Virginia forward/center Mamadi Diakite saw only seven minutes of playing time in the Hoos’ 59-50 win at Miami on February 13, scoring two points while being whistled for four fouls. In UVA’s next game, a February 21 home matchup with Georgia Tech, the 6’9” redshirt sophomore had one rebound and one block in five first-half minutes.
With 16:11 remaining in the second-half against the Yellow Jackets, head coach Tony Bennett turned to Diakite to defend center Ben Lammers, whose jumper just got his team to within three points of the Cavaliers. Lammers had scored all four of Georgia Tech’s second-half points and had 15 for the game. He had hurt Virginia when the Hoos tried their vaunted post-trap, prompting Bennett to try and guard Georgia Tech’s star player straight up.
“We let Jack play [Lammers] one-on-one and Mamadi play him one-on-one,” Bennett said. “Jack did a pretty good job. Mamadi did even a better job, I thought. Couple times we trapped, but we went to that, just tried to use Mamadi’s quickness because he was making some outside shots, which, you know, that’s tough. You can’t just play him for inside.”
Diakite responded to the challenge defensively while also providing a major spark on the offensive end. In six minutes and 27 seconds of action, Diakite scored seven points and had a steal. Lammers attempted only one shot in that span, scoring two points on free throws.
Diakite subbed back into the game at 6:41 and played three minutes and 15 seconds. He played only three minutes and 15 seconds before exiting but came through with a key defensive rebound with Virginia holding a 56-49 lead. Diakite’s final basket gave the Hoos a 60-49 lead with 5:15 remaining.
Diakite’s final line in the win over Georgia Tech: Nine points (4-4 FG, 1-1 FT), two rebounds, one block, one steal, and one turnover in 15 minutes.
“I thought he was the most active of their bigs. I thought he played really well. He was their best defensively in this game and I thought offensively he hurt us in the post. He played well,” Georgia Tech head coach Josh Pastner said of Diakite.
Diakite has seen his role fluctuate at times this season. He saw double-digit minutes in every one of Virginia’s first 14 games. In each of the next five, though, he played nine minutes or less, including only five minutes against Georgia Tech in Atlanta and two minutes at Wake Forest. De’Andre Hunter’s emergence coincided with Diakite’s decreased minutes, but the Guinea, Africa native persevered and has returned to a more significant role. Aside from Miami, Diakite has played 10 minutes or more in seven of the Cavaliers’ last eight games. This includes a 12-point performance in 21 minutes in a win at Syracuse.
In his second season on the court after redshirting as a first year in 2015/2016, Diakite has improved in points per game (3.8 to 5.0), field goal percentage (54.3% to 56.7%), free throw percentage (54.5% to 81.3%) and rebounds per game (2.56 to 2.96). Diakite has six more steals in 27 games this season than he did in 32 outings last season, when he had eight.
Following his impressive performance on Wednesday night, Diakite spent some time with media. I asked the talented forward about his aggressiveness on offense, as he does not seem tentative when he recognizes an opportunity to score, and he addressed other topics as well.
Being aggressive on the offensive end …
“[The coaches have] been telling me lately to go to work,” Diakite said. “If I get doubled I do have to pass the ball, but they’ve been telling me to go to work, to be confident and take those shots because that’s what I should be looking for. That’s my game.”
His improvement over the course of this season …
“At first, I still, did not have this many experience,” Diakite said. “I have to ask a lot of questions to the older guys, the seniors, those who know how it work. Isaiah, Jack and Dev. That has helped me a lot with my improvement during the season.”
His performance against Georgia Tech …
“I was very focused. Locked in,” Diakite said. “I was trying to get the job done, and I did, I thought pretty well. I was trying to lead on the floor. I did my job defensively, and offensively I also want to give them a shot. I came in ready today.”
“I was trying to put my blinders on and not listen to anything, be focused on the game and what we can do at that time,” Diakite said. “It worked really well.”
The game plan versus Ben Lammers …
“We were trying to not let him take the jumper,” Diakite said. “It was more so the fact that when he gets the ball, the guards were rubbing off of him and that was opening a lot of room in the back. Once we gave him a little bit of room, he would shoot it. They were using the little mistakes we made defensively to score, so they had a high percentage on those.”
Earning more playing time for Coach Bennett …
“With Coach Bennett, everything starts with the defense,” Diakite said. “He knows what I can do defensively and offensively. He has a high standard for me. He think I can do to such a level that I think I understand now but I didn’t understand at first, and so that’s what I’m getting to.”
Staying ready and being prepared to contribute despite seeing inconsistent minutes…
“It’s tough, but at practice we get a lot of reps,” Diakite said. “We make sure before practice we get some work in or after practice we get extra work in, and so that goes into your endurance in the game. It’s helpful. It’s not really surprising, but I’m always ready for it.”
“I’m trying to contribute,” Diakite added. “He’s the coach. He makes all the decisions. I have to stay behind that. The team is doing pretty well because he’s doing well, too. I’m here to contribute. I want the team to go as far as we can.”
Offensive improvement …
“I’ve been working on my post moves with Jack Salt,” Diakite said. “If you really see, Jack’s improving with his footwork around the basket because we’ve been working together. Isaiah, we call him ‘old man,’ he already has those post moves. He’s very experienced. De’Andre has a high ceiling. He knows how to play. He knows the the game. We play against each other every time after practice, and that’s really helpful. Once I get in the game, I try to get as many [isolations] as I can on the post.”
More on the work he puts into to improve on the offensive end …
“I put a lot of work without forgetting that defense is first,” Diakite said. “With defense, you can create your offense. In order to play for this team you must play defense first. Definitely, I put in a lot of time on my offensive game, with Jack Salt and those guys. We try to go at each other. I’m playing against a 250-pound guy and I’m just 225. There are not a lot of people that look like Jack Salt in the ACC, so I think that’s something that’s really helpful for me.”
Learning what Coach Bennett expects from him …
“Mostly understanding what’s going on,” Diakite said. “I’m on the path to being successful. I’m going to keep walking.”
A comment on practice …
“At practice Coach tries to go as hard as he can with us, so in the game it’s easier,” Diakite said.
