FRESNO, Calif. – Fresno State women's basketball made its second addition of the spring on Wednesday, signing Bineta Diatta (ben-tuh dee-aa-tuh). The junior college transfer comes from McLennan CC in Waco,Texas.
A 6-foot-1 forward from Saly, Senegal, Diatta averaged 9.5 points and a team-high 7.6 rebounds per game in 33 games last season for McLennan. Diatta posted nine doubles-doubles for the Highlassies. She reached double figures in scoring 15 times and had 10 or more rebounds on 11 occasions.
Making 26 starts, Diatta helped McLennan to a 28-5 record and the 14th seed in the NJCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship. She was a North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference honorable mention selection.
"Bineta brings a great deal of versatility and explosiveness to our team," said head coach Jaime White. "Her physicality and her skill set allow her to exploit mismatches offensively in multiple ways. She will make an immediate impact on our program and we can't wait to have her in Fresno."
Coming out of Woodside Priory School in California, Diatta spent her first year of collegiate basketball at Panola College. There, she played in 29 games, averaging 6.0 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. In her two seasons, Diatta's numbers increased by 3.5 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game and her field goal percentage went from up by 7.2 percent to 52.4.
In 2019, Diatta was part of the NBA's 17th annual Basketball Without Borders Africa camp where she earned MVP honors. Holding dual citizenship, she has been a part of the Senegal National Team program. In 2020, she competed in the FIBA U18 African Championship.
Diatta is the daughter of Astou Nidiaye, the first Senegalese woman in the WNBA and was a champion with the Detroit Shock in 2003.