This offseason, Pittsburgh Basketball landed several players from the transfer portal. One of them was starting center Dishon Jackson from Iowa State, who was supposed to be a starter for the Panthers. However, he’s yet to be cleared to play due to past medical issues, and it’s unknown whether Jackson will suit up for them this year.
The other notable newcomer was Barry Dunning Jr., a 6’7 transfer forward from South Alabama. The former four-star prospect had a breakout year last season there, averaging 15.1 ppg and 7.2 rpg, shooting 31% from three-point range. His strong end to the year, including a 46-point outburst against Texas State, made him an appealing portal target in the offseason.
In the preseason, there was a chance that Dunning could be Pittsburgh’s top scorer. However, his struggles in both exhibition games became a concern, one that grew through the first four regular-season outings. He scored just 11 points total, shooting 2-for-15 from the field.
After playing just two minutes total on the road at West Virginia, it looked as if Dunning would be doomed to the end of the rotation. However, on Monday against Bucknell, he got an opportunity to play in the first half, making his first two shots.
From there, Dunning went off, scoring 14 points at the half and finishing with a season-high 23 points and seven rebounds, making 7/11 from three-point range in Pittsburgh’s 84-50 win over Bucknell. For a player who struggled in the first six games in a Pittsburgh uniform, this was huge for both Dunning and the Panthers to have a player who should be in the rotation having an impact.
Coach Jeff Capel said postgame that “we brought him here to be a really good player, because we think he's a really good player. And hopefully this is a big step for him tonight. Not just the shot making, just the force that he played with.”
Based on what happened against West Virginia, Pitt badly needs another scoring option who can shoot the ball. If Dunning can be a double-digit contributor who can help on the boards, that’ll go a long way towards them being competitive the rest of the season.
We’ll see soon if that game is a one-off or part of a trend with Dunning, as a neutral-site battle with UCF is next on Thursday.