Malik Dia Injury News & Updates

Dia will transfer to Belmont, he announced on Twitter Monday.

Dia put up 2.6 points and 1.6 rebounds in 20 games for the Commodores this season. He didn't register a start, though, and he'll have every chance to do that at Belmont.

Dia entered the transfer portal Friday, VerbalCommits.com reports.

Dia averaged 2.6 points and 1.6 rebounds in 8.5 minutes across 20 games for Vanderbilt this season. The freshman forward will likely look for increased opportunities with a new program.

Dia ended with 14 points (5-11 FG, 4-5 3Pt), one rebound and one steal over 21 minutes during Tuesday's 69-53 loss to Kentucky.

Dia has been in and out of the rotation this season, but is picking up slightly more playing time of late due to seven-footer Liam Robbins suffering an ankle injury that will sideline him for the foreseeable future. With the post depth taking a major hit, coach Jerry Stackhouse has adjusted to some small-ball lineups that occasionally feature the 6-9 freshman at the five. Dia certainly took advantage of this opportunity Tuesday, posting career highs in minutes played, scoring and three-pointers made. It remains to be seen if this type of outlier volume will continue, though Dia certainly made a case for it after leading the team in scoring off the bench.

Dia has recovered from the stress fracture that forced him to miss time in early-September,

Dia admittedly has an uphill battle to become a rotation player, as Liam Robbins and Quentin Millora-Brown will likely be seeing most of the frontcourt minutes, with four-star freshman Lee Dort set to be in the mix as well. Getting healthy is a great first step, however, as is the fact that he's seemingly added to his frame since high school (per SB Nation). A large role out of the gates may be asking for a lot, but there's long-term potential here.