Diakite making a difference for Cavaliers down home stretch
Posted on Monday, Feb. 17, 2020, 7:19 pm
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By Jerry Ratcliffe
Photo by Jon Golden
Let’s go back to last June after national champion Virginia had lost De’Andre Hunter, Ty Jerome and Kyle Guy to the NBA Draft, and senior Jack Salt, who had moved on as well.
If that wasn’t terrifying enough to Wahoo fans, then Mamadi Diakite’s prolonged flirtation with the notion to turn pro certainly was. Talk about anxiety spread throughout Wahoo Nation. Diakite had tested the waters, throwing his hat in the NBA ring.
He was invited to the G League Camp but didn’t perform well enough to get an extended invitation to the NBA Combine. Still, he worked out for a couple of NBA teams on the West Coast and waited until the 11th hour before announcing he would return to Charlottesville for a fifth year.
Remember how much of a relief that was?
Looking back on that decision, just what in the world would UVA have done this season without Diakite? He’s the team’s leading scorer, the second-leading 3-point shooter, the second-leading rebounder and shot-blocker. On a team that has played so many close games, where would the Cavaliers be without him?
The two latest outings are a perfect example. Against Notre Dame, Diakite hit two huge 3-point shots that were daggers into the Irish’s hopes of an upset. He finished that game with 20 points.
In Chapel Hill this past Saturday night, his up-and-under with 48 seconds to go was equally huge.
Virginia and Carolina were knotted at 57 when Diakite scored down low and was fouled by Garrison Brooks. He made the additional free throw to give the Cavaliers a 60-57 lead before Tomas Woldetensae drilled a 3-pointer with less than a second to play for a 64-62 Wahoo win.
Those were the last three of Diakite’s 15 points on a 6-of-10 shooting performance, including a 3-for-3 night at the free-throw line. It was the second straight game with some really big plays.
Tony Bennett made sure he mentioned Diakite’s play down low during his post-game chat with media, explaining how big that play was. Later, Diakite made it sound like child’s play.
“In critical moments when it’s hard, I just clear my mind,” Diakite said. “I basically know what to do in a sense, so I just go for it. I don’t think, I just play.
“Whatever the defense gives me, that’s what I’m taking. I could have turned left on that move and tried a fade-away shot, finish with my left arm. But [Carolina’s defense] didn’t give me that, so I had to use a counter move. That’s what I did. I knew I was going to get an and-one.”
For his work in those two games, averaging 17.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, Diakite was named ACC Player of the Week for the first time in his career.
Diakite has scored in double figures in all but one of UVA’s last 10 games (he had eight in a loss against NC State), and has been solid during the Cavaliers’ string of five wins over their last six games as they continue to fight for a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
His leadership has helped down the stretch of the season, a stretch that has been a true contrast to the early/mid-January slump when UVA lost three in a row and four of five, all close games, one in overtime when Syracuse got hot from the 3-point line.
What’s been the difference? Finishing.
“Ownership,” Diakite said. “Learning from mistakes and going forward, not worrying about the past and keeping the ship going forward. We might be in this situation in the future, so we can separate ourselves from the other teams.”
That is exactly what Virginia has done. It has learned from the losses. It has learned how to finish, how to win, and that’s why the Cavaliers are closing in on another trip to the NCAA Tournament.
What in the world would UVA have done without him?
