Rutgers Women's Basketball lands Pitt transfer Fatima Diakhate
Rutgers Women’s Basketball has spent the week adding some size to its frontcourt.
The latest addition comes with the commitment of Pitt transfer forward Fatima Diakhate, as announced on her social media. Diakhate entered the portal after one year with the Panthers, after spending the first three years of her career at Georgia.
The 6-foot-5 forward averaged 9.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game in her redshirt junior campaign, starting 27 of 31 games.
Diakhate’s background
Originally hailing from Dakar, Senegal, and Gatineau, Quebec, in Canada, Diakhate started her high school career at Capital Courts Academy Prep School in Ottawa. She then played at Montverde Academy as a junior and senior, helping lead the Eagles to a 20-3 record in the 2021-22 season and their first GEICO Nationals championship as a senior.
Diakhate also stood out on the international stage, competing for Canada at the 2019 FIBA U16 Women’s Americas Championship, while also earning an invite to the 2022 All Canadian Games.
She originally committed to and signed with UCF and then-head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson, but Diakhate then followed her to Georgia after she took the Bulldogs head coaching job that offseason.
Diakhate redshirted her true freshman season in 2022-23, then saw her first action in the following year. She appeared in 28 games off the bench, averaging 2.4 points and 1.6 rebounds per game.
She saw her role and numbers increase as a redshirt sophomore, starting 28 of 29 games in the 2024-25 campaign while averaging 5.3 points and five rebounds in 22.9 minutes per game, with a team-high 28 blocks.
Diakhate opted to enter the transfer portal following the year, landing at Pitt for her redshirt junior season. Her production and usage again took a leap, starting 27 of 31 games as a Panther. Though the team struggled, Diakhate finished third in scoring (9.4 ppg), while leading the team in rebounding (8.9 rpg) and blocks (1.4 bpg) in 30.9 minutes per game.
She then chose to transfer again for her final season following a coaching change at Pitt and committed to the Scarlet Knights following a visit over the weekend.
On the court
Diakhate has contributed on both ends of the floor throughout her career, but had her best offensive season with the Panthers as a redshirt junior.
She was Pitt’s most valuable player, as the only Panther with a box plus/minus above 1.1, according to Bart Torvik. According to the same data, she was also the only player on the team with an above-average offensive rating (108.9, where 100 is average).
Even though the team struggled to an 8-23 record (1-17 in ACC play), things got even worse when Diakhate left the floor.
She ranked in the 93rd percentile in net rating on/off difference, measured in points per 100 possessions (-13.7 on, -31.5 off). That figure jumps to the 99th percentile in both offensive rating on/off difference (90.6 on, 71.6 off) and effective field goal percentage on/off difference (44.1 percent on, 33.9 percent off), all according to CBB Analytics.
But throughout the season, Diakhate proved to be an efficient offensive contributor, while still maintaining a strong rim protection profile. She boasted a 57.4 true shooting percentage — in the 85th percentile — with just a 22nd-percentile usage rate (14.8 percent).
On defense, Diakhate coupled a strong block rate (4.8 percent, 80th percentile) with an extremely low foul rate (2.2 fouls per 40 minutes, 95th percentile). That culminated in an elite blocks per personal foul figure at just 0.88, good for the 97th percentile.
Rutgers has now bolstered its frontcourt with the additions of Mary Akinde, Zennia Thomas, and Diakhate, and the return of last year’s starter, Imani Lester. With her size and two-way efficiency at the high-major level, Diakhate has a chance to win the starting job and be an effective post player in the Big Ten, a feat that is not at all easy to achieve.
Rutgers Women’s Basketball Roster Breakdown
Guards: Deja Young (one year), Kennedy Brandt (one year), Lauryn Swann (two years), Mia Pauldo (three years), Mya Pauldo (three years), Chikae Desdunes (four years)
Wings: Zachara Perkins (two years), Jaylah Lampley (three years)
Forwards: Imani Lester (one year), Zennia Thomas (one year), Fatima Diakhate (one year), PreciousGem Wheeler (three years), Mary Akinde (three years)
Years of eligibility remaining in parentheses.
Transfer Portal Tracker
| TRANSFERS OUT | DESTINATION | TRANSFERS IN | FORMER SCHOOL |
| Antonia Bates | N/A | Mia Pauldo | Tennessee |
| Nene Ndiaye | Oklahoma State | Mya Pauldo | Tennessee |
| Makylah Moore | N/A | Jaylah Lampley | Mississippi State |
| Yacine Ndiaye | N/A | Mary Akinde | Barton CC (KS) |
| Janae Walker | N/A | Zennia Thomas | Howard |
| Fatima Diakhate | Pittsburgh |
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