Virginia lands commitment from 2016 forward Mamadi Diakite

Virginia Basketball has picked up a HUGE commitment from 2016 Blue Ridge School prospect Mamadi Diakite. The 6-foot-9 power forward is a five or four star rated recruit in most outlets and took an official visit to grounds back in early May.

The commitment from the local prospect adds considerably to the already stellar 2016 class for Tony Bennett and company, which includes fellow four stars Kyle Guy (G), Jay Huff (F), and Ty Jerome (G). Before this commitment, 247sports already ranked the UVa 2016 class as the best in the country, so Diakite is joining an elite group of incoming players.

While Diakite will take the court for the first time in 2016 for the Hoos, he may reclassify to 2015 and arrive on-Grounds later this month.  Diakite estimated "It's 80-percent chance I enroll in 2015," per 24/7 Sports. If he did reclassify to 2015, the forward would redshirt, but have an extra season with the Virginia coaching staff to bulk up and learn the system.

Diakite, who grew up in Guinea, has only been playing basketball for about five years, but has been an important recruit for the Virginia staff throughout the process of building the 2016 incoming class. With the impending departures of Anthony Gill and Mike Tobey, he fills a clear need in the Wahoo front court and should be looking to make an impact right away.

Diakite also considered interest from plenty of big programs, including Florida, Georgetown, Kansas, Kentucky, and Louisville and had offers from NC State, USC, Virginia Tech and Washington.

Check out the mixtapes below for a look at the type of player the Hoos are getting: