Pitt guard Nike Sibande will miss the 2021-22 season after suffering an ACL tear in the Panthers' exhibition win over Gannon on Monday night.

“I am really disappointed for Nike,” Pitt head coach Jeff Capel said in a press release. “He has been outstanding in his preparation for this season and has emerged as one of the most respected leaders in our program. He has done an amazing job dealing with adversity in the past and I am confident he will tackle his recovery in the same manner.

"He has attacked adversity by putting in the work, trusting his faith, and maintaining confidence in himself as a person and as a player. We will miss him on the court this season, but I know Nike will remain an important part of our program through his leadership and presence in the locker room.”

Sibande started Monday night's 89-64 win but left the game 10 minutes in when he was seen limping to the locker room and did not return to the bench.

“He said earlier that he banged knees,” Capel said after the game. “He went knee-to-knee with someone, and he tried to play through it. And then when he went on the under out of bounds to receive a pass, he came to a jump stop and his knee gave out.”

Sibande finished the game with no points on 0/1 shooting, and he committed one turnover in his eight minutes played.

Last season, Sibande played in 14 games after he was cleared by the NCAA to be eligible following his transfer from Miami (Oh.). He averaged 6.9 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game while shooting 41.5% from the floor and 43.6% from three (17-of-39).

Sibande also started six of Pitt’s final seven games; in those six games, he averaged 13.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game, and he shot better than 46% - both from the floor and from three.

That was more in line with what Pitt expected from Sibande, who averaged 14.1 points per game in three seasons at Miami, and the coaching staff was looking at him to be a high-minute fixture in the Panthers’ rotation and a primary contributor offensively.

“Certainly that’s a blow for us,” Capel said Monday night, “but depending on what happens, it could be an opportunity for others to step up.”

Sophomore Will Jeffress was the primary rotation player at Sibande’s wing position, and he scored eight points and grabbed five rebounds in 21 minutes against Gannon. But freshman Nate Santos might have seen the biggest minutes boost in Sibande’s absence, logging 17 minutes - the second-most of Pitt’s four newcomers - and scoring five points, grabbing five rebounds and dishing two assists.

Santos mostly played small forward, but he also worked as the second guard at times. Without Sibande, the Panthers’ back court depth was down to starters Femi Odukale and Ithiel Horton and reserve walk-on Onyebuchi Ezeakudo. Santos’ versatility to move between the two and three was useful.

Pitt will open the 2021-22 season next Tuesday night against The Citadel at the Petersen Events Center.