Pittsburgh has officially signed Oakland transfer Dan Oladapo.
The 6-foot-7 forward will have two seasons of eligibility remaining after registering 690 points, 470 rebounds (197 offensive rebounds), 93 assists and 54 steals in 63 games over the past two seasons at Oakland.
“The biggest reason I chose Pitt was because it’s closer to home,” He said. “I’m bringing a defensive and offensive presence inside and out, elite rebounding and being a great leader and teammate for the guys!”
“Dan is a rugged forward who plays with energy, passion and aggression,” said head coach Jeff Capel. “He has proven to be an outstanding rebounder on both ends of the floor and is an efficient offensive player. He makes winning plays and is easy to play with. We are excited to add him to our current roster and look forward to helping further develop his game here at Pitt.”
Oladapo started all 30 games, averaging 12.9 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.1 steals per game, while shooting 56.9 percent from the field. He ranked 27th in the NCAA with nine double-doubles and was ninth in the country (1st in the Horizon League) at 3.80 offensive rebounds per game. The Bladensburg, Md., native, earned Second Team All-Horizon League honors and was also a Horizon League All-Tournament Team selection.
Oladapo averaged 15.1 points and 10.3 rebounds, while shooting 61.5 percent from the field in conference play. He exploded for 25 points and 20 rebounds at Robert Morris in February to become the first Golden Grizzly since Keith Benson during the 2010-11 season to post a 20-20 game.
Oladapo posted four double-double and averaged 9.2 points and 6.3 rebounds, while leading the conference in field goal percentage (.550) and offensive rebounds (83) in his first season at Oakland. He spent his freshman season at Chipola College where he earned All-Panhandle First Team honors and was selected Panhandle Conference Freshman of the Year after averaging 14.5 rebounds and 8.0 rebounds per game.
At Bladenburg High School, Oladapo was a three-time first team all-county pick and finished his career with 1,394 points and 856 rebounds. He led the team to the 2018 regional championship and was also named Prince George County and 4A conference player of the year.
Pitt could return four of its top six scorers from a season ago pending First Team All-ACC selection Justin Champagnie’s decision to remain in the 2021 NBA Draft or return to the Panthers for his junior season. Champagnie was the only major conference player in the NCAA to average a double-double last season after posting 18.0 points and 11.1 rebounds per game. The backcourt trio of Ithiel Horton (8.9 ppg. – 43 3FG), Nike Sibande (6.9 ppg. – .436 3FG PCT) and Femi Odukale (6.6 ppg., 2.5 rpg., 2.2 apg.) is also set to return along with promising sophomores Will Jeffress, Noah Collier and Max Amadasun.
Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter
Follow ZAGSBLOGHoops on Instagram
