Pitt women's basketball preview: Experienced lineup returns to court for coach Lance White

At long last, Lance White feels like he can do exactly what he was brought to Pitt to do: coach.

“It’s so good to have a little bit of normal back,” White said with a noticeable sigh of relief.

Not much has been “normal” for White since taking over the Pitt women’s program in 2018.

The former Florida State associate head coach inherited a Pitt team that featured five seniors who had accomplished little in one of the nation’s most competitive conferences, the ACC.

Once that group — which went 11-20 in 2018-19 — graduated, White brought in a deep class of athletic freshmen. Because of injuries and health issues, those young players were forced to start right away in 2019-20 as Pitt posted a 5-26 mark highlighted by an ACC Tournament win over Notre Dame.

Last year, with that bunch a year older, and with the addition of New Mexico transfer Jayla Everett (15.4 points per game), Pitt finished 5-14, having its season partially derailed by a 31-day covid-19 shutdown.

“This is the first time I’ve truly been able to coach,” said White. “Every other piece of it was teaching and mentoring and trying to get kids to believe something they couldn’t even see or do.

“Now we’ve taken that next step.”

White and his team have good reasons for the optimism.

Everett, a guard, received honorable mention All-ACC honors a year ago and is complemented by backcourt mate Dayshanette Harris, who burst onto the scene two years ago when she hit the postseason winner against the Irish.

Despite missing the final five games of 2020-21, Harris scored 12.4 points per game and was third in the ACC with 4.7 assists per contest.

“Shooters, we’ve got some shooters surrounding my point guard position,” Harris said of the high assist total. “Them just being able to knock down shots opened up the lane.

“There was also a mental part, knowing that I don’t have to do it all any more.”

Pitt will rely heavily on a strong group of rebounders. Since White took over, the Panthers have improved in rebounding from 325th nationally to 31st last season, the largest jump of any team in the NCAA.

Rita Igbokwe, a 6-foot-5 junior center, led Pitt in that category, grabbing 6.2 rebounds per game last year. White has seen considerable improvement in her.

“I love to play inside-out, and paint touches are the highest-percentage shots you can have,” White said. “We finally have a player we can throw it to. She gives us a legitimate threat in the paint. … If she keeps developing, she’s a pro.”

Pitt returns its third-leading scorer from a year ago in junior forward Amber Brown (7.3 points per game, 6.1 rebounds per game), who has started every game since stepping on campus.

Guards Destiny Strother (5.9 points), Emy Hayford (3.5 points), Sandrine Clesca and Taisha Exanor also are back, and forwards Liatu King (5.0 points, 4.6 rebounds), Cynthia Ezeja (5.9 rebounds) and Tracey Hueston also provide Pitt more depth than it ever has had under White.

“This group has really learned how they have to compete,” White saiid. “Our practices have been so much more competitive. We can go 5-on-5 and get after each other. There’s no drop off and we’re battling for who is gong to play minutes.”

Pitt has also added a key transfer, and one known well to Western Pennsylvanians. Mary Dunn, a Trinity grad who scored 1,299 points at Youngstown State, brings a 6-foot-3 presence to Pitt’s frontcourt.

“Growing up, it was always a dream to play for Pitt,” said Dunn, who is the daughter of long-time WPIAL basketball coach Joe Dunn.

“I was really successful at the mid-major level. So I wanted to come and try to play in the ACC.”

Maliyah Johnson, a 6-foot freshman from Columbus, Ohio, also will factor into a rotation White admits will be fluid in the nonconference schedule.

Another familiar name, Brianna Kiesel, has joined the coaching staff as an assistant. Kiesel was a first team All-ACC selection for the Panthers, compiling more than 1,500 points, 500 rebounds and 400 assists before graduating in 2015.

“She worked her tail off all the time and exuded confidence,” White said of Kiesel’s career. “That’s what our point guards need. That’s what our guards need. She’s the last one to go to the NCAA Tournament here at Pitt. To look at that banner every day, that’s our goal, to play in March. She went from working and grinding, to doing it.”

White’s hope is the growth of the returners, mixed with the impact of the newcomers, will put Pitt over the top. Last year, the Panthers lost eight games by 11 points or fewer, with several games coming down to the final minute.

“For us, it’s about a mentality,” he said. “I want our kids to come out with a mentality that we’re coming at you. We talk so much about how ‘everything matters,’ and we’ve got to ‘level up.’ Those keywords, for us, mean we have to take this program to the next level.”

Pitt opens its season Wednesday at 6 p.m. against Radford at the Petersen Events Center.