Former SIU basketball star heading to Bama, report says

SIU center Bola Olaniyan looks to make a basket during SIU’s 71-59 victory against Bradley on Feb. 17 at SIU Arena. (DailyEgyptian.com file photo)

By Sean Carley
August 15, 2016

The Missouri Valley Conference’s second-leading rebounder last season has chosen his final collegiate destination, according to a recent report.

Former SIU center Bola Olaniyan will transfer to Alabama for his senior season, ESPN college basketball writer Jeff Goodman tweeted this evening.

He is eligible immediately under the NCAA graduate transfer rule after he graduated from SIU in May.

Olaniyan narrowed his list down to five schools in July, deciding between Houston, Georgia Tech, Iona and UNLV in addition to Alabama.

The new Crimson Tide commit averaged 7.8 points and 8.8 rebounds per game last season for SIU while his 3.0 offensive rebounds were the highest in the MVC.

He will join a program without a center as the only other current listed center on Alabama’s roster, Daniel Giddens, will sit out the upcoming season after transferring from Ohio State.

Bola Olaniyan, left, from Nigeria, Deng Leek, center, from Sudan, and Ibby Djimde, from Mali, pose for a portrait on Feb. 20, 2015, at SIU Arena before practice. (DailyEgyptian.com file photo)

Olaniyan marks the sixth transfer from the Salukis under coach Barry Hinson.

After the 2014-15 season, five players transferred from SIU’s program. Hinson has been vocal about the transfer-happy nature of NCAA basketball in the past.

“I don’t think the kids have changed,” Hinson said during the June 28 MVC teleconference. “They want to be loved, disciplined, taught and have fun. But I think parents have changed dramatically. They have these expectations and a lot of times they end up ruining young kids’ careers.”

Hinson will presumably have three options to replace Olaniyan as this season’s starting center in sophomore Austin Weiher, sophomore Rudy Stradnieks and junior transfer Thik Bol.

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Weiher averaged 3.0 points and 1.4 rebounds in 10.7 minutes per game last season. Stradnieks averaged 1.0 points and 1.1 rebounds in 4.7 minutes per game his freshman season.

Bol is the wild card of the bunch, who last played at Iowa Western Community College, finishing in the top five of the NJCAA in each of his two seasons as a Reiver, including ranking No. 1 with 4.9 as a freshman.

Sports editor Sean Carley can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @SCarleyDE.

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