College Hoops Top 50

Last Year: 22-11; Fourth in the Atlantic Coast Conference, No Postseason

Head Coach: Jeff Capel (Seventh Year; 97-92 at Pitt, with one NCAA Tournament appearance)

Projected Starting Lineup

PG Jaland Lowe – 6’3″, 175 Sophomore

G Ishmael Leggett – 6’3″, 185 Senior

F Zack Austin – 6’7″, 210 Senior

F Guillermo Diaz Graham – 7’0″, 225 Junior

F/C Cameron Corhen – 6’10”, 235 Junior

Experienced Reserves

G Damian Dunn – 6’5″, 205 5th-year Senior

F Jorge Diaz Graham – 7’0″, 215 Junior

Freshmen

G Brandin Cummings – 6’3″, 170

W Marlon Barnes, Jr – 6’6″, 190 (Redshirt)

W Amsal Delalić – 6’8″, 210 / Bosnia & Herzegovina

C Papa Amadou Kante – 6’10”, 235 (Redshirt)

C Amdy Ndiaye – 6’10”, 210

Remember back when Pitt limped to a 4-11 finish to the 2021-22 season and it seemed like head coach Jeff Capel wasn’t going to be around much longer? That all sure seems like a long time ago. 

The Panthers have sailed clear of those doldrums, finishing top-four in the Atlantic Coast Conference in back-to-back years. Last March, though, 22-win Pittsburgh was left out in the cold on Selection Sunday, and the Panthers ended up not participating in any postseason tournament. Then, the team’s two biggest stars departed for the pro’s. 

Does a reset mean a rebuild? Not according to Capel, who’s still got a solid core returning to the Oakland Zoo. As has quickly become sorta his thing, Capel is also bringing in some intriguing new talent, and some which had to be mothballed last fall. Together, they’re looking ready to leave no doubt about an invite to the Big Dance this time around. 

The perimeter will be a strength for these Panthers, just as it’s been the last couple of years. This year, it will feature a headlining trio of Ishmael Leggett, Jaland Lowe, and newcomer Damian Dunn. Between them, Pitt fans see all the ingredients to make up one of the ACC’s top units.

“I really like how our backcourt is coming together with the return of Ish and Jaland as well as the additions of Damian and Brandin [Cummings].”

– Jeff Capel

In his first year after arriving from Rhode Island, Leggett was the third scorer that Capel needed. His role changed as the year went on, and in the end, Leggett took home ACC 6th Man of the Year honors while proving that he can be a pillar to build around this season. There are lots of things that Leggett does at a high level, and he’s one of the toughest and most rambunctious guys on the floor regardless of size. As evidence, he led the Panthers in rebounds last season despite standing 6’2″, and Leggett also led his new team with 22 putback stabs on his 54 offensive rebounds, per Hoop-Math. In the ACC tournament, playing in front of friends and family, the DC-area native put on a show. He went off for 30 points, eight boards, and five steals in a win over Wake Forest, and wound up being named to the all-tournament team.

“Ish is a winner,” Capel declared following Leggett’s huge day against Wake. “Ish was able to accept what this team needed, but I think why he was able to accept that is that he understands his value to the team. Him not starting doesn’t mean he’s less valuable. In fact, he’s become even more valuable for us. He’s embraced it.” This year, Leggett is likely to get all the minutes he can handle, in a starring role. Though he’s attempted nearly half his career shots from close to the rim, he’s slightly under 50% from that range for his career. Leggett has piled up 83 made triples the past two seasons, expanding his scoring threat to all three levels. As Leggett has grown into more of a featured scorer, he’s also become tremendously reliable at the charity stripe. Over the past two seasons, Leggett has taken 4.2 trips to the line, and cashed in 85.0% of his attempts. 

Capel may have lost star rookie Bub Carrington after just one year, but it’s not all that bad; now he gets to tell recruits that he just landed a freshman in the lottery of the NBA Draft, and the Panthers still have a second-year point guard to be excited about. Both of his veteran counterparts are capable passers, but Lowe will be the guy tasked with keeping his teammates well-fed with quality opportunities. With Carrington’s meteoric rise last fall, his classmate Lowe was stuck in the shadows early on. He did enough good things to impress Capel, though, and soon after the beginning of conference play, the coach inserted Lowe into the starting lineup. For the rest of the season (19 games), Lowe became a fixture for the Panthers. He averaged 13.1 points on 40.3% shooting from the land of trey as a starter, and Lowe handed out 77 assists compared to just 32 turnovers over that stretch. He works to play at his own pace and changes tempo effectively to suit his guys. If Lowe’s assertiveness from last year carries over along with the polish on his other skills, he will quickly become one of the ACC’s best guards. 

Two years ago, Damian Dunn was posting the best numbers of his career. Last winter, he played a supporting role for #1 seed Houston. Now that he’s a Panther, Dunn is looking to forge his combined experiences into the best of both worlds by playing a key role in leading Pitt back to the NCAA’s. At Temple, Dunn was a volume scorer who earned six trips to the foul line per game but didn’t always post the cleanest shooting percentages around. Coming off the bench for the Cougars, Dunn continued to be streaky but provided a scoring spark and oftentimes, a matchup problem. Even when tasked as a primary scorer, Dunn has always kept an eye out for good chances to set up a teammate. 

“Damian is an experienced guard with the ability to really score the ball,” Capel remarked when Dunn came aboard. “He is highly competitive with a big frame to get to his spots on offense as well as guard multiple positions on the other end of the floor…I really like how our backcourt is coming together with the return of Ish and Jaland as well as the additions of Damian and (incoming freshman) Brandin [Cummings].” As a grizzled veteran on this fairly young team, Dunn’s experience has already shown this summer in practice huddles and as he calls the action out to his teammates. Dunn and Leggett are guys who the young guys should be able to rely on, and Dunn in particular is leading by example. 

In the Spanish translation of JRR Tolkien’s ‘The Lord of the Rings’, the second book is sometimes entitled ‘Guillermo and Jorge Diaz Graham’. While the veracity of that statement may be disputed, Pitt’s two towers are developing into a couple of the ACC’s more intriguing post players. The twins saw their roles expand as sophomores – Guillermo started seven games and finished fifth on the team in scoring – and this fall, they’re going to have a chance to blossom into the frontcourt of the future. 

Guillermo has progressed more quickly than his brother, and he earned nearly 18 minutes per contest last winter. He’s grown stronger each offseason since arriving from Europe, and heading into his junior campaign, Guillermo is poised to become Pitt’s top offensive option up front. 

Five Stats Which Tell The Tale (with national ranks)

67.6 – Opponent Points Per Game (49th)

+8.0 – Average Score Margin (31st)

70.8% – Team Free Throw Percentage (238th)

1.522 – Assists Per Turnover (26th)

78.6% – Defensive Rebounding Rate (10th)

Striking a balance between launching from the outside and working for easier buckets in close can be a challenge for talented young bigs like the Diaz Graham’s, but Guillermo began to find his groove last season. He made a terrific 40.5% of his triple tries, but Guillermo still attempted more shots in close than from outside. Even better, Guillermo converted 62.0% of his shots near the rim, per Bart Torvik, including 18 dunks. His defense improved a great deal last winter, as well. Long-armed and mobile but not 100% coordinated against the physical play he saw as a freshman, Guillermo has added 20+ pounds since coming to Pittsburgh, and opponents have begun to notice it. He’s an effective help defender and keeps his hands active whether in the post or on the perimeter, where Guillermo can all but engulf wing players. As his rapport with Lowe deepens, Guillermo should emerge as a dangerous mismatch big who can space the floor for Pitt’s guards and then punish the other team with quick post-up’s. 

Jorge’s game lends itself more to the perimeter than the post, and attempted 70.5% of his field goals from the land of trey. Unfortunately, Jorge wasn’t as efficient a scorer as his brother, and even more unfortunately, he missed half the season after suffering an ankle injury which required surgery. This offseason, Jorge also had surgery to repair a core muscle injury. Now that he’ll be healthy and hungry to claim his share of the minutes, Jorge is hoping to become one of the tougher covers in the ACC. A barrage of three’s from two different seven-footers is a heck of a thing to try and stop, and Jorge’s length combined with his savvy slipping off of screens or fading out to the wing for an open look have been polished up nicely. If Jorge can swing back up to – or improve upon – the 35.3% rate he converted from downtown as a freshman, Pitt’s offense will present some real issues for their expanded league. 

A more traditional 4-man, Cameron Corhen comes aboard as an inter-conference transfer from Florida State. While the Diaz Graham twins can pull defenders to the outside, Corhen makes his mark close to the basket. He shot a sparkling 75.7% on attempts near the rim as a sophomore, per Bart Torvik, and Corhen made 45.7% of all his other two-point tries; in fact, his 62.0% rate through two seasons is the 19th-best mark in the long and storied history of the ACC. 

The former 4-star recruit started 33 games as a Seminole, but in head coach Leonard Hamilton’s hyper-rotational system Corhen never averaged as many as 24 minutes per contest. He’s not an intimidating shot blocker just yet, but Corhen’s game regularly takes him above the rim offensively; he’s already thrown down 47 dunks across 60 career games. Look for him to get real comfortable real quick with Lowe and Pitt’s other guards, setting picks and rolling hard to the cup. 

