MOBILE, Ala. – Josh Ayeni, who spent the last two seasons at St. Bonaventure, has transferred into the University of South Alabama men's basketball program.

Ayeni, a 6-foot-8 forward, has to sit out the 2018-19 season but will have two seasons of eligibility remaining.

"We are really excited to add Josh to our family," USA head coach Richie Riley said. "His versatility and skill set will translate immediately in our style of play. What I like most is he comes to us after starting on an NCAA tournament team. His experience and competitive edge will drastically improve our program."

While at St. Bonaventure, Ayeni started 40 times in 56 appearances, averaged 6.1 points and 2.7 rebounds per contest, and hit double-digits in points 17 times.

As a sophomore, Ayeni put up 5.3 points per game for the Bonnies, who went 26-7 on the season and won a NCAA First Four contest against UCLA. He matched his career high of 16 points in the second game of the year against Jackson State, then put together a four-game double-digit point streak in December, starting with 15 points in just 14 minutes at Canisius.

In his freshman campaign, the Zaria, Nigeria native made 24 starts and played in all 32 games. He finished sixth on the team in scoring with 6.7 ppg and shot 47.8 percent from the floor and 79.7 percent from the foul line. Ayeni had 10 double-digit scoring performances, which was the most by a Bonaventure freshman since 2008-09, including 16 points on 12-for-13 shooting at the free-throw line vs. Fordham.

Ayeni is a graduate of St. Frances Academy in Baltimore, Md. He averaged 14 points and 10 rebounds as a senior to earn all-conference honors in the Baltimore Catholic League, and the year prior, led the Panthers to the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association conference championship. In one season at Impact Academy prep school, he averaged almost 24 points per game.

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