Recent history hasn’t resulted in a lot of success at Pittsburgh under Jeff Capel III. The Panthers have struggled significantly and had another tough season last year, finishing just 13-20 and settling for 15th place in the ACC. Capel enters year nine in what’s undeniably a win-now mode, with 2023 still his only trip to the Big Dance with the Panthers.
Some changes needed
After last year’s struggle, the Panthers are reshuffling the deck quite a bit. Notable players like Cameron Corhen, Barry Dunning, and Damarco Minor are all out of eligibility, while nearly everyone else is gone through similar means or the transfer portal. Among the returners, only Macari Moore saw time on the court last season, and he was only good for 1.4 points a game as a freshman.
4-star forward Chase Foster is the most notable freshman additions, but Capel and his staff really came through with the transfer portal as well. Georgia Tech’s Baye Ndongo was among the most notable forwards in the portal while Mercer’s Armani Mighty averaged a double-double last year in the SoCon. The frontcourt also gets Jonathan Powell from North Carolina while Jalil Bethea should become a playmaker in the backcourt after his previous work at Miami and Alabama.
You could easily argue for Ndongo or one of those other new pieces, but it is Naithan George that gets our focus here. A 6-3 point guard from Toronto, George has plenty of ACC experience, spending his first two years at Georgia Tech before his time at Syracuse last year. He actually led the conference in assists as a sophomore, averaging 12.3 points and 6.5 assists in his last year with the Yellow Jackets before decent numbers in his lone year with the Orange.
Big time changes
With such a massive change on this roster, Pittsburgh needs leadership and stability and they’re hoping that George can provide that. He’s already shown that he can be a craft and productive point guard. The Panthers really need those skills on display, especially with all the new talent in the frontcourt and these other moving pieces. It’s also important for both George and this team that he can improve other parts of his game as a senior, including his outside shooting, hitting just 29% of his 3-pointers last year.
Building an entire lineup from the transfer portal has become a new normal for some programs in this day and age. It’s always important to have an experienced and accountable point guard and George just might be that for this team. Capel needs these Panthers to have quite the bounce back season and he’s nailed an offseason full of new talent. The big question is whether he’s done enough to get the Panthers dancing again, though with the expanded NCAA Tournament field his job is slightly easier.
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