The 6'10" power forward would have addressed Pitt's greatest area of need
Jeff Capel and the Pitt coaching staff failed to land their top remaining target of the 2019 recruiting cycle, as Khadim Sy, a 6’10” power forward and top-10 junior college prospect, announced that he will transfer to Ole Miss after spending last season at Daytona State College in Daytona Beach, Florida. Pitt was included among the final three schools Sy was considering, along with East Carolina.
I am beyond excited to finally come out with a tough decision tonight. Happy to announce that I am going to be a @OleMissMBB. pic.twitter.com/9eAvnpFKp5
— khadim sy (@khadimsy1) May 14, 2019
"I would like to thank all the coaches who recruited me during this long process," Sy wrote in a message posted on Twitter. "All the time and effort was greatly appreciated and made this a tough decision. With that being said, I am blessed to announce I have committed to Ole Miss."
Sy holds a four-star rating from Rivals and previously played in the ACC, as he was with Virginia Tech off and on from 2016 to 2018. During his time in Blacksburg, he started in 28 games and played in 32 before briefly transferring to Tallahassee Community College in Florida and then returning to Virginia Tech to redshirt during the 2017-18 season. Sy then transferred to Daytona State in 2018.
During his time at Daytona State, Sy averaged 16.8 points and 9.8 rebounds per game while making 55.1 percent of his shots from the field. That was a major improvement over his output at Virginia Tech, where he averaged 4.0 points and 2.7 rebounds per game.
The Senegal native's combination of size and experience against ACC opposition would have undoubtedly benefited a relatively diminutive and green Panthers team built around sophomore backcourt players. And with him in the fold, Pitt's odds of making major progress in year two of the Capel era would have increased significantly.
With Sy off the board, Capel and his staff find themselves with limited options and little time left to remedy Pitt's frontcourt situation. However, it now appears they will shift their focus to John Ojiako, a 6'10" center out of Admiral Farragut Academy in St. Petersburg, Florida. Ojiako has not been assessed a star rating by Rivals or 247Sports but has drawn interest from a number of major programs this spring and recently reclassified from 2020 to 2019. Pitt offered Ojiako on May 4.
