Pitt senior forward Kene Chukwuka has not played at all this season while recovering from offseason hip surgery, and with just four games remaining, it doesn’t look like he will do so.
Chukwuka, a senior in his third season at Pitt, could use a redshirt to recoup a season of NCAA eligibility, but it does not seem likely that will happen at Pitt.
Pitt head coach Jeff Capel said on Monday that he expects Chukwuka to walk alongside fellow senior Eric Hamilton during the team’s senior day celebration on Wednesday against Syracuse, signifying that he will not return to the Panthers.
“He’ll be a part of the senior day ceremonies on Wednesday,” Capel said, while declining to elaborate specifically on what that means for Chukwuka’s future.
Assuming he is on schedule to graduate from Pitt, Chukwuka would be free to transfer to any team for his final season of eligibility in 2020-21 if he so desires.
Chukwuka played in 63 games and made 30 starts over his first two seasons at Pitt and averaged 3.2 points and 3.1 rebounds per game while playing 17.7 minutes per contest. The Stockholm, Sweden native transferred to Pitt before the 2017-18 season after spending one year at New Mexico Junior college.
In addition to Chukwuka and Hamilton’s scheduled departures, Pitt has one other scholarship that was not used during the 2019-20 season. Capel has already signed three players for the Class of 2020 and is still recruiting guard Femi Odukale and forward Will Jeffress, so more departures could be in order.
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