Jeff Capel has added a talented, veteran player to his basketball program.
Miami University (Ohio) transfer guard Nike Sibande announced on Saturday that he’ll be joining the Panthers for the 2020-21 season. Sibande has been a productive player at Miami for three seasons and will have one season of eligibility remaining. Per a Pitt basketball spokesperson, Sibande is not a graduate transfer and will need a waiver from the NCAA in order to be eligible this season.
In three seasons with the Redhawks, Sibande (6-foot-4, 185 pound) averaged 15.1 points, 5.1 rebounds per game and shot 41.4% from the field. He shot 33.6% from 3-point range. Sibande finished his Redhawks career by scoring 1,463 points and 186 three-point field goals. As a freshman, he earned MAC Freshman of the Year and as a sophomore averaged 16.1 points per game and connected on 76 3-point shots.
After deciding to transfer, Sibande announced a final five of Georgia, Alabama, Georgetown, Xavier and Arkansas but things obviously changed, with the Panthers getting involved and ultimately landing a transfer to add to their five incoming freshmen in the Class of 2020.
“Nike is an experienced, skilled and productive player who will fit in well with the culture we are building here at Pitt,” Capel said in a press release. “He is an outstanding athlete who loves to compete and has a scorers’ mentality. We look forward to having him in the program and working with him as he continues to develop on and off the court.”
If the wavier is granted from the NCAA, Capel’s rotation will be adding a couple of veteran players with the ability to score in Sibande and transfer guard Ithiel Horton.
With the addition of Sibande, the Panthers will now be at the 13-man scholarship limit for the 2020-21 season.
