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Basketball and books just part of Diakite's big transition to Tech
The 
Roth Report
Roth Report
March 9, 2006
By Bill Roth Of the hundreds of athletes enrolled at Virginia Tech, few have shared the amazing experiences that Cheick Diakite has encountered over the past two years. The freshman on the Tech men's basketball team came to the United States from his home in Mali not speaking a single word of English. Yet two years later, he's excelling in the classroom at Tech and hoping to become a major contributor for the Hokies.
Born Cheick Oumar Tidiane Diakite in 1985, this personable young man is popular with his teammates because of his easy going demeanor, his likable personality, and his work ethic. They joke with him about his French accent but marvel at his physical strength.
He's a young man who's come a long way in the past few years and who has a bright future at Tech. We had a chance to visit recently about his background in Mali and his goals for the future.
BR: Going away to college is tough for just about every freshman. Being thousands of miles away from home must make it even tougher.
CD: "It is hard being so far from home. In Mali, people go to college for free, so I could have done that, but I wanted to come here for college and play basketball. I do get homesick. It's been two years since I've seen my family. I have two older brothers, a sister, and one younger brother." BR: When people say, "Cheick is from Bamako, Mali," do you think anyone has an idea of where you're from? Or knows anything about Mali?
CD: (Laughs) "No, not many people know about it. It's in West Africa and we have a population of about 12 million people. Eighty to 85 percent of the population is Muslim and we have about 80 percent poverty in my country."
BR: We'll put a map up so people can see where it is. People want to learn about you. You can teach us about Mali.
CD: "It's far from here. Timbuktu (legendary city on the fringe of the Sahara Desert) is in Mali. We have four months of rain and maybe two months where it's cold. It gets very hot in the summer and it's very flat." BR: It's amazing to me that two years ago, you just packed up and left home, not knowing a single word of English, and came to the United States for prep school.
CD: "I didn't know English. Actually, English is my third language. Bambara is my language at home and I speak French, which is the official language of Mali. It was scary but I was excited, too." BR: Cheick, I can tell you right now that there aren't many people who will graduate high school, then move to a country where they don't speak the language. That's remarkable. Can you walk me through how you ended up at Tech?
CD: "In 2002, I went to a basketball tournament in Egypt. There was a friend of Coach (Ryan) Odom's there who saw me play and we started e-mailing. I went to prep school in Maine the following season and that's how I got my visa to come to the United States. Then after prep school, I came to Tech. BR: E-mail and the internet helped, right?
CD: "Yes, Coach Odom would e-mail in English and I had a friend who could translate it into French for me. I was able to see Virginia Tech's website and learn about the school." BR: Your English now is very good, but there was a time last fall when Coach (Seth) Greenberg would be yelling in practice about setting flair-screens or running to the block or posting up and I could tell by the look on your face that you had no idea what he was talking about, did you?
CD: "No. Early in the season, I didn't. There's English. Then there's classroom English, and then there's basketball English. Not all of the basketball words translate. When Coach Greenberg would say something, I would have to translate into French or Bambara to process it. It's like leaning another language, but I understand it now." BR: And the guys on the team help you, too, right?
CD: "Oh yeah, they do. Although sometimes, (hesitates and laughs) they try to teach me - um - cuss words, you know? (Laughs again.) They try to trick me into saying a new word, but I know (he then points to head). They're funny." BR: They wouldn't joke with you if they didn't think so much of you.
CD: "Yes, I know." BR: I know one good thing about coming to Tech was that you already knew Nare Diawara from the women's basketball team. That's amazing that someone from your hometown was already enrolled at Tech.
CD: "Yes, Nare and I are from the same neighborhood in Bamako. I've known her since the eighth grade and her house is just two blocks away from mine back home. It's good to have someone from back home to talk to, especially when I get homesick. I can eat my home dish." BR: Nare can cook?
CD: "Oh yes!" BR: What's your favorite Mali dish?
CD: "Best is this dish with rice and a peanut sauce. I feel like I'm back home when I have it." BR: I'd like to try it sometime! Also, it's interesting that you're Muslim and we have several athletes on our football team who are Muslim, and a top track athlete also. I think one of the great things about Tech athletics, and athletics in general, is how young people can learn about other cultures and religions and become friends and teammates. That's one of the great things about the diversity of Virginia Tech.
CD: "Oh yes. One of my closest friends is Omar Hashish of the football team. There are many international students at Tech and many international athletes." BR: You're exposed to a new culture, too, but can you see how the guys on this team and the football team are learning about your culture and religion, too?
CD: "Yes. There are many religions and cultures at Tech." BR: In talking with international athletes, it's hard to get home and almost impossible for their families to come see them play. Is that your experience, too?
CD: "Yes, it's very expensive to fly home and it's very difficult to get a visa to come here from Mali." BR: I'm sure you have friends who would love to see you play.
CD: "My best friend, Papou, lives in Mali. I can call him a lot and we can e-mail, but it's very expensive to fly here." Note: Mali is one of the poorest countries in the world. The average per capita income in Mali is less than $1,000 per year. Yet a round-trip airline ticket from New York to Bamako (17 hours on Air France) costs $2,300. BR: The culture which you come from is probably inconceivable to the other guys on the team, or most Tech students or fans. But I think we can all understand what you've done in the last few years. You came to this country, leaving your family and learning a new language, all to get a degree from a major U.S. college and maybe play basketball some day. Is that your goal?
