Rick Pitino & The University of Louisville basketball program has scored a big recruit today.

Gorgui Dieng, a 6 foot 10 inch big man from Senegal, gave a verbal commitment to Coach Pitino today Monday April 26th.

He says “They are good people and I liked it there, It was the place that I felt like I could be happy. Coach can help me get to the next level.”

Gorgui Dieng, who came to the U.S. in October, averaged 15 points, 13 rebounds and 7 blocked shots during the season at Huntington (W. Va.) Prep School. He was named MVP of last month’s Kentucky Derby Festival Classic.

Huntington coach Rob Fulford said “Louisville is getting an NBA-level player, The potential the kid has is unbelievable. He has such a huge upside. Not only does he have great skills but he has a very high basketball IQ, and he gets better every day.”

Gorgui Dieng says his relationship with assistant coach Walter McCarty played a “really big” role in his decision to commit to U of L. Gorgui Dieng says “He’s my man, I play like he did, he played in the NBA and he can help me out a lot. I wanted to go there and I know it’s where I can be happy.”