Pitt women’s basketball junior forward Rapuluchi Ayodele is transferring from the program, according to Talia Goodman.
Ayodele joined Pitt last May as one of new head coach Tory Verdi’s initial transfers, coming from the junior college level. The 6-foot-1 Nigerian forward who hails from Madrid scored 4.7 points and grabbed 6.2 rebounds per game for Pitt this past season.
She played in her first season with Eastern Florida State College in Cocoa, Fla. in 2021-22. She played in all 32 games, starting 31 and scored 13.6 points per game, while shooting 54.5% from the field. She helped Eastern Florida State to a 28-5 record and all the way to the NJCAA Division I National Tournament Quarterfinals, where they lost in overtime to Jones College.
She played for Indian River State College in Fort Pierce, Fla. in 2022-23. She played in all 30 games, starting 27 and led the team with 14.1 points per game and 53.3% shooting from the field. Ayodele played a large role for her team last season, leading them to a 25-5 record and an 8-1 conference record, before an eventual loss to her former squad, Eastern Florida State, ended their season in the conference semifinals.
Ayodele started off her season with Pitt women’s basketball as one of the better incomers. She posted double-digit rebound totals in her first four games and six of her first nine games overall. She also got two double-doubles, with season highs of 18 points and 14 rebounds in the 71-62 loss to rival West Virginia on Nov. 11 and 14 points and 12 rebounds in a win over Saint Francis on Nov. 29.
She didn’t reach double-digits in points the rest of the season and only had 10 or more rebounds in three games following November, as she struggled to stay out of foul trouble to keep her on the court long-term. Ayodele had 12 games where she picked up four fouls and four games where she fouled out.
Ayodele chose to walk on Senior Day as well, so her transfer is not unsurprising.
She is the first transfer from Pitt women’s basketball, but with the way last season ended, 8-24 overall and 2-16 in the ACC, tied for last in the conference.
