Michigan Basketball: 2021 5-star Moussa Diabate commits to Wolverines

In one of the quieter recruitments among high profile players in the 2021 class, Moussa Diabate decided to commit to Juwan Howard and Michigan Basketball in a bombshell Monday.

The consensus 20th ranked prospect in the nation, Moussa Diabate, shut down his recruitment on Monday becoming the second 5-star prospect in Michigan Basketball’s recruiting class. The forward from IMG Academy joins fellow 5-star wing Caleb Houstan, as well as guards Kobe Bufkin, Frankie Collins, and forwards Isaiah Barnes and Will Tschetter.

Diabate’s addition has elevated the Wolverines to the #1 class in 2021 and has further confirmed how dangerous head coach Juwan Howard will be on the recruiting trail in the coming years.

The 6’10” Diabate chose Michigan over Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Kentucky, and a plethora of other Power 5 programs. In the 2019 U18 European Championships, Diabate tallied 13.1 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game for France. Already with strong international and prep experience under his belt, his skills have been rapidly improving each season and it looks like he should have no issues immediately contributing for the Maize and Blue.

His combination of size and mobility will help to be a strong contributor on both ends of the floor for Coach Howard. Diabate is very capable of guarding multiple positions and has no issues getting up and down the court to defend the rim.

He has tremendous length and a frame ready to handle the rigors of division 1 basketball. However, a major addition to his repertoire since competing in the U18 European Championships is the development of his perimeter game.

Diabate is comfortable putting the ball on the floor and creating scoring chances for himself, but a reliable 3-pointer displayed at IMG Academy has taken his game to the next level. In fact, his commitment and skillset bring a lot of parallel traits to former Michigan star Mo Wagner.

The German big man started his development overseas and gained notable international experience, before becoming a hugely productive member of the Wolverines. Wagner was a dominant scoring force inside the 3-point line and controlled the glass for former head coach John Beilein.

Wagner’s perimeter scoring however made him a difficult matchup for opposing defenses and allowed him to become a much more prominent player on a national scale. Diabate’s flexibility on the offensive end will surely help him to see early minutes but will also go a long way towards reaching or potentially surpassing the production of Wagner. The on-copurt fit is too perfect for him not to thrive in Ann Arbor.

Roster Outlook with Diabate in 2021

The commitment of Diabate to the Michigan program is huge for numerous reasons: Juwan Howard continues to find recruiting success with top prospects, a major frontcourt piece added to the team’s developing roster, and potential for immediate production.

Additionally, an early look at the 2021 roster could signal a depleted roster and an increased need to secure essential frontcourt depth. Diabate not only ensures the Wolverines have a viable and reliable frontcourt group next season but allows Coach Howard the opportunity to insert a high-end talent immediately into the lineup.

Alongside eventual sophomores, Hunter Dickinson and Terrance Williams, freshman Isaiah Barnes and Will Tschetter will round out a very talented group of forwards. The collective frontcourt group will be very young and likely to go through some growing pains. However, they have the talent to be highly successful on the floor against a number of different playing styles.

The benefit of Diabate being on the roster affords each of these forwards the opportunity to see the floor. He can play down at the power forward position enabling center Hunter Dickinson a chance to create a formidable duo to protect the rim and control the glass. Likewise, Diabate can anchor the center position with a lot of mobility and allow any number of the above options to play in a more uptempo style or matchup defensively with their