Pittsburgh Basketball adds to its frontcourt depth with transfer Mouhamadou Gueye

Pittsburgh Basketball has been one of the busiest programs in the ACC this offseason when it comes to the transfer portal. And they just added another one in forward/center Mouhamadou Gueye from Stony Brook.

A former star at Monroe College, Gueye was one of the top transfers in the 2019 class, before signing on to Stony Brook of the America East. In his first season at the D-I level, the 6’9 big man averaged 7.0 ppg, 6.4 rpg, and a couple of blocks off the bench in 25 mpg.

But after losing several key pieces to the transfer portal a yea ago, Gueye emerged as a key player for the Seawolves in the 2020-21 season. As a starter, the senior saw his overall numbers boost, putting up 9.7 ppg, 7.1 rpg, and 2.0 apg, along with a conference-leading 3.1 bpg. He was fifth in the country in blocks per game and was named America East Defensive Player of the Year this past season.

Gueye also performed well against quality-level competition, including 15 points and six rebounds against St. John’s 14 and 7 versus Seton Hall and six blocks in a single game against Virginia, a team Gueye will get real familiar with the ACC next season.

Gueye, along with returning big man John Hugley will share the center position for the Panthers next season. And that will be a clear upgrade from Karim Coulibaly and Terrell Brown, who combined to produce 7.5 ppg, 6.6 rpg, and under two blocks. Pittsburgh hasn’t had a true shot-blocking presence inside since Steven Adams, who blocked 2.0 shots a game in the 2012-13 season before leaving for the NBA after just one year.

Of course, Gueye isn’t going to be viewed as a draft prospect unless he shows out in the ACC. But what he provides the program is the type of depth they haven’t had inside since the start of the Coach Capel era. He and Hugley can each play at least 20 mpg and Gueye can play at the four-spot as well if Pitt wants to have a strong defense lineup in certain moments. Add rebounding machine Daniel Oladapo and JUCO star Chris Payton and you have a frontcourt rotation that should at least be competitive in the ACC.

The current reality for Pittsburgh Basketball is that they were never going to land a center like Tre Mitchell or Moussa Cisse this offseason. But to get one of the top defenders that entered the portal in Gueye is a successful offseason pickup for the team that should pay dividends next season.