doug.doughty@roanoke.com 981-3129

Virginia received a basketball oral commitment Sunday from Mamadi Diane, a 6-foot-5 wing player from DeMatha High School in Hyattsville, Md.

"They told me that they thought I was a great shooter and that that's what they really needed," Diane said from his Washington, D.C. home. "Of course, you want to go somewhere where you're really needed."

Diane said he had offers from Georgetown, Miami of Florida, West Virginia and Maryland, "and, honestly, all of the schools were even until just recently," he said.

Diane visited UVa unofficially last month and took an official trip this weekend. He was joined by 6-8 Alfred Aboya, who remains uncommitted.

Diane is the third player to commit to UVa, joining Laurynas Mikalauskas, a 6-8 Lithuanian who plays at the Blue Ridge School in Virginia, and 6-10 Sam Warren from Greenwood Village, Colo.

Diane averaged 16 points and nine rebounds last year, when his size created match-up problems for smaller guards. He said his ball-handling is the area of his game that needs the most work.

Diane suffered a groin injury in the summer "and never let it heal," DeMatha coach Mike Jones said, "but he had a great spring."