Nelly Junior Joseph commits to New Mexico, moves from one Pitino to another

By ADAM ZAGORIA

Nelly Junior Joseph is moving from one Pitino to another.

After being coached by Rick Pitino at Iona, he is transferring to play for Richard Pitino at New Mexico. Rick Pitino left Iona for St. John’s last month.

The 6-foot-9 junior from Nigeria averaged 14.9 points and 9.3 rebounds for an Iona team that won the MAAC regular-season and tournament titles and lost to eventual NCAA champion UConn in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. He had 8 points and 5 rebounds in that game.

His former teammate Walter Clayton Jr. also announced his transfer to Florida on Tuesday.

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Written by Adam Zagoria

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Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle. A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013. He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.