Pitt coach Jeff Capel has secured the second of his two new backcourt players with the signing Friday of former Marquette guard Greg Elliott, who announced his verbal commitment Tuesday.
Elliott will join returning guards Jamarius Burton and Nike Sibande, plus Nelly Cummings, who transferred from Colgate. Burton, Sibande and Cummings have each scored more than 1,000 points in their careers. Sibande missed the entire 2021-22 season with a knee injury.
After losing guards Femi Odukale, Ithiel Horton and Onyebuchi Ezeakudo to transfers after the season, Capel is hoping the new four-man group — all transfers — will give Pitt a more productive presence beyond the 3-point arc. Combined with Elliott, the four guards have scored a total of 4,319 points, with 516 3-pointers.
“Greg is a talented guard who brings toughness, 3-point shooting, experience and maturity to our backcourt rotation,” Capel said in a statement. “He has been productive throughout his career and has the ability to really impact the game with his 3-point shooting.
“Greg’s overall skill set fits well with the rest of our backcourt and will help enable us to move guys around on the wings more freely. We are excited about how the roster is shaping up and eager to get on the court to prepare for the 2022-23 season.”
Elliott, who has one season of eligibility remaining, averaged seven points, two rebounds, 1.3 assists and less than 17 minutes per game last season while helping Marquette reach the NCAA Tournament. He shot 38.6% (34 of 88) from 3-point range and 88.7% (47 of 53) from the foul line.
While rebuilding the roster, Capel has added forward Blake Hinson, who previously played at Ole Miss before transferring to Iowa State, plus big men Fede Federiko, a junior-college transfer, and Spanish twin brothers Guillermo and Jorge Diaz-Graham.
