University of Pittsburgh Athletics
11/1/2026 5:07:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball
'Twas the day before basketball season, and all through Oakland, the roster sheets were new.
Jeff Capel's men's team is welcoming 13 new players. Robin Harmony's women's team has 11 new players on top of a new leader.
The men host Rider on Monday in the home opener, and the women follow Tuesday against Saint Peter's.
After months of practices and preseason chatter, the games finally count.
Here are five things I'm looking forward to this hoops season.
The Twin Effect
The Barbots arrive with résumés that look like they belong to seniors on a title contender, because they are. Taryn was a back-to-back CAA Player of the Year and the Most Outstanding Player of the 2026 CAA Tournament. She led the conference in scoring at 20.1 points per game and finished her career as Charleston's all-time leading scorer.
Taylor made her own name running the offense. The All-CAA First Team selection led the conference in assists per game and recorded the third triple-double in program history.
Together they were central to the Cougars' record-setting run under Harmony, and they're two of the three players on Pitt's 11-person newcomer class who played for her at Charleston. They already know the system, which makes them an instant steadying presence on a team full of new faces. I can't wait to see what they do in blue and gold.
Strangers to Teammates
Thirteen new players means thirteen new stories, and watching them turn into one team is the part of this season I'm most curious about.
Some of the chemistry arrived ready-made. Nait George and Akir Souare have followed the same path through two programs. George also talks about Baye Ndongo like family.
That's the fun of it. George, Ndongo, Powell, Jalil Bethea, Armani Mighty, A'lahn Sumler and Chase Foster lead a deep group with plenty of combinations to try, and nobody knows yet which ones will click.
Monday is the first real look at how the pieces fit together.
The Harmony Era Begins
Pitt won just eight games last season under a different coach, so there's plenty of room to grow. Harmony has spent a career turning rooms like this one around.
The Hershey native was hired in March as the program's 11th head coach, bringing 369 wins from 19 seasons with her. Her last stop was her best. Charleston won 20 or more games in each of her final three years, and her last team topped them all. It set a school record with 27 victories, claimed the first CAA regular-season and tournament titles in program history and earned the school's first NCAA Tournament bid.
Building something from the ground up is her specialty. She started at St. Thomas (Fla.) with a blank slate and went 132-48 over six seasons. At Lamar, she piled up three Southland Conference titles and won 42 straight games at home.
Now she's starting over again, this time with 11 newcomers and one returning player. Nobody should expect a turnaround overnight, but I'm eager to see what a Harmony team looks like once the games count.
Stepping Up in Class
I've been high on A'lahn Sumler for a while, and the numbers show why.
Last season at Charleston Southern, he led his conference in scoring at 18.8 points per game, and that number climbed to 23.4 in league play. He also led in assists at 3.9 per game (4.8 in league play). He ranked second in three-point percentage at 40%, third in threes made per game in league play at 2.7 and sixth in field goal percentage at 48%.
That came at a lower level of competition, which is the question.
But he has shown he can score against the best. In 2023-24, he scored 21 points against then-ranked No. 9 North Carolina, hitting five three-pointers in 35 minutes. It was the same Tar Heels squad that would go on to earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.
Capel has described the move as a jump up several levels, and Sumler has spent the preseason getting daily reps against George, Bethea and Powell.
Now we find out how it translates against ACC defenses.
Reasons to Pack the Pete
Crowds at the Pete haven't always been what these programs hoped for. But both teams have new energy and new faces, and Pitt is giving fans plenty of reasons to show up.
The men's side is introducing a new team introduction and enhanced in-game entertainment, and the opener against Rider comes with a poster giveaway for fans and Oakland Zoo shirts for students.
The theme nights are worth circling, including Dollar Dog Night against Villanova on Nov. 17, Gold Rush against Virginia on Feb. 9 and 90s Night against California on Feb. 17, which includes a halftime performance by the Golden Girls.
Select games feature $15 You in the Zoo tickets, and Pitt faces West Virginia at PPG Paints Arena on Dec. 9 as part of the inaugural Backyard Basketball Classic.
Call it a give-them-a-chance request. Come see the new-look teams and decide for yourself.
