Mamadi Diakite, a rising junior power forward/center prospect, was one of the most impressive performers in a talented field at UVa’s Elite Camp last Saturday. What makes his performance all the more impressive, though, is understanding how far he has come in a short period of time.
Diakite arrived at Blue Ridge School (St. George, VA) in January of 2014. Basketball aside, moving to the United States has been a life adjustment for Diakite, a native of the African country of Guinea. An upbeat, driven character, Diakite has fared quite well both on and off the court.
Basketball-wise, the 6’9”, 205-pound Diakite averaged 14 points, 7.7 rebounds and six blocks per game this past season, earning first-team all-Virginia Independent Conference Division 1 honors despite only playing in 10 games. He has continued to work on his game this spring and summer, and it showed at Tony Bennett’s Elite Camp.
“One of the [UVa coaches] told me they are really glad to see me playing like this. I got really better. I’m not the same Mamadi. I was happy, but I have to catch up. I have to play again with energy. I have to do better than this,” Diakite said following UVa’s camp.
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