When Hassan Diarra arrived on campus last summer at Putnam Science Academy the one thing people knew about him was his was the little brother of Mamadou Diarra.

The older Diarra blossomed as a strong inside player and earned a scholarship to UConn, where he will be going into his redshirt sophomore season. The younger Diarra, at 6-foot-2, is on the rise after establishing himself at point guard last winter.

“He’s totally different from Mamadou,” PSA coach Tom Espinosa said.