Player Bio

Keita Bates-Diop was born in Bloomington, Illinois in 1996. Bates-Diop's father, Richard, played collegiate basketball at Creighton in the early '80s. The younger Bates-Diop attended University High School in Normal, Illinois, where he blossomed into a superstar in his final two years. As a junior at University High, Bates-Diop averaged 18.4 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.4 blocks while shooting 52 percent from the field to lead his team to a 22-6 record and Corn Belt Conference championship, its second in a row. The Pioneers won a third consecutive Corn Belt Conference Championship with Bates-Diop leading them to a 22-5 record. For his efforts, Bates-Diop was a three-time First Team All-State (Class 3A) selection by the Associated Press. Bates-Diop moved on to collegiate ball at Ohio State University, where he spent the next four seasons. You can follow Bates-Diop on Twitter @KBD_33. Bates-Diop was named as the 2017-18 Big Ten Player of the Year after his senior year at Ohio St. The Normal, Illinois native was also named to the All-Big Ten honorable mention list after his sophomore season in 2016-17. In the 2017-18 season, he led the Big Ten in total field goals (247) while leading Ohio State in points (19.8), blocks (1.6) and rebounds (8.7) per game. Bates-Diop opted to enter the 2018 NBA Draft after his redshirt junior season. He was chosen in the second round of the draft (48th overall) by the Minnesota Timberwolves.