When Mark Pope set out to construct his new roster at Kentucky this spring, one of the first calls he made was an easy one.
Mouhamed Dioubate, a physical and versatile forward at Alabama, was exactly what the Wildcats were missing during Pope's first season in Lexington.
Likewise, the opportunity presented to Dioubate was a quick sell.
"Coach, when I got on the call with him, he told me how much he loved my game and admired it," Dioubate said Monday during a Q&A session at the Craft Center. "He said it's something he didn't have this (past) year and really needed me.
"I feel like coach Pope, he had a good plan for my future, and Kentucky has always been my dream school as a kid. If I could have come here out of high school, I probably would have. The opportunity just presented itself at the point I'm at in my life."
Dioubate, a native of Queens, N.Y., became a Kentucky fan when a hoops hero from his borough signed with the Wildcats. Hamidou Diallo, who played for UK from 2016-18, helped a young Dioubate start following the college game.
"We all got behind him when he signed with Kentucky," Dioubate said. "... When I was younger, I was watching NBA a lot. When I started watching college, that was the first team that I watched."
Diallo was his favorite player -- "That's my guy. I talk to him often, basketball and life stuff" -- but he was also drawn to the spectacular play of future NBA stars Malik Monk, Bam Adebayo, and DeAaron Fox when they were Wildcats.
In the back of his mind, he could always see himself playing for Big Blue.
"Blue's my favorite color," Dioubate said. "... All the fans told me the color looked good on me, but I already knew that from before because blue is my favorite color... It felt good."
The 6-foot-7, 215-pound forward saw a greater opportunity than he was getting at Alabama. He averaged 7.2 points and 5.9 rebounds as a sophomore, but played just 16 minutes per game for the deep and talented Crimson Tide.
He's hoping that the move to Lexington will give him a chance to showcase more of his skills.
"I think the best part of my game is rebounding, playing defense, and bringing energy to the team," he said, noting that he hopes to expand his offensive repertoire and playmaking ability at UK.
"That's something I work on every day, my shooting, because I know it's something I'll need for the next level," said Dioubate, who shot 61.7% from the field and 46.2% from the arc last season in limited opportunities.
He only got to attempt 26 treys in Alabama's 3-happy scheme, and he rarely got the chance to create for his teammates due to the presence of other stars like Mark Sears, Grant Nelson, and Labaron Philon.
"Coach Pope called me a point forward," Dioubate said. "He knows what I can do. He's got a lot of confidence in me."
But he still knows where his bread is buttered and why UK was drawn to him. His length and athleticism made him a major problem for the Cats' offense in those three losses.
"I sensed it," he said of UK's struggles with his defensive aggressiveness. "When you smell blood in the water, you attack it. That's what a shark does.
"Coach Pope, he played for Pitino, so he loves that hard stuff, that tough stuff of being a dog and doing all the intangible stuff. He's very big on that, and that's the reason why he recruited me."
Being introduced at Rupp Arena for "the good guys" will be a big thrill for Dioubate. He is already feeling the love from Big Blue Nation during his short time in Kentucky.
"You hear about it on the internet or from people, but when you actually feel it and meet these people and see how they react when they see you, I've never seen anything like that before," he said. "It's different."
He's got a couple more big games circled on his calendar. Kentucky will play Michigan State on Nov. 18 in this year's Champions Classic.
"When we play at Madison Square Garden, that's my hometown," he said. "That's going to be my welcome home moment because I haven't played in New York since I've been in college. I'm looking forward to that one a lot, that and Louisville."
