The Washington Huskies men's basketball team has seen several players depart via the transfer portal this offseason. One of those players, arguably the hardest-hitting for Huskies fans, has just found a new home.

Soon-to-be junior guard Zoom Diallo has officially committed to the Southeastern Conference's (SEC) Kentucky Wildcats, per an article from Nick Kosko of the On3 Sports and Rivals sports network.

Diallo had previously visited Kentucky on Friday (April 10) and was apparently impressed enough to join Mark Pope's roster.

When Diallo initially announced his intentions to enter the transfer portal, he kept the option open to return to Washington and head coach Danny Sprinkle.

Diallo was one of the biggest recruiting wins for Sprinkle since he was hired ahead of the 2024-25 season. He was a McDonald's All-American, a Tacoma, Wash., native and was ranked as the 54th-best player in the Class of 2024, per 247Sports. The publication ranked him as the 26th-best overall player and seventh-best point guard in the transfer portal.

The 6-foot-4, 180-pound point guard received praise from several UW's opposing coaches this past season, including Michigan State coach Tom Izzo after the Spartans' 80-63 win against the Huskies on Jan. 17.

This past season, Diallo averaged 15.7 points across 33 starts (29 games) on 48.9% shooting from the floor. He also averaged 4.5 assists and 3.9 rebounds. He was one of the only players who suited up for all 33 of Washington's contests last year.

The departures of Diallo, and soon-to-be sophomore guard JJ Mandaquit, has led to an absence of a floor general for the Huskies.

UW lost out on a potential replacement for Diallo and Mandaquit when Seattle native and Rainier Beach high School graduate Jaylen Petty committed to Washington's Big Ten rival, the UCLA Bruins.

The Huskies have reportedly been in contact with several more potential replacements for Diallo and Mandaquit, including Long Beach State transfer Gavin Sykes, Buffalo guard Daniel Frietag and Saint Mary's guard Mikey Lewis.

Lewis was recently on-campus for a visit with Washington and is set for a visit with the Dawgs' Pacific Northwest rivals, the Oregon Ducks.

The Huskies did land their first portal addition of the current window, senior shooting guard Parker Friedrichsen (Davidson). 

Washington will be looking to replace nearly half the roster. Currently the Huskies are reported to only have seven players on the roster with the addition of Friedrichsen.

The transfer portal window closes April 21.

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