DeSagana N'gagne Diop ( ; born January 30, 1982) is a Senegalese former professional basketball player who is currently head coach for the Westchester Knicks of the NBA G League. Early life Diop played soccer while growing up in Senegal. He began practicing basketball at the age of 15 and moved to the US to play for Oak Hill Academy, where he succeeded in averaging 14.6 points, 13.2 rebounds, and 8.1 blocks during his senior year. He earned the USA Today Virginia Player of the Year title and led Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Virginia, to a #1 nation ranking (33 wins, 0 losses). Diop speaks five languages: Arabic, English, French, Wolof and some Spanish. Professional career Cleveland Cavaliers (2001–2005) Diop was drafted directly out of Oak Hill Academy by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the 8th overall pick of the 2001 NBA draft. He was the fifth high school player, after Kwame Brown, Tyson Chandler, Eddy Curry and Ousmane Cisse to declare for the draft. As a reserve center, he played 193 games in four seasons with the Cavaliers, averaging 1.6 points, 2.6 rebounds and 0.8 blocks in 10.8 minutes per contest. On November 23, 2002, Diop dropped a career high 10 points in a 97–84 loss to the New Orleans Hornets. The Cavaliers heavily struggled in Diop's first few years with the team. The franchise eventually began to improve with the addition of an 18 year old LeBron James in the 2003 NBA draft. In the 2004–05 season, the Cavaliers had posted their best record since the 1997–98 season, going 42–40. However they still missed the playoffs and this was Diop's final year with the team. Dallas Mavericks (2005–2008) Diop signed a three-year contract with the Dallas Mavericks as a free agent on August 19, 2005. Diop, a defensive player who specialized in shot blocking and rebounding, shared the center position with Erick Dampier. He had joined a winning team, and the 2005–2006 season was Diop's most successful season regarding playoff success as the Mavericks went 60–22, made a deep playoff push and reached the 2006 finals. The Mavericks ended up losing the finals in 6 games to the Miami Heat. Against the New York Knicks in a pre-season game, Diop hit the game-winning tip-in off of a missed shot by Keith Van Horn. On November 15, 2005, Diop recorded a career high 16 rebounds in an