Chieck Diallo finally made his NCAA debut on Tuesday night and immediately showed what all the hype was about.

The Kansas forward began the season serving a five game suspension for receiving a limited amount on impermissible benefits. There were also questions about the legitimacy of his high school coursework.

On the court, though, the freshman put all of that drama behind him. He finished the game with 13 points and six rebounds as the Jayhawks routed the University of Loyola (Maryland). Diallo’s signature moment, however, came when the game was already out of reach.

With five minutes remaining in the game, the forward corralled a loose ball for an uncontested breakaway. Sensing the chance to put an exclamation point on the win, he went up for the dunk while tucking his off-hand behind his head ala Karl Malone.

Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter!

A week of sports news in your in-box.
We find the sports news you need to know, so you don't have to.

Head coach Bill Self appreciated his new player’s ability, but was less fond of the style. That was nice,” Self said of the dunk. “I told him after, ‘Cheick, we don’t do that.’ But that’s what he did.”

Photo: Cheick Diallo #13 of the Kansas Jayhawks reacts after a dunk during the 2nd half of the game against the Loyola (Md) Greyhounds at Allen Fieldhouse on December 1, 2015 in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Read more about:
Joe Kozlowski

Article by Joe Kozlowski

Listen to the uInterview Podcast!
Get the most-revealing celebrity conversations with the uInterview podcast!