After a disappointing season in year four of the Jeff Capel era, Pitt took on a tall task this offseason and completely revamped its roster around star big John Hugley and returning guards Jamarius Burton and Nike Sibande.
Overall, the Panthers brought in eight new players: three high-school prospects, two JuCo prospects, and three transfers. Here, we break down the transfer class brought in by Capel and his staff.
PITT TRANSFER ADDITIONS:
NELLY CUMMINGS, COLGATE
14.7 PTS / 3 REB / 3.4 AST / 36% 3FG%
GREG ELLIOTT, MARQUETTE
7.0 PTS / 2.0 REB / 1.3 AST / 38.6% 3FG
BLAKE HINSON, OLE MISS/IOWA STATE*
10.1 PTS / 4.6 REB / 40% FG
*Hinson DNP in 2020-21 or 2021-22 season. Stats shown are from 2019-20 with Ole Miss.
Pitt got off to a fantastic start with the addition of Pittsburgh native Nelly Cummings. Cummings is a 6-foot guard who has been to multiple NCAA tournaments and has statistically improved each season of his five-year college career. He’ll run the point for the Panthers alongside talented HS prospect Dior Johnson.
Next is Elliott, who also has four seasons of experience at the D1 level. A 6-foot-3 shooting guard, he should come off the bench for Pitt and camp out in three-point range. He shot a career-high 46% from three in 2020-21, and followed that up with a 39% mark this past year, making a career-high 1.2 3PG for the Golden Eagles.
Lastly, Hinson is a 6-foot-7 forward who has not played in a game since his 2019-20 season with Ole Miss. He will be tasked with guarding fours all year for Pitt, as the Panthers don’t have much front court depth. He’s up to 255 pounds (from 235 at Iowa State) and should see plenty of minutes if his offensive skill set is as sharp as it was two years ago.
TPR’S PROJECTED LINEUP FOR PITT:
NELLY CUMMINGS, G
DIOR JOHNSON, G
JAMARIUS BURTON, G
BLAKE HINSON, F
JOHN HUGLEY, F
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