Woodstock – Mamadou Diarra always considered UConn his dream school.

He became even more convinced after attending a game last season.

Sitting behind the UConn bench, Diarra watched a sideline scene unfold.

"Terrence Samuel went in the game and made two or three mistakes back to back and got subbed out," Diarra recalled Friday. "He was rattled. Coach (Kevin) Ollie was like, 'C'mon, man, you've got to believe in yourself like I believe in you. C'mon, pick it up.'

"That was the moment. ... That's a great thing to say."

Diarra, a 6-foot-8 forward, put his faith in Ollie and the Huskies, picking UConn over Virginia Commonwealth. He made the announcement Friday morning at Woodstock Academy's Bracken Memorial Library.

It is Ollie's first commitment from the Class of 2016.

Diarra averaged 10 points, eight rebounds and two blocks last season at Putnam Science Academy. He'll play his post-graduate year at Woodstock, which will incorporate the PCA post-grad program separate from its CIAC-sponsored high school teams for the first time in 2015-16. Putnam Science recently closed.

He never really doubted his college choice. He just wanted to take his time.

"Deep down inside, I always really knew that I wanted to go (to UConn)," Diarra said. "I wanted to make sure it was the right decision."

His relationship with Ollie helped seal his decision.

"I feel like he means what he says and he actually believes in his players and he'll get the best out of me," Diarra said.

Coach Tom Espinosa raved about Diarra as a player and a person. He's watched Diarra grow from a mid to high major recruit and improve in the classroom as well.

About 30 Division I schools offered a scholarship to Diarra, according to Espinosa.

But the Huskies always ranked first in his heart.

"UConn has been his dream school, to be honest," Espinosa said.

Espinosa admits being hard on Diarra, who started his high school career at Thomas Edison in Queens, N.Y., and then went to a South Carolina prep school before transferring to Putnam Science.

He believes with another year of seasoning that Diarra can be an impact player once he arrives in Storrs.

"He knows he needs to get better," Espinosa said. "He's maturing a lot; he's a smart guy. He scores by dunks, put-backs, free throws. That's about it.

"He has to develop his game, and he knows that. He's got to do a lot of work. But physically, he's gifted. He's turned the corner up here. He's mentally tough. This is a big year for him to improve his skills."

With Diarra's verbal commitment, UConn extended its winning streak in the recruiting trail. The Huskies already added two graduate student transfers this spring, bringing in 6-2 guard Sterling Gibbs (Seton Hall) and 6-7 swingman Shonn Miller (Cornell).

UConn is heavily recruiting one of Diarra's teammates, Hamidou Diallo, a 6-5 shooting guard.

As a member of the Class of 2017, Diallo has time to make a decision. He made no secret about his feelings about UConn.

"If was to commit right now, I'd probably go to UConn," Diallo said, "because that's the school that's been showing me the most love and that I have the best relationship with the head coach and I've been up plenty of times."

Providence, Minnesota, USC, Iowa State and Wake Forest are some of the schools also interested in Diallo.

Transfer Terry Larrier, a 6-8 wing, reportedly visited UConn Thursday. He spent last season at VCU.

g.keefe@theday.com

Twitter: @GavinKeefe