It’s not every day you meet someone with the cereal taste and story of Pitt men’s basketball player Roman Siulepa in the streets of Oakland.
“I usually eat Weet-Bix before I come [to the Petersen Events Center], which is an Australian cereal,” he said. “It looks gross when you eat it, but it tastes good with some honey or yogurt.”
The six-foot-seven first-year forward from Brisbane, Australia — a city 9,329 miles away and a 19-hour flight from Pittsburgh — has shown steady growth in his first season with the Panthers. In 25 games so far this season, he is averaging 10.1 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.
Lamar Patterson, one of Siulepa’s teammates in Australia, was the first to tell Roman he should look into Pitt. Patterson played with Siulepa on the South West Metro Pirates in NBL1, a semi-professional league in Australia. Patterson’s first-hand experience — having played at Pitt from 2009 to 2013 — along with the culture that the coaching staff talked about was what drew the Aussie to Pitt.
“The coaches were pretty honest, and I liked what they were building here,” Siulepa said.
Siulepa has played an integral role on the Panther team this season. It is no secret that Siulepa brings effort and physicality every time he is on the court.
Siulepa grew up playing both rugby and basketball and thinks his previous experience in rugby helps him with the physical side of basketball.
“People take note that I’m not really scared to take hits and stuff, dive on balls and get a little dirty on the court,” Siulepa said.
One of those people is head coach Jeff Capel.
“Roman’s a pretty strong guy. He’s not gonna back down from anybody, no matter who we play,” Capel said after the Duke game on Tuesday.
Siulepa has carved out a role of guarding prominent players on opposing teams. Against a tough Blue Devils squad, he guarded talented first-year forward Cameron Boozer, a consensus top-three pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Playing meaningful minutes in the ACC as a first-year is no easy task. Roman tries to keep the same mindset regardless of results.
“I think it’s pretty cliquey, but I just try to trust the work,” he says. I come in [to the Pete] late at night and put the work in, I come in here before practice and put the work in. Like anything else, you gotta be confident in what you do.”
For Siulepa, faith helps him stay confident.
“I trust in the Lord and his plan for me. I pray. I do all the stuff I need to. As long as I got my faith, I’m pretty cool.”
Family and friends also help Roman to see the bigger picture.
“They play a big role in my life, and I wouldn’t be here today without them. I try and do them justice by going out on the court and playing hard,” Siulepa said.
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