Prospect Spotlight: Christian Diaz
.Westview High School has a storied history of talented teams and prospects. Currently, one of the prospects who receives a lot of attention is D’Maurian Williams. Williams has earned a lot of attention due to his size and physical style of play. However, one prospect who has been a huge part of the success of the program is Christian Diaz. Despite being pulled up to the varsity team as a freshman, Diaz has largely gone under most people’s radars. However, Diaz, who is 6’4 SG/SF, earned some recognition this off-season due in large part to his team first and tough defensive mentalities.
Christian Diaz High School
Diaz has had an interesting high school experience. In fact, he referred to it as “roller coaster”. This was due in large part to having a great deal of success his freshman year, in which they made a run in the state tournament after beating Brophy. That year was followed with a tough season in which the team experienced a number of close losses in a tough 6-20 season the following year. However, the bounced back last year to have a 24-3 season which he described as “really fun”. He appreciated the “team chemistry” and it has him extremely excited for the upcoming year.
Diaz reflects a lot of the values of what it means to play at Westview. He described himself as “competitive” and “dependable”. In addition, he mentioned that one of his biggest attributes is his willingness to learn. Needless to say, he is excited for the upcoming season. He would love the opportunity to play for a college that would provide him the opportunity to “listen and learn”.
In addition to his competitive mentality, Diaz does all of the little things that change the game. Unfortunately, too many players are unwilling to do the tough things that are required to win games and the 50/50 balls. Diaz is more than willing to take a charge or dive for a loose ball. Moreover, he is a lock down on-ball defender who constantly keeps his head on a swivel in help side as a means of helping and finding ways to make impact plays.
This off-season, he has worked to bring some of his aggression and competitive mentality to the offensive side of the ball. Diaz, due largely to being an unselfish teammate, can get lost in the flow of the offense. Instead of looking for opportunities to attack, he keeps the basketball rotating. With his work this off-season, he will continue to be a team first guy, but will look to “attack more” using “dribble pull-ups and post moves” among other things.
Westview already had talent and has received some very skilled transfers. With that said, in order for them to have success, they will need Diaz. He is a great glue guy that does anything necessary to win. As far as he is concerned, he wants to help lead his team to a “state championship” and “earn scholarships for school”.
Christian Diaz College Interest
At this point, Diaz stated that he has not received a lot of interest external to receiving letters for camps. However, that has not stunted his growth. Rather it has motivated him even more to continue to improve as he hopes to realize his dream of playing college basketball.
Diaz carries a “3.4” unweighted GPA. He hopes to attend a school that “has a good academic program”. Further, he hopes that it is “competitive when it comes to basketball”. Unlike a number of high school prospects, Diaz has cared about more than basketball and done his job in the classroom. This will enable him to play at an array of levels.
Unfortunately for Diaz, it is tough for a player like him to “shine” on the AAU circuit and at showcases. He is a selfless player that looks to make those around him better. He plays his role and finds his way to make an impact. Unfortunately, players with this mentality can get overlooked far too often. Despite that, he mentioned that he enjoyed playing with Blue Chip Nations as he played some high caliber opponents.
Christian Diaz Projection
Diaz is a perfect fit for teams who pride themselves on toughness and simplicity. He takes his job seriously and tries to be solid instead of cute. In addition to his length and stout on ball defense, he brings a commitment to doing whatever is best for the team. He buys into whatever his role is and does whatever he can to thrive.
In light of this, I see Diaz as a solid mid NCAA Division II prospect with plenty of upside.