Pitt junior forward Au'Diese Toney to transfer
Pitt has announced that junior forward Au’Diese Toney has left the program and will enter the transfer portal. Toney, a 6’6” forward was averaging 14.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game.
“We have come to the mutual agreement that Au’Diese will be leaving the Pitt Men’s Basketball program effective immediately,” Pitt head coach Jeff Capel said in a statement. “We appreciate his efforts the past three seasons in our program and wish him well as he looks to continue to grow on and off the court.”
Toney’s departure comes just one day following the announcement of junior point Xavier Johnson having also left the program. Johnson, Toney, and fellow 2018 signee Trey McGowens have all left the program after comprising Jeff Capel’s first recruiting class after he took over the Pitt job.
Toney missed Saturday’s game against Florida State following a car accident that left hims sidelined with a concussion. His final game at Pitt was a 74-74 loss to North Carolina State last Wednesday. Toney finished with 17 points and five rebounds in his final game with the Pitt program.
Toney was a regular fixture in the starting lineup during his time at Pitt. The former three-star recruit went on to start 68 games during his time at Pitt. His scoring averages increased each season with 7.5 as a freshmen, 9.5 as a sophomore, to his current season which has been a career-high.
Toney had been rumored last offseason that he may be looking to transfer then, but opted to stay with the program before this season. He helped lead Pitt to an 8-2 start this season, but the program has since lost seven of its last eight.
Toney and Johnson both opting to transfer leaves Pitt with ten healthy scholarship players for the remaining scheduled three games this season. Pitt starts that stretch on Sunday with a game against North Carolina State on the road.
With the absence of Toney, look for freshmen forwards William Jeffress and Noah Collier to see more action, along with senior guard Nike Sibande.