," Diallo told Rivals.com. "I think I will play a big role there because of my style of play."

One of the premier big men in the class of 2015, Diallo fills a huge area of need for the Jayhawks and gives Bill Self a hard-fought recruiting win.

A native of Mali who played his high school ball at Centereach (N.Y.) Our Savior, Diallo has earned his reputation through the years thanks to his high-energy style of play. The 6-foot-9, 220-pounder runs the court like a sprinter, fights on the glass, protects the rim and has developed his offense each step of the way during his high school career.

The MVP of both the McDonald's All-American Game and the Jordan Brand Classic, Diallo helps to fill the hole left by freshman Cliff Alexander's early departure for the draft. While his non-stop motor has been praised, it has happened at the expense of giving Diallo some of the praise he deserves for developing his offensive game.

Diallo is still a bit herky-jerky on the offensive end and his jump shot needs work. However, he has very good hands and significantly improved his touch as a finisher from 4-10 feet. He can make jump hooks with either hand and learned to pass out of double teams. Defensively, he will need to get stronger but he has proven himself time and time again as somebody capable of protecting the rim and rebounding at a high rate.

Diallo is the second player from the class of 2015 to pick the Jayhawks and he joins power forward Carlton Bragg, who ranks No. 22 in the class. Like Diallo, Bragg is a five-star prospect.