Inside The Panthers

Pitt Makes Papa Kante Addition Official

Papa Kante has officially signed with the Pitt Panthers.

Stephen Thompson

Pitt Makes Papa Kante Addition Official
Pitt Makes Papa Kante Addition Official /
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PITTSBURGH -- The most surprising and arguably the most important signing of the offseason for the Pitt Panthers is now official. 

The program announced that four-star center Papa Kante, a native of Senegal who arrives at Pitt by way of the South Kent School in Connecticut, has officially signed with the Panthers this week, just one day after committing. 

"Papa is a terrific addition to our recruiting class and our roster," head coach Jeff Capel said. "He fits our culture with his competitiveness, ability to play at a high level on both ends of the floor, and strong work ethic. He has a great combination of physicality and athleticism that enables him to impact the game in a variety of ways. We are excited to have him join our program and look forward to helping him continue to develop his game." 

Kante's commitment comes from almost out of nowhere. He had originally committed to and enrolled at Michigan, picking the Wolverines from a top five that included Pitt, Memphis, Maryland at Rutgers as well. The 6'10 and 225-pound blue-chip big man requested a release from his NLI to Michigan earlier this month and made the quick decision to join Capel's squad this year.

A unanimous four-star prospect by every major recruiting service, Kante is ranked as high as the No. 3 player in his state and No. 6 center in the class (Rivals). On3, 247Sports and Rivals all consider him a top-100 player in the class of 2023.

After averaging 14 points and 10 rebounds per game while shooting 57% from the field and 36% from 3-point range, he was named a First-Team All-NEPSAC selection. He led South Kent to a NEPSAC AAA Championship and an appearance in the National Prep School Championship in 2023. 

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Stephen Thompson
STEPHEN THOMPSON

Stephen Thompson graduated with a bachelor's degree in communications and political science from Pitt in April 2022 after spending four years as a sports writer and editor at The Pitt News, the University of Pittsburgh's independent, student-run newspaper.  He primarily worked the Pitt men's basketball beat, and filled in on coverage of football, volleyball, softball, gymnastics and lacrosse, in addition to other sports as needed. His work at The Pitt News has won awards from the Pennsylvania News Media Association and Associated College Press.  During the spring and summer of 2021, Stephen interned for Pittsburgh Sports Now, covering baseball in western Pennsylvania. Hailing from Washington D.C., family ties have cultivated a love of Boston's professional teams and Pitt athletics, and a fascination with sports in general.  You can reach Stephen by email at stephenethompson00@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter. Read his latest work:

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