Pitt center Terrell Brown was honored on Senior Night and played his final game in blue and gold in the ACC tournament last Tuesday, and many thought that would mark the end of his collegiate career. But on Tuesday, he entered the transfer portal, signaling his intent to move on and play as a graduate transfer.
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The 6’10”, 235-pound center has been with Pitt since 2017, when he became one of seven recruits to accept an offer to play for the ailing program under Kevin Stallings. Brown would be the only member of the seven-man class to stay at Pitt for four years, as Marcus Carr and Parker Stewart transferred after Stallings was fired, and Samson George, Peace Ilegomah and Shamiel Stevenson left to pursue larger roles elsewhere. But Jared Wilson-Frame, a 2017 junior college transfer, also honored his pledge and brought his career to a close at Pitt.
At his best, Brown was a tenacious defender, and he will be remembered at Pitt for coming up with 173 blocks over the course of his four years on campus. That total ranks third in program history, and Brown narrowly edged out Pitt great Sam Clancy, who had 170 blocks between 1977 and 1981, to earn a spot in the top three. Brown also holds the Pitt record for most blocks in a single game, as he came up with nine stops in addition to 10 points in a 68-54 win over Colgate on Dec. 29, 2018.
With that said, the Providence, Rhode Island, native often struggled offensively, and he finished his career with averages of 4.6 points and 3.6 rebounds over 16.8 minutes per game. That was due in part to the constant splitting of time in the frontcourt with Kene Chukwuka and Abdoul Karim Coulibaly, and in games that he saw extended minutes, Brown often performed well. In fact, over the last three seasons, when Brown has played 30-plus minutes, he has averaged 10.0 points and 7.7 rebounds per game in seven games.
Still, at Pitt, it became evident that Coulibaly would be the primary frontcourt option moving forward, as he was given twice the minutes Brown was this season, logging 22.5 per game to the senior’s 11.0. And perhaps as a result of that diminished role, Brown, who had the option to play another season at Pitt, will see what opportunities await him elsewhere.
At this point, it is unclear what options may present themselves to Brown. When he committed to Pitt in 2017, he held only one other offer, which was from Purdue, and he was said to be interested in his hometown program, Providence. But four years later, he may have a wider array of suitors.
