Pittsburgh Basketball: Impact of Panthers landing Rhode Island transfer Ish Leggett
With several open scholarships for Pittsburgh Basketball this offseason, Coach Jeff Capel made a significant splash on Monday afternoon with the addition of Ish Leggett.
This season, the Panthers finished fifth with an overall record of 24-12, which marks their first winning record since the 2015-16 season. Pitt would win dramatically in the First Four over Mississippi State, and they would upset Iowa State in the first round before falling to Xavier in the Round of 32.
After a relatively good season compared to years past, there is much to be excited about for the Pittsburgh Panthers; however, there is still work left to be done.
While Pitt has started showing signs of success, they knew it would be challenging to continue that momentum after losing six players this offseason. With four guards departing from the program due to graduation, Pittsburgh’s priority would be to assess their depth in the backcourt.
Ishmael Leggett joins the Panthers after three seasons with the Rhode Island Rams. The 6-foot-3 guard hails from Prince George’s County, Maryland, and starred at St. Johns College.
The sophomore broke out this season in Kingston, averaging 16.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 32.0 percent from behind the arc, and 39.3 percent from the field. He started all 31 games and scored in double figures 28 times, including a career-high 34 points against Tulane.
He joins a backcourt consisting of redshirt freshman Dior Johnson, freshman Carlton Carrington, and freshman Jaland Lowe. Leggett could slide into either the one or two slots as he is a combo guard that will likely fit Coach Capel’s style nicely.
Leggett now marks the program’s second transfer portal commitment of the offseason after Pitt landed High Point transfer forward Zack Austin on April 11th.
The Panthers have also been connected to Syracuse guard Joe Girard III among others currently in the portal.
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We can expect Pitt to continue building their incoming class to keep their momentum going and become a serious contender in the ACC for the future.