Transfer forward Mouhamadou Gueye shows off versatility at Pitt's open scrimmage

Equipped with a pair of shot-blocking hands nearly as large as dinner plates, Mouhamadou Gueye showed off another part of his game Saturday during Pitt’s open scrimmage at Petersen Events Center.

The graduate student from Stony Brook found the 3-point arc on the floor, stepped behind it and hit two of four attempts.

Not bad for a 6-foot-9 forward who is the second-tallest player on the team. Max Amadasun, a rarely used center last season, is an inch taller and John Hugley also is 6-9.

Gueye finished as the leading scorer (12 points), rebounder (eight) and shot blocker (three) during the scrimmage that consisted of two 12-minute halves.

There were no winners or losers, considering Gueye, Nike Sibande, Dan Oladapo and Ithiel Horton played for both the blue and the white teams.

But Gueye stood out as much – and in some cases more – than anyone else.

“I feel I can do a lot of things on the floor, and I’m still improving on my shooting,” he said. “I’ve had the freedom (at Pitt) to work on other areas of my game (such as) putting the ball on the floor.”

He was the American East Defensive Player of the Year last season, averaging 3.1 blocks per game, giving him a school record 2.7 for his two-year career.

He’s not reluctant to shoot 3s, however. He tried 72 in two seasons at Stony Brook, but hit only 23 (31.9%). Overall, he averaged 8.1 points and 6.7 rebounds in 54 games (24 starts).

Gueye said transferring to Pitt was a “no-brainer” after meeting with coach Jeff Capel and his staff.

After deciding to leave Stony Brook, he said he also considered Boston College, two Big Ten schools and one in the Mountain West.

“I wanted to make sure I was in the Power 5,” said Gueye, who’s been on Pitt’s campus only since May. “Not only to play, but to develop my game for the next level. It’s a bigger stage, but I don’t shy away from that.

“In my short time, my game has improved so much and I just feel more comfortable on the floor.”

Pitt showed no reluctance to shoot 3-pointers. The team hit 8 of 16 in the first 12 minutes, but only 2 of 15 in the second half.

“We’re looking to becoming a better 3-point shooting team,” point guard Femi Odukale said.

Ithiel Horton added 10 points while backup point guard Onyebuchi Ezeakudo added eight. Noah Collier, Dan Oladapo, Hugley and Nike Sibande each scored seven.

The 240-pound Hugley showed some finesse on the baseline, at one point spinning away from the defense and scoring on a reverse layup.

“Even if he doesn’t look to score,” Gueye said, “teams know how much of a threat he is and it shrinks the defense in. He’s a great passer, and he’s always looking to kick out.”

Odukale, a sophomore who will shoulder more leadership responsibility this season, said the action on the floor Saturday wasn’t as intense as previous practices. Saturday’s scrimmage lasted only an hour.

“A lot of of hard practices. A lot of energy. More fight,” he said. “I (didn’t) see the stuff behind doors that we usually do. We have to (hold back) some of it.

“More competition, a couple words here and there, but always love.”

Odukale’s only regret Saturday was his failure to get to the free-throw line where he shot only 49.3% last season. He’s been working on that aspect of his game and recalls hitting 25 in a row in a recent practice.

“I was bummed out,” he said. “I wanted to show everybody I got my confidence back.”