Bruce Weber sees bright future for K-State guard Cartier Diarra, when he dunks

Anyone familiar with the video game NBA Jam can relate to Kansas State guard Cartier Diarra at the moment.

The goal of the classic arcade console wasn’t to merely score more points than the person handling the other joy stick, it was to do so while throwing down the most ridiculous dunks possible. Sure, a layup or jump shot counted the same as a helicopter dunk from the free-throw line, but only the slam earned you a “Boom Shakalaka.”

Diarra, a redshirt freshman with the highest vertical leap on K-State’s roster, wants and needs more of those. He’s such a good dunker that K-State basketball coach Bruce Weber is starting to treat his layups like travels.

“I took a bucket away from him, because he didn’t dunk the other day in practice,” Weber said. “We said, ‘Every layup you have to dunk, just to get him a little more confident and a little more comfortable.”

The following day, Diarra stole a pass at midcourt and zoomed toward the basket for a two-handed jam.

“That is what I need to do,” Diarra said. “It’s a little frustrating, but at the same time it is getting me better. Coach knows I can jump out of the gym, and he knows that I am really athletic and he wants me to dunk it.… He is just trying to get me in that habit, to just stay aggressive and stay in that killer mentality.”

K-State fans have been looking forward to seeing what Diarra can do on a basketball court for more than a year. They will get their first true glimpse at noon Saturday at Bramlage Coliseum when the Wildcats play Missouri State in a charity exhibition game.

The redshirt freshman quickly established himself as one of the most athletic players, and the best jumper, on the roster last summer. But he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his knee and sat out his first season. Diarra recovered so quickly that he was able to practice at times last year and add strength to his body. His best vertical leap before knee surgery was 43 inches. He is now up to 45.

That athleticism, surprisingly, hasn’t led to many dunks in practice.

“He told me he doesn’t want to catch me doing layups,” Diarra said of Weber. “If he catches me doing layups they don’t count no more. It’s always above the rim for me.”

Weber admits it might take a few weeks for Diarra to transition to college basketball. But he thinks he has a bright future, if he can learn to dunk more often.

“He is still like a new player,” Weber said. “He didn’t really practice last year. Learning to drive and to push yourself daily is not an easy thing. But he is very talented. He can do a lot of things. He obviously gives us some depth. I think once he gets some experience he is going to be a good player for us.”

An exhibition against Missouri State will give Diarra, and the entire K-State basketball team, an opportunity to get acclimated to game conditions.

Weber said the Wildcats are treating it like a game that counts, though both coaches have agreed to make lots of substitutions and play everyone on their bench.

“I’m so ready to play someone that is not my teammates and my friends,” K-State forward Dean Wade said. “So I am ready to get out there and play somebody in a real life game. I am excited about it.”

Diarra can hardly wait. He’s ready to hear the roar of a crowd after a dunk.

This story was originally published October 20, 2017 at 2:10 PM with the headline "Bruce Weber sees bright future for K-State guard Cartier Diarra, when he dunks."