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Pittsburgh Basketball: Jeff Capel’s expectations in second season with Panthers

By Vaughn Dalzell

LOUISVILLE, KY - JANUARY 26: Head coach Jeff Capel of the Pittsburgh Panthers reacts in the second half of the game against the Louisville Cardinals at KFC YUM! Center on January 26, 2019 in Louisville, Kentucky. Louisville won 66-51. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
LOUISVILLE, KY - JANUARY 26: Head coach Jeff Capel of the Pittsburgh Panthers reacts in the second half of the game against the Louisville Cardinals at KFC YUM! Center on January 26, 2019 in Louisville, Kentucky. Louisville won 66-51. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
(Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /

Capel’s First (Full) Recruiting Class

Pitt’s incoming class features seven total players, four freshmen, and three transfers. The incoming freshmen are Gerald Drumgoole, Justin Champagnie, Karim Coulibaly, and walk-on KJ Marshall. Pitt’s transfers are Eric Hamilton (UNCG), Ryan Murphy (JUCO), and Ithiel Horton (Delaware).

Horton, a CAA All-Rookie Team selection with the Blue Hens will have to sit this season due to NCAA transfer rules and have three years of eligibility remaining. The 6-foot-3 guard scored in double digits in 22 of 23 games and averaged 13.2 points per game while shooting 40.9-percent from three.

Hamilton is a 6-foot-9 and 250-pound graduate transfer who played at Witchita State and UNCG last. Hamilton played in 35 of 36 games averaging 16.4 minutes, shooting 59.1-percent from the field and 70-percent from the free-throw line.

Murphy is junior from a New Mexico JUCO after transferring from UNC Charlotte. Murphy is a 6-foot-2 guard that shot 32 of 80 (40%) from three-point land in 2017-18. He will most likely serve as a rotational sharp-shooter off the bench spotting minutes for Johnson and McGowens. Another option as a reserve guard could be Senior Anthony Starzynski who played in seven games last season.

Freshmen

Pitt landed one nationally ranked top-150 player in the country and that was Gerald Drumgoole. He’s a three-star guard/forward out of La Lumiere School in La Porte, Indiana and formerly Irondequoit in Rochester, NY. He’s ranked 136th nationally by Rivals. He’s a 6-foot-6 200-pound forward that visited with South Carolina and Minnesota before deciding Pitt was the right school and basketball was the right sport for him. Pitt was one of 14 basketball offers and Drumgoole had multiple Division I football scholarships he was considering as well.

The Panthers added another small forward/shooting guard in Justin Champagnie out of Bishop Loughlin in Brooklyn, NY. Champagnie is a 6-foot-6 205-pound three-star recruit that had 17 other offers including Cincinnati, Ohio State, Texas, and UCLA.

Pitt’s biggest addition to the 2019-20 squad is three-star 6-foot-8 230-pound center out of the Scotland Performance Insititute in PA, Karim Coulibaly. Coulibaly is a left-handed big man with range and agility. He had 16 total offers including Boston College, Georgia Tech, Penn State and National Champion Virginia.

Coulibaly also played for Mali Africa’s U-18 team and took part in the FIBA U19 World Cup earning a Silver Medal. Do the depth in the frontcourt, he has a chance at earning minutes early and being a candidate for a potentially larger role next season. His talent level looks accelerated most likely due to playing international and professional basketball and should translate well with the Panthers playing style.

The last addition to the roster was walk-on KJ Marshall. He played at Trinity Christian (N.C.) and was a former teammate of Au’Diese Toney which gives Marshall immediate chemistry. He’s a 5-foot-11 point guard that knocked down 42 three-pointers as a high school senior at a 39-percent clip.

Overall the Pitt Panthers rebuild is on track and the talent level should produce more than last season’s 69.9 points per game that increased from a whopping 62.0 in 2017-18 under Kevin Stallings. This season the Oakland Zoo will be packed and in full effect for a team that has been night and day at home compared to playing on the road. The Panthers have conference home games versus Boston College, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, Syracuse, Virginia and Wake Forest this season. The non-conference home schedule has not been announced yet.

Look for tournaments and non-conference games versus teams like Kansas State and West Virginia to show us what Pitt team to expect when ACC league play comes around. Pitt has a serious chance at going above .500 for the first time since Jamie Dixon led the Panthers to a 21-12 (9-9) finish in 2015-16. Jeff Capel knows going .500 in conference play is not an easy feat and every win is going to count, especially if he wants to land program-changing recruits.

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