Pitt guard Nike Sibande says he'll return for 2022-23 season
For the second consecutive year, Pitt senior guard Nike Sibande has been faced with a major decision — stay or go. A year’s time and a season-ending knee injury didn’t change his mind.
Sibande, who was expected to be a starter, said Thursday night on the “Jeff Capel Show” on 93.7 FM that he plans to return to the team next season. He made a similar announcement March 4, 2021, on the same radio show, saying he planned to use the extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA because of the pandemic.
Nike Sibande just said on the Jeff Capel Show that he’s coming back to Pitt next season @937theFan #H2P
— Cale Berger (@cale_berger) January 27, 2022
Sibande suffered an ACL tear Nov. 1 when he banged knees with an opposing player eight minutes into Pitt’s exhibition game against Gannon. He tried to play through the pain, but his knee gave out while coming to a jump stop to accept a pass.
At the outset of last season, Sibande was forced to miss the first seven games while waiting for an eligibility ruling from the NCAA after he transferred from Miami (Ohio). In 14 games and eight starts, he averaged 6.9 points and 3.0 rebounds while playing nearly 20 minutes per game. He was expected to play an even bigger role this season.
Overall, Sibande has totaled 1,570 points, 532 rebounds, 155 assists and 96 steals in 111 career games at Miami (Ohio) and Pitt.
Jerry DiPaola is a TribLive reporter covering Pitt athletics since 2011. A Pittsburgh native, he joined the Trib in 1993, first as a copy editor and page designer in the sports department and later as the Pittsburgh Steelers reporter from 1994-2004. He can be reached at jdipaola@triblive.com.
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.