In a not wholly unexpected move, Virginia basketball redshirt junior Mamadi Diakite has joined De’Andre Hunter, Ty Jerome, and Kyle Guy in declaring for the 2019 NBA Draft.
Diakite, a 6-9, 228 pound forward, was a huge bonus in the front court for the Hoos as he averaged 7.4 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. In the postseason, Diakite upped his game and helped Virginia win its first National Championship in basketball as he averaged 10.5 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. He also added 16 blocks in the postseason (2.3 per game), including a career high five blocks in the national semifinal against Auburn.