CD: "I'd love to be able to play basketball someday, somewhere for a living. But now, I need to get better as a player and keep working hard in school."
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By Bill Roth Of the hundreds of athletes enrolled at Virginia Tech, few have shared the amazing experiences that Cheick Diakite has encountered over the past two years. The freshman on the Tech men's basketball team came to the United States from his home in Mali not speaking a single word of English. Yet two years later, he's excelling in the classroom at Tech and hoping to become a major contributor for the Hokies.
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CD: "It is hard being so far from home. In Mali, people go to college for free, so I could have done that, but I wanted to come here for college and play basketball. I do get homesick. It's been two years since I've seen my family. I have two older brothers, a sister, and one younger brother." BR: When people say, "Cheick is from Bamako, Mali," do you think anyone has an idea of where you're from? Or knows anything about Mali?
CD: (Laughs) "No, not many people know about it. It's in West Africa and we have a population of about 12 million people. Eighty to 85 percent of the population is Muslim and we have about 80 percent poverty in my country."
BR: We'll put a map up so people can see where it is. People want to learn about you. You can teach us about Mali.CD: "It's far from here. Timbuktu (legendary city on the fringe of the Sahara Desert) is in Mali. We have four months of rain and maybe two months where it's cold. It gets very hot in the summer and it's very flat." BR: It's amazing to me that two years ago, you just packed up and left home, not knowing a single word of English, and came to the United States for prep school.
CD: "I didn't know English. Actually, English is my third language. Bambara is my language at home and I speak French, which is the official language of Mali. It was scary but I was excited, too." BR: Cheick, I can tell you right now that there aren't many people who will graduate high school, then move to a country where they don't speak the language. That's remarkable. Can you walk me through how you ended up at Tech?
CD: "In 2002, I went to a basketball tournament in Egypt. There was a friend of Coach (Ryan) Odom's there who saw me play and we started e-mailing. I went to prep school in Maine the following season and that's how I got my visa to come to the United States. Then after prep school, I came to Tech. BR: E-mail and the internet helped, right?
CD: "Yes, Coach Odom would e-mail in English and I had a friend who could translate it into French for me. I was able to see Virginia Tech's website and learn about the school." BR: Your English now is very good, but there was a time last fall when Coach (Seth) Greenberg would be yelling in practice about setting flair-screens or running to the block or posting up and I could tell by the look on your face that you had no idea what he was talking about, did you?
CD: "No. Early in the season, I didn't. There's English. Then there's classroom English, and then there's basketball English. Not all of the basketball words translate. When Coach Greenberg would say something, I would have to translate into French or Bambara to process it. It's like leaning another language, but I understand it now." BR: And the guys on the team help you, too, right?
CD: "Oh yeah, they do. Although sometimes, (hesitates and laughs) they try to teach me - um - cuss words, you know? (Laughs again.) They try to trick me into saying a new word, but I know (he then points to head). They're funny." BR: They wouldn't joke with you if they didn't think so much of you.
CD: "Yes, I know." BR: I know one good thing about coming to Tech was that you already knew Nare Diawara from the women's basketball team. That's amazing that someone from your hometown was already enrolled at Tech.
CD: "Yes, Nare and I are from the same neighborhood in Bamako. I've known her since the eighth grade and her house is just two blocks away from mine back home. It's good to have someone from back home to talk to, especially when I get homesick. I can eat my home dish." BR: Nare can cook?
CD: "Oh yes!" BR: What's your favorite Mali dish?
CD: "Best is this dish with rice and a peanut sauce. I feel like I'm back home when I have it." BR: I'd like to try it sometime! Also, it's interesting that you're Muslim and we have several athletes on our football team who are Muslim, and a top track athlete also. I think one of the great things about Tech athletics, and athletics in general, is how young people can learn about other cultures and religions and become friends and teammates. That's one of the great things about the diversity of Virginia Tech.
CD: "Oh yes. One of my closest friends is Omar Hashish of the football team. There are many international students at Tech and many international athletes." BR: You're exposed to a new culture, too, but can you see how the guys on this team and the football team are learning about your culture and religion, too?
CD: "Yes. There are many religions and cultures at Tech." BR: In talking with international athletes, it's hard to get home and almost impossible for their families to come see them play. Is that your experience, too?
CD: "Yes, it's very expensive to fly home and it's very difficult to get a visa to come here from Mali." BR: I'm sure you have friends who would love to see you play.
CD: "My best friend, Papou, lives in Mali. I can call him a lot and we can e-mail, but it's very expensive to fly here." Note: Mali is one of the poorest countries in the world. The average per capita income in Mali is less than $1,000 per year. Yet a round-trip airline ticket from New York to Bamako (17 hours on Air France) costs $2,300. BR: The culture which you come from is probably inconceivable to the other guys on the team, or most Tech students or fans. But I think we can all understand what you've done in the last few years. You came to this country, leaving your family and learning a new language, all to get a degree from a major U.S. college and maybe play basketball some day. Is that your goal?
CD: "I'd love to be able to play basketball someday, somewhere for a living. But now, I need to get better as a player and keep working hard in school."
