Amidst all of the concern and chaos surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak, Jeff Capel received a bit of good news for his program moving forward on Saturday.
Au'Diese Toney, one of the cornerstones of Capel's first recruiting classes at Pitt, will return to the program for his junior season.
When being recruited prior to the 2018-2019 season, Toney also received offers from Virginia Tech, Virginia Commonwealth, Kansas State, Connecticut, Mississippi, Rhode Island, East Carolina, Virginia and Providence. Despite offers from all of these high-power programs, Toney decided to come play for a Panthers team coming off an 8-24 season, which saw them go 0-18 during Atlantic Coast Conference play.
Along with Xavier Johnson and Trey McGowens, Toney and his freshman classmates were seen as the foundation for the new era of Pitt basketball.
During his freshman year, Toney became a consistent rebounder, averaging 5.6 rebounds per game. He recorded a season-high 11 rebounds in a loss to Georgia Tech in late February 2019. Despite the rebounding success, Toney struggled to find much of an offensive rhythm. He recorded a season-high 20 points in a December win over New Orleans, but only scored in double-figures in eight of the Panthers' other 32 games.
Heading into his sophomore year, Toney appeared a bit rusty out of the gates. During non-conference play, he only scored more than 10 points once (a 13-point affair in a December victory over Canisius).
The offensive flip seemed to switch for Toney during a late January contest vs the Duke Blue Devils in Durham. The Panthers lost by a 79-67 tally, but Toney recorded 27 points and added a highlight-reel dunk that landed him on SportsCenter's Top 10.
Down the stretch, Toney resembled the leader that Pitt so desperately needed. He scored 24 points in a contest at North Carolina State, while scoring 15 points in two other contests (vs Miami, at Florida State). Toney also showcased his tough character in a match-up with the defending national champion Virginia Cavaliers. Toney played the whole 40-minute game, while recording 13 points in the process.
Following a season in which Pitt lost nine of their final 11 games, there was much speculation that the foundation of the program that Coach Capel is trying to build would be dismantled. Johnson shot that idea down when he announced (via Twitter) on March 15 that he would be returning, while McGowens entered his name into the transfer portal on March 18.
Along with Johnson and to-be sophomore Justin Champagnie, Toney will play a key role in guiding the Panthers back to the postseason in Jeff Capel's third season at the helm. The Panthers went 14-19 in 2018-2019, while going 16-17 in 2019-2020.
Pitt has not reached the National Invitation Tournament since 2015, while missing the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament every year since 2016. Those appearances both came during Jamie Dixon's final two years at Pitt before departing for his alma mater, Texas Christian University. During two years under Kevin Stallings, the Panthers played to an abysmal 24-41 record.
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