Elijah Olaniyi transferring from Stony Brook to Miami
Stony Brook guard Elijah Olaniyi looks to shoot ahead of Hartford guard Traci Carter in the second half of an America East men's basketball semifinal at Island Federal Arena on March 10. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
The Stony Brook men’s basketball season ended with a loss in the America East Tournament. Now, two months later, the Seawolves are losing one of their most talented players: Guard Elijah Olaniyi is transferring to Miami.
He announced his decision Sunday on Twitter, even though he was unable to visit his new school because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Thank you Stony Brook 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 6-5, 203-pound guard from Newark 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.
He shot 43.5% from the field and 36.1% from three-point range as a junior and finished his time at Stony Brook 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 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 that likely will include Isaiah Wong and Harlond Beverley, each of whom just finished his freshman season. 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.
