Mo Dioubate has played at the highest level of college basketball at the Final Four. It’s the venue that kids dream of playing in. Right now, Dioubate is living the dream at Kentucky.

If you’ve followed Kentucky basketball, you’ve heard plenty of prospective high school recruits describe Kentucky as their “dream school.” It isn’t lip service for the Alabama transfer. He told BBN Tonight’s Maggie Davis that he idolized the Cats while watching college hoops as a teenager in Queens.

“Since I was a kid, Kentucky was my dream school. A lot of people don’t know that. Kentucky was my dream school. To wear the jersey and to play with it, it’s like the best thing that could have happened to me so far in my life,” Dioubate said.

“I always tell guys, don’t ever think you can’t achieve a goal or something. I even doubted myself for a while. I didn’t think I could play here. I didn’t think I was able to coming out of high school with the schools I was offered, where I was projected. I just can’t wait to put the jersey on and play in front of the fans.”

He was 13 years old when De’Aaron Fox, Bam Adebayo, and Malik Monk were lighting up scoreboards. That’s what drew him to Kentucky. His love for the Cats grew exponentially when he saw another kid from Queens star for the Cats.

Dioubate won a National Championship at Putnam Science Academy. It’s the same school where Hamidou Diallo won a Prep National Championship.

Diallo was thrilled when he learned Dioubate would also wear Kentucky blue, and shared some advice to the forward. “Stay in the gym. There’s going to be a lot of distractions that come your way. Stay in the gym and stay focused,” Dioubate recalled.

During his first days in the Joe Craft Center, Dioubate paused for a moment of reflection.

“I was there by myself, and I was thinking, ‘Damn, I’m really here. It really happened.’” He added, “It still feels like a dream sometimes.”

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With the NBA Draft coming in less than a week, ESPN has released a fresh big board.

Jonathan Givony of ESPN released his latest top 100 prospects for the 2025 NBA Draft. Duke forward Cooper Flagg topped the list, with Rutgers guards Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey rounding out the top three.

Kon Kneuppel and Khaman Maluach join Flagg as former Blue Devils in the top 10 while France’s Noa Essengue was the only non-college player in the top 10.

An international player has been selected with the top pick in each of the last two NBA Drafts. However, it looks like Flagg will end that trend.

He averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 37 games for the Blue Devils in 2024-25. He was named the AP Player of the Year and was a consensus All-American while leading Duke to the No. 1 overall seed and a Final Four appearance.

He spent the season as the projected top player, and it looks like that will come to fruition with the Dallas Mavericks. Bailey, on the other hand, has fluctuated a bit.

He averaged 17.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 30 games for the Scarlet Knights. He was named All-Big Ten and Big Ten All-Freshman for his efforts.

However, Rutgers struggled to a 15-17 record, despite strong play from Bailey and Harper. While they will likely hear their names called early at the Draft, it also could be an extended night if team’s look for a better fit.

The 2025 NBA Draft is set for June 25-26 in Brooklyn.

Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton understands the magnitude of the team’s upcoming clash with the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals.

“This is going to be one of the biggest, if not the biggest, game most of us will ever play in our lives and for our organization from a historic standpoint as well,” Haliburton told reporters on Saturday.

The Pacers trailed the series 3-2, but forced Game 7 with a dominant 108-91 victory over the Thunder in Game 6 on Thursday.

Both teams will now meet for the first Game 7 of the Finals since 2016.

With a win, Indiana would secure its first Larry O’Brien Trophy in team history.

Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle, who previously won a championship with the Dallas Mavericks, was also excited for Game 7.

“This is what it’s all about,” Carlisle said, via NBA.com’s Wheat Hotchkiss. “This is what you dream about growing up, this kind of opportunity…The opportunity to play in a game like this is a great honor and a great privilege.”

As for Haliburton, he’s averaging 14.8 points, 6.8 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game in the Finals so far. The two-time All-Star is shooting 44.7 percent from the field, but just 31.7 percent from three-point territory.

Haliburton has been dealing with a calf strain as of late, although he confirmed to reporters that he’ll be “ready” for Game 7.

Despite his relatively disappointing individual production against Oklahoma City, he still helped Indiana jump out to a 1-0 series lead with a game-winning jumper that gave the team a 111-110 victory in Game 1.

Tip-off for Game 7 between the Pacers and Thunder is on Sunday at 8 p.m. ET.

SEATTLE – Washington softball head coach Heather Tarr has announced the addition of left-handed pitcher, Ryan Maddox, to the roster.
 
“Ryan brings a left-handed arm and a championship edge,” Tarr said. “She’s a proven winner from Fresno, California; battle-tested after two years at Arizona.”
 
This past season at Arizona as a redshirt freshman, Maddox threw 49.2 innings in 20 appearances and seven starts. She held opponents to a .273 average while earning three wins and a save. Maddox had a career-high six strikeouts against Weber State and threw her first career complete game against UCF.
 
Coming out of high school, Maddox was named the 2023 California Gatorade Player of the Year and was the No. 6 national recruit by Extra Inning Softball. She was a NFCA High School All-American honoree in 2022 (third team) and 2023 (second team). In addition, Maddox was a three-time Tri-River Athletic Conference Player of the Year and two-time Fresno Bee Softball Player of the Year.
 
“Her toughness adds to a seasoned staff led by Sophia Ramuno, Morgan Reimer (recently named to Team Canada’s roster) and Rylee Rehbein,” Tarr added. “We’re leveling up, and Ryan’s experience pushes us even higher.”
 
Maddox played for Husky Hall of Famer Sara Pickering for seven seasons of travel ball with Central Cal DirtDogs. In 2023, Maddox led OC Batbusters Stith win the Alliance National Championship and the Triple Crown Sports Championship in 2022.
 
While at Washington, Maddox plans on majoring in nutritional science.
 
For more information on the UW softball team, follow @UWSoftball on X and Instagram.