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Stephen Thompson's Pitt sports chat: 04.07.26
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Stephen Thompson
1:00
Good afternoon and welcome to another Pitt sports live chat. Spring ball is wrapping up and the transfer portal is officially open so it's an exciting time to talk about the Panthers. I'm looking at a couple questions I can knock out right away so let's get into it.
Tom
1:00
Are you the same Stephen Nesbitt who used to cover the Pirates for the PG? Did you switch sports beats?
Stephen Thompson
1:00
For the record, this is Stephen Thompson, not Nesbitt. I'm sure he does great work but you all are stuck with me for the time being.
7
1:00
Hello, Stephen. Do you think any PITT football players will get selected in this year's NFL DRaft? Thanks.
Stephen Thompson
1:03
I have a hard time seeing more than two Panthers being selected in this year's NFL draft, 7. Kyle Louis is a virtual lock to hear his name called and it seems like that will happen in round two or three. Desmond Reid could earn day three consideration but his injury history and an underwhelming pro day make that path difficult. I could see Deuce Spann, because of his freakish athleticism, or Javon McIntyre, for his experience, getting picked late but those seem like longshots too.
tunes
1:03
Seeing as how you cover college sports and spend time on a college campus, I'm wondering if you have any sense of what kinds of music young people are listening to these days?
Stephen Thompson
1:03
I turn 26 this weekend, tunes. I'm way too old to know anything about that.
rb
1:03
I'm excited to see D. Barksdale run the ball this season. Do you expect him to get many carries?
Stephen Thompson
1:04
As far as I know, there are no plans for Barksdale to play offense. You'll see him exclusively in the defensive backfield this coming season.
MAC
1:04
Eian Elmer was a stud this year for Miami Redhawks basketball. He just entered the transfer portal. Any chance Pitt is looking at him as a transfer player?
Stephen Thompson
1:06
I like where your head is at, MAC. Elmer has shot north of 40% from 3-point range in all three of his seasons with the Redhawks and averaged 12.7 points per game on 64.9% true shooting last season, which is outstanding efficiency. He should be a sought after player in the portal this cycle, but I think Pitt has a better chance at landing a player of his caliber than they did a year ago, which leads me into our next question.
Hooplife7
1:06
How much does Pitt men's BB get for NIL money? How is it paid? What if a player transfers after 1 year?
Stephen Thompson
1:08
I can't speak to specific numbers but I do know the Panthers will have significantly more money to spend on its roster this year than it did the offseason prior. And it's my understanding that, especially in basketball, deals are signed on a year-to-year basis. It's helpful for teams to have flexibility with their rosters too.
steelstu
1:08
I know that Abby does volleyball, but have you heard anything about how Olivia Babcock's jump serve is progressing?
Stephen Thompson
1:10
I tapped Abby for some insight into this for you, steelstu. She says Babcock is using her top spin again and has improved accuracy. In a recent scrimmage, she logged roughly one ace for every error, a ratio the coaching staff aims for with that kind of serve.
PAtoNC
1:11
Any insight on what the 4 non-declared returners to Pitt Men's Basketball team will decide?
Stephen Thompson
1:12
At this point, both Abby and I are expecting the coaching staff will have a mostly clean slate to work with when building next year's roster, outside of the three incoming freshmen.
Bruce
1:13
Hi Stephen, thanks for the chat.  The team doesn't get a lot of press, but the baseball team has been doing pretty well and just took a series from Wake Forest. Any thoughts regarding a trip to the NCAA's?
Stephen Thompson
1:15
Baseball was only able to take the series finale from Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons have been a thorn in Pitt's side regularly during its time in the ACC, so it was good to steal that one win.

It's a tough end to the season for Pitt, with series against some traditional powers like Virginia, Florida State and North Carolina still to be played. But the Panthers are in position for an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as we live and breathe today.
PAtoNC
1:18
I was impressed with Coach Harmony's press conference. Will she have enough NIL $ to be competitive?
Stephen Thompson
1:21
It depends on what you mean by competitive. I think she'll have enough to elevate the floor of the program in year one, even though I'll concede the bar to clear is pretty low. But the kind of investment that creates a roster capable of seriously contending for even the ACC title won't come unless Harmony proves she can first do more with less and build a more robust fan base around the program.
PAtoNC
1:29
Do you think the current women's basketball roster stays mostly intact? Any chance that some of the Charleston players follow Coach Harmony?
Stephen Thompson
1:31
A large portion of the roster has already entered the transfer portal and I wouldn't expect many, if any, of the remaining players to stay. Given Harmony brought a couple key members of her staff from Charleston to Pittsburgh with her, I'd expect players to follow too. Keep an eye on the Barbot sisters, Taryn and Taylor. Those are two all-conference selections who entered the portal after their season ended last month.
N8treboy
1:36
Who will have more wins this year, Pitt football or basketball?
Stephen Thompson
1:36
If anyone would like to take the football side of this bet, please shoot me an email.
1:38
In all seriousness, I certainly understand why no one is optimistic about the state of the men's basketball program right now. But based on some conversations I've had, I expect the Panthers to be a far more talented team next season. And even if you don't have much faith in the coaches, an uptick in talent should pay dividends.
N8treboy
1:41
Capel has had trouble managing the workload with a small bench, so I cannot see how he will be able to figure out what to do with a longer bench.  Hopefully I am wrong, but I am not optimistic unless they somehow recruit a fantastic PG, rim protector and at least 2 premium 3 point shooters.
Stephen Thompson
1:43
I'm not sure I follow the logic of that first sentence. Wouldn't a longer bench, with more plentiful and more talented options be easier to manage? His last team was, in my estimation, lacking in talent, but having only one playable center and two reliable wings made things far more difficult too. A severe lack of depth was one of many issues they faced.
N8treboy
1:46
He couldn't find minutes for a few players even when their team was getting spanked and the players were tired.  Maybe the 7 footer would still be on the roster if he were given 6 or 7 minutes of playing time each game?  I just don't see how Capel will be able to find enough minutes to satisfy a deep and talented bench.  He likes to use 7 guys and sometimes 8.
Stephen Thompson
1:49
Could he not find minutes or did those players not earn minutes? I'm be more willing to entertain the notion that he didn't play Macari Moore as much as he should, but we're talking about a center who shot 42% from the field and could not consistently grasp defensive game plans. It's not a mystery why he was recruited to redshirt and used as a last resort after Papa Kante and Dishon Jackson became unavailable.
1:58
That's as good a place as any to leave this live chat. Thanks for the lively back and forth, as always, and happy transfer portal season.
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