Pittsburgh Basketball: Impact of Ithiel Horton rejoining Panthers for 2021-22

Coming into the season, Pittsburgh Basketball was optimistic to have a fairly uneventful season on and off the court, compared to the season prior when suspensions and transfer departures were the main storylines. Unfortunately, the start of the 2021-22 campaign was the same, due to the season-ending injury to Nike Sibande and hours before the first game, losing Ithiel Horton for what felt like the entire season.

The transfer from Delaware was reportedly involved in an incident in the South Side of Pittsburgh late at night and allegedly got into an altercation with a police officer. Horton was arrested and immediately suspended indefinitely until the legal issues had been resolved. Teammate John Hugley had legal issues himself last season and his suspension proved to be for the season, as it wasn’t handled until May.

After multiple court dates being postponed and pushed further away, it looked as if the Panthers were going to have to move on without him this season. Until a court appearance on December 30th gave the young man the news he needed to hear.

With the legal issues “resolved” at the moment, Pittsburgh gets back a much-needed three-point shooter and more depth to a backcourt that at times, was limited to just one scholarship player.

So what kind of impact does having Horton back on the court will mean on Pittsburgh Basketball? And could more wins be on the way as a result? Here are my takeaways from a roster standpoint for the Panthers going forward.