Pitt Men’s Basketball 2022-23 Season Preview
The 2021-22 season for Pitt men’s basketball was another rough one under Jeff Capel, as they finished 11-21 overall, while going just 6-14 in ACC play.
As Capel enters his fifth season as Panthers head coach, they are picked to finish 14th in the conference, with only Georgia Tech projected to be worse.
The program was dealt a crushing blow earlier in October, when 2022 prized recruit, Dior Johnson, was arrested and charged, with simple assault, from an incident that occurred in September. Following the news of Johnson’s arrest, the team suspended him indefinitely.
As the regular season is about to begin shortly, here is how the Pittsburgh Panthers’ roster shakes out.
Projected starters
Center - John Hugley: Perhaps no player on last season’s Panthers team was as productive than John Hugley. The now 6’9 junior averaged 14.8 points and 7.9 rebounds during the 2021-22 season. He was excellent at drawing fouls, as he went to the free throw line 221 times, which was seventh most in the nation. Hugley is currently dealing with a sprained knee and will likely miss the beginning of the season.
Power Forward - Blake Hinson: With the loss of Mo Gueye, Pitt landed former Ole Miss transfer Blake Hinson to fill the void at power forward. While playing with the Rebels last season, Hinson had 10.1 PPG, along with 4.6 rebounds.
Small Forward - Jamarius Burton: Besides John Hugley, Jamarius Burton was another bright spot, for the Panthers a season ago. Burton, who transferred from Texas Tech, averaged 12.4 PPG. He was also very consistent with the freebies, as he recorded an .880 free throw percentage - good for second best in the ACC.
Shooting Guard - Greg Elliott: After four years at Marquette, Greg Elliott decided to attend the University of Pittsburgh as a graduate transfer. While with Marquette last season, Elliott averaged 7.0 points.
Point Guard - Nelly Cummings: With the uncertainty surrounding Dior Johnson, Jeff Capel will look to Nelly Cummings as the floor general, for the Panthers this season. Before transferring to Pitt, Cummings was a solid contributor at Colgate, where he was a two-time All-Patriot player. Last season, he put up 14.7 points, which were eighth most in the conference.
Bench
Nike Sibande: The Panthers will get a key player back, in the form of Nike Sibande, who missed all of last season, due to a torn ACL. Now fully recovered, Sibande will look to play the role of sixth man, although he’ll probably share some minutes at shooting guard, with Greg Elliott.
Guillermo Díaz-Graham: For Jeff Capel, perhaps his most fascinating recruits, since being at Pitt, are the Díaz-Graham brothers, Guillermo and Jorge. In the case of Guillermo, he was able to showcase his skill set at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL. Averaging 12.5 PPG, along with 7.3 rebounds at the Academy, Guillermo also represented the Spanish National Team, and helped them win the U20 European Championship this summer. 247 Sports rated Guillermo a three-star recruit.
Jorge Díaz-Graham: For Guillermo and his brother, Jorge, the journey to collegiate ball should be exciting, for the first Spanish born players to ever play, with the Pitt Panthers. Jorge also joined his brother at the IMG Academy, where he recorded 15.5 PPG, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks. Despite being 6’11, Jorge has an impressive, outside the perimeter game, with a 44% three-point percentage. Just like Guillermo, Jorge was rated a three-star recruit, according to Rivals.
William Jeffress: Entering his junior season, William Jeffress has spent the first two years at Pitt coming off the bench. He’s played a total of 47 games, while averaging only 3.0 points.
Nate Santos: As a freshman last season, Nate Santos didn’t receive much court time, for the Panthers, as he averaged just 12.8 minutes per game and 2.8 PPG.
Federiko Federiko: Another transfer brought in by Capel is Federiko Federiko. A native of Helsinki, Finland, Federiko played his college ball as a freshman last season, with Northern Oklahoma, posting 11.7 points per, along with 8.6 rebounds, and 1.9 blocked shots.
KJ Marshall: Originally joining the Pitt Panthers as walk-on during the 2019-20 season, KJ Marshall has returned to Pittsburgh, this after playing the last two seasons, with Garden City Community College and Mars Hill University.
Aidan Fisch: Returning for his senior year, Aidan Fisch will look to provide forward depth, for the Panthers.. The Murrysville, PA native has only appeared in six games at Pitt.
Vason Stevenson: A star athlete at Montour High School, Vason Stevenson arrives to Pittsburgh as a walk-on. Stevenson has the basketball pedigree, as his father, Ron, played for Duquesne University in the mid-80’s.
While the 2022-23 campaign is expected to be a struggle once again regarding the Pittsburgh Panthers, perhaps there could be some positives, for Jeff Capel and his coaching staff to seek out. Both John Hugley and Jamarius Burton are capable of taking their game to a bigger level. The return of Nike Sibande should give the Panthers a nice boost. The addition of transfers Blake Hinton and Nelly Cummings could give them some decent scoring options. Much needed size was also added, with Federiko Federiko, as well as the Díaz-Graham brothers. The development of the twin brothers will certainly be intriguing to watch this season.