Diane has foot surgery

By Whitey Reid

Published: June 18, 2008

Just when the Virginia men’s basketball team looked like it was getting as healthy as it’s been in some time, it was hit with another setback.

On Wednesday, sources told The Daily Progress that UVa forward Mamadi Diane — the team’s leading returning scorer — recently underwent surgery on his left foot and is expected to be out of commission for at least a couple of months.

According to the sources, Diane was bothered by the injury at the tail end of the season. When it didn’t show any signs of improvement in the last few weeks, he elected to have the surgery.

Diane probably won’t be able to play when Virginia travels to Montreal for a series of exhibition games over Labor Day weekend in September. However, if all goes well with his rehabilitation, he should be ready to go by the official start of practices in October.

Diane, 21, joins a laundry list of Virginia players who have had physical problems over the last nine months.

Will Harris, Sammy Zeglinski and Tunji Soroye missed virtually the entire 2007-08 campaign with injuries, while Lars Mikalauskas played in only 20 games before undergoing offseason shoulder surgery.

Diane’s health is, arguably, most paramount to the program. With Sean Singletary gone, the 6-foot-5 wing will be counted on heavily.

The former DeMatha Catholic (Md.) star, who averaged 11.8 points and 5.5 rebounds last season, is just one of two seniors on the roster (along with Mikalauskas) and is the squad’s most talented perimeter player.

Last season was a very up-and-down one for Diane, mirroring his first two years.

He had 20 points in a Jan. 19 home victory over Boston College, but then scored just two points on 1 of 8 shooting in a dreadful 82-51 home loss to Clemson on Feb. 7.

Diane was demoted to the bench after that game, breaking a string of 53 consecutive starts dating back to his sophomore year.

But now it’s obvious there may have been a reason for Diane’s sub-par performances down the stretch.

If there is a positive to Diane’s absence, it may be that other players such as Jamil Tucker, Solomon Tat and Mustapha Farrakhan may get more of an opportunity to show what they can do.

However, a healthy Diane is vital for a team that has lost its best player and is coming off a 10th-place finish in the ACC.