Clicking off social media gives Pitt guard Ithiel Horton new outlook on 2021-22 season

Ithiel Horton could try 1,000 bad shots this season, but his better judgement will remain unquestioned because of a decision he made off the court.

Horton, a returning junior guard for Pitt’s reconstructed basketball team, told reporters last week he has been off social media for the past two months.

Instead, he spends his free time working on his shooting accuracy — long-range and otherwise — and spending time reading books with assistant coach Tim O’Toole.

“It’s been liberating,” Horton said. “I thank Jamarius (Burton, new teammate) for that. Jamarius has been a big influence for me. He told me ever since he’s been off of social media, he has a lot of time on his hands. I’m starting to notice I have a lot of time on my hands.

“It’s really not that hard.”

Much more enlightening than the Internet has been his talks with O’Toole about books each has read. The list includes Nike founder Phil Knight’s “Shoe Dog.”

“Getting with T.O., reading a lot of books with T.O., doing some questionnaires about me, that has really helped me,” Horton said.

Horton and his teammates will be on public display for the first time this season at 2 p.m. Saturday in a scrimmage at Petersen Events Center. There is no charge for admission.

One of the areas under the most scrutiny Saturday and during every subsequent preseason practice will be the team’s ability to hit the long-range shot and spread out the opposing defense. Pitt finished 11th among 15 ACC teams last season in 3-point shooting (33.8%). Horton was 11th in the conference with 1.95 per game, 32nd in percentage (37.1).

“Ithiel should be one of the better shooters in our league,” coach Jeff Capel said. “I have so much confidence in him when he takes good shots. I think he understands that. Man, I believe in him so much.”

Horton’s role will be amplified, on and off the court, after Justin Champagnie left for the NBA and Au’Diese Toney and Xavier Johnson, the team’s second- and third-leading scorers, transferred.

“Now that X and ’Diese are gone,” Horton said, “everybody is looking toward me to establish the culture and bring leadership. I think I’m ready for it.

“I think our culture is what we embody and what we put up, how we show up, keep our promises, make no excuses and appreciate what we have. I think we’re more connected as a group this year. A lot of our players have put aside their personal goals, and we’re all buying into the team concept in that we all need each other to win this year.

“Last year, we really didn’t have a lot of off-court gatherings like we do this year. There was a lot of disconnect with covid. But there was a disconnect last year that isn’t there this year. You can feel it. It’s just different this year. I really don’t want to go into too much detail about that, but I can feel it.”

On the court, Horton is working to improve his 38.1 overall shooting percentage, fifth among Pitt players with at least 110 attempts.

“I want to keep improving my jump shot, keep improving my bounce off the dribble, keep improving my overall IQ of the game,” he said.

The mental side of the game gave him the most trouble, he said.

“I’m able to control my emotions a lot better than I did last year. I got kicked out of the Notre Dame game last year. That was just a sign of immaturity in my mind. That’s what I really wanted to focus on in the offseason.”

His focus has been simplifying life, a goal made easier to reach after the unfounded rumor that he was planning to transfer — started on social media — was squelched.

“Some guy started a rumor that I was seriously considering leaving,” he said. “I took my pictures down on Instagram, changed my profile picture to this tranquil type of environment. I just said, ‘under reconstruction.’ That did not mean I was transferring.

“The guy messaged me, ‘Sorry. Other students had started rumors about you leaving, and I just wanted to apologize.’

“There was no serious consideration to leaving. I just got here (after transferring from Delaware in 2019). Why would I leave? If I go to another school, I don’t know if I’m going to be playing. I don’t know if I’m going to get the type of coaching that I’m receiving here. I don’t know if I’m going to get the type of exposure that I get here.

“I was taken aback by the whole rumor thing. Nobody gets to see your side of the story. They just take it and run with whatever somebody says.”

Getting off social media has lifted a huge burden off Horton’s shoulders.

“That was a big mental transformation for me,” he said, “not seeking validation from people on the Internet.

“Who cares?”