Zoom Diallo took a trip to Lexington, Ky., to visit the blueblood university.
The Washington Huskies men's basketball team is looking to fill out the seven-to-eight spots available on the roster for the 2026-27 season.
While the team is looking to the transfer portal for those roles, one of the Huskies best players from the last two seasons is making the rounds to find his new home.
Junior guard and Tacoma, Wash., native Zoom Diallo entered the transfer portal with the caveat that he's keeping open the possibility of returning to UW. Even with a return still in the cards, Diallo is apparently being courted by at least one of the most notable men's college basketball programs in the country.
Diallo was on campus in Lexington, Ky., for a visit with the Kentucky Wildcats on Friday, per posts on his social media and confirmed via reports.
Diallo, a 2024 McDonald's All-American, is considered one of the best players currently in the transfer portal. He's ranked as the 25th-best player and eighth-best point guard available in the portal, per 247Sports.
Before Diallo committed to Washington on Dec. 23, 2023, he had offers from several notable programs, including Gonzaga, Arizona, Alabama, Southern California (USC), Kansas and LSU, among others.
Several of those universities likely have renewed interest in the 6-foot-4, 180-pound guard and it seems like the Wildcats are also firmly in the mix. Kentucky is reportedly "prioritizing" Diallo and BYU transfer guard Robert Wright III.
Diallo was one of the Huskies' two go-to offensive options this past season along with freshman forward Hannes Steinbach (who's expected to enter the 2026 NBA Draft).
As the team's primary ball handler, Diallo averaged 15.7 points on 48.9% shooting from the floor across 33 games (29 starts). He also dished 4.5 assists and pulled in 3.9 rebounds per game.
Diallo was one of the few players that suited up for all 33 games for Washington, who finished the season 16-17 (7-13 in Big Ten play). Various injuries had the Huskies playing with seven-to-eight scholarship players for various games this year.
Washington guard Zoom Diallo shoots a free throw during a Big Ten tournament game against Southern California on March 11 at the United Center in Chicago. | Kamil Krzaczynski/Imagn Images.Diallo's departure from the team also has Washington looking for a primary ball handler/floor general. He and fellow transfer guard, JJ Mandaquit, were the primary point guards for UW last season.
The Huskies could reportedly be looking to replace the PNW-native floor general with another. Washington has been reportedly courting Rainier Beach High School (Seattle) graduate and Texas Tech transfer Jaylen Petty.
Ideally, Washington will be able to retain Diallo, who would be one of the better upperclassmen guards in the Big Ten if he were to stay in the conference. But it seems like that will be a tough task to pull off.
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