University
of Minnesota head men’s basketball coach Richard Pitino is pleased to
announce the signing of three student-athletes, Gaston Diedhiou, Bakary
Konate and Zach Lofton, to National Letters of Intent. Diedhiou and
Konate will join the Golden Gophers on the court for the upcoming
2014-15 season, while Lofton will redshirt this season due to NCAA
transfer rules.
Diedhiou,
a native of Senegal, is a 6’9” forward who most recently played at the
Canarias Basketball Academy in Spain under head coach Rob Orellana.
Diedhiou is an athletic, physical big man who has the potential to
impact both the offensive and defensive ends of the court. Extremely
versatile both on and off the court, he can play multiple positions and
even more impressively, he is fluent in three languages (French,
Spanish, English).
“We
are excited about signing Gaston,” said Pitino, who recently completed
his first year at the helm of Gopher basketball. “He brings a necessary
addition to our frontcourt. His size and potential will be a great asset
to our team.”
A 6’11”
center, Konate will join the Gophers following a standout career at the
Sunrise Christian Academy in Wichita, Kan. Under the tutelage of head
coach Kyle Lindsted and assistant coach Luke Barnwell, Konate is praised
by the Minnesota coaches for his strong work ethic and athleticism. The
Mali native can shoot from distance, but is also lauded for his
rebounding and shot blocking ability.
"Bakary
has tremendous potential – the sky is the limit for him,” Pitino said.
“He's a great athlete and shot blocker which is vital in our system.
His best days of basketball are certainly ahead of him."
A
St. Paul native, Lofton returns home to the Twin Cities following a
standout season at Illinois State University, where the 6’4” guard was
second on the Redbirds averaging 11.3 points per game. Lofton also
contributed 3.0 rebounds per game, 46 assists and 31 steals during his
time at ISU. He spent his freshman season at San Jacinto College in
Texas, averaging 16.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. In
high school, Lofton helped guide Columbia Heights to the Minnesota Class
3A state championship game.
"Zach
is a very talented player and has been a proven scorer in a very
competitive basketball conference,” added Pitino. “He has great size and
athleticism. He grew up loving the U and will wear the Minnesota
jersey with pride."
The
trio adds to the Gophers’ 2014 signing class, which includes guards
Nate Mason (Decatur, Ga./Arlington Country Day) and Carlos Morris
(Apalachicola, Fla./Chipola College) along with forward Josh Martin
(Bothell, Wash./Bothell).
“With
this signing class, we feel like we have added a great deal of
athleticism,” added Pitino. “That is extremely important with our style
of play and as we continue to build this program.”
Along
with the newcomers, Minnesota will return four starters and eight
letterwinners from the 2013-14 squad which won a school-record 25 games
en route to the National Invitation Tournament title.
