The beginning of June turned out to look a lot like the beginning of May for the Virginia basketball program. A little less than a month after securing a commitment from 2026 center Favour Ibe, the Hoos opened June with a commitment from 2027 center Mahamadou Landoure.

Landoure is the first commit for UVA in the 2027 class. He announced his decision on social media.


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The one-two punch of success on the recruiting trail paints a future picture for the Wahoos in the paint. Ibe is a 7’1”, 235-pound center out of Mt. Zion Prep in Maryland. Landoure is a 6’11”, 260-pound center that is headed to Bridgton Academy in Maine for the 2026-2027 prep school season. That seems to fit the mold from Ryan Odom’s first season at Virginia when Ugo Onyenso (7’0”, 245) and Johann Grünloh (7’0”, 238) held down the center spot.

Like Onyenso, Landoure spent time with NBA Academy Africa. A native of Mali, he played in the Basketball Africa League most recently. He represented Dar City in Tanzania for five games.

Landoure just turned 17 in May. His combination of size and athleticism landed him on international prospect lists all the way back to when he was 13 years old, though, when he appeared in the Minicopa Endesa youth tournament in 2023. The Minicopa has featured players like Luka Doncic and Victor Wembanyama in the past.

Playing for Real Madrid Basket in that event, he exploded on to the scene in a big way. In the tournament final, he posted 56 points, 33 rebounds, and 5 blocked shots. That insane stat line drew attention through ESPN’s SportsCenter social media channels and beyond. After that performance, a scout told BasketNews.com that Landoure had the “potential to become an exciting player” but “there’s still a long way to go before turning Mahamadou into a complete package.”

When Landoure eventually lands at Virginia, it will continue an international trend for Odom’s rosters. Last season, Grünloh (Germany) and Thijs De Ridder (Belgium) were starters for UVA. During his two-year stint at VCU, Odom had Kuany Kuany (Australia) and Luke Bamgboye (England) among his forwards and centers. Back at Utah State, Dan Akin (England), Max Shulga (Ukraine), and Zee Hamoda (Bahrain) were part of the international mix there. Notably, Hamoda also played at Bridgton Academy.

While projecting future rosters is difficult in the transfer portal era, Landoure adds to the frontcourt picture for the 2027-2028 outlook. Virginia currently includes forward Silas Barksdale, forward Martin Carrere, center Carter Lang, Grünloh, and Ibe in that projection.

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