6’9” Mamadi Diakite ended his recruitment this afternoon when he decided to attend longtime leader, University of Virginia. It has been a quick recruitment for the rising senior from Blue Ridge High School in Dyke, Va.
A native of Guinea in West Africa, Diakite came to the United States in January 2014 with a very raw skill set and the goal of eventually playing college basketball. He has most certainly shown that he takes to tasks quickly. Diakite is listed as a borderline four-star/five-star prospect by every major news outlet and had a slew of high major schools all over him. He grew up playing soccer, in fact he still plays soccer to this day on the Blue Ridge varsity team.
After his play in the prestigious Virginia Top 80 we said, “What else is there to say about Mamadi' This big man is a star in the making! After scouting Diakite early last year, his progression has skyrocketed and he has developed into one of 2016’s best players. He has tremendous speed and hops to jump out of the gym. Diakite showed he can dribble out of tough situation, distribute the ball evenly, and score when needed. Dunk after dunk, point after point, Diakite never showed any signs of mercy and punished defenders all day long. After Sunday’s top-notch performance, Diakite earned MVP honors and completely stunned the competition.”
After watching Diakite playing with Team Loaded Va at our David Rose Memorial Day Classic Scout.com National Analyst Rob Harrington stated, “Diakite’s prime asset remains exceptional run/jump athleticism. He’ll be a combine darling down the road because of his no-step vertical leap, which enables him to literally catch shots rather than merely block them. He’s also a terror in transition, a contributor on the offensive glass and is at least somewhat skilled from the high post — particularly as a passer. He’ll need to get stronger, improve his free throw shooting and ideally catch the ball more cleanly than he does now. Still, his contributions on both ends of the court have drawn multiple major offers.”
In the end, Diakite is a high academic student with a personality that people naturally gravitate toward. He is a quick twitch athlete, who is a rim protector on defense and a rim bender on offense. His best basketball is ahead of him, as he improves by the day.
Diakite’s Playmaker Mixtape Highlights from the Virginia Top 80