Mamadi Diakite of Team Loaded once again demonstrated why he is a consensus top 50 prospect in the country this morning at the 2nd Annual Phenom Hoop David Rose Memorial Day Classic. The long athletic and bouncy Mamadi has all the physical attributes that will translate well at the next level.
We were impressed with the energy and passion displayed throughout the game. In addition, we personally think Mamadi is vastly underrated as a passer from the high post position. He is such an unselfish player and unlike most post players, he is a willing passer out of the post. He has excellent court sense and vision and was extremely effective as the main “outlet” in their press offense. His defensive attributes have been well documented but his transition “euro step” move definitely caught our eye on his versatility and mobility in the open court.
Afterwards, we had a chance to speak to Mamadi about his recruiting situation. He has currently taken three official visits to Virginia, Washington and Southern California. However, his eyes lit up and gave a big facial grin when speaking about Coach Tony Bennett and Virginia. Mamadi stated, “I really feel like family with the Virginia staff, plus the location is really good.” When asked about a timetable for his decision, he mentioned his parents are back home in Guinea. For Mamadi, academics are also an improvement factor. He currently has a 3.4 GPA and all these factors bode well for Virginia.