On Thursday, Pitt men’s basketball announced that first-year forward Papa Amadou Kante suffered a noncontact knee injury and is out for the regular season.

The loss of Amadou Kante comes two weeks after the departure of guard Dior Johnson. 

Amadou Kante seemed prime for big minutes in his first season after an impressive summer. The four-star commit out of South Kent, Connecticut, joined the Panthers in May, and in his lone exhibition game, Amadou Kante led the Panthers in rebounds with eight.

Head coach Jeff Capel spoke highly of the young forward.

“Papa is a terrific person with great spirit and a relentless work ethic,” said Capel. “We feel for him to have this happen so early in his collegiate career. We have an outstanding medical and athletic training staff, and we know that Papa will attack the rehab and recovery process. This will be a minor setback for a young man with a great future in our program.”

The Panthers’ depth in the frontcourt takes a hit, as the absence of Amadou Kante increases the workload of junior center Federiko Federiko and sophomore forward Guillermo Diaz-Graham. Luckily, the addition of junior forward Zack Austin and the return of junior forward Will Jeffress slightly offset the void of Amadou Kante’s presence. 

Still, the loss of Amadou Kante is a big one for the Panthers with just two months remaining until the regular season.