NEW YORK — Wearing a maroon UMass sweatshirt and cheering enthusiastically, other than his height, Samba Diallo didn’t stand out from the many New York-area Minuteman fans at Rose Hill Gymnasium.
But the next time UMass visits Fordham, many of those same fans will be watching Diallo, a 6-foot-7 wing who is from Senegal and lives in New Jersey. He signed with UMass in November and was excited to watch his future teammates in person.
“It’s fun being here for the first time to see them play,” said Diallo, who stayed until the end of the Minutemen’s 82-69 loss. “I’ve been watching a lot on TV, but this is the first time live.”
Diallo tries to envision how he’d fit with the team.
“I can see myself in there,” he said smiling. “It’s pretty close, I’m really looking forward to it. I’m really excited. I can’t wait. I like the team, the chemistry, the coaches. I can play a lot of transition. Everybody is running. That’s my type of game.”
Diallo is a senior, but isn’t playing this season because of a torn ACL. He had surgery in October and is expected to be ready to participate when he arrives on campus. He’s one of two freshmen, along with Washington, D.C.-area point guard Tre Wood, set to join the program next year.
“Everything is good. I’m just doing what the doctor tells me,” Diallo said. “On the whole everything is good. It was tough (having surgery), but you just have to deal with it. I’m just focused on rehab.”
He planned to enroll in the summer after his high school graduation.
BALDWIN OUT — UMass junior big man Chris Baldwin missed the game with a knee ailment. He made the trip but didn’t dress. He’ll be evaluated early in the week.
“He had some pain in his knee. He took himself out of the La Salle game. His knee was bothering him. I told him in order to play he needed to be 100 percent mentally and physically,” McCall said. “It’s a privilege not a right to play this game. You have to be 100 percent invested. If something is bothering you, get with the trainers.”
Baldwin joined Rashaan Holloway, who is academically ineligible, among the team’s growing number of unavailable players. His absence left UMass with six players who have played regular minutes this season. McCall did use Khalea Turner-Morris and walk-on Jaylen Franklin some, but mostly stuck with his shrinking core.
MISCELLANEOUS— UMass led at halftime for the first time in Atlantic 10 play. … The Minutemen are 0-3 in New York this year. … Former UMass big man Micah Brand, a New York-area native, was in attendance.
Matt Vautour can be reached at mvautour@gazettenet.com. Get UMass coverage delivered in your Facebook news feed at www.facebook.com/GazetteUMassCoverage