Jeff Capel found his first new addition to Pitt basketball for next season in the transfer portal in the form of Colgate guard Nelly Cummings. The senior guard from Midland, PA announced his commitment to transfer to Pitt Friday morning.
Iβm Backkk π₯·πΎ #H2P pic.twitter.com/O0lTbiAYEE
β Nelly Cummings (@Ambition___0) April 1, 2022
Cummings has one year of eligibility left, but wanted to use it to come back and play for Pitt basketball after playing three years for Colgate.
"Obviously, coming back home (played a big role)," Cummings told DK Pittsburgh Sports Friday when asked why he chose Pitt. "Being around my people and bringing my hometown energy to the Pete will stimulate the city and bring back that old Pitt basketball feeling. I want to win big, and I know the staff, the players and the city want that too."
In addition to Cummings' wanting to come back to his roots where he played WPIAL basketball, he also referenced his admiration for the program after his talks with the players and staff.
"There were a lot of benefits to playing at Pitt," Cummings said. "The program is first class and they really take care of the student athletes, the coaching staff is really detail-oriented and focused on winning. The players who I met provided a strong foundation that I look to add on to and bring my leadership and winning mentality along with my basketball talents."
When talking to Cummings, there's a sense of pride in the history of Pitt basketball that he wants to restore. The 23 year-old guard grew up watching Pitt basketball during the 2000s when the teams coached by Ben Howland and Jamie Dixon made the program a regular NCAA Tournament team that had national acclaim and would regularly be ranked. But Pitt hasn't been ranked by the Associated Press, or made the NCAA Tournament, since Dixon's last season as coach in 2015-2016.
Cummings wants to be part of changing all that.
"Coach Capel is a basketball guy like myself," Cummings said. "He loves the game, heβs very detailed and understands that winning games starts by training like a champion now, through the offseason, into the summer, and into the preseason before we can get the results we want when the show starts. I want to win the ACC, get back to the big dance, get this (program) back where it needs to be and inspire greatness for the future of Pitt basketball."
After transferring to Colgate from Bowling Green, Cummings became Colgate's primary point guard. After being one of the team's top scorers in both of his first two seasons, he became Colgate's top scorer in 2021-2022, averaging 14.7 points, 3.4 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game.
Where Cummings fits for Pitt is obviously as an athletic point guard for Pitt who can create off the dribble and be a shooting threat. Pitt lacked the presence of a point guard who could create off the dribble consistently in 2021-2022, as Jamarius Burton took over the role while his skillset is better suited for being a guard away from the ball, Nike Sibande was lost for the season to injury, and Femi Odukale still struggled to avoid turnovers.
Cummings' scoring ability is what could make him a true difference maker for the Panthers next season. His 14.7 points per game would've been just behind the team's leading scorer in John Hugley IV at 14.8 points per game, and his three-point shooting percentage of 36.0 would've only ranked behind Ithiel Horton and Mouhammadou Gueye last season, both who won't be with the program moving forward.
Cummings is a much needed addition for Pitt, who also saw Max Amadasun leave the program through the Transfer Portal Friday morning.
Though Amadasun saw very limited minutes over his two years with the program, he makes the sixth Panther to leave through the Transfer Portal during this offseason, joining Horton, Chris Payton, Noah Collier, Dan Oladapo and Onyebuchi Ezeakudo. From that group, only Horton was a consistent starter who looked like a potential major piece moving forward, but there's no denying it opens up plenty of spots on the roster.
This also means that with the addition of Cummings and departure of Amadasun, Pitt still has six scholarship slots to fill this offseason when considering that Gueye's eligibility ended.
Capel said after Pitt's season-ending ACC Tournament loss to Boston College that the program had to get "better players," which meant there would have to be serious changes to the roster. Cummings is a solid first step, but with that many scholarship slots left, Capel still has plenty of work to do, as well as that many chances to build that better roster for Pitt next season.
β’ Hours after Cummings' announced commitment to Pitt, Odukale reportedly transferred from the program. This opened up a seventh scholarship spot still open for Capel to use in recruiting, and further adds to the team's need for an athletic guard who can contribute next season. Read more on that story here.