If Zack Austin is to be numbered among the many players in the country who wear the title ‘glue guy’, then he must be considered elite among the glue guys. Austin transferred in last fall after a couple of highly productive years at High Point – where he was named Big South Rookie of the Year in 2021-22 – and immediately became a valuable starter. Seemingly every coach wants a 3-and-D type of player who can slash to the rim for easy points within the flow of the offense or off of the turnovers they create. Well, Capel has just that guy in Austin. As disruptive a wing as there is in the ACC, Austin takes on the toughest defensive assignments on the schedule and can bother the best of them. He plays a physical game, and Austin has bounce and quick-twitch reactions which border on elite even among top competition. 

In his first season at Pitt, Austin piled up 44 blocks and 32 steals, while committing just 13 turnovers in 33 games. He’s a player who increases the margin for error for everyone else on the team, and Austin’s awareness and savvy on the defensive end allow him to consistently be in the right place at just the right time. Though he likes an open triple – and to throw it down with all sorts of alacrity – Austin’s percentage from distance has never been quite as impressive as the rest of his game. If he can bring it closer to 35% after the 29.5% rate he turned in last year, Austin could well return to the double-figure averages he posted at HPU.

The Panthers were dealt a big blow just before last season tipped off, as 4-star recruit Papa Kante injured his knee and was forced to take a redshirt. He announced in late September that he was fully cleared to return to practice, and if he can get up to speed, Kante will bring quality depth up front and serious potential going forward. 

Tall, bouncy, and allegedly in possession of a 7’4″ wingspan, Kante does all of the classic low-post things well. He goes hard to the rim when he gets the ball in deep, hits the boards like he means it, and Kante is a tremendous shot blocker. Prior to getting hurt, Kante made great strides not only in getting up and down the floor quickly but in developing his hands to receive passes despite contact. If he can prove that those skills haven’t eroded with the time off, Kante should step straight into a useful role for Capel and start throwing down big, loud dunks.

Five Out-of-Conference Games to Keep an Eye on

@ Mississippi State – December 4

@ Ohio State – November 29

N Wisconsin/UCF – November 24

vs West Virginia – November 15

N LSU – November 22

Wing Marlon Barnes took a developmental redshirt last year, and hopes to have added enough strength to his natural intensity to step into the role William Jeffries played last year. He can shoot it, slash to the goal, and defend with some versatility on the outside, and Barnes should grow into a helpful two-way player. The Panthers are less certain what they’ve got in Amsal Delalić, but Capel is intrigued by the international rookie. Delalić has played with a pro team the past couple of years in his native Bosnia & Herzegovina, and brings great length and some more shooting to the wing.

Pitt has had two playmakers to run the show each of the last two years, and that luxury has transformed the fortunes of those teams. Someone who understands that is Brandin ‘Beebah’ Cummings, the younger brother of one of the previous Pitt co-point guards of yore, Nelly Cummings. As a rookie, can Beebah be the 1-B to Lowe’s 1-A? 

“I love Pitt,” Cummings proclaimed to Pittsburgh Sports Now towards the end of his prep career. “I’ve been a huge Pitt guy for obviously the last two years. I can’t wait to get up there. Those guys are already like my brothers. I’m already close with everybody up there.” Cummings certainly has the pedigree and big-game track record. A combo guard who can take over at times offensively, Cummings went for 37 points in a 30-point win to lead his high school program to its second straight state title this past year. He’s on the spindly side right now, but Cummings has the poise, handle, and bucket-getting talent to help out quickly. Another of Pittsburgh’s incoming freshmen may redshirt. With Kante coming back and lots of competition inside, rangy post Amdy Ndiaye will face an uphill battle for minutes. Once he’s added some more strength and polish, though, Ndiaye will provide Pitt with yet another long, athletic youngster to cause mayhem in the middle. 

The Panthers are bereft of a tremendous 1-2 punch without Carrington and star forward Blake Hinson, but there are still some terrific players on this roster. The chemistry of this remodeled group will be quickly tested by quality opponents. A fistful of high major matchups loom – including three consecutive true road games leading into ACC play. If Pitt can hit the ground running – and conquer longtime rival West Virginia in a resumption of hostilities – they may have a strong start on an NCAA Tournament résumé by the new year. Since, you know, one can never be too sure what it will take to be invited to the Big Dance. These Panthers appear to have the guards play both old and new and a pleasant variety of bothersome, improving big guys. This bunch has its sights set on doing some damage, and they’re not intending to get left off the guest list again.