Guarding UVA's Diakite Is a "Personal Challenge" For James Banks III
In a little over 24 hours from now, the defending Division I men's basketball national champions will be gracing Bobby Cremins Court at McCamish Pavilion. However unlike last season, the Virginia Cavaliers don't have the offensive firepower to compliment their suffocating defensive efforts.
The Cavs lost their three leading scorers to the 2019 NBA Draft, with De'Andre Hunter, Kyle Guy and Ty Jerome all forgoing their remaining college eligibility to pursue a pro career. Between those three, Virginia lost 44.2 points per game, which accounts for 61.9% of their 71.4 points per game last season.
Because of Virginia's attrition, a lot of the load now rests solely on the shoulders of redshirt forward Mamadi Diakite, the leading returning scorer from UVA's title team and the current leading scorer. The defensive assignment for Georgia Tech rests primarily with senior center James Banks III, and he has a greta amount of respect for Diakite.
"I've known Mamadi for a long time just growing up in basketball," he said. "He's a good dude and great basketball player just like anyone else in this league."
Banks III also realizes the kind of threat he is. Not only is he UVA's leader in points (206), he leads them in rebounds (101) and also carries the second best three point shooting percentage for the Cavs (38.7%). "The challenge he presents is he's versatile," Banks III said. "You gotta be able to close out a 3, he's a good driver, he's long, he's athletic, and at the end of the day you've gotta guard him.
Not only does Banks III think he is up to the challenge of guarding him, in a way he will also take it personally.
"Every time I guard him, I'm gonna take it as a personal challenge to keep him off the boards and make sure he doesn't score any points," he said.
While Virginia does have viable options on the offensive end like Braxton Key, Kihel Clark and Jay Huff, there's no doubt their offense is mostly powered by Mamadi Diakite. Despite the challenge, James Banks III sounds up to the task.
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