San Francisco Signs Center Ismaila Diagne
6/6/2026 10:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - Head coach Chris Gerlufsen and the University of San Francisco men's basketball program announced today the signing of center Ismaila Diagne (Thiés, Senegal/Gonzaga).
"We are thrilled to welcome Ismaila Diagne to our program at the University of San Francisco," said Gerlufsen.
"Ismaila brings tremendous size, skill, and defensive prowess to our program. He has been a part of a lot of success in his previous stops at Gonzaga and Real Madrid. We are excited for Ismaila to bring his winning ways and contagious personality to the Hilltop in 2026-27. We look forward to helping Ismaila continue his development as a Don!"
Originally from Thiés, Senegal, Diagne comes to the Hilltop after spending two seasons at Gonzaga. During his time with the Bulldogs, the seven-footer appeared in 38 total games, including making three starts this past season.
Overall, Diagne appeared in 27 total games for Gonzaga in 2025-26, totaling 30 points, 67 rebounds (19 offensive, 48 defensive), 16 blocks, four assists, four steals, and shooting 12-for-24 (.500) from the field. Notably, he scored a season-high six points and recorded a season-high four blocks in Gonzaga's 122-50 victory over Southern Utah on Nov. 17. Diagne pulled down a season-high ten rebounds in Gonzaga's 84-60 victory over Pepperdine on Jan. 21, marking season-highs in both offensive (four) and defensive (six) rebounds.
In 2024-25, Diagne appeared in 10 games for the Bulldogs, including making his making his collegiate debut with four points and one rebound in Gonzaga's 101-63 win over No. 7/7 Baylor on Nov. 4. His most notable performance came when he finished with a career-high nine points on a career-best four-of-four from the floor in Gonzaga's 95-76 win at Santa Clara on Feb. 25.
Prior to his time in Spokane, Diagne averaged 10.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 0.9 blocks for Real Madrid's Under-18 team, including leading his team to the Adidas Next Gen Tournament championship in Berlin, Germany. Real Madrid also won the Podgorica Tournament in 2023-24, and Diagne averaged 11 points and 7.8 rebounds in the four games in the event. Overall, he appeared in four games in the Spanish Liga Endesa (ACB) this season with the Real Madrid national team, averaging five points, 4.5 rebounds, and one block on 58 percent shooting from the field in 12.5 minutes per game. He also appeared in two EuroLeague games with the club. In the 2023 Adidas Next Generation Tournament for the Real Madrid U18 team, Diagne averaged 12.5 points and 12 rebounds per game on 55 percent shooting from the field.
For updates and more information on the University of San Francisco men's basketball program, follow the Dons @USFDonsMBB on Twitter, @USFDonsMBB on Instagram, and @USFDonsMBB on Facebook.
"We are thrilled to welcome Ismaila Diagne to our program at the University of San Francisco," said Gerlufsen.
"Ismaila brings tremendous size, skill, and defensive prowess to our program. He has been a part of a lot of success in his previous stops at Gonzaga and Real Madrid. We are excited for Ismaila to bring his winning ways and contagious personality to the Hilltop in 2026-27. We look forward to helping Ismaila continue his development as a Don!"
Originally from Thiés, Senegal, Diagne comes to the Hilltop after spending two seasons at Gonzaga. During his time with the Bulldogs, the seven-footer appeared in 38 total games, including making three starts this past season.
Overall, Diagne appeared in 27 total games for Gonzaga in 2025-26, totaling 30 points, 67 rebounds (19 offensive, 48 defensive), 16 blocks, four assists, four steals, and shooting 12-for-24 (.500) from the field. Notably, he scored a season-high six points and recorded a season-high four blocks in Gonzaga's 122-50 victory over Southern Utah on Nov. 17. Diagne pulled down a season-high ten rebounds in Gonzaga's 84-60 victory over Pepperdine on Jan. 21, marking season-highs in both offensive (four) and defensive (six) rebounds.
In 2024-25, Diagne appeared in 10 games for the Bulldogs, including making his making his collegiate debut with four points and one rebound in Gonzaga's 101-63 win over No. 7/7 Baylor on Nov. 4. His most notable performance came when he finished with a career-high nine points on a career-best four-of-four from the floor in Gonzaga's 95-76 win at Santa Clara on Feb. 25.
Prior to his time in Spokane, Diagne averaged 10.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 0.9 blocks for Real Madrid's Under-18 team, including leading his team to the Adidas Next Gen Tournament championship in Berlin, Germany. Real Madrid also won the Podgorica Tournament in 2023-24, and Diagne averaged 11 points and 7.8 rebounds in the four games in the event. Overall, he appeared in four games in the Spanish Liga Endesa (ACB) this season with the Real Madrid national team, averaging five points, 4.5 rebounds, and one block on 58 percent shooting from the field in 12.5 minutes per game. He also appeared in two EuroLeague games with the club. In the 2023 Adidas Next Generation Tournament for the Real Madrid U18 team, Diagne averaged 12.5 points and 12 rebounds per game on 55 percent shooting from the field.
For updates and more information on the University of San Francisco men's basketball program, follow the Dons @USFDonsMBB on Twitter, @USFDonsMBB on Instagram, and @USFDonsMBB on Facebook.
Monday, March 09
Sunday, March 08
Sunday, February 22
Thursday, February 19
