Welcome to my team preview series for 2024-25. Each day between now and the start of the college basketball season, I will preview one team or conference, both on Instagram (@collegehoopsoutlet) and through an article here. The preview will go in-depth on the roster build of the team, my expectations for their upcoming season, and the state of the program under their current head coach.
Pitt (Projected: 7th in ACC)
Jeff Capel has turned things around for Pitt basketball the last two seasons, going 26-14 in ACC play and reaching an NCAA Tournament in 2023. Capel’s squad lost a couple of key pieces this offseason, but for the most part filled out the roster with internal contributors. Pitt will have its hands full trying to place in the ACC’s top four for the third season in a row in 2024-25.
Seven players return to the Pitt program for 2024-25, including five key rotational pieces from last season’s team. The key returners in the backcourt are Ishmael Leggett (12 ppg, 6 rpg) and Jaland Lowe (10 ppg). Leggett is a physical guard with good defensive skills and capable scoring ability. Lowe is a rising sophomore who improved throughout his freshman season and looks ready to take a large leap as a sophomore. Both Leggett and Lowe will need to take bigger roles heading into 2024-25 for the Panthers to be a contender for an at-large bid.
The returners continue in the Panthers’ frontcourt, where three guys who played solid minutes last season return. Senior Zack Austin (7 ppg, 4 rpg) and junior Guillermo Diaz Graham (7 ppg, 4 rpg) are two guys who will be heavily involved in the frontcourt, both familiar with the Pitt program. Both chip in on the glass and Guillermo Diaz Graham gives a floor-spacing option with a 40.5% mark from three-point range last season. Brother of Guillermo, Jorge Diaz Graham (4 ppg) will be another guy involved in the Pitt rotation. Redshirt freshmen Papa Amadou Kante and Marlon Barnes Jr. round out the list of returners, spending 2023-24 as redshirts.
Five players, including three starters, left Pitt this offseason. Blake Hinson (19 ppg, 4 rpg) left the program after two seasons, leading the team in scoring and recording a 41-point game against Louisville this past February. Freshman Carlton “Bub” Carrington (14 ppg, 5 rpg, 4 apg) left after just one season, being drafted to the Wizards in this summer’s NBA Draft. Federiko Federiko (5 ppg, 5 rpg) left after starting 26 games for the Panthers, transferring to Texas Tech. Bench pieces Michael Hueitt Jr (3 ppg) and William Jeffress (2 ppg) complete the list of losses.
Jeff Capel added just two transfers this offseason, but both will have important roles for the Panthers. Florida State transfer Cam Corhen (9 ppg, 4 rpg at Florida State) is my pick to start at the five for Pitt, an athletic and physical big. Corhen shot 62.6% from the field last season and was an elite offensive rebounder, two things that work in his favor when talking about a possible breakout year. Corhen didn’t really have the breakout he was supposed to this past season as a sophomore, but with new scenery and teammates surrounding him, I see an increase in production coming.
Houston transfer Damian Dunn (6 ppg at Houston) is the other transfer for the Panthers, a veteran scoring guard who averaged 14+ ppg at Temple for three seasons before spending last year at Houston. If Dunn can return to the form he was in the last time he played in the state of Pennsylvania, he will be an important piece and veteran leader for this Pitt squad. I’m confident Dunn can get back near double-digits in the scoring column this season, finding a backcourt where it will be much easier for him to carve out a larger role.
Pitt brings in a solid high school recruiting class, with three freshman coming into the program. Wing Amsal Delalic hails from Bosnia & Herzegovina, is a top-30 European prospect, and has four years of eligibility even at 21 years of age. Delalic stands at 6-7 and can do a bit of everything on the floor while shooting 40% from three last season in Europe. Delalic is a guy who could come in and have a big impact right away, having plenty of experience professionally. Traditional high school recruits Brandin Cummings (Guard – 3*, NAT 130) and Amdy Ndiaye (Center – 3*, NAT 179) round out the incoming class and could see a chunk of minutes in a thin Pitt rotation.
After four years of struggles, Jeff Capel has Pitt on the up, securing back-to-back years of 22+ wins. As long as the positive trajectory continues, I’m confident in Capel and the stability of his job at Pitt. He did a great job this offseason retaining the talent he could and added a small handful of guys who can come in and compete right away. I also like the international flair he has added to his roster, and Bosnian wing Amsal Delalic will highlight that this season.
Plenty of Panthers will need to take a jump in production if Pitt wants to play at the same level as last season. I’ve talked about the fact that I think Delalic will make a big impact and while I’m not sure he’ll start right away I think there’s a solid chance he ends up in the starting lineup by season’s end. My X-factor for this team though is Jaland Lowe. Lowe will now be a sophomore and with classmate Bub Carrington now in the NBA, it’ll be Lowe’s turn to run the Pitt offense. If Lowe breaks out like I think he could, Pitt could be in store for a solid season.
This Pitt backcourt is very exciting, guys like Lowe and Delalic with very high potential and veteran guards like Ishmael Leggett and Damian Dunn to keep them under control. The frontcourt is where I think problems could arise, I like the addition of Cam Corhen but I otherwise feel the department is lacking. That being said, I think Pitt will be highly competitive in the ACC and I have them placed 7th in the conference right now.