Pitt women’s basketball has sat at the bottom of the ACC food chain for over a decade. Previous Athletic Director Heather Lyke hired Pitt’s 10th women’s basketball head coach Tory Verdi in April of 2023 when the program desperately needed rehabilitation after head coach Lance White’s unsuccessful and short tenure. Despite the change, Verdi’s inaugural season was less than impressive, ending the season with eight wins (8-24, 2-16 ACC).
“You have to start at the bottom. You have to pour the foundation … It’s really hard,” Verdi said during his 2024 ACC Tipoff press conference.
The bottom is exactly where the Panthers are starting from this season. Pitt ended up No. 14 out of 15 ACC competitors for its 2023-2024 campaign — an improvement from dead last in the previous season under White. With California, Stanford and Southern Methodist University entering the ACC this season, Verdi has an even bigger gauntlet to prepare his team for.
“We know that there’s no nights off,” Verdi said. “Every single game is going to be a bear. But that’s what we sell … [The new recruits] have the opportunity to play against the best teams in the country.”
Pitt plays the three ACC newcomers for the first time at home against SMU on Jan. 12, in Palo Alto against Stanford on Jan. 30 and at Cal on Feb. 2. Pitt defeated SMU once in 1979, lost twice to Stanford — at home in 1986 and in the Sweet 16 in the 2008 NCAA Tournament — and lost once on the road to Cal in 1998. Despite adding three new teams to the conference, the ACC teams still only play 18 games for the conference schedule.
The conference isn’t the only thing that saw changes this season. After several players left the program — including fifth-year forward Liatu King, who transferred to Notre Dame this season — Pitt had to make big changes to the roster. Recruiting transfers to an eight-win team wasn’t easy, but Verdi is confident in his seven newcomers.
“It’s easy to recruit freshmen because they haven’t played at this level,” Verdi said. “But when you recruit transfers, which we need to compete in the best conference in the country … We had to go recruit five Power Four institution players … They know what it’s like to win.”
The captains this season are transfer recruits. One captain, senior guard Brooklyn Miles, transferred from Kentucky last season and played at Tennessee for two years before her time at Kentucky. Another, graduate student center Khadija Faye, joined the Panthers with one year of eligibility left after playing at Texas for two seasons and at Texas Tech for another two.
At Tennessee, Miles helped her team make back-to-back Sweet 16 appearances, and at Kentucky, she led the Wildcats in assists, with 96, and steals, with 38. Faye helped Texas Tech make two appearances in the NCAA tournament, but her international play distinguishes her from the rest of the roster.
Faye played for Senegal at the 2020 FIBA U18 Women’s African Championship and helped Senegal earn a gold medal in the 2023 Francophone Games. In the games, she earned 20 points and nine rebounds.
Junior Amaya Jenkins is another transfer to look out for this season. The guard previously played at Kentucky with Miles last season where she averaged 7.5 points per game. Her pre-season performance caught the eyes of her teammates as an up-and-comer.
“Her motor, it’s endless,” Verdi said. “She has a scorer’s mentality.”
With over half of last season’s roster replaced and a modified conference, the program has a chance for a real fresh start. Pitt had its exhibition game against Pitt Johnstown on Oct. 30 which the Panthers won 106-37. The regular season opener is Nov. 5 against Canisius, with tip-off at 6 p.m. in the Petersen Events Center.