Belmont power forward Malik Dia hearing from Ole Miss, Chris Beard
Belmont power forward Malik Dia entered the transfer portal last week. OMSpirit reported shortly after Ole Miss would be in pursuit. On Tuesday, On3’s Joe Tipton confirmed communication is ongoing. Other programs the Nashville, Tenn., prospect is hearing from are UConn, Indiana, Southern Cal, Texas, Kansas State, Florida, Arkansas, Virginia, Villanova, South Carolina, Wisconsin, Boston College, Arizona State, Wake Forest, Nevada, Virginia Tech, Cal, Georgia Tech and SMU.
Dia averaged 16.9 points per game for the Bruins in 2023-2024. He scored in double figures 30(!) times for Belmont, including 12 times of 20 points or more. The 6-foot-9 sophomore originally began his career at Vanderbilt.
He was a three-star recruit out of high school, according to the On3 Industry Ranking. He was the No. 200 overall recruit and No. 5 player out of his home state of Tennessee.
Malik Dia had one of his best games of the year against an NCAA Tournament team.
The former Ensworth School (Tenn.) recruit scored 32 points during a 22-point win over Drake January 7. He made a season-high five three-pointers and shot 10-for-16 from the field. Dia averaged 22.7 points and 9.9 rebounds per game as a high school senior, earning Tennessee First Team All-State honors.
