DAYTONA BEACH — A dog. An animal. Even a beast.
Those are just some of the words teammates use to describe 6-foot-6 Bethune-Cookman forward Soufiyane Diakite. Head coach Ryan Ridder, however, may have summed it up best following Monday's win over rival Stetson.
"He's an absolute warrior," Ridder said of Diakite, who's averaging over 10 points and nearly nine rebounds after a slow start to the year. "He's literally forced his way into the lineup, because all he does is rebound, play hard, dive all over the floor, and be a great teammate. He's everything you want your program to stand for. Since we've implemented him into the starting lineup, he's been phenomenal."
Like most of the B-CU roster, Diakite is a transfer. The 22-year-old, from the Bronx, New York, played his freshman year at Cowley County College, in Kansas, before transferring to Morehead State last season.
That's where he formed a friendship with former Father Lopez star, and current teammate Malik Maitland.
"We both knew some of the same people back in New York," said Maitland, who grew up in Long Island before moving to Palm Coast. "So between that and individual workouts over the summer, we started to build a friendship."
Diakite would only play in six games at Morehead State, though, as he and Maitland found themselves at the center of a controversy the following December that ended with the resignation of then head coach Sean Woods.
Both players alleged that Woods hit them — Maitland said he was backhanded in the chest during halftime of a game, while Diakite claimed he was shoved by the coach twice that same day — and Woods was suspended by the school. Two weeks later, after an internal investigation, Woods was charged with misdemeanor battery, and resigned.
Maitland and Diakite both left the team following the incident and reopened their recruitment. Then, a few weeks after Ridder was hired by Bethune-Cookman in April, Maitland announced his decision to transfer to the school, citing his already close relationship with Ridder.
It was that bond that convinced Diakite to choose B-CU as well.
"It was a package deal," Diakite laughed. "We discussed it together. Malik being from here, we talked a lot. He gave me the whole rundown about Daytona and Coach Ridder. He kept saying, 'Coach Ridder, that's my guy.' They already had that relationship, and me and Malik had a relationship, so I just took his word."
Ironically, Woods ended up in Volusia County as well, joining the Stetson men's basketball staff as an assistant coach in June. While all three parties have said the incident is behind them — Woods told The News-Journal in June he wouldn't address it — Diakite admitted it's given him a new appreciation for basketball.
"Definitely," he said. "You can't take anything for granted. That's why when we step on the floor, we play like it's our last. Because that could've been our last (game). You never know. I feel like everything that happened, it just brought the dog out of us even more."
That "dog" has certainly shown up in Diakite over the past month, where he's recorded four straight double-doubles, and five in six games. Last week he was named MEAC Defensive Player of the Week after recording 34 rebounds in three games, and this past Monday he recorded a game-high 15 rebounds in a 74-62 win over Stetson and his former coach.
The Bronx native hasn't been this dominant all season, though.
"We have what we call an 'honesty board,' " Ridder said. "Once a week we rank our guys in terms of how we think they bring value to our program, basketball specific. Soufiyane has great basketball skills and talent, but he was having trouble putting it all together in a team setting. Originally, he was down, like 8, 9, 10, 11 (on the board)."
Maitland said he knew it wouldn't be long before Diakite moved his way up the board, and into the lineup.
"We were roommates on a road trip, and I can just remember telling him, 'bro, you can average 12 (points) and 12 (rebounds) a night, you're an animal," said Maitland, who's averaging nearly 11 points, five assists and started every game for the 'Cats this season. "He just had to learn to come out there with the same energy, effort and passion he came out with at practice. He's been phenomenal."
With Maitland leading the way, and Diakite just now getting his footing, the Wildcats (10-9, 4-0) have won five in a row, and have already matched their win total from a year ago.
Despite the buzz surrounding the team — ESPN's Joe Lunardi recently predicted the 'Cats would be one of the 68 teams in the NCAA Tournament — both players admitted the decision to play at B-CU has already been a success no matter how the season ends.
"It's been an unbelievable situation," Diakite said. "God had a plan, that's how I look at it. Without him, none of this would have happened. The faith we have in each other is huge. The sky's the limit. We can really make something great happen here."