Pitt has needed a big man to emerge for its frontcourt for years.
Since the days of DeJuan Blair, Pitt has lacked that dominant presence in the paint that could steady both its offense and defense and open up opportunities for Panthers' slashers and scorers in their backcourt.
Enter John Hugley.
Hugley isn't a center, but the 6-foot-9, 240-pounder looks the part of a big, physical forward who can be the paint presence Jeff Capel needs for the foreseeable future.
As a freshman, Hugley is extremely raw and that was blatantly obvious when he started in the Panthers opening night loss to Saint Francis (PA). He scored seven points with eight rebounds in just 20 minutes, but he shot 3 of 10 from the floor and was not a consistent enough presence in the paint to help Pitt rebound from its poor shooting.
Hugley didn't look incapable, just a little lost. There were times he was in position to make a play but hesitated or missed a small detail that turned into a big play for Saint Francis. Watch how he gives up his position in the paint and how it leads to second-chance points for Saint Francis.
Hugley stays in the paint and watches the shooter take his shot from beyond the arc, all while losing inside position on his man and allowing him to tip the ball away from Noah Collier. The man he was supposed to box out gives Saint Francis the second chance, and then Hugley is unable to stand his ground, giving up a 3-point play in the process:
That's a double whammy of mistakes.
Capel sat Hugley down from the starting lineup for Karim Abdoul Coulibaly, but hasn't given up on Hugley. His 13.3 minutes per game average is seventh-most on the roster, while his 4.8 points per game and 3.8 rebound per game are both fifth-most.
Hugley has been settling down and figuring out how to better use his size and strength to get rebounds and capitalize on scoring opportunities. Against St. Francis, several of his missed shots came from rushing his pace when he got a good pass in solid position and not playing to his strengths.
Those problems haven't shown nearly as much during Pitt's five-game win streak after that loss. Take this authoritative dunk from Hugley late in Pitt's comeback win over Northwestern. You can see William Jeffress draw the attention of two defenders in the paint, opening up Hugley's path along the baseline. Hugley takes the ball and goes in strong to finish even while being fouled, igniting Pitt with a big play:
Nice, right?
Pitt needs that kind of physical presence back in the paint. Terrell Brown had tried to be that over the past few seasons but could never turn into the bully who could use his size and deft touch around the rim to finish open looks as opponents rushed to defend Xavier Johnson or Justin Champagnie on their drives to the basket.
And bully might be a good term to describe Hugley's potential.
Watch how he backs down Miami's forward Deng Gak in the paint while working in the post. You can see by this point that Miami was trying to contend with Pitt's shooters and went man-to-man, leaving Hugley alone in the paint with Gak.
Hugley takes his time with how he backs Gak down as Pitt works the ball around the perimeter. First, with Nike Sibande, then to Noah Collier, then to Johnson who feeds Hugley:
And notice how Hugley finished with decent touch.
Combining raw power with skill in the post is crucial for any big man's game. Hugley isn't a behemoth who can bully his way against any forward in the ACC, but if he combines the natural strength he possesses with developed ball skills, it could make him a very dangerous paint presence.
Doing so would open up plenty more opportunities for Pitt's offense. Teams that focus on stopping the explosive capabilities of Johnson and Champagnie or even Au'Diese Toney might think twice if they know Hugley can punish them for leaving him open under the basket.
Capel simply hasn't had that type of player in his first two years with Pitt.
If Hugley can continue to find his rhythm in the offense and learn how to stay in control once he gets those feeds in the paint, it's another solid upgrade for Capel's club.
• As reported over the weekend, Pitt will be without Capel in its ACC home opener against Louisville Tuesday night, as Capel tested positive for COVID-19. Pitt's Athletic Department announced Monday afternoon that assistant head coach Tim O'Toole would handle head coaching duties in his absence, as we predicted in our report.
After further testing, Pitt also reports that no other players or coaches have tested positive on the team and that all personnel have cleared contact tracing to participate in Tuesday's game.
“I am grateful that we have been able to avoid any additional positive test results and that our social distancing measures within the program have cleared our players and staff through contact tracing,” Capel said Monday. “Everyone in our program and across the college basketball landscape is making significant sacrifices to have a successful season. I am proud of how our program and University has handled the pandemic and look forward to getting back on the court with my team.”
Pitt uses the KINEXON Safe Zone system to monitor close contacts for players and staff. It's the same system used by the Steelers and the NFL.
“Using the data from the KINEXON Safe Zone system, along with the socially distanced way we conduct practices and travel, we have been fortunate to identify no additional close contacts of Coach Capel within the program,” said Jennifer Brown, Pitt’s Senior Associate Athletic Director for Sports Medicine. “We continue to monitor and test per our current protocols as the health and safety of our student-athletes remains our top priority during these unprecedented times.”