BREAKING: 2026 Center Aliou Dioum Commits to West Virginia

The Mountaineers pick up their first commitment of the 2026 class.

Aliou Dioum

Ah, yes, some good news for West Virginia athletics. Moments ago, class of 2026 center Aliou Dioum (6'10", 200 lbs) announced his verbal commitment to the Mountaineers.

According to ESPN, Dioum is the 15th-ranked center in the 2026 class and picked WVU over Illinois, Mississippi State, Syracuse, UNLV, and Wake Forest. He also held offers from Arizona State, Georgia Tech, Missouri, Ole Miss, and a few others.

Dioum becomes the first pledge in the 2026 class for WVU and will have the opportunity to step in right away and compete for playing time. West Virginia currently has just two centers on the roster, Harlan Obioha and Abraham Oyeadier — only Oyeadier has eligibility beyond the 2025-26 season.

The scouting report

Ballhandling: Dioum handles the ball extremely well for a guy his size. Every now and then, he'll go end-to-end with it, taking the rock all the way to the cup and under control. He's not an elite ball-handler, but for a center, he's much better than most, especially at his age.

Shooting: Has a really smooth form and can hit mid-range jumpers with consistency. Haven't seen him step out and shoot from deep, but he looks capable of doing it, even if it's down the road and is something he has to work at. He's confident shooting the ball, but is rock solid around the rim, as you would expect — a terrific lob threat.

Defense: His length impacts passes in the middle of the lane and forces ball handlers to think twice about where they are going with it. Has a ton of bounce and athleticism that allow him to make up for over-pursuing or misplaying an action, swatting shots away with ease.

Strength/speed: The first thing you'll notice is Dioum's thin frame. Obviously, he's going to need to add 20-30 pounds if he wants to become a serious candidate to play in the NBA, but that will take some time. He not only has to add that muscle, but learn how to play with it. He runs the floor extremely well and is one of the fastest guys on the floor at all times.

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