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Pittsburgh Basketball: Why Panthers will be better than West Virginia in 2019-20

By Vaughn Dalzell

PITTSBURGH, PA - JANUARY 14: Terrell Brown #21 of the Pittsburgh Panthers celebrates after an and one against the Florida State Seminoles at Petersen Events Center on January 14, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA - JANUARY 14: Terrell Brown #21 of the Pittsburgh Panthers celebrates after an and one against the Florida State Seminoles at Petersen Events Center on January 14, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
(Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

Returning Starters

Pitt last year was younger than usual and the projected starting lineup of Johnson, Trey McGowens (So.), Au’Diese Toney (So.), Terrell Brown (junior), and the lone senior Kene Chukwuka. The five combined for 3,971 minutes, playing at least 571 minutes, and logging 163 of 165 games played last season. Pitt returns more talent than in recent years and better and even Coach Capel thinks so.

When asked by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, “Certainly I think we have more talent than we did last year,” Capel said. “We are a little bit bigger. Our length is a little bit better. Our athleticism is a little bit better. So I think we’ve improved in those areas. But we still have a long way to go.”

Pitt returns a polished unit while losing one of the programs five leading scorers to graduation while West Virginia lost three of its top five scorers. The Panthers bring back 45.1 points, 21.0 rebounds, and 3,986 minutes of game action from six players. The Mountaineers return 42.5 points per game, 22.5 rebounds, and 4,304 minutes from seven players.

West Virginia lost leading scorers James Bolden (12.2), Esa Ahmad (12.0), Lamont West (11.1) but returns emerging stand-out sophomore Derek Culver (11.5 ppg, 9.9 rpg). Joining Culver as experienced players from last year’s team are sophomore guards Brandon Knapper and Jordan McCabe, sophomore forward Emmitt Matthews Jr., and seniors Logan Routt (forward), Chase Harler (guard), and Jermaine Haley (guard).

Culver, Haley, Harler, Knapper, McCabe, and Matthews all played at least 400 minutes and 26 games for the Mountaineers, bringing back an experienced group spread out throughout its roster. The Mountaineers brought in two freshmen to its recruiting class to join the five sophomores, one junior, and three seniors on the now 11-man squad.

Pitt’s first recruiting class with Capel totaled three scholarship freshmen, one walk-on and Ithiel Horton, a sophomore and CAA-All Rookie Team selection from the University of Delaware. Horton will sit out due to NCAA transfer rules, but freshman Justin Champagnie, Karim Coulibaly, and Gerald Drumgoole have an opportunity at early minutes. The three played well in the team’s foreign trip to Italy proving they can contribute to an already young team.

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