Toumani Camara will return to Dayton Flyers after withdrawing from NBA Draft

Dayton Flyers forward Toumani Camara has withdrawn his name from the NBA Draft.

“I’m coming back,” he wrote Friday in a direct message to the Dayton Daily News.

Camara added his name to the early-entry list April 27 and had until June 1 to decide whether to keep his name in the draft or return to college. He’s one of several Dayton players who have tested the waters in recent years to gauge interest from the NBA and learn about the process.

Charles Cooke declared for the draft in 2016 and returned to Dayton for his senior season. Obi Toppin did the same in 2019. Jalen Crutcher and Ibi Watson both declared for the draft in 2020 and returned to Dayton for their final season. Toppin left Dayton with two seasons of eligibility remaining in 2020 and was a first-round pick (No. 8 overall) of the New York Knicks.

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Camara, a 6-foot-8 forward, averaged 10.9 points and 6.9 rebounds in his first season at UD after playing two seasons with the Georgia Bulldogs. He started 34 of 35 games for the Flyers and was a third-team, All-Atlantic 10 Conference selection.

Camara will be a redshirt junior in the 2022-23 season. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining because the 2020-21 season didn’t count against anyone’s eligibility.

With Camara officially returning, Dayton will have its entire starting lineup back as expected for the coming season. Since the season ended, Dayton has seen two players enter the transfer portal: Moulaye Sissoko, who left for North Texas; and Elijah Weaver, who has yet to announce his next destination. Dayton has added one transfer: Tyrone Baker, of Georgia. The Flyers have one scholarship open.

Camara is one of five players from the A-10 to declare for the draft and then withdraw, along with: Saint Louis guard Yuri Collins; and St. Bonaventure’s Kyle Lofton, Osun Ossuniyi and Dominick Welch. All three of the Bonnies are transferring: Lofton to Florida; Ossuniyi to Iowa State; and Welch to Alabama.

These A-10 players still have their names in the draft: Davidson’s Luka Brajkovic and Hyunjung Lee; Virginia Commonwealth’s Vince Williams; Richmond’s Tyler Burton; St. Bonaventure’s Jalen Adaway; George Mason’s Josh Oduro; and Saint Joseph’s Jordan Hall.