Pittsburgh Basketball: 5 major offseason storylines for Panthers in 2021

Jan 16, 2021; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers players huddle on the court before a free throw against the Syracuse Orange during the second half at the Petersen Events Center. Pittsburgh won 96-76. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

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John Hugley Pittsburgh Basketball (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

4. Getting real frontcourt depth to compete in the ACC

Okudale’s development isn’t as important as filling out the frontcourt for the Panthers. That has arguably been their biggest issue in the ACC over the past few years, as their bigs have never stood a chance against the frontcourt of Florida State, North Carolina, and Virginia.

At the moment, Pittsburgh’s bigs on the roster consist of Noah Collier and Max Amadasun, two guys who didn’t play much last season, along with John Hugley. His status with the team still isn’t determined after being suspended due to a felony arrest for theft. The former top-100 recruit will have his legal situation handled this Summer and he’s still taking classes but whether he plays again for the program has yet to be determined.

The staff has been operating as if neither Hugely nor Champagnie comes back, out of caution and has been targeting many frontcourt prospects in the portal. Among those still available as of note includes Fordham big man and native New York Joel Soriano, as well as Drexel forward T.J. Bickerstaff, who has a connection to the staff.

The ideal scenario for Pittsburgh Basketball is landing Efton Reid this week and getting back Champagnie from the draft process. That would give the Panthers maybe the best starting frontcourt in the ACC. Adding Soriano as the backup center would be perfect because Reid can play power forward and Champagnie can play small forward, which may be his ideal position for NBA scouts anyways. Hugley’s return would be great as well from a basketball standpoint but for the sake of the culture, he’ll need to conduct himself differently or he’ll be replaced as well.

We should know in a couple of weeks what the frontcourt will look like and if the results are positive, Panther fans can truly feel as if they can compete in the ACC. Because while the perimeter has certainly had its inconsistencies, the frontcourt on both ends of the court has been the bigger issue in league play.

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