Breaking Down The 2020-21 Panthers - Part One: The Guards

Written by: Josh Rowntree (Voice of Pitt women's basketball)

PITTSBURGH – In the first of a two-story series previewing the 2020-21 Pitt women's basketball team, Josh Rowntree breaks down the Panthers' guards who are looking to make a huge impact this season.

Guards Preview:
As was the case in the 2019-2020 season, the Pitt women's basketball team will be a group led by its guards this year.

The Panthers, who got more than 66 percent of their scoring from the guard position last year, boast nine athletic, diverse backcourt players that will help comprise a lineup that expects to have a variety of different looks throughout the course of a game.

"We're at the point where we can compete every day in practice and really have different lineups," said third-year head coach Lance White. "All of those guards, it'll be fun to see who really competes every day and brings it every day to get those minutes. It's going to be fun competition with a lot of kids that can really help us."

Chief among the returners is sophomore Dayshanette Harris. In her first year in blue and gold, Harris led Pitt in points per game (12.7), assists (79) and steals (53), becoming just the second player in Panthers history to be named to the ACC All-Freshman Team.

The 5-foot-7 guard saved her best for last, averaging 17.2 points per game over Pitt's final 13 contests, including a 20-point, 10-rebound gem — complete with game-winning shot and clinching steal — against defending conference champion Notre Dame in the opening round of the ACC Tournament.

DAY DAY FOR THE LEAD! pic.twitter.com/z6HhH07zPe
— Pitt Basketball (@Pitt_WBB) March 4, 2020

"Just to feel that first win we got over Notre Dame, which was a big win for us, I definitely want to feel that again," Harris said. "I know how that feels, but I want to know how it feels to win the ACC, go to the NCAAs, go further and further. It motivates me to have that experience over and over again."

Harris led all conference freshmen in scoring against ACC foes and, when her season ended, was the only true freshman at a Power Five school to average at least 12 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.7 steals per game.

Joining Pitt's perimeter efforts will be returning starter Gabbie Green, who knocked down a team-best 60 three-pointers a year ago, the ninth-best mark in the ACC. Additionally, the senior dropped in 9.6 points per game, second among returning players. She shot 83.8 percent from the foul line, tops on the squad. Green is one of three seniors on Pitt's roster this year, and the only senior guard. With that responsibility comes a more focused dedication to the mental side of the game, as well as veteran initiative.

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Junior Gabbie Green set the program record for three-pointers made by a junior with 6??0?? this season.

The 60 triples is also tied for the FOURTH most in a season in program history!#H2P // #GoBeyond pic.twitter.com/ixdrY0PQdR
— Pitt Basketball (@Pitt_WBB) March 11, 2020

"Coach White has really pushed me to be a leader," said Green, who joined Pitt before