ETSU's trio of transfers includes Hamilton Heights alum, former Vol

AP photo by Mark Humphrey / Redshirt junior guard Jalen Johnson brings the ball up the court for Tennessee during the Vols' 66-45 win at Vanderbilt on Jan. 18. Johnson has transferred to East Tennessee State for his final college season in 2020-21.
AP photo by Mark Humphrey / Redshirt junior guard Jalen Johnson brings the ball up the court for Tennessee during the Vols' 66-45 win at Vanderbilt on Jan. 18. Johnson has transferred to East Tennessee State for his final college season in 2020-21.

The East Tennessee State University men's basketball program, which swept the Southern Conference regular-season and tournament titles and finished 30-4 this past season, has added guard Jalen Johnson as a graduate transfer from the University of Tennessee.

Buccaneers coach Steve Forbes announced Johnson's signing Thursday, along with the addition of Silas Adheke, a 6-foot-8, 245-pound forward from Northern Kentucky who played in high school at Chattanooga's Hamilton Heights Christian Academy, and Ty Brewer, a 6-7, 210-pound forward from Southeastern Louisiana.

Johnson (6-6, 196) graduated from Tennessee in December and decided to transfer to the SoCon program in Johnson City after playing in 70 games with the Volunteers, a stretch that included two NCAA tournament trips. A native of Durham, North Carolina, Johnson started two of 31 games he played this season for the Southeastern Conference program and averaged 3.5 points and two rebounds per contest while making 85% of his free throws.

"He's long, athletic and gives us added size and experience on the perimeter," Forbes said in an ETSU release. "Jalen is a very mature young man and is someone I expect to provide leadership to our team on and off the court. His experience playing and practicing at Tennessee provides Jalen an invaluable asset towards his future success at ETSU."

The Bucs finished two spots out of the final Associated Press Top 25 for the 2019-20 season after clinching an NCAA tournament berth with their 12th straight win, a 72-58 victory over Wofford in the SoCon tourney title game. ETSU's roster, though, included five seniors this past season and stands to gain from the experience brought by Thursday's trio of transfers.

photo Staff photo / Hamilton Heights Christian Academy's Silas Adheke shoots a free throw during a game at McCallie on Jan. 7, 2015.

Adheke, who is from Lagos, Nigeria, is a graduate transfer who redshirted as a freshman at Evansville (Indiana) in 2016-17, then spent a year in the junior college ranks at Eastern Florida State before playing the past two seasons at Northern Kentucky. He started 28 of 62 career games for the Horizon League's Norse, who earned an NCAA tournament berth twice during his time in Highland Heights.

"Silas is a physical specimen and a proven winner," Forbes said in an ETSU release. "He runs the floor like a runaway freight train, and he can guard multiple positions on the defensive end of the court. Silas believes in all of the things it takes to be a winner, on and off the court. His playing experience, leadership and desire to improve make him a tremendous addition to our program."

Brewer, from Meridian, Mississippi, will be a junior next season. He played in all 31 of the Lions' games in 2019-20, starting 31, and averaged 14.9 points and 7.7 rebounds. He joins his brother Ledarrius, who transferred to ETSU last year after playing his first two college seasons at Southeast Missouri State.

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