The Miami Hurricanes are reaching into the transfer portal once again _ this time in men's basketball. Elijah Olaniyi, a talented guard for the Stony Brook Seawolves, is heading to Coral Gables.
Olaniyi announced his decision Sunday on Twitter even though he was unable to visit because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Thank you StonyBrook Basketball for the lessons over the years, for the highs and the lows because those are the things that have shaped me into the man I am today," Olaniyi wrote. "Thank you to all the schools that recruited me through this process but the wait is over. Next fall I will be attending The University of Miami."
Unless he receives a waiver, Olaniyi will have to sit out the upcoming season. The 6-foot-5, 203-pound guard from Newark, New Jersey, has one season of eligibility remaining.
Olaniyi was a first-team all-America East Conference selection last season, averaging 18.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.6 steals per game. He shot 43.5% from the field and 36.1% from three-point range as a junior, and finished his time in Stony Brook, New York, at No. 18 on the Seawolves' all-time scoring list.
Olaniyi will give the Hurricanes some sorely needed help in the backcourt in 2021. Guards Chris Lykes and Kameron McGusty are both coming up on their final seasons of eligibility, which will leave Miami with a massive void in the backcourt after the upcoming season. Olaniyi will bring a veteran presence to a guards group which will likely also include Isaiah Wong and Harlond Beverley, both of whom just finished their freshman seasons. The Hurricanes also signed Earl Timberlake, a four-star shooting guard in the 247Sports.com composite rankings, as the centerpiece of their Class of 2020.
Miami is coming off its worst two-season stretch since Jim Larranaga took over as coach in 2011. The Hurricanes finished below .500 in each of the last two seasons after reaching the NCAA Tournament in each of the previous three years.
