N’Dir joins the Panthers after three years with New Mexico State
Pitt landed the commitment of New Mexico State graduate transfer Sidy N’Dir on Monday night, according to Craig Meyer of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He offers the Panthers leadership in the form of an upperclassman with tournament experience and will be eligible to play immediately.
Combo guard Sidy N’Dir, a grad transfer from New Mexico State, has committed to Pitt. He visited campus last weekend. Assuming Kene Chukwuka comes back, the Panthers have two open scholarships for the 2018-19 season.
— Craig Meyer (@CraigMeyerPG) May 15, 2018
N’Dir decided on Pitt after paying a visit to the school over the weekend. He is the fourth recruit first-year Panthers head coach Jeff Capel has brought in, as four-star guard Trey McGowens and three-star guards Xavier Johnson and Curtis Aiken Jr. all committed in the last three weeks.
Over the last two seasons with the Aggies, the guard averaged 9.0 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. After redshirting as a freshman, N’Dir took the court in the 2016-17 season and averaged 13.7 points and 2.1 assists per game, albeit over nine games. That dipped to 7.8 points and 1.4 assists per game last season, but he started in 34 games, gaining valuable experience.
The native of Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire, France, originally committed to Texas A&M out of high school and is known for his defensive prowess despite previously impressing on offense. He will have one year of eligibility remaining upon his arrival at Pitt, although his nine-game 2016-17 season could potentially lead to an additional year through a medical hardship waiver.
Capel’s addition of N’Dir further deepens a suddenly crowded Pitt backcourt that will return Khameron Davis, Malik Ellison and Jared Wilson-Frame and add the three aforementioned freshmen, who will all be eligible immediately. Although the first-year coach has amassed a talented group of guards, the frontcourt remains an area of concern heading into next season.
Little progress has been made on that front in terms of prospects who will be eligible for the 2018-19 season, but Capel has hosted Kentucky transfer Sacha Killeya-Jones, a former five-star power forward who will be eligible for the 2019-20 season. With that said, Pitt has two scholarships left, possibly more, and could use them to recruit some additional frontcourt help.
