Trey McGowens vs. FSU in 2018
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Stay Safe, McGowens and Murphy Transfer, Pitt Lands Odukale, Transfer Portal Targets, and More

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Trey McGowens vs. FSU in 2018

Writing about college basketball recruiting seems a little bit unnecessary in our current moment, and I want to start off by saying that I hope all of our readers are taking precautions to stay safe and healthy. It’s important to make sure that we stay physically healthy, but be sure to be aware of your mental health as well, and seek any support that you may need.

Additionally, feel free to check out the following links if you want to:

  1. learn more about COVID-19,
  2. look into resources available for workers and employers as of now (via US Department of Labor),
  3. support organizations who are helping with COVID-19 relief.

In the meantime, I suspect many of us are looking for a sense of normalcy, and to that end, let’s talk some Pitt hoops. Despite a couple of weeks that has seen the suspension of all major professional and college athletics, there has been no shortage of news from the wold of Pitt basketball recruiting. To the news:

  • Pitt is losing one major piece of its puzzle, as sophomore guard Trey McGowens has entered the transfer portal:

  • That long line of suitors has taken shape quickly, as Jon Rothstein is reporting that McGowens has already heard from Wichita State, Georgia Tech, UConn, Georgetown, Illinois, and several other major programs. Hopefully the South Carolina native winds up in a situation that is better for him.

  • As for why McGowens has chosen to explore a transfer, it apparently comes down to his desire to develop as a point guard, which was obviously not in the cards as long as he was playing with Xavier Johnson. Despite having a very similar skillset as Johnson (i.e. a slasher who could get to the basket and score), his playmaking ability just wasn’t as sharp as Johnson’s can be, and Johnson has the point guard position all but locked up for as long as he’ll be at Pitt.
  • Speaking of which, Johnson has himself come out this week and confirmed that he’ll be back next year:

  • Another player who will not be back, however, is guard Ryan Murphy, who has also entered the transfer portal:

  • Murphy has already received offers from several D-I programs including San Diego, Iona, BYU, ECU, and Montana, while receiving contact from Marquette, Cincinnati, and Tulalne. It’s been a bumpy ride for Murphy, who is by all accounts a good person and a hard worker, as he’s been to three schools in three years. As a graduate transfer, he’ll be immediately eligible wherever he winds up next. Best of luck to him, and I’ll be rooting for him.
  • Losing McGowens and Murphy at the same time thins out Pitt’s backcourt considerably, with just Johnson and sight-unseen transfer guard Ithiel Horton set to be the only scholarship guards to return to the roster next year.
  • Of course, there’s plenty of reason to feel great about Horton joining Pitt’s rotation. The transfer guard shot 40.9 percent from three as a true freshman at Delaware before heading to Pitt and sitting out this year due to transfer restrictions. Not only that, but Jeff Capel has had absolutely glowing praise of Horton’s play behind the scenes this year:

  • Pitt’s backcourt depth got another boon as three-star guard prospect Femi Odukale committed to Capel and the Panthers earlier this week:

  • Cardiac Hill has a writeup of Odukale, which includes a note about a stellar senior year which saw him average nearly a triple-double, with 17.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 8.1 assists per game. Odukale’s commitment brings Pitt’s 2020 class to four players, as he joins Noah Collier, John Hugley, and Max Amadasun.
  • With those additions, combined with the departures of McGowens, Murphy, Eric Hamilton, Kene Chukwuka, and Samson George, Pitt has 11 of its allowable 13 scholarships filled for the upcoming season, which means that we can expect that Pitt will continue to scope out possible additions for the upcoming season.
  • Right at the top of that list is 2020-reclassification wing William Jeffress, from McDowell High School in Erie, Pa. Last month, Corey Evans noted that Pitt cracked Jeffress’ list of top-10 schools:

  • Jeffress is currently figuring out how to visit the schools that he’s considering, with a mandatory dead period in recruiting instituted by the NCAA as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. His situation likely won’t be resolved for a couple of months at least, but with texts and calls still permitted during the dead period, you can be sure that Capel and his staff will do their due diligence to put them in a position to possibly land the four-star forward.
  • Pitt is also pursuing two high-profile transfers, including one who should be very familiar to Pitt fans:

  • Nolley II averaged 15.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per game this year at Virginia Tech, and put up seven points, 12 rebounds, and six assists in the Hokies’ 67-57 win over the Panthers on Feb. 15, 2020. He wants to play on the wing, and it’s not clear how strong of a fit Pitt would be with Au’Diese Toney and Justin Champagnie both garnering significant minutes. Still, this would be a huge addition for the Panthers.
  • Pitt has also contacted Wichita State transfer Jamarius Burton, who scored 10.3 points per game on 38.1 percent shooting from three-point range this past season, and has started 52 games for the Shockers over the past two years.

  • Burton, a North Carolina native, is getting a lot of attention from major programs, including from Kevin Keatts and NC State. Part of his decision will come down to watching the film and measuring the statistical progression of each team’s shooters, according Brian Snow’s article at 247sports.com. It’s hard to know how that might impact Pitt, as both Johnson and McGowens showed some regression this season in their shooting percentages.

We will continue to monitor Pitt basketball recruiting and bring you updates as they become available. Make sure to follow us on Twitter @PittHoops for daily coverage.

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