His name is made for the movies. But Alpha Diallo was an overlooked line on an also-ran roster sheet when his Colorado Hawks basketball team barnstormed the country this summer.

And every time he rammed to the rim or curled off a screen to splash a jump shot, Diallo jumped off the page.

The 17-year-old may turn out to be one of the best prep basketball players Colorado has produced in years. At 6-foot-6, with the ball-handling chops of a guard, the reach of a wing and a rangy jumper, Diallo drew the attention of major-college scouts in recent weeks.

It all happened just in time for him to say goodbye to Colorado.

WATCH: Prep sports starts here and now with Neil Devlin

Diallo — who was forced to sit out his junior season at Abraham Lincoln because of a ruling by the Colorado High School Activities Association — packed up and left the Front Range last week for the East Coast, where he’ll play out his senior year either in Florida or North Carolina.

“I knew I had to step up if I was going to be one of those dudes people talk about,” Diallo said.

He did just that. At a scout-heavy, ESPN-televised game in Las Vegas this month, Diallo starred. Playing in an international all-star tournament for the Hawks, he sprouted from a local college prospect to a major-college siren. He averaged 20.5 points and 10.7 rebounds over six games, capped by a 30-13 showing in the bronze medal game.

“He was finally on a stage where he could show who he is,” Colorado Hawks coach Art Williams said.

As a sophomore two years ago, Diallo helped lead Class 4A Denver West to the Sweet 16. The Cowboys hadn’t even made the tournament in more than 15 years. Then, before his junior season, Diallo transferred to Lincoln to play for Vince Valdez.

But CHSAA determined that Diallo jumped too quickly, playing for a team Valdez coached at a summer tournament at Metro State. So the organization ruled him ineligible for the entire school year.

“He got caught up in following his summer coach,” CHSAA assistant commissioner Bert Borgmann said. “We have a rule that says if you go to the school where your outside coach is, you lose your eligibility.”

While Lincoln played its way to the Class 5A tournament last winter, Diallo sat in street clothes. When a CHSAA commissioner walked by, Diallo shook his hand and said: ‘Do you remember me? I’m Alpha. You said I couldn’t play.’ “

“We wish him nothing but the best,” Borgmann said.

SUBSCRIBE: Weekly Prep Tally high school sports newsletter

Diallo practiced with Lincoln all season but wasn’t allowed to play in varsity games.

“The CHSAA determination wasn’t in the spirit of the rule. It was a gross misrepresentation of the rule,” said Valdez, who retired recently as coach at Lincoln. “But even though he didn’t need to be, he was at practice every day at 6 a.m.”

Colorado’s consensus best high school player this season is De’Ron Davis, a 6-10 blue-chip power forward from Overland who has narrowed his choice of college to Arizona, Indiana or Texas. Davis was appointment viewing for college coaches and scouts at the Adidas Uprising series of club tournaments this summer. Diallo, though, began to steal attention from his teammate.

“I watched him lock up top kids. These kids were ranked over him and he’s locking them up. He’s a strong kid,” Williams said. “Mentally, he’s probably the toughest-minded kid I’ve coached. He’s not easily broken.”

Diallo struggled to start the summer, looking rusty in a tournament in Arkansas.

“He hadn’t played ball in nine months. But the kid busted his butt all winter,” Williams said. “Colorado high school basketball is pretty slow. In summer ball, you gotta go. You can’t wait for four or five screens. So he shot, like, 2-for-15 his first game.

“After that, he said, ‘Coach I’ll never let that happen again.’ “

By midsummer, it was game on. Against a national power New Orleans Elite team in July, his 14 points, six rebounds and three steals helped lead the Hawks to an upset.

“I feel like everything started to shape up at the end,” Diallo said. “I wanted to get noticed. I didn’t want to take anything for granted after basketball was taken away from me. It’s what motivated me. It made me want it even more. It was really tough, going through a whole season not playing.”

Coaches at midmajor colleges already had Diallo on their radar, hoping he would go overlooked. But that plan was ruined. He’s getting attention from elite programs such as UConn and Texas, Williams said.

“He could be a pro pretty easily,” Williams said. “With his attitude and his mental toughness, if I had to bet on it, I’d say he could be a pro in the next three years.”

Nick Groke: ngroke@denverpost.com or twitter.com/nickgroke