Pitt center Marcella Lamark ruled eligible by NCAA

Pitt’s Marcella Lamark, a 6’4” center who transferred from Texas Tech earlier this year, appealed for early post-transfer eligibility and was recently informed that she had won her appeal. The decision was announced by the team on Thursday night just before its Big Ten-ACC Challenge matchup with in-state rival Penn State in State College, Pennsylvania.

Lamark, who was previously listed as Marcella Lamark dos Santos at Texas Tech, announced her intent to transfer to Pitt in January and was initially ruled eligible to play after the first semester of the 2019-20 season. Had that ruling been upheld, Lamark would have been restricted from playing for Pitt until at least Dec. 14, when the school’s fall term ends. However, with Thursday’s decision, she gained immediate eligibility, freeing her up to take part in at least two more games, with the most notable being the Penn State matchup.

The native of Sao Paolo, Brazil, began her collegiate career at the College of Central Florida, which is a junior college in Ocala, Florida. During her time at the JUCO level, she averaged 13.1 points, 9.1 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game. She was also an efficient contributor on offense, converting on 47.1 percent of her attempted shots.

Her performance in Florida drew attention from major programs like Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech, and she eventually committed to continuing her athletic career with the Red Raiders in Lubbock, Texas. However, she did not play in any games at Texas Tech despite her previous success, prompting her decision to transfer to Pitt, where she will add much-needed size to the team’s frontcourt.