Mamadi Diakite

Diakite was born in Conakry, Guinea to Aboubacar Sidiki Diakite and Aminata Kaba and was raised as a Muslim.[1][2] His father was the health inspector general of Guinea and his mother was an obstetrician.[3] Diakite grew up playing soccer in streets and parks but later started playing basketball because of his height and athleticism.[4][5] Due to the lack of basketball opportunities in Guinea, he tried to draw attention from the United States through Facebook. As a result, Diakite was contacted by Hassan Fofana, a Guinea native and former college basketball player, and with his help joined Blue Ridge School, a boarding school in Saint George, Virginia.[5]

Diakite enrolled at Blue Ridge School in early 2014.[6] When he first came to the United States, he could only speak French, and Guinean former basketball player Mamadi Diane was among those who helped him acclimate.[4] Diakite played two basketball seasons at Blue Ridge School and also earned varsity letters in track and field and soccer, because the school required students to play a sport each season.[1][7] As a senior in basketball, he averaged 12 points, eight rebounds, and four blocks per game while leading his team to the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association (VISAA) Division II state title and a Virginia Independent Conference (VIC) championship. Diakite was named second-team All-VIC in soccer in 2014–15, and he won back-to-back VIC high jump titles.[1] In basketball, he was a consensus four-star recruit and the top prospect in the state of Virginia. On August 4, 2015, Diakite committed to play for Virginia, turning down offers from several other NCAA Division I programs, including Baylor, USC, and Washington.[8][9]

After committing to Virginia, Diakite reclassified to the class of 2015 and redshirted his first college basketball season with Virginia, hoping to physically prepare for college basketball and adjust to the college lifestyle during 2015–16.[10][11] He debuted as a redshirt freshman on November 15, 2016, recording eight points and four rebounds in a 72–32 win over St. Francis Brooklyn.[12] On December 6, Diakite scored a season-high 12 points in a 76–53 victory over East Carolina.[13] Through 32 games in the season, he averaged 3.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game.[14] As a redshirt sophomore on November 23, 2017, Diakite matched his career-high in scoring, with 12 points and five rebounds in a 68–42 win over Vanderbilt at the NIT Season Tip-Off.[15][16] On February 3, 2018, he chipped in 12 points for a second time, in a 59–44 victory over Syracuse.[17] Through 34 games, Diakite averaged 5.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 0.5 blocks per game.[14]

In the third game of his 2018–19 redshirt junior season, he recorded a career-high 18 points on November 16, in a 97–40 win over Coppin State.[18] Diakite matched his career-high on January 9, 2019, posting 18 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks in an 83–56 victory over Boston College.[19] On March 30, in the Elite Eight round of the 2019 NCAA Tournament, he recorded 14 points, seven rebounds, and four blocks in an 80–75 overtime win over third-seeded Purdue.[20] Diakite made a buzzer-beating shot to send the game to overtime.[21] In the Final Four, they played Auburn. Diakite had 2 points on 25% shooting. He grabbed 6 rebounds and played a total of 36 minutes. Virginia won the game 63–62 after teammate Kyle Guy made 3 free throws.[22] In the 2019 National Championship, they played Texas Tech. Diakite had 9 points on 50% shooting, and grabbed 7 rebounds in 25 minutes of playing time. The Virginia Cavaliers won the game in overtime 85–77, giving Virginia its first ever national championship.[22]

He dyed his hair blonde in late February of 2019 then kept that essential look for the remainder of his college career.[23]

He declared for the 2019 NBA draft after winning the National Championship but withdrew his name from the draft before the withdrawal deadline date to return to UVa for his last season of eligibility.[24]

Diakite set a new career-high of 19 points to go with 13 rebounds in a 65–34 win against James Madison on November 10, 2019.[25] He matched his career-high of 19 points on November 19, helping the Cavaliers defeat Vermont 61–55.[26] Diakite set a new career-high of 21 points in a 70–59 loss to South Carolina on December 22.[27] At the conclusion of the regular season, Diakite was selected to the Second Team All-ACC.[28]

Diakite is a fluent speaker of French, Malinka, Susu, and Fula. He began learning English when he arrived in the United States to attend Blue Ridge School.[29][30] In 2014, his father Aboubacar Sidiki Diakite, health inspector general of Guinea, began leading his country's efforts against the West African Ebola virus epidemic in association with the World Health Organization.[3][31] At the University of Virginia, Diakite is a French major and Global Culture and Commerce minor.[32] In February 2019, he dyed his hair gold "a nod to when he played soccer as a youth" in Guinea.[33]

• Virginia Cavaliers bio