Alpha Diallo is set to represent Guinea in the upcoming Olympic pre-qualification tournament in Nigeria.
The Monaco player will compete for his ancestral homeland after previously representing the USA at the 2019 Pan American Games, an event not under FIBA jurisdiction.
Despite his previous appearance for the USA team comprised of NCAA players at the Pan American Games, which is organized by ODEPA (Organization Deportiva Panamericana), Diallo’s switch to Guinea’s national team was straightforward. He also obtained citizenship of the African country.
๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฐ
— FGBB (@fgbb_officiel) August 14, 2023
Le Champion de France ๐ซ๐ท 2023 avec @ASMonaco_Basket a rejoint le groupe du Syli ๐ฌ๐ณร Lagos pour le Tournoi de qualification Olympique.#OlympicQualifyingTournament pic.twitter.com/hpACvd0J4q
Interestingly, Diallo will be playing under the guidance of another Serbian coach, Zeljko Zecevic, who has been coaching in Africa for several years.
Guinea is placed in Group B of the African Olympic pre-qualification tournament held in Lagos, alongside Cameroon and Tunisia. To keep their Olympic dreams alive, Guinea would need to win two tournaments. Diallo might team up with another Alpha, specifically Alpha Kaba, the center of Montenegro’s Buduฤnost team.
In the other group are Senegal, Mali, and the host nation Nigeria. The winner of the tournament will advance to the qualification tournament scheduled for next year, with participants determined after the World Championship.