Pitt men’s basketball is like any other team in the world of large NIL deals and a transfer portal overflowing with players searching for a better opportunity. The Panthers must fight all offseason to retain their best players and acquire more.
It’s a battle they are winning.
First-year guard Amsal Delalić entered the transfer portal on the third day of the window, and junior forwards Guillermo Diaz Graham and Jorge Diaz Graham entered the portal the next day. Guillermo Diaz Graham, who recently committed to play at San Francisco next season, played over 23 minutes per game in his 32 appearances last season. Delalić and Jorge Diaz Graham played sparse shot-making roles off the bench.
The Panthers’ punch to the gut came when sophomore guard Jaland Lowe, the team’s leading scorer, entered the transfer portal with a “Do Not Contact” tag, causing fans to speculate where the budding star would go. The answer came a few days later. Lowe was headed to Kentucky, a school famous for sending guards to the NBA.
Losing four potential starters hurts. But the Panthers signed a pair of former Iowa State players — graduate student center Dishon Jackson and sophomore guard Nojus Indrusaitis — in the first week of the transfer portal window to fill the void.
Rebounding was a consistent issue the Panthers faced last season. Many of Pitt’s wins came despite losing the rebounding battle and many of their losses came from opposing teams dominating the glass. Pitt fans can easily assume Jackson comes to Pitt to remedy the issue and keep the glass nice and clean.
With Pitt’s lead guard out of the building, guards in the transfer portal looked at Pitt with wide eyes. Graduate student guard Damarco Minor jumped on the opportunity, leaving Oregon State and committing to Pitt on April 14.
Minor spent the first two years of his collegiate career at SIU Edwardsville, where he started all 66 games he appeared in. In his sophomore year, Minor led the Cougars in scoring with 15.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. That production led the Chicago native to transfer to Oregon State, where he averaged just under 10 points and led the Beavers with 5.1 assists per game.
Standing 6 feet tall, Minor makes a concerted effort to rebound, averaging 6.3 boards per game for his career. While guards often aren’t criticized for not rebounding, the Panthers enjoyed the efforts of senior guard Ishmael Leggett and his team-leading 5.9 rebounds per game. With Leggett out of eligibility and Lowe down south, Minor comes to Pittsburgh with a chance to showcase his playmaking and rebounding ability.
Sophomore guard Brandin Cummings returns to the Panthers to compete with Indrusaitis and Minor. On age and experience alone, Minor likely comes to Pitt as the starting point guard. Cummings impressed in several outings and showed growth throughout last season, including a 30-point outburst against Eastern Kentucky.
Bolstering the Panthers’ frontcourt is the former consensus No. 1-ranked player in Alabama, senior forward Barry Dunning Jr., a transfer from South Alabama. Pitt is Dunning’s fourth school in four years.
He started his collegiate career at Arkansas, where he didn’t score his first field goal until the NCAA Tournament against Connecticut. Dunning then spent his sophomore year at UAB, but still struggled to see the floor. He transferred to South Alabama for his junior year and prospered.
The Mobile, Alabama, native started 31 games last season for the Jaguars, who finished first in the Sun Belt Conference. Standing at 6 foot 6, Dunning Jr. led South Alabama with 15.1 points and 7.2 rebounds in 32.8 minutes per game. He tied a program record with 46 points against Texas State, a performance that helped the former Alabama Gatorade Player of the Year earn First-Team All-Sun Belt honors.
There’s no telling the value of a transfer in the offseason. The “biggest” names in the portal don’t always produce at their projected level at their new school. At the same time, some of the “smaller” names are the ones taking the college basketball world by storm come March.
It does not matter if a player comes from a Power Five, mid-major, low-major or Division II school — there is no telling what a player is capable of until the games are played.
Redshirt senior forward Zack Austin spent the first two years of his career at High Point before winning The Pitt News Sports Desk’s MVP award for his performance last season. Leggett, the second-leading scorer for Pitt last season, spent three years at Rhode Island before transferring to Pitt with Austin.
Jackson and Indrusaitis come from a high-major school that just competed in the NCAA Tournament as a three seed. Minor competed in the WCC, a mid-major but highly regarded conference in college basketball. And Dunning played in a mid-major conference that only sent one team to the NCAA Tournament.
What can Pitt fans make of all of this? Not much. The Oakland Zoo and other Pitt fans have to wait until the fall to see how returning and new Panthers fit together.
For now, fans who are hungry for a dominant season and an invitation to the NCAA Tournament can feel optimistic that Pitt is successfully navigating the uncharted territory of the transfer portal.
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