Pitt guard Sandrine Clesca announced her decision to transfer to Monmouth on her Instagram on Tuesday.
Clesca played three seasons from Pitt from 2020-23. She served as a reserve player, not seeing many minutes and sometimes coming off the bench.
Her best play comes as someone who helps to run the offense as a point guard and also by driving to rim to score. Clesca should excel at the mid-major level in the Colonial Athletic Association for her final two seasons of eligibility.
She only played in 10 games in the 2022-23 season and played just 52 minutes overall. Clesca saw the most playing time against Duquesne in the City Game, playing in 22 minutes.
Clesca had her best season as a sophomore in 2021-22, where she played in 27 games and started in three games. She averaged 13.3 minutes, 2.9 points, 1.7 assists and 1.4 rebounds per game.
With her transfer, Clesca joins a number of players who have left following the dismissal of former head coach Lance White in early March.
Pitt fired White for poor performance after five seasons as at the helm. White accrued a record of 42-99, the worst five-year stretch of any head coach in Panthers history. Athletic Director Heather Lyke found the new Pitt head coach in Tory Verdi,who has led Eastern Michigan and UMass from the bottom to the top of their conferences as head coach of those programs.
Nine Pitt players entered the transfer portal soon after his departure and Class of 2023 recruit Hannah Watson decommitted from the program on Monday to made it 10 players who have left.
Guard Avery Strickland decided to go home and announced her transfer to Tennessee on Tuesday, making it the second transfer for Pitt in the same day.
Former guard Dayshanette Harris announced her transfer to Clemson on Sunday, while forwards in Amber Brown and Maliyah Johnson transferred to St. John’s and Houston, respectively, this offseason as well.
The list below shows the players that have placed their name in the transfer portal and those that are staying for the next season.
The remaining players who are in the transfer portal will not return to Pitt and will find other schools in the near future.
Pitt Transfers/Decommits
Guard
Graduate Dayshanette Harris: one year (Clemson)
Graduate Emy Hayford: one year
Graduate Destiny Strother: one year
Senior Sandrine Clesca: two years (Monmouth)
Senior Taisha Exanor: two years
Sophomore Avery “Ace” Strickland: three years (Tennessee)
Forward
Graduate forward Amber Brown: one year (St. John’s)
Redshirt senior Cynthia Ezeja: two years
Junior Maliyah Johnson: two years (Houston)
First-year Hannah Watson: four years (Toronto Metropolitan)
2023-24 Pitt Roster + eligibility
Guards
Sophomore Marley Washenitz: three years
Sophomore Aislin Malcolm: three years
First-year Jasmine Timmerson: four years
Forward
Senior Gabby Hutcherson: two years
Senior Liatu King: two years
First-year Lauren Rust: four years
