They have depth at guard that will inevitably take pressure off the frontcourt to keep possessions alive with offensive rebounds. He’s also nursing an injury, but could be back by the start of the season.įor Capel, this year’s team gives him all the tools he needs to confidently put five players on the court and know that they’ll produce. Jefferess averaged just 3 points and 2.9 rebounds over 19.5 minutes per game last season. While Hugley misses time, junior forward William Jeffress will need to step up big in order to fill his shoes. Hugley was the Panthers only all-ACC player last season, being named to the Honorable Mention team after averaging 13 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. “Now I can get played single coverage, if teams want to play double coverage, I’ll have open shooters.” “You know, it’s amazing having shooters,” Hugley said. The Panthers did manage to recruit twin first-year forwards Guillermo and Jorge Diaz Graham, as well as 6-foot-11 sophomore transfer center Fede Federiko, but not having Hugley in the lineup will significantly hurt their presence on the glass.īefore his injury, Hugley talked about how having shooters on the team will help his own personal performance down low, making teams unable to key in on him anymore. When he does come back from injury, Hugley will have the responsibility of being the only returning big man on the roster. He’s set to miss at least a few weeks, dealing a tremendous blow to the Panther’s frontcourt. Unfortunately, the Panthers’ otherwise perfect offseason took a massive hit this weekend, as the team announced that Hugley suffered a sprained knee in the team’s first week of practice. With Sibande making his much-anticipated return from injury this season, the Panthers have depth to spare at guard. Offensively, Burton had a breakout first year with the Panthers last season, averaging almost 10 points per game and finishing second on the team in assists. If we all can do that, I feel like we’ll have a different standing this year.” “Being hungry, still having that grit to you to where you want to drag other teams into the mud and play our style of basketball. “We have new talent, but to be one of the best teams you have to be defensive minded each and every night because defense travels, especially on the road,” Burton said. He recognizes the talent that Capel’s brought on, but also said they’re not going to be any less aggressive or gritty than they were last season with less talent. Senior forward John Hugley, graduate student Jamarius Burton and redshirt senior guard Nike Sibande will provide invaluable leadership to the newly assembled squad.īurton will have his hands full bringing together the team’s new backcourt. This year’s team also contains established veteran leaders, not just talented newcomers. His impact on the team, even just from a morale standpoint, can’t be understated. 247Sports ranked him as a projected top 10 pick in 2020, drawing comparisons to NBA star De’Aaron Fox. Johnson isn’t just talented - he might be the most talented player Pitt’s had in the last decade. “I knew the talent, but it was questions about all the other things, why have you been at so many different schools, why has there been so much movement… trying to find out as much about his character as you possibly can.” “He’s talented, that’s the first thing with any kid,” Capel said. Apart from Johnson’s eye-popping talent, Capel had to make sure that he knew the backstory behind any possible controversy surrounding his new recruit. 51 in 2022, he’s still Capel’s highest rated recruit at Pitt.Ĭapel said Dior just “fell into our lap” this off-season, and that he was never really on the Panthers’ radar because of his commitment to Oregon. Back in 2020, 247Sports ranked Johnson as the third best high school player in the country, and despite dropping to No. Johnson is set to partner with Cummings at guard for this season, giving the Panthers a massive boost in their scoring and playmaking. 3-seeded Wisconsin in last year’s tournament behind his 20-point performance. He led the Raiders to back-to-back Patriot League titles and nearly managed to upset No. Originally from Midland, Pennsylvania, Cummings started his career at Colgate, where he averaged 14.7 ppg on 36% shooting from three. On top of Johnson, he recruited multiple players out of the transfer portal, including graduate student guard Nelly Cummings, junior forward Blake Hinson and graduate student guard Greg Elliott.Ĭummings is an exciting prospect for Pitt’s backcourt. “But we got to produce, that’s the thing.”Ĭapel’s not wrong - his roster is exceptionally strong compared to the last few seasons. “If you look at it on paper, I think so,” Capel said last Monday when asked if this is the best team he’s had at Pitt.
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