By ADAM ZAGORIA
Iona has landed a commitment from St. John’s transfer Boubacar Diakite, a 6-foot-8 redshirt freshman forward originally from Mali, a source told ZAGSBLOG.
He will sit the 2018-19 season per transfer rules.
“I’ve watched them play and I loved the way the team is,” Diakite said. “The players are just hard workers and they like use the team as like it was a family business and they got a great coaching staff. I want to help them accomplish their dreams so I can also accomplish mine. Iona has I something I wanted to be a part of, a big hard-working family.”
Diakite did not suit up for the Red Storm during the 2017-18 campaign, as the 6-foot-8 forward rehabbed from an injury.
Asked if he was healthy, he said, “I’m feeling great. I’m just going to keep working and getting better.”
A consensus top-10 recruit in New York coming out of Our Savior New American, Diakite led the Pioneers in scoring in each of his final two seasons, including a career-high 16 points per game to go with seven rebounds as a senior.
Prior to St. John’s, Diakite represented Mali at the 2016 FIBA Africa U18 Championship in Kigali, Rwanda, where he averaged 6.4 points and 3.3 rebounds, helping the team to a third place finish. Diakite was also a member of the PSA Cardinals competing on the Nike EYBL circuit.
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