Kebba Njie, of Centerville, enters transfer portal after one season at Penn State

Kebba Njie, a 6-foot-10 forward from Centerville, entered the transfer portal on Monday after one season at Penn State.

“To start off, l just want to first, thank God for this amazing opportunity to play basketball at the highest level,” Njie wrote on Twitter on Tuesday. “Without him I would not be in the position I am today. Next, I want to thank my Penn State basketball family. Through the ups and downs in my first year, they have been with me through all of it and believed in me every step of the way. I have learned so many things from my coaching staff and teammates this year that have helped me to grow into who l am today. Thank you to the Penn State community who has made my first year a great one. I appreciate all the love that I received and I will never take it for granted. Lastly, I am grateful for my family, who I can always rely on to have my back at the end of the day. With that being said, after talking with my family, I have decided to enter the transfer portal to explore all of my options. Thank you to everyone!”

Njie averaged 3.4 points and 3.5 rebounds in 37 games. He averaged 14.3 minutes per game. He was the only freshman to appear in every game.

Njie scored eight points on 4-of-4 shooting in 17 minutes in a 76-59 victory against Texas A&M in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Njie spent two years at Centerville High School and then two at La Lumiere in Indiana. He was the 147th-ranked player in the class of 2022, according to Rivals.com.

Penn State has lost five players to the portal, including three freshmen, since Micah Shrewsberry left to take the head coaching job at Notre Dame and former Virginia Commonwealth coach Mike Rhoades replaced him.