Papa Amadou Kante Exits Portal, Returns to Pitt

On Friday, Pitt announced via a press release that forward Papa Amadou Kante has removed his name from the transfer portal and will return to Pitt.

“Pitt rising redshirt sophomore Papa Amadou Kante has removed his name from the transfer portal and will continue his career as a member of the Pitt Panthers,” the release stated.

Kante played in 22 games for Pitt as a redshirt freshman, averaging under seven minutes per game. A 6-foot-10 big man, Kante is a native of Dakar, Senegal. He became a fan favorite during his two years at Pitt due to his hard-working play style and enthusiastic attitude while on the bench and on the court.

Kante, a 6-foot-10, four-star redshirt freshman big man, was one of the best prospects that Capel has brought into Pitt at the time of his pledge. The Senegal native moved to the United States in 2019, and quickly burst onto the recruiting scene with a strong high-school career at South Kent School (CT). 

Preparing for his freshman year in 2023-24, Kante injured his knee, requiring surgery. He missed the entire 2023-24 season.

Pitt has landed four transfer commitments already this spring, earning commitments from two former Iowa State players. Dishon Jackson, a center, committed first. Then, Nojus Indrusaitis committed to the Panthers. Before Minor, Barry Dunning Jr. committed to Pitt. Now, Minor joins the squad. Stay tuned for more on PSN.

Jackson is a 6-11, 275-pound senior center, who this past season averaged 8.5 points and 5.1 rebounds per game in 18.7 minutes of action. The year prior, he averaged 11.4 points and 6.1 rebounds. His best two performances last year were a 17-point, 4 rebound game against Kansas and a 14-point, 5-rebound effort against TCU.

Indrusaitis, who spent his high-school years in the Chicago area, was ranked as the No. 96 player and a four-star prospect in the class of 2024 before going to Iowa State. He played for Meanstreets EYBL and also competed for Saint Rita High School in Chicago before going to Brewster Academy.

Dunning is a 6-foot-6 wing who has played for Arkansas, UAB, and South Alabama. This past season for South Alabama, he averaged 15.1 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. Dunning shot 46% from the field and 31% from three-point range this past season.

Minor, a 6-foot senior guard out of Chicago, averaged 9.8 points and 5.1 assists per game for the Beavers this past season. Prior to his time at Oregon State, he spent two seasons at Southern Illinois-Edwardsville.