Inside The Panthers

Pitt's Gueye Excels in Hornets Summer League Opener

Former Pitt Panthers forward Mouhamadou Gueye excelled for the Charlotte Hornets in their Summer League Opener.

Dominic Campbell

Feb 7, 2022; Blacksburg, Virginia, USA; Pittsburg Panthers forward Mouhamadou Gueye (15) during a game against the Virginia Tech Hokies during the second half at Cassell Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ryan Hunt-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 7, 2022; Blacksburg, Virginia, USA; Pittsburg Panthers forward Mouhamadou Gueye (15) during a game against the Virginia Tech Hokies during the second half at Cassell Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ryan Hunt-USA TODAY Sports / Ryan Hunt-USA TODAY Sports

PITTSBURGH -- Former Pitt Panthers forward Mouhamadou Gueye had an excellent start for the Charlotte Hornets, giving him a chance to move forward with the franchise.

Gueye scored a team-high 21 points, shooting 9-for-14 from the field, making two 3-pointers and a foul shot in the Hornets' California Summer League Opener, which saw them blowout the San Antonio Spurs, 97-65, in Sacramento.

He shot an impressive 7-for-8 inside the arc, while leading Charlotte with three blocks and two steals, plus adding five rebounds, including two offensive rebounds, and an assist in the victory as well.

The victory was even more sweet for Gueye, who celebrated his 26th birthday in style.

Gueye wasn't the only former Pitt player to have a great start to the California Summer League. Blake Hinson came off the bench to lead the Los Angeles Lakers with 17 points on 5-for-7 shooting from deep in their loss to the Sacramento Kings in the opener in San Francisco.

The Hornets still have two more games left in the California Summer League, both in Sacramento. They take on the China National Team on Sunday at 8:00 p.m. and then the Kings on Tuesday at 10:00 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time/EST)

ESPN2 will broadcast the game against China and NBA TV will broadcast the game against the Kings.

The official NBA Summer League starts on Friday (July 12) and runs through July 22 in Las Vegas.

The Hornets begin the NBA Summer League against the New York Knicks on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. and they also play the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday, July 16 at 6:00 p.m., the reigning NBA Champions in the Boston Celtics on Wednesday, July 17 at 5:30 p.m. and the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday, July 19 at 11:00 p.m. (All Times EST)

They face the Knicks, the Nuggets and the Trailblazers on ESPN2 and the Celtics on NBA TV.

Gueye has had an interesting basketball career, as he grew 10 inches from his freshman to senior season and didn't play on his high school team, Curtis High School in Staten Island, N.Y., his final two years. 

He would play two seasons for Monroe College, a junior college in New York City, where he helped his team win regional and district titles, earning a berth in the NJCAA National Tournament in the 2016-17 season.

Gueye sat out the following season due to academic issues, but came back for the 2018-19 season, where he started to get recruited from Division I schools. He averaged 6.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game and earned himself recognition as a top 100 JUCO recruit.

He would join Stony Brook in Long Island for the next two seasons. He played in 33 games in the 2019-20 season, starting eight of them, while averaging 24.8 minutes, 7.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 1.5 assists per game. He also shot 44.5% from the field, 30.2% from 3-point range and 71.0% from the foul line.

The 6-foot-10 forward had an incredible 2020-21 season, starting 16 of 21 games and averaging 26.4 minutes, scoring 9.7 points, grabbing 7.1 rebounds, blocking 3.1 shots, and dishing out 2.0 assists per game. Gueye also shot 42.9% from the field, 34.5% from 3-point range and 72.5% from the free throw line. He earned American East Defensive Player of the Year honors for his efforts. 

Gueye transferred to Pitt for the 2021-22 season for his final season of college ball. He started 28 of 32 contests and averaged 29.2 minutes, 9.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.1 blocks and 1.1 assists per game, while shooting 43.5% from the field, 36.4% from behind the arc and 77.0% from the foul line.

His 2021-22 season was the first that a Panther led the team with both 3-pointers and blocks and he was also one of just two major conference players to do it that season too. 

He went undrafted in 2022 and would spend the next season with the Texas Legends in the NBA G-League, an affiliate of the Dallas Mavericks. He played in 18 games, starting six and averaged 21.7 minutes, 8.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and 1.3 assists per game, while shooting 59.3% from the field, 27.3% from behind the arc and 61.5 % from the foul line.

Gueye joined the Toronto Raptors for the 2023 Summer League and played for their G-League affiliate, Raptors 905. He started all 13 games he played for them last season, averaging 30.5 minutes, 15.1 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.1 blocks and 1.2 steals per game, while shooting 61.1% from the field.

After dealing with an injury, he would sign a 10-day contract with the Raptors on Feb. 10 and would eventually sign a two-way contract on March 4.

Gueye played 11 games for the Raptors last season, averaging 2.4 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game. 

Toronto wavied him on June 25, giving him the chance to find another opportunity with Charlotte. 

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Dominic Campbell

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