Iona transfer commits to Danes
ALBANY — The rebuilding process for the University at Albany men’s basketball program took a step forward this week.
That came when Sultan Adewale committed to join the Great Danes for the 2024-25 season after playing the past season at Iona of the MAAC.
Adewale started 15 games and played in 33 for Iona. As a freshman, he averaged three points and 3.2 rebounds in 14.1 minutes per game. A 6-foot-7, 225-pound forward, Adewale is from East London, England, and has three seasons of eligibility left.
Before spending the 2023-24 season at Iona, Adewale played two seasons of high school basketball for Neumann Goretti in the Philadelphia Catholic League.
“He was arguably our most important player his senior year,” said Neumann Goretti coach Carl Arrigale, whose program won a state championship and played in two PCL championships with Adewale. “His senior year, he had to play mistake-free for us, as far as with (not) fouling and stuff like that, and he played a ton of minutes and was able to do it.”
Arrigale said Adewale “can be himself,” in the America East Conference as a true frontcourt player.
“He’s a high-volume rebounder. He has a good motor. He plays with an edge, some effort,” Arrigale said. “His offensive skills will start to develop more. He can score around the basket and he’s an improving shooter, but he does most of his damage going toward the basket.”
Attempts Tuesday to contact Adewale were unsuccessful. The commitment of Adewale, who visited Ualbany last week, was first reported Tuesday by @247Hshoops on X.
Ualbany finished 13-19 this past season, then suffered a number of personnel losses in the weeks that followed the NCAA transfer portal opening on March 1. In all, due to either a player transferring or exhausting his eligibility, the Great Danes lost eight of their top nine scorers from the 2023-24 season. At 7.6 points per game, Aaron Reddish — a rising senior forward — is the Great Danes’ top returning scorer, and their only player slated to return that played at least 50 minutes for them this past season.
Ualbany’s top losses from its 2023-24 roster were Jonathan Beagle, Amar’e Marshall and Sebastian Thomas. Beagle was the America East Rookie of the Year in 2022-23, while Marshall and Thomas each earned all-conference spots in 2023-24. Beagle will play next season at Richmond, while Marshall and Thomas remain undecided.
With Adewale’s commitment, Ualbany has seven open scholar
ships for the 2024-25 season. Adewale is the first player to commit this offseason to the Great Danes from the transfer portal.
Besides Reddish, Ualbany’s projected scholarship returners for next season include forward Justin Neely — the 2021-22 America East Rookie of the Year, who missed nearly all of the last two seasons due to a knee injury — and guard Zane Adnan.
The Great Danes also have commitments from two incoming freshmen, guard Amir Lindsey and forward Ma’kye Taylor.