After South Side arrest, Pitt guard Ithiel Horton suspended indefinitely
Pitt basketball player Ithiel Horton has been suspended indefinitely after he was arrested Saturday morning and charged with punching a police officer on the South Side. During the suspension, he will be ineligible to participate in practices and games.
Horton, a redshirt junior who was expected to be a starting guard, appeared in all 22 games, with 18 starts, last season. He is Pitt’s leading returning scorer after averaging 8.9 points per game last season, with a team-high 43 3-point field goals and a 37.1% shooting percentage from beyond the arc.
The suspension will remain in effect until the legal process has been completed “to the satisfaction of the University,” Pitt officials said Monday in a news release. Coach Jeff Capel and others are unable to comment until the case has been resolved, officials said.
Horton’s suspension means Pitt will be without its two starting guards. Nike Sibande suffered a season-ending knee injury last week in an exhibition game against Gannon. Before that, Capel had been rebuilding his roster after five players transferred at the end of the 2020-21 season, and Justin Champagnie left early for the NBA.
Pitt opens the 2021-22 season at 7 p.m. Tuesday against The Citadel at Petersen Events Center.
Jerry DiPaola is a TribLive reporter covering Pitt athletics since 2011. A Pittsburgh native, he joined the Trib in 1993, first as a copy editor and page designer in the sports department and later as the Pittsburgh Steelers reporter from 1994-2004. He can be reached at jdipaola@triblive.com.
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