4-1-Zoo: Khem Birch Transfer Rumors Light Up Internet

PITTSBURGH (93-7 The FAN) — Late Thursday night, according to multiple sources, freshman forward Khem Birch was rumored to be transferring from the University of Pittsburgh.

Hours later we still have no official news.

The University of Pittsburgh has not yet released a statement on the situation, but conflicting reports circulated throughout the night.

UPDATE, 10:05 a.m. -- The Daily's Dan Wolken has passed along a report that Birch is on his way back to Canada and will leave the program.

Panther Digest was the first to report the news that Birch was transferring via Twitter, citing several sources close to the team. After that, several other outlets came out with the same news.

Panther Sports Network reported that Birch is "indeed leaving Pitt" and he could be headed to Kentucky. CBSSports.com's Jeff Goodman tweeted Birch has contemplated transferring but no final decision has been made.

What was concrete throughout the night was that Pitt would not deny the rumors nor comment on the situation.

Things seemed fishy from the start of the day, as Pitt basketball players took to Twitter with ominous tweets. Those tweets disclosed no concrete information on the situation, but provided enough pessimism and negativity to raise an eyebrow.

In monitoring the situation, news eventually broke around 7 p.m. that sources were reporting Birch has decided to leave.

As the night progressed, conflicting reports appeared. The Post-Gazette's Ray Fittipaldo reported that several Pitt players were unaware of the situation and Kentucky, the school Birch was rumored to transfer to, had no idea of the rumors either.

Panther-lair.com followed and reported via Twitter that the situation was "far from over" and Birch would "be back most likely."

Please stick with KDKA.com and 937thefan.com for the latest news on this situation. Pitt has a closed practice scheduled for this afternoon and there may be an official statement on the situation.

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Chris Gates | Area 4-1-Zoo Blog
Twitter.com/Chris_Gates
Chris.Gates@cbsradio.com