Tshimanga latest former Flyer to get chance at professional level
Taylor Robertson | Assistant Sports Editor
It is no secret that the University of Dayton basketball team is full of exceptional players where many of the Flyers go on to play professionally.
Former Dayton Flyer, Jordy Tshimanga, signed to play for the Cleveland Charge of the NBA G league in October.
On Nov. 6 the Cleveland Charge played their first ever game at Cleveland State University’s Wolstein Center against the Detroit Pistons. The Charge lost 140-117, but the 6-foot-11 center played 17 minutes, finishing with a line of 4 points, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 steal, 2 turnovers and 4 personal fouls in his first professional game.
Tshimanga was a four star recruit coming out of high school and was rated the 25th center in the country by ESPN. Jordy spent his first two years playing for the Nebraska Cornhuskers before transferring to Dayton.
His standout year with the Flyers was his senior year where he averaged 6.7 points and 7.7 rebounds per game and was named to the Atlantic 10 Academic team.
Tshimanga also joins Flyers from last year’s team, Ibi Watson (College Park Skyhawks, Atlanta Hawks G-League affiliate) and Jalen Crutcher (Greensboro Swarm, Charlotte Hornets G-League affiliate), and former teammate Obi Toppin (New York Knicks) in the highest professional basketball leagues in the United States.
Looking back on his time playing for men’s basketball head coach, Anthony Grant, Jordy appreciates the experience he had.
“My time was filled with joy and a lot of learning and growth. Coach Grant really helped me prepare to play at the professional level,” he stated.
Around campus Jordy was known for his positive energy and outgoing personality. He participated in many events around campus including the Student Athlete Advisory Committee Talent show where he debuted his poetry.
Jordy began writing poetry at 15 years old as a way to get his feelings down on paper. He found a true passion for writing and uses it to define his experiences.
Unfortunately during the time of the talent show, Jordy was undergoing a procedure and was not able to attend. His former teammate, Camron Greer, stepped in and read his poem. Jordy’s poem took first place that year.
This is a small example of how the team dynamic works among the Flyers. If one athlete is unable to show up, the other players step in.
The UD community is excited to support Jordy Tshimanga in his professional career. Tshimanga and the Charge are headed to Wisconsin for a division match up with the Wisconsin Herd on Monday at 8:00 p.m.
Fans can listen live on The Gambler 1350 AM and watch the game live on ClevelandCharge.com.
For more sports news like Flyer News on Facebook and follow us on Twitter (@FlyerNews & @FlyerNewsSports) and Instagram (@flyernews)