Sometimes, Transfers Are Good News

Transfers have never been uncommon in college basketball and probably more so now than ever before. It’s particularly common during a coaching transition which is the case at Pitt, where former Duke guard and assistant coach Jeff Capel just finished his first season.

Fortunately, losing sophomore guard Khameron Davis and junior Malik Ellison won’t be a big hit since the backcourt is a major strength. Freshmen Xavier Johnson and Trey McGowens were terrific and they’ll start for as long as they’re at Pitt.

We feel a little bad for Ellison though. He left St. John’s to come to Pitt under Kevin Stallings which means that he’ll play for four different college coaches (he started at St. John’s under Chris Mullin) by the time he’s through.

By the way, we didn’t realize that he was the son of Never Nervous Pervis, the hero of the 1986 Louisville team that beat Duke in the NCAA championship game.

What it ultimately means is that Capel can pursue more immediate upgrades, including grad transfers, and that Pitt’s going to be a pain sooner rather than later.

Our guess is he’ll have them in post-season play by next spring.