UVA lands athletic big man

On Monday, Rivals.com reported that four-star power forward Mamadi Diakite was very close to making a decision. Turns out, he was very close. The No. 30 player in the class of 2016 ended his recruitment with a Tuesday commitment to Virginia.

Diakite, 6-foot-9, 205-pounder, who plays at St. George (Va.) Blue Ridge, saw no reason to hold off any longer.

"I felt like today was the day," Diakite told Brad Franklin of CavsCorner.com. "I would have sooner but yes, this was the time to do it. I felt like it was the time to do it. I felt this was where I was supposed to be. I have known that for some time. This was where I wanted to play college."

In Diakite, UVA has landed one of the most athletic big men in the country.

A high-end run-and-jump guy, Diakite motors from one end of the floor to another like a long-legged sprinter and he plays with a tremendous motor. He is very quick off the floor, has excellent lateral quickness and is an instinctive shot blocker and rebounder.

Offensively, Diakite is able to use his quickness to get by other big men for scores but he still has a lot of work to do. He's got to become more sure-handed and develop a couple of go-to post moves but he's known as a hard worker.

Having already turned 19 back in May, Diakite is a bit old for the class of 2016. However, there is a good chance that he could actually enroll at Virginia as a member of the class of 2015. If he does that he's likely to redshirt to focus on adding strength and improving his low post footwork.

At the end of the day, Diakite has the tools to help out immediately as a shot blocker, rebounder and big man who can really run the floor. If he can develop his offense to include a few reliable scoring moves then he has the potential to develop into an All-ACC or even an NBA-level big man. His upside is immense.

Should he remain part of the 2016 class, Diakite joins a loaded group. Tony Bennett and his staff already have commitments from four-star shooting guard Kyle Guy, four-star point guard Ty Jerome and three-star power forward Jay Huff.

[rl]