Former Blue Ridge (St. George, VA) star forward Mamadi Diakite is officially a member of the University of Virginia men’s basketball program, Cavalier head coach Tony Bennett confirmed in a press release this evening.
“We are excited and fortunate to add Mamadi to the Virginia basketball family this season. Mamadi is an athletic forward with a big upside. We look forward to his development during his career at UVa.” Coach Bennett said in this release.
According to the press release, Diakite will redshirt the 2015/2016 season. He’ll have four seasons of eligibility remaining beginning in the 2016/2017 season, when the Cavaliers will be looking to replace post players including center Mike Tobey and power forward Anthony Gill.
A native of Conakry, Guinea, Diakite arrived in the United States in January of 2014. After enrolling at Blue Ridge he played roughly half of the 2013/2014 boys varsity basketball season, averaging 14 points, 7.7 rebounds and 6 blocks per game. Coach Bennett officially offered the 6’10” forward in August of 2014, following UVa’s Elite Camp.
In 2014/2015, Diakite averaged 12 points, 8 rebounds and 4 blocks per contest while helping the Barons capture a VIS Division II state championship crown. He then turned heads on the AAU circuit in the spring and summer, earning 5-star status from 247Sports.com as well as an invite to the Adidas All-American Camp in New York. ESPN, Rivals and Scout rank Diakite as a 4-star recruit.
In the spring of this year, Diakite, who at the time was a member of the class of 2016, made official visits to Southern Cal, Washington and UVa. While he didn’t publicly announce a commitment, Virginia was thought to be the leader throughout. Diakite finally did commit to the Hoos on August 4, and when he did he revealed his plans to enroll on Grounds this fall. After completing two summer courses at Blue Ridge, the talented forward graduated from the Virginia prep school and enrolled at UVa.
Earlier this summer, Virginia welcomed true freshman power forward Jarred Reuter and Memphis transfer Austin Nichols to the program. Nichols, a power forward/center, will redshirt this season in accordance with Division 1 transfer rules.
