Pitt landed their first transfer under head coach Tory Verdi in Seton Hall forward Jala Jordan. Jordan posted her transfer to Pitt on Instagram on Wednesday.
She started out her career with West Virginia as a freshman for the 2018-19 season. Jordan played sparingly in her first year, averaging 1.6 points, 1.1 rebounds and 6.0 minutes per game as a reserve player.
Jordan transferred to Auburn following her first year and sat out the 2019-20 season per NCAA transfer rules, using a redshirt. She played in 15 games and started seven as a redshirt sophomore in the COVID-19 impacted 2020-21 season, averaging 7.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 16.8 minutes per game.
Jordan played one more season with the Tigers in 2021-22, making 28 appearances and starting seven games. She averaged 6.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, 0.9 blocks and 16.6 minutes per game.
She transferred to Seton Hall last season and mainly came off the bench as a redshirt senior. Jordan averaged 5.3 points, 2.9 rebounds and 12.0 minutes per game. Her 0.8 blocks per game placed her at No. 14 in the Big East conference during the 2022-23 season.
The 6-foot-2 forward is also the daughter of former Pitt player Gerald Jordan. He started out at Morgan State, but transferred to Pitt after one season, playing two seasons with the program. Standing as a 6-foot-11 forward, he averaged 8.7 points as a junior and 7.9 points as senior, playing in 55 games and starting 25 as a Panther.
Jordan arrives at a crucial time for Pitt as Verdi is trying to build his team up with just four returning players and two recruits coming in. Nine players have left the program this offseason following the dismissal of head coach Lance White and Class of 2023 recruit Hannah Mills-Watson decommitted, making it 10.
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.
Verdi has success rebuilding programs before, doing so with Eastern Michigan in the mid-2010s and most recently with UMass the past seven seasons. He has been his position for around a month and recently added assistant coaches in Candice Finley and Ty Margenthaler for the first members of his staff. His staff are continuously working to bring new players in and Pitt fans should expect them to arrive sooner rather than later.
Here is the Pitt Roster listed for the upcoming 2023-24 season and also the departures from the program below it.
2023-24 Pitt Roster + eligibility
Guards
Sophomore Marley Washenitz: three years
Sophomore Aislin Malcolm: three years
First-year Jasmine Timmerson: four years
Forward
Graduate Jala Jordan: one year (Seton Hall)
Senior Gabby Hutcherson: two years
Senior Liatu King: two years
First-year Lauren Rust: four years
Pitt Transfers/Decommits
Guard
Graduate Dayshanette Harris: one year (Clemson)
Graduate Emy Hayford: one year (Fordham)
Graduate Destiny Strother: one year
Senior Sandrine Clesca: two years (Monmouth)
Senior Taisha Exanor: two years (Monmouth)
Sophomore Avery “Ace” Strickland: three years (Tennessee)
Forward
Graduate forward Amber Brown: one year (St. John’s)
Redshirt senior Cynthia Ezeja: two years (Loyola Marymount)
Junior Maliyah Johnson: two years (Houston)
First-year Hannah Watson: four years (Toronto Metropolitan)
