PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Pitt's leading scorer and rebounder and only all-conference selection says he is sticking by head coach Jeff Capel.
Sophomore center John Hugley said in part in a post on Instagram he loves Capel and appreciate how he and the staff have helped him develop over the last two years. He said he's excited about growing as a person, player and leader.
Playing only seven games his freshman season after being suspended from the team due to an off-campus incident, Hugley averaged 14.8 points and 7.9 rebounds a game as a sophomore. The Cleveland native able to do this despite being the Panthers only low-post option and often its only scoring threat.
He had nine, double-doubles this season including:
· 25 points and 14 rebounds against Minnesota
· 32 points (15-20 FT) and 13 rebounds against Boston College
· 11 points and 18 rebounds against Syracuse
· 21 points and 10 rebounds against NC State
Hugley also improved his efficiency as the season progressed shooting over 50% from the floor each of the last six games.
It's essential for Capel to keep Hugley as he looks to build from the NCAA Transfer Portal. Clearly the team's best player, it would have been devastating to try and grow without their Honorable Mention All-ACC forward.
The team lost little-used forwards Noah Collier and Chris Payton to transfers and senior Oni Ezeakudo is exploring his options for next season. Pitt currently has nine scholarship players on the roster.
