Forward Papa Amadou Kante becomes 6th Pitt player to enter transfer portal

Only three scholarship players from this season’s team remain on Pitt’s men’s basketball roster after forward Papa Amadou Kante entered the transfer portal Wednesday, a source confirmed to TribLive.

Kante, a redshirt freshman from Dakar, Senegal, missed 2023-24 with a knee injury and played sparingly this season.

He joins five former Pitt teammates who have entered the portal since the season ended March 11 — third-team All-ACC guard Jaland Lowe, who has since committed to Kentucky; Marlon Barnes; Amsal Delalic; and Guillermo and Jorge Diaz Graham. Kante is the ninth of 12 scholarship players to leave the program, including veterans Ishmael Leggett, Zack Austin and Damian Dunn, whose eligibility expired.

Kante, a 6-foot-10 forward, had his most productive game Nov. 29 in Pitt’s victory at Ohio State, scoring 12 points in 17 minutes. In the next game, he played 19 minutes and scored two points against Mississippi State. For the season, he averaged 6.8 minutes, 2.1 points and 1.1 rebounds per game

Overall, Kante played in 22 of Pitt’s 32 games after coming to Pitt as a near-consensus Top 100 prospect. After his senior season at South Kent (Conn.) Prep, he was ranked 91st by 247Sports, 95th by Rivals and 108th by ESPN. It was an impressive rise for Kante, who didn’t start playing organized basketball until he moved to the U.S. in 2019.

Pitt’s three remaining scholarship players include only one starter, forward Cam Corhen, plus backups Brandin Cummings and Amdy Ndiaye. Coach Jeff Capel has received commitments from two transfers, former Iowa State players Dishon Jackson, a center, and guard Nojus Indrusaitis.