Pittsburgh Basketball: 2020-21 season preview for the Panthers

Reserves for Pittsburgh

Due to the graduations and outgoing transfers, the Panthers bench will be largely relying on the top-30 incoming recruiting class. One of them is John Hugely, a 6’9 and 240-pound center ranked in the top-100, according to 247sportsComposite. He’s one of the most talented big men the program has recruited in a while and is a major upgrade already on the offensive end.

If Hugely can show promise in the first few games of the season, it wouldn’t be a surprise at all if he overtakes Brown as a starter. No matter how good the guards are, Pittsburgh needs legit production from the frontcourt to move up the ACC ladder.

Hugely isn’t the only newcomer in the frontcourt. The Panthers also have four-star power forward freshman William Jeffress on board. He plays bigger than his 6’7 and 205 pounds suggest and could be an impact unsized power forward in the rotation. The team doesn’t really have a true power forward so look for him to be given opportunities in the rotation.

Same potentially for three-star freshmen Noah Collier and Max Amadasun. What their roles will be for the upcoming season are unknown but this recruiting class at least builds up the depth for the Panthers inside. If any of these newcomers can step up, Pittsburgh automatically becomes better for it.

There also are returning reserves Karim Coulibaly and Gerald Drumgoole, Jr., who each played minimal minutes off the bench last season. In the backcourt, three-star freshman combo guard  Femi Odukale, Jr. could find his way into the rotation for depth purposes but is currently nursing an injury and could be out until late December. Look for Johnson to play 35+ mpg as the team lacks other ball-handlers to run the offense at point.