For a team who failed to score more than 80 points in 31 of their 33 contests, the Pitt Panthers would certainly welcome another offensive weapon.
Head coach Jeff Capel is trying to work his magic, as Pitt is among those in line to try to land Miami(Ohio) transfer Nike Sibande, according to Jake Weingarten of Stockrisers.com.
It won't be easy for Capel, as a roomful of other head coaches are also trying to land the the 6-4 guard from Indianapolis. Many other teams that have contacted Sibande include, according to Weingarten and 247 sports. This list includes:
-Alabama (Southeastern)
-Arkansas (Southeastern)
-Creighton (Big East)
-DePaul (Big East)
-Fresno State (Mountain West)
-Kentucky (Southeastern)
-Michigan (Big Ten)
-Xavier (Big East)
That list is only expected to grow for Sibande, who averaged 15.1 points/game across three seasons in Oxford.
If Pitt is able to land the guard, with one year of eligibility remaining, it will be a major offensive weapon for Capel's team. In 2019-2020, Sibande's junior season, he averaged 14.2 points/game, scoring 20+ points on seven occasions and 25+ points on three occasions.
In what would turn out to be his final game with the RedHawks, Sibande scored 31 points and led his team, who finished in last place in the Mid-American Conference, to a first round conference tournament victory over the two-time defending champion Buffalo Bulls on March 9.
The RedHawks were set to play the Northern Illinois Huskies on March 12 in the tournament quarterfinals at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland before the remainder of the tournament was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Sibande would see a huge role for the Panthers, who have lost guards Ryan Murphy (Tulane) and Trey McGowens (Nebraska) to the transfer portal.
Along with William Jeffress and Noah Collier (incoming four-star recruits), Pitt is set to add an array of offensive weapons for the 2020-2021 season.
Pitt will also welcome sophomore Ithiel Horton (transfer from Delaware) to the court. Horton, who averaged 13.2 points/game in one season (2018-2019) with the Blue Hens, was forced to sit out the 2019-2020 season due to NCAA transfer rules.
Regardless of where Sibande ends up, he will have to sit out the upcoming season due to the aforementioned transfer rules. He will have one season (2021-2022) of eligibility remaining.
Personally, I watched Sibande play once. I liked what I saw. In a January 2019 loss at Buffalo, who was ranked #19 in the AP Poll at the time and would represent the conference in the NCAA Tournament, Sibande carried the RedHawks, putting up 18 of the team's 64 points.
Pitt is likely to return to postseason play for the first time since the 2015-2016 season. With the possible addition of Sibande for the 2021-2022 season, Pitt would be set up to play in postseason competition for years to come.
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