In the first two days of the NCAA basketball transfer portal spring cycle, Pitt has seen four players enter their names with plans to depart the program.
The group includes redshirt first-year forward Marlon Barnes, junior forwards Guillermo Diaz-Graham and Jorge Diaz-Graham and first-year guard Amsal Delalić.
The first player to announce their departure from the program was Barnes. It was first reported Sunday night that he would look for a new school to join. Barnes has played a sparse on-court role in his first two years in Oakland.
The redshirt first-year did not play in any games his first year on campus while redshirting, and only played in eight games this season — all of his minutes coming at the end of blowout performances. Barnes was a three-star prospect from Cleveland, Ohio, and will have three years of eligibility remaining.
Of the four to announce their intent to transfer, Guillermo Diaz-Graham was the only one to play a significant role, playing more than 20 minutes per game. He possesses a shooting ability that allowed Pitt to stretch the floor on offense and draw opposing big men away from the basket.
Guillermo and Jorge Diaz-Graham arrived in Pittsburgh in 2022 as top-100 recruits out of IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, but the brothers originally hail from Spain. The pair joined a Pitt team coming off an 11-21 season with a coach that had failed to produce a winning record at the school in four years.
In their first year, they played an important role in the Panthers’ success, especially in the postseason following an injury to former center Federiko Federiko in the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament. The brothers enter the transfer portal with only one year of eligibility remaining.
The fourth and final player to enter the transfer portal is Delalić. Delalić was the most intriguing newcomer on this year’s team. He was a 21-year-old first-year from Bosnia and Herzegovina who had already played several years of professional basketball in Europe before committing to the Panthers.
Despite Delalić’s encouraging credentials, his potential never materialized after a hand injury sidelined him for six weeks at the end of September. This hindered his ability to acclimate to the team and adjust to the style of basketball played in the United States.
Delalić only appeared in 21 contests, averaging 13.3 MPG. With three years of eligibility remaining and exceptional size for his guard skill set, Delalić has already received interest from Power Five schools.
With redshirt senior forward Zack Austin, graduate guard Damian Dunn and senior guard Ishmael Leggett all exhausting their eligibility this season, this group of transfers represented 40% of the scholarship players who could have returned next year.
While Guillermo Diaz-Graham was the only player with a consistent, defined role, the other three were in a position to fill holes created by the graduation of Austin, Dunn and Leggett.
Next year, Pitt only has one incoming freshman, four-star guard Omari Witherspoon. The Panthers currently have eight scholarships filled and will look to fill the final five through the transfer portal over the coming months.
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