Sixth grader Nike Sibande has been cleared to go next season of Pittsburgh basketball. What impact will he have on the court?
Technically, Nike Sibande is in his third season with Pittsburgh basketball after spending three years in Miami, Ohio.But you don’t feel that way Panther Observer. That’s because neither of his first two years went the way it was supposed to for the scoring guard.
Before the NCAA passed the “one-time transfer rule”, players who transferred before graduation had to obtain a waiver, which the former program/coaching staff had to agree to. However, the Redhawks disagreed and the NCAA ruled Sibande ineligible to start his 2020-21 season. He ended up appearing in 14 games, averaging 6.9ppg overall.
when was last season supposed to be Sibande Took over the backcourt as a veteran return. Unfortunately, he was injured in Pittsburgh’s exhibition match just before the start of the season and missed all of his 2021-22 season. The impact was devastating to the backcourt, lacking a double-digit contributor capable of producing his own offense.
Going into the 2022-23 season, I hope it will be different for both players and teams. The Panthers rebuilt their roster this offseason and acquired seven of his rookies, including multiple guards. And now that Sibande is ready, he has one.
The 6’4 guard is not only a career scorer with 14.0 ppg in 111 games, but Sibande has also shown he can play in the ACC. In the ladder stage of the 2020-21 season, the veteran guard scored 23 and 24 points in two of his last three games. Although he’s never asked to play more than his 35 minutes, the guard can be an important part of the Panthers’ rotation.
With returning guard Jamalius Burton joined by Nellie Cummings and Greg Elliott and four-star freshman Dior Johnson, there’s plenty of talent in the backcourt. It remains to be seen where Sibande fits in the equation, and with him unavailable at the start of either of the last two seasons, there isn’t much history to come off.
His familiarity with the system allows Barton to play in all three spots, giving Sibande the edge as he could be sixth. Alternatively, the team could choose to take him off the bench.
Considering they are so many newcomers to this team, Nike Sibande could be the #8 rookie on the roster. How he fits into his new team is a matter of limited history, but after years of waiting, Pittsburgh finally gets to see the impact this transfer will have on its program.
