Pitt Lands Transfer Guard Ithiel Horton

                             Pitt Lands Transfer Guard Ithiel Horton

The University of Pittsburgh men’s basketball program continued to build its roster with the recent addition of transfer Ithiel Horton. Horton, a 6-3 guard, earned CAA All-Rookie Team honors as a freshman last season at Delaware.

“Ithiel is an exciting young guard who showed outstanding scoring ability and shooting stroke from beyond the arc as a freshman last season,” said head coach Jeff Capel. “He is a tough-minded and confident player who will fit in well with the culture we are building here at Pitt. We are excited about the young core of players we are putting together and look forward to working with Ithiel once he arrives on campus.”

Horton led all CAA freshmen in scoring at 13.2 points per game to go along with 3.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists per contest. He ranked seventh in the conference in three-point field goal percentage (.409) and three-point field goals per game (2.4 3pg.). Horton knocked down 79 threes last season, the sixth most in a season at Delaware.

A four-time CAA Rookie of the Week selection, Horton scored in double figures in 22 of 33 games, topping the 20-point mark seven times including in each of the final three contests of the campaign. He was named to the CAA All-Tournament Team after averaging 23.5 points per game, while going 11-of-18 (.611) from three-point range in games against William & Mary and Hofstra.

Horton, a CAA Academic Honor Roll honoree, set Delaware freshman records with 31 points and nine three-point field goals in an 82-69 win over UNC Wilmington. He went 10-of-15 from the field, including 9-of-13 from beyond the arc in the road win over the Seahawks.

The Vauxhall, N.J., native will sit the 2019-20 season due to NCAA transfer rules and have three seasons of eligibility remaining.

Horton is the sixth player added to the 2019-20 Pitt roster joining graduate transfer Eric Hamilton, JUCO sharpshooter Ryan Murphy and the versatile freshman trio of Justin Champagnie, Karim Coulibaly and Gerald Drumgoole.

Pitt returns four starters from last season, including double-figure scorers Xavier Johnson (15.5 ppg., 4.5 apg.) and Trey McGowens (11.6 ppg., 64 steals).

Johnson earned All-ACC Freshman Team honors, while setting Pitt freshman records for scoring, double figure scoring games, games with 15 or more points scored, 20+ point scoring games, free throws made, free throw attempts and field goal attempts. He was the only player in the ACC to average at least 15.5 points and 4.5 assists per game during the 2018-19 season.

McGowens scored in double figures 17 times and set a Pitt freshman record with 33 points on 12-of-19 shooting in a Jan. 9 overtime win against Louisville. The Pendleton, S.C., native also had 30 points, while going 18-of-19 from the foul line, in a 75-62 win over then 11th-ranked Florida State Jan. 14.

The Panthers return Au’Diese Toney (7.5 ppg., 5.6 rpg.), Terrell Brown (5.7 ppg., 4.5 rpg., 60 blocks) and Kene Chukwuka (3.9 ppg., .534 fg pct.), who each started 16 or more games last season. Pitt also brings back forward Samson George along with guards Curtis Aiken, Jr., Onyebuchi Ezeakudo and Anthony Starzynski

Pitt’s 2019-20 home schedule features a pair of marque games in November with the season opener against ACC opponent Florida State (Nov. 6) and against West Virginia (Nov. 15) in the latest edition of the Backyard Brawl presented by EQT Corporation. The Panthers will also help Robert Morris open its new arena, Peoples Court at UPMC Events Center (Nov. 15), during non-conference play.

The Panthers’ non-conference schedule will be released in the coming months with complete schedule including dates and game times is expected to be announced in late August.

Atlantic Coast Conference opponents for 2019-20 have been announced with Pitt’s six repeat (home and away) opponents in 2019-20 being Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina and Syracuse. The Panthers will also host Boston College, Clemson, Virginia and Wake Forest, while making trips to Duke, NC State, Notre Dame and Virginia Tech.

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