Dayton adds another player with MAAC experience to 2025-26 roster

Njie joins two 6-5 guards in Dayton’s 2025 transfer class: De’Shayne Montgomery, who has played at Georgia and Mount St. Mary’s; and Jordan Derkack, who has played at Rutgers and Merrimack.

Njie will be one of four players with MAAC experience on Dayton’s 2025-26 roster. Javon Bennett, who will be a senior for Dayton next season, played with Derkack at Merrimack in the 2022-23 season. Montgomery played his freshman season at Mount St. Mary’s.

Dayton lost two Bronx natives from the 2024-25 roster, Malachi Smith and Posh Alexander, and adds another Bronx player in Njie, who attended the Cardinal Hayes High School for Boys. Njie played his first two seasons of high school basketball at Hillcrest Prep in Phoenix.

Njie originally committed to Washington State in May 2023, picking it over Seton Hall, Miami, Mississippi State, and Arizona State. With the breakup of the Pac 12, Njie decommitted from Washington State and picked Iona in March 2024. He ranked 175th in the class of 2024, according to 247Sports.com.

“Adam is a tremendously skilled guard who will make an immediate impact in the MAAC,” Cardinals Hayes coach Joe Lods told ZagsBlog.com in March 2024. “Coach Anderson did a tremendous job recruiting him, and Adam is the type of guard who can help get Iona back to the NCAA Tournament. In my 20 years at Hayes, it would be hard to find a guard as talented as Adam with the basketball in his hands. We thank and commend him for his loyalty to Hayes!!”

Iona fired Tobin Anderson, who led the program to a 17-17 record last season, in March. Njie was one of 14 Iona players in the transfer portal.

With Hamad Mousa entering the transfer portal on Saturday and Montgomery, Derkack and Njie announcing their commitments, Dayton has six spots open on the 2025-26 roster.

Dayton’s 2025-26 roster looks like this if no more players leave.

Seniors: Bennett; Derkack; and Jacob Conner.

Junior: Montgomery.

Redshirt sophomores: Jaiun Simon.

Sophomores: Amaël L’Etang; and Njie.

Freshmen: Damon Friery; and Jaron McKie.

Njie is the 19th Division I transfer who has entered the program since Anthony Grant took over the program in 2017. This is the first time Dayton has picked up three commitments from transfers in one week. Here’s the list of the other transfers:

• Jordan Derkack, Rutgers, April 15, 2025.

• De’Shayne Montgomery, Georgia: April 13, 2025.

• Posh Alexander, Butler: May 3, 2024

• Jacob Conner, Marshall: April 27, 2024.

• Zed Key, Ohio State, April 17: 2024.

• Enoch Cheeks, Robert Morris: March 30, 2023.

• Nate Santos, Pittsburgh: June 13, 2023.

• Isaac Jack, Buffalo: April 24, 2023

• Javon Bennett, Merrimack: April 10, 2023.

• Tyrone Baker, Georgia: April 26, 2022.

• Kobe Elvis, DePaul: May 14, 2021.

• Richard Amaefule, East Tennessee State: April 12, 2021.

• Toumani Camara, Georgia: April 8, 2021.

• Elijah Weaver, Southern California: May 25, 2020.

• Chase Johnson, Florida: Jan. 6, 2019.

• Jordy Tshimanga, Nebraska: Aug. 2, 2018.

• Rodney Chatman, Chattanooga: May 7, 2018.

• Ibi Watson, Michigan: April 25, 2018.