Sportsgroove/i95Ballerz.com Baller of the Week: David Diakite

Ron Bailey, Publisher

February 10, 2008 – Though he didn’t pace his team in scoring, 6’4”, 210 lb senior swingman David Diakite did lead National Christian Academy (Fort Washington, MD) to 80-67 victory over visiting Charis Prep (Goldsboro, NC) Friday night. It was David’s effort that sealed the deal, which his 18 points and 7 rebounds don’t adequately communicate, as Diakite was in constant motion, driving, cutting, shooting, passing and defending. For that performance, the uber-athletic Diakite earns this week’s nod as Sportsgroove/i95Ballerz.com Baller of the Week.

Making his significant contribution and overall leadership more important was the absence of two National starters from the game, senior Wilbur O’Neal and freshman point guard Antonio Barton, the latter’s not playing being a game time decision. All this preceded the contest against Charis, a bonafide prep school boasting a number of future Division I performers, which defeated National 95-92 in North Carolina earlier this season.

Four plays more or less represented not only David’s impact, but overall development: The first occurring seconds before halftime, saw the previously dunk-centric Diakite come down court and hit a contested 17 foot bank shot, almost as time expired, while the second came in the third quarter, as Diakite drove to the cup, ending a 49-49 tie and 8-2 Charis Prep run.

Reminiscent of a prize fighter, David Diakite (15) came off the deck after a hard foul to help lead his team to victory.

The final two plays illustrative of Diakite’s effect on the game did not involve him scoring directly, as right before the third period his steal preserved National’s 60-54 lead going into the final quarter, and at 4:03 into the final period David’s long distance inbound pass to a streaking Will Barton (13 points) effectively sealed the game.

Making his performance even more impressive was the hard foul David sustained in the second half, producing a cut above his eye. Soldiering on, Diakite received stitches courtside, returning to the fray as if nothing occurred.

“Our belief is always that we are going to win with whatever we have out there” noted National’s coach, Trevor Brown of his team’s ability to win without two key cogs, before saying of Diakite’s development “When he first got here, he was just a dunker. He played power forward.

“All we do is just work on our skills…For him, he’s come along way in terms of becoming a wing player. We convinced him you have to work on your wing skills, and that’s what he’s done. So now, he’s got a lot of confidence in what he can do on the court”.

“I’ve just been in the gym a lot with Coach Brown, and we work on that (his perimeter skills) just about everyday” shared Diakite afterward, during a break in getting re-stitched after the contest. “Everyday I get about four to five hundred shots up, and its been working, so I’m going to just keep doing it”.

Leading all scorers was National’s forward/center, junior Donta Taylor (26 points), a widely recruited student-athlete who was also joined in double figures by the rest of his team’s starters; Diakite, sophomore swingman Barton, junior guard Keith Ellington (12 points), and senior sharp shooting guard, Trevor Brown (11 points).

Charis was led by post graduate guard Mike Lewis’ 21 points. Lewis, who will attend Liberty University next year, returned home to the D.C. area, displaying his trademark shooting touch. A pair of big men who are generating widespread collegiate interest, Classes of 2008’s Dario Hunt and 2009’s Keith Dewitt, provided a respective 10 and nine points.

After expressing pride in being named Sportgroove/i95Ballerz.com Baller of the Week, an award made possible by his hard work, Diakite again communicated satisfaction in the growth of his game. “Yes, I’m taking pride in that, because it shows that I’ve worked real hard and everyday that I work hard” said David. “I’m getting better and better”.

There is no doubt about that.

Notes: Recruiters from George Washington, Maryland, Nevada, and Delaware were in the house. Diakite, Taylor, and Barton all impressed favorably.