Dayton basketball: Zimi Nwokeji enters transfer portal

Dayton Flyers forward Zimi Nwokeji entered the transfer portal on Monday night, according to the multiple websites that track transfer-portal entries. The portal opened on Monday.

A 6-foot-7 forward from Quincy, Fla., Nwokeji was the longest-tenured current Flyer. He joined the program in January 2020. He redshirted that season. The 2020-21 season did not count against his eligibility because of the pandemic. Next season would be his sixth in college basketball and his final season of eligibility.

Nwokeji appeared in 14 games this season, averaging 2.4 points. He did not appear in the last 11 games of the regular season or in the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament loss to Duquesne.

Nwokeji did travel with the team to Saint Louis for the second-to-last game of the regular season. Coach Anthony Grant said after that game Nwokeji was absent because of a “conduct issue.”

Nwokeji was in uniform for the final game of the regular season against Virginia Commonwealth. He was one of three players honored on the court before the game on Senior Night.

Nwokeji did not travel with the team to Brooklyn, N.Y., for the A-10 tournament. After the loss to Duquesne, Grant said, “He’s suspended from team activities for right now,” Grant said.

Nwokeji also did not attend the Selection Show watch party at UD Arena on Sunday. Dayton leaves Tuesday for Salt Lake City, Utah, where it plays Nevada in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Thursday.

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In four seasons at Dayton, Nwokeji scored 224 points in 82 games. He had his most productive season as a redshirt freshman in 2021-22, averaging 5.9 points in 22 games. He struggled to find consistent playing time the next two seasons. This season, Nwokeji played double-digit minutes three times. He scored a season-high nine points against Massachusetts on Jan. 9.

“It means a lot to me to be able to impact the game and impact winning,” Nwokeji said after the UMass game. “That’s what everyone here wants to do.”

Nwokeji is the 15th player recruited and signed by Grant and his staff to enter the transfer portal. Here’s the list of those players, the dates they entered the portal and where they ended up:

• Frankie Policelli, April 10, 2018 (Stony Brook/College of Charleston).

• Jhery Matos, March 30, 2018 (Charlotte).

• Luke Frazier, March 22, 2021 (Ohio/John Carroll).

• Dwayne Cohill, April 16, 2021 (Youngstown State).

• Rodney Chatman, March 23, 2021 (Vanderbilt).

• Lynn Greer III, Dec. 27, 2021 (Saint Joseph’s).

• Moulaye Sissoko, March 23, 2022 (North Texas).

• Elijah Weaver, March 29, 2022 (Chicago State).

• Tyrone Baker, Dec. 19, 2022 (Florida SouthWestern State College).

• Kaleb Washington, Dec. 20, 2022 (Butler Community College).

• Mustapha Amzil, March 21, 2023 (New Mexico).

• R.J. Blakney, March 22, 2023 (Old Domininion).