Pitt Women's Basketball F Transfers to Tennessee

The Pitt Panthers lost one of their forwards on the women's basketball team, as she transferred to Tennessee.

Louisville Cardinals guard Jayda Curry (30) dribbles down the court against Pittsburgh Panthers forward Rapuluchi Ayodele (15) during their game on Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024 at KFC YUM Center. / Clare Grant/Courier Journal / USA TODAY

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers saw one of their players who departed for the transfer portal find their new home, as forward Rapuluchi Ayodele landed with Tennessee.

Ayodele came to the Panthers in May 2023, serving as one of head coach Tory Verdi’s first transfers to the program after he took over in April of that year.

The 6-foot-1 Nigerian forward who comes from Madrid, Spain played in all 32 games for Pitt last season, while starting in 15 of them. She averaged 17.7 minutes, scored 4.7 points and grabbed 6.2 rebounds per game, respectively, while shooting 46.4% from the floor and 65.2% from the foul line.

Ayodele started out at the junior college level, playing her first season with Eastern Florida State College in Cocoa, Fla. in 2021-22. She appeared in all 32 games, starting 31 and scored 13.6 points per game, while shooting 54.5% from the field. She guided Eastern Florida State to a 28-5 record and all the way to the NJCAA Division I National Tournament Quarterfinals, where they would lose in overtime to Jones College.

She then transferred to Indian River State College in Fort Pierce, Fla. for the 2022-23 season. She played in all 30 games, starting all but three fo them and was first on the team with 14.1 points per game and 53.3% field goal shooting. Ayodele played a large role for her team that season, guiding them to a 25-5 overall record and an 8-1 record in conference, before a heartbreaking loss to her former squad, Eastern Florida State, ended their season in the conference semifinals.

Ayodele started off her season with Pitt as one of the better incomers to a struggling program. She posted double-digit rebound totals in her first four games and six of her first nine games overall, as opponents struggled to keep her off the boards.

She also got two double-doubles, with season highs of 18 points and 14 rebounds in the 71-62 loss to rival West Virginia in the Backyard Brawl on Nov. 11 and 14 points and 12 rebounds in a win over Saint Francis on Nov. 29.

Ayodele struggled to continue those performances throughout the season and she never scored in double-digits again, while only grabbing 10 or more rebounds in three games following November.

One area of the game she struggled in was staying out of foul trouble to keep her on the court long-term. Ayodele had 12 games where she picked up at least four fouls and four games where she fouled out.

Ayodele chose to walk on Senior Day as well, signaling that she would leave the program for her final year of eligibility.

She is one of four players that transferred from Pitt, along with All-ACC forward Liatu King to Notre Dame, forward Gabby Hutcherson to Duquesne and guard Jasmine Timmerson to Davidson.

Pitt brought in a number of players this offseason to bolster the program heading into the upcoming season.

This includes guards in Amiya Jenkins and Brooklynn Miles from Kentucky and Mikayla Johnson from Colorado, forwards in Khadija Faye from Texas and Makayla Elmore from Clemson and wing Jovana Spasovski from Serbia.

Make sure you bookmark Inside the Panthers for the latest news, exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage, and more! 

• Felony Charges Against Former Pitt DB Continue After Preliminary Hearing
• Pitt Volleyball Lands 2026 WPIAL Setter Isabella Hoppe
• Pitt DL Chief Borders Joins Alliance 412
• Pitt Football Promotes New Assistant Head Coach
• Atlanta Falcons Sign Former Pitt OL

Follow Inside the Panthers on Twitter: @InsidePitt