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Tennessee forward Yemi Makanjuola to transfer

Vanderbilt Tennessee Basketball

Tennessee center Yemi Makanjuola (0) fouls Vanderbilt guard Kedren Johnson during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2013, in Knoxville, Tenn. Tennessee won 58-57. (AP Photo/Knoxville News Sentinel, Adam Briner)

AP

More room was just made for Jarnell Stokes in the post, as Yemi Makanjuola has been released from his scholarship and will transfer from the program.

In his two seasons with the Volunteers, Makanjuola was limited in his usage and production. He averaged 1.6 points and 2.4 rebounds in 7.8 minutes per game this season for the a 20-13 Tennessee team that lost 75-67 at home to Mercer in the first round of the NIT.

His scoring and minutes are a bit down from his freshman year, when the 6-9, 250-pound native of Lagos, Nigeria averaged 2.3 points and 2.8 rebounds in 8.3 minutes per game. He didn’t play in Tennessee’s final four games of the regular season and SEC Tournament, finishing his time with the program with two blocks, a rebound and a foul in three minutes in the loss to Mercer.

The news was first reported by GoVols247’s Wes Rucker.

Vols sophomore center Yemi Makanjuola has been granted a release to transfer. Not a shocking development. More in a bit.

— Wes Rucker (@wesrucker247) April 20, 2013


However, Makanjuola did have his best game of the season in one of the Volunteers’ tougher games, with nine points and eight rebounds in 20 minutes in a 67-60 victory over then-no. 23 Wichita State at home. He would have just one game of more than three points the rest of the game with a seven-point, seven-rebound effort in a 92-74 home loss to Ole Miss.

Makanjuola was also down in his field goal percentage this season (16-of-42, 38.1 percent) despite taking just two less shots (26-of-44, 59.1 percent).

Tennessee won’t have much of a problem replacing Makanjuola, with 6-10 junior college transfer Rawane N’diaye recently signing with coach Cuonzo Martin’s program and Jeronne Maymon returning for a fifth year after missing all of last season with a knee injury. Stokes also has yet to make a decision on his future on whether to stay in college or enter the NBA Draft.

Follow David Harten on Twitter at @David_Harten