Iowa men’s basketball received tremendous news Monday morning as top-100 recruit Badara Diakite signed a scholarship agreement to join the program for the 2025-26 season.
Diakite, a 6-foot-10, 190 pound center and forward from Hartford, Conn., is listed as the No. 72 recruit in ESPN Top 100 rankings, the No. 122 player nationally by On3 (11th-best center and No. 3 player in Connecticut), and is rated as a four-star prospect by Rivals.
In addition to Iowa, Diakite also had offers from Boston College, UConn, Missouri, Washington and Penn State but only chose to schedule an official visit with the Hawkeyes. During his junior year at South Kent School, Diakite averaged 10 points and 5.0 rebounds per game.
When asked why he chose the Hawkeyes, he mentioned his trust in head coach Fran McCaffery’s ability to help grow his game.
“I chose the University of Iowa because of the coaches’ communication in the recruiting process and because of Coach McCaffery. I feel he understands me as a person and sees my basketball talents to be used in ways I can grow my game while helping the team win,” Diakite said.
Signed & Sealed. 🔏
Welcome to Iowa City, Badara! #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/bLs6WvXRU2
— Iowa Men’s Basketball (@IowaHoops) November 18, 2024
In terms of McCaffery’s perspective on Diakite, he praised his 3-point shooting ability, versatility, and ability to guard any position on the court as attributes that can help the Hawkeyes moving forward.
“Badara is an extremely talented, versatile player with a great feel for the game,” said McCaffery. “He can stretch the floor with his 3-point shooting, he can guard any position one through five and he is an even better person. We’re thrilled to have him as part of the Hawkeye family.”
Badara was the only recruit to sign with Iowa in the early signing period that ended on Nov. 20. The spring signing period opens on April 16, 2025 and closes on May 21, 2025.
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