UConn Men's Basketball Recruiting: Huskies land commitment from 2016 forward Mamadou Diarra

While UConn fans wait in anticipation for the 2015-16 season and the revamped roster, Kevin Ollie now has his first recruit for the 2016 freshman class.

Mamadou Diarra, a 6-foot-8-inch forward who played at Putnam Science Academy the last two seasons, announced his commitment to UConn at a press conference Friday afternoon. Diarra chose the Huskies over VCU.

The Queens native also had offers from Temple, Kansas State, Minnesota and several other schools, according to ESPN, who has him listed as a 4-star recruit. Rivals, Scout, and 247 Sports rate him as a 3-star prospect.

Described as an explosive player around the rim and a true power forward, Diarra helped Putnam Science to a 27-8 record last season. Diarra averaged 9.9 points and 7.5 rebounds.

Diarra will play one year as a post-grad at Woodstock Academy, along with Putnam Science teammate Hamidou Diallo. The Huskies are also recruiting Diallo, a 2017 guard. Both Diallo and Diarra were at UConn's First Night festivities in October.

UConn is also on the trail of VCU transfer Terry Larrier, according to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports. Larrier will have three years of eligibility after sitting out next season. He was a top-50 recruit in the Class of 2014 who chose VCU over UConn, Arizona, Florida and others.

VCU transfer Terry Larrier visited UConn today, sources told @CBSSports. Huskies and Maryland are top two on list. Decision expected soon.

— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) May 21, 2015

Want to see what's in store for the Huskies with Diarra on board? Check out his highlights below.