NASHVILLE, Tenn. - - Belmont University men's basketball head coach
Casey Alexander announced Thursday incoming student-athlete Malik Dia has signed and submitted his financial aid agreement to join the Bruin program.
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Dia, a 6-9 forward from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, was a letterwinner at Vanderbilt University this past season.
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"Our coaching staff is extremely excited to welcome Malik to our program," Alexander said. "We recruited Malik extensively in high school and are familiar with his talent and skill set. His offensive game goes well with our returning backcourt. Malik is a frontcourt player who will help us compete for championships in the Missouri Valley Conference."
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He played in 20 games for the Commodores, averaging 2.6 points and 1.5 rebounds per game.
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Dia scored a season-high 14 points in 21 minutes vs. Kentucky Jan. 24.
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He also recorded a season-high 10 rebounds in 13 minutes vs. Southeastern Louisiana and a season-high three blocked shots vs. UAB in the Postseason NIT.
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A prep standout at nearby Ensworth High School, Dia averaged 22.7 points and 9.9 rebounds per game as a high school senior.
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He was named Tennessee First Team All-State.
Belmont University men's basketball has been a postseason fixture the last two decades, including nine berths to the NCAA Tournament. The Bruins have won 20 conference championships since 2006 - third-most nationally over that span (Gonzaga, Kansas). Belmont has won 20 or more games in 13 consecutive seasons (Gonzaga, Kansas, Oregon) and 19 or game games in 18 consecutive seasons (Gonzaga, Kansas, San Diego State). Belmont University men's basketball boasts an NCAA-leading 19Â CoSIDAÂ Academic All-America selections since 2001 and is the only NCAA Division I program to make the NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) Honor Roll every year of existence
