Revisiting a most disappointing year
After a promising season ended with a thud, let’s look at the good, the bad and the future of the 2020-21 Panthers
In the 10 days that have followed its first-round ACC tournament loss, Pitt’s 202021 season has been dissected in a slew of ways.
With a 10-12 record and 10 losses in their final 12 games, the season was a disappointment, a run of nearly four months that saw the Panthers reach what seemed like enthralling new heights before those gave way to maddeningly familiar blunders.
But what about the players? How did they fare? How did they perform relative to expectations? What roles did they play in Pitt’s achievements and failures? What might be next for them?
Let’s take a look at Pitt’s 13 scholarship players.
THE RETURNERS Ithiel Horton
• What happened? While he didn’t live up to the lofty expectations created by teammates and coaches entering the season, he provided the Panthers with skills and traits they needed. He shot 37.1% from 3-point range, with 61.4% of his 189 field-goal attempts coming from 3. After a cold start — understandable given he went 20 months between games — he scored in double figures in 9 of 17 ACC games. He was inconsistent, though, whether it was over the course of the season or within a game. He’d be one of the team’s primary scorers for several games before effectively disappearing for the next several matchups.
• What’s ahead? Horton could very well be Pitt’s leading returning scorer next year, and though he won’t be the centerpiece of his team’s offense, there are areas of his game he’ll have to tweak. He’s a rhythm shooter who will have to be steadier from game to game. On a team potentially lacking offensive firepower, he can’t fade to the background as he did in many games when he was the fourth option.
Nike Sibande
• What happened? Sibande’s first season with Pitt was unusual beyond the pandemic-related headaches. He wasn’t declared eligible until an hour before the sixth game and struggled to settle into a rhythm while getting inconsistent minutes. Injuries and player departures opened a door for him, and he took advantage. He averaged 15 points and 11 shots per game in his final five games after averaging 2.4 points and three shots per game in his first nine appearances. A player who also never shot better than 35% from 3 in three seasons at Miami of Ohio led all Pitt players by shooting 43.6% from deep.
• What’s ahead: Once considered a luxury for next season, Sibande’s late-season surge transformed him into a necessity. The 6-foot-4 guard will be using the extra year of eligibility granted to him by the NCAA. He was efficient in his more pronounced role, shooting 47.3% from the field and 48% from 3 in Pitt’s final five games. Whether he can do that over the course of a season and as one of his team’s main options remains to be seen.
Femi Odukale
• What happened? Odukale was Pitt’s highest-impact freshman, leading the fiveplayer, top-20 class in points (6.6), assists (2.2) and minutes (20.4) per game. At 6-foot-5, he’s a long, rangy athlete who can theoretically alternate between the two guard positions. He showed promising bursts as a playmaking point guard, never more so than with 28 points on 11-of-16 shooting in the first round of the ACC tournament. A strong defender even in his earliest appearances, Odukale was regularly able to use his size and athleticism to get to the basket and, once there, displayed a nice touch to finish off drives.
• What’s ahead? While it’s possible Jeff Capel brings in a transfer to back up Odukale or split minutes with him, the Brooklyn native appears to be the Panthers’ top option at point guard for the foreseeable future. His increased comfort and confidence was evident at the end of the season, something he’ll need to continue. His 49.3% mark on free throws will need to improve drastically, though he’s not a bad shooter from other areas of the court. While relatively steady at the point, he’ll need to bolster his distribution abilities, especially because the player he’s replacing excelled in that area.
Abdoul Karim Coulibaly
• What happened? Coulibaly assumed a much bigger role this season, with his minutes per game more than doubling. With that added time, he was more assertive and tenacious, though still operating in what seemed like slow motion at times. He became a more productive and efficient player, increasing his points-per-game average from 2.7 as a freshman to 5.2 as a sophomore while his field-goal percentage jumped. While he defended ball screens well, his interior defense was often lacking.
• What’s ahead? For all of his improvement, his statistical output was limited, as he scored more than seven points in just four of Pitt’s 22 games and averaged only 3.9 rebounds in 22.5 minutes per game. The Mali native could continue to mature into a useful rotation piece for the Panthers, but he seems best suited at this point to be a backup, not someone who started 20 of 22 games. It’s something Capel likely will have to address this offseason in the transfer market.
William Jeffress
• What happened? As intriguing a freshman as there was on Pitt’s roster, not only because of his potential as a four-star recruit but because he was entering the college game at just 17 years old. It showed at times. Even when he was on the court for extended stretches, his numbers weren’t especially high, indicative of a player who will need to develop offensively. His defense, however, was excellent, and he hardly, if ever, looked overwhelmed or overmatched on that end of the court.
• What’s ahead? It’s almost certain Jeffress will have a
more consistent presence in the Panthers rotation next season than he did as a freshman. He appeared in eight of Pitt’s final 14 games, and in four of those, he played fewer than 10 minutes. He’ll need to contribute more offensively while on the court. A year of experience and an offseason during which to train should be invaluable for him. At this point, the Panthers will have to lean heavily on him, with a relatively thin group of wings. His future appears bright, though.
Noah Collier
• What happened? An alluring and athletic prospect at 6 feet 8, much of what makes Collier enticing is what made his freshman season regularly difficult. He was frequently inserted in the game as a small-ball five, but he was routinely worked over by bigger, more experienced big men who capitalized on being marked by a 210-pound freshman. As the season went on, his role diminished, as he played only 34 minutes in the Panthers’ final 15 games, half of which came in the season finale.
• What’s ahead? Like Jeffress, Collier should benefit from a more traditional offseason than the one he was afforded last year. A question for him will be where he fits positionally. Will coaches try to make him a quicker five man who can stretch the
floor or a lengthy wing who can create mismatches, should his game develop?
Max Amadasun
• What happened? A 6-10 center, Amadasun played just 12 minutes during his freshman season. Even when Pitt was down to two centers and saw both of them get into foul trouble, coaches would turn to Collier for emergency duty. Amadasun is still a raw player, one who would have likely redshirted in a year that wasn’t an eligibility freebie from the NCAA.
• What’s ahead? It’s unwise to judge a big man too early — the adjustment to college is often hardest on them — but next season will provide some important opportunities to show whether Amadasun is capable of being an ACC-caliber rotation player for a team in need of productive size.
THE UNCERTAIN Justin Champagnie
• What happened? Every adjective there is to describe Champagnie’s breakout sophomore season has been exhausted, so we’ll keep it simple. He was a do-everything star for Pitt, becoming the program’s first player since Billy Knight in 1973-74 to average at least 18 points and 10 rebounds per game. He collected 25.6% of opponents’ missed shots while he was on the court, the 44thhighest mark of any Division I player, helping the Panthers finish off possessions in a way they weren’t able to the previous season. Though his play cooled after his team lost two of its starters to the transfer portal, he was close to automatic near the basket for much of the season, singlehandedly took over games, and was the most electrifying Pitt player in more than a decade. Not too shabby.
• What’s ahead? The rub to Champagnie’s sophomore campaign? It might have been too good, at least enough to attract attention from NBA teams and take him away from Pitt with two years of eligibility remaining. It seems likely the 6-6 forward will at least enter the NBA draft and see what feedback he receives from teams in workouts and meetings. His presence on mock drafts has decreased from where it was a month ago, which could be a hopeful sign for Pitt.
John Hugley
• What happened? A top100 recruit, Hugley had his freshman season cut unexpectedly short when he was indefinitely suspended Jan. 15 after being charged with three felonies related to a stolen car. In seven games, the 69 forward showed why he arrived at Pitt with such promise, averaging 5.1 points and 4.3 rebounds in just 14.9 minutes per game. He had his faults — he needed to get in better shape and his defense was weak — but he looked to be the kind of productive big man Pitt hasn’t had in years. Had he not been suspended, it wouldn’t have been hard to envision him getting the majority of minutes at center by the end of the season.
• What’s ahead? Hugley is still listed on the team’s roster and in the school’s directory. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 8, so more clarity should be provided in a few weeks. For now, though, his future with the program seems tenuous, at best.
THE DEPARTED Au’Diese Toney
• What happened? An excellent defender from virtually his first game as a freshman, Toney showed notable improvement on the offensive end, upping his pointsper-game average by five while his shooting numbers either remained steady or got better. In the process, a player who was more of a complementary offensive contributor became someone around whom the Panthers could build plays and run sets. He became Pitt’s best two-way player, someone whose presence was missed in the final five games, especially on defense. Though he only had one year of eligibility remaining, his decision to leave Oakland is a damaging one for Capel’s programbuilding efforts, depriving the Panthers of a valuable, experienced player who would have been helpful in trying to lead Pitt to its first NCAA tournament berth since 2016.
• What’s ahead? Toney entered the transfer portal Feb. 25. He already has scheduled or completed virtual meetings with Arkansas, Arizona, Georgia, Texas A&M, Xavier, Mississippi, Wake Forest, Providence and Cincinnati.
Xavier Johnson
• What happened? Johnson never quite lived up to the expectations he created after a stellar freshman season, but he turned in a relatively strong, albeit frustrating, junior campaign, improving on many of the things that plagued him as a sophomore. He finished second in the ACC in assists per game and was fourth among all Division I players in assist rate, nullifying a lot of the criticism he received about his fit as a point guard. His shooting mark of 42.6% from the field was a career high, and, like Toney, he got to the free-throw line with relative ease (and shot 78.7% once there). Turnovers remained a problem, though, with 3.3 per game. His repeated technical fouls hurt his team in games and put a strain on his relationship with Capel.
• What’s ahead? Johnson entered the transfer portal Feb. 24, about 25 hours before Toney did so. Though he has been mum on specific suitors, preferring to wait until their seasons end, he has received interest from an array of major-conference programs, many of which are in the NCAA tournament field.
Terrell Brown
• What happened? As a senior, Brown saw his playing time dip considerably, down to a career-low 11 minutes per game, though he became the team’s primary backup center after Hugley’s suspension. In his final year at Pitt, he was the player he was for so much of his college career — a strong shotblocker whose struggles and inconsistencies, namely being able to catch and corral the ball, limited him as a rebounder and an offensive threat on the low post.
• What’s ahead? The Rhode Island native is graduating this spring and has entered the transfer portal, meaning he’ll spend the final season of eligibility granted to him at a different school.
Gerald Drumgoole
• What happened? Little went right for Drumgoole in his time at Pitt after starting his first two college games. An ankle injury sidelined the former four-star recruit for six weeks as a freshman, and he never seemed to recover. His playing time as a sophomore was sparse, and after it only marginally increased after Toney and Johnson’s exits, the writing appeared to be on the wall. He was indicative of how a horde of seemingly small factors can derail a player’s efforts to establish himself at a major- conference program.
• What’s ahead? Drumgoole entered the transfer portal March 11. It’s likely the Rochester, N.Y., native will end up at a program at a slightly lower level, where he can begin his career anew and make something close to the impact he was expected to at Pitt.