Georgia transfer commits to Dayton Flyers

“He’s a smooth lefty who has great athleticism, which allows him to make an impact all over the court,” wrote Brian Bennett and Sam Vecenie. “He’s a great all-around player who has the body control of a wing mixed with the size of a collegiate post player. He can slide his feet on the perimeter and get his hands in passing lanes. He is a good weakside shot-blocker because of what looks to be a 7-foot-plus wingspan. He would have not looked out of place on the all-defense team in the SEC. Plus, on offense, he can handle the ball and create his own shot in space while staying under control.”

Here are seven things to know about the new recruit and what the addition means to the Flyers:

1. Recruiting history: Dayton first recruited Camara in 2018, offering him a scholarship that April. He visited UD in September, narrowed his choices to seven schools and then three but picked Georgia over Dayton and Kansas State on Oct. 1, 2018.

2. Transfer decision: Camara entered the transfer portal April 1 after two seasons at Georgia. He was one of four players to leave the team after the season.

The transfer portal is busier than ever with 1,265 players deciding to transfer, according to a list kept by VerbalCommits.com. The NCAA is expected to approve a rule change that allows players to transfer one time without sitting out a season.

“We truly appreciate Toumani’s contributions to our program,” Georgia coach Tom Crean said in a statement. “But we all must realize this is how college athletics is played now, and it’s here to stay. We will use the NCAA portal to our advantage and work diligently to recruit young people that want to take full advantage of the tremendous education we have to offer and the incredible opportunity to be a part of our program.”

Credit: David Jablonski

Credit: David Jablonski

3. First season: As a freshman at Georgia, Camara came off the bench in the first nine games. He played 13 minutes in an 80-61 loss to Dayton in the fifth game of his freshman season, scoring seven points in the first round of the Maui Invitational. He moved into the starting lineup on Dec. 20 and stayed there for the rest of the season. He averaged 6.6 points and 4.3 boards in 24 minutes per game. The Bulldogs finished 16-16.

4. Second season: Camara led Georgia in rebounding (7.7 per game) and blocks (1.1) as a sophomore. He ranked third on the team in scoring (12.8) in 28.4 minutes per game, shooting 55.3 percent from 2-point range and 26.3 (15 of 57) from 3-point range.

Camara started 25 games for a team that finished 14-12. He scored in double figures in all but four games and tallied a season-high 22 points on Feb. 23 against LSU.

“I’d say my experience is the biggest thing,” Camara told GeorgiaDogs.com in January. “I learned so much last year from all of my playing time, so coming back this year everything’s a little slower and I just feel more comfortable on the court. I’m also able to help guys that have never been here before. I worked on my game so much this summer, so it’s something that I’ve kind of added on to what I had before. I don’t think I’ve shown completely what I’m able to do, but I think I’m starting to get more comfortable game after game.”

5. Early history: Camara is from Brussels, Belgium, and represented his country at 2016 U16 FIBA European Championships. He came to the United States for his final three years of high school and attended Chaminade-Madonna Prep School in Hollywood, Fla. He ranked 126th in the class of 2019, according to Rivals.com. He ranked 103rd, according to 247Sports.com. Both websites listed him as a four-star recruit.

During his freshman season at Georgia, Camara talked about his early days in basketball in an interview published on GeorgiaDogs.com.

“I started when I was around 6 and I always just loved it,” Camara said. “I was the best on my team but it was a very small club, so it was not that high of a level. I always loved it so I wanted to keep getting better and keep on switching clubs to try to get to the highest (level) club possible. I started realizing that I was not that good, actually, so I started working a lot. Then I went for the national team and then I got kicked out of it when I was 12, I think, the pre-selection, and then they had another tryout and I worked hard every day. Then I went to the tryout and they picked me again.”

6. Transfer tradition: Camara is the sixth transfer to join Dayton in coach Anthony Grant’s four years, following Ibi Watson (Michigan), Rodney Chatman (Chattanooga), Jordy Tshimanga (Nebraska), Chase Johnson (Florida) and Elijah Weaver (Southern California).

7. Season ahead: Dayton has filled 12 scholarships for the 2021-22 season and has one open scholarship remaining. Camara, who has three years of eligibility remaining because last season didn’t count against anyone’s eligibility, will be the most experienced forward on the team.

Dayton returns three big men: 6-10 forward Mustapha Amzil, who will be a sophomore; and 6-7 forward Zimi Nwokeji and 6-9 center Moulaye Sissoko, who will be redshirt sophomores. Dayton will also have two freshman forwards: DaRon Holmes (6-8) and Kaleb Washington (6-7).