Pittsburgh Basketball: Can Panthers land Niagara guard Noah Thomasson?

Does Pittsburgh Basketball have enough to offer Noah Thomasson?

At first glance, you’d think the Panthers’ backcourt was wide open when it comes to potential playing time. They lost all four rotation guards from this past season as Jamarius Burton, Nike Sibande, Nelly Cummings, and Greg Elliott all ran out of eligibility.

However, Pittsburgh has not only added Leggett this offseason but also a pair of four-star freshmen in shooting guard Carlton Carrington and point guard Jaland Lowe. Most important is the return of Dior Johnson, a former top-40 prospect that missed all of last season after an offseason arrest sidelined him. He has the talent to be the lead guard but “availability is the best ability” and dating back to his high school days, that’s been an issue with Johnson.

So in a way, there’s no “proven” ACC guard on the roster at the moment, giving Thomasson an opportunity to compete for playing time. And Coach Jeff Capel is coming off of an NCAA Tournament appearance, something Georgia, San Francisco, and St. John’s can’t say. Penn State/Coach Rhoades can make that claim but with a rebuilding effort going on, it’s hard to make the case that they’ll be an NCAA Tournament team next season.

The slight concern is that with Austin, a healthy William Jeffress, and freshman wing Marlon Barnes on the roster, the three-guard offense won’t be happening anymore. So if Johnson is as good as advertised and Leggett is a legit starter, Thomasson would be on the outs. The problem, of course, is that we won’t know that until the season starts.

In the past, it was hard to say that Pittsburgh Basketball was an ideal landing spot for quality transfers like Noah Thomasson. Now, they have a compelling case to make. Can the coaching staff seal the deal in the next week for his services?