The transfer departures continue for Iowa men’s basketball, this time with a routine starter in the frontcourt. Second-year Ladji Dembele announced Thursday via social media he will enter the transfer portal.

“Thank you for all the memories, experiences, and opportunities you’ve given me during my time here,” Dembele wrote in the post. “I am incredibly thankful for the support from my coaches, teammates, and the fans.”

Dembele ended his post saying he is “keeping open the option to return back to Iowa.” The Hawkeyes are still looking for a new head coach following Fran McCaffery’s dismissal on March 14.

The 6-foot-8 Dembele started 21 games for Iowa this season, averaging 4.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. He posted four contests of double-digit points, most recently an 11-point outing versus Maryland on Feb. 16. Hailing from Newark, New Jersey, Dembele averaged 3.3 points and 2.8 rebounds over two seasons in the Black and Gold.

Dembele becomes the seventh Hawkeye player and fourth routine starter to enter the portal this offseason. He joins Owen Freeman, Brock Harding, Riley Mulvey, Josh Dix, Pryce Sandfort, and Cooper Koch. Without Dembele, Iowa has just one player on the its roster at 6-foot-8 or taller in first-year Chris Tadjo.

Iowa’s coaching search received a hit earlier in the week when West Virginia’s Darian DeVries accepted the Indiana job. DeVries hails from Iowa and played college basketball in the state and was believed to be a top target for the Hawkeyes. Another target for Iowa is Ben McCollum, who is head coach at Drake. The 11th-seeded Bulldogs take on the sixth-seeded Missouri Tigers in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Thursday night at 6:35 p.m. Central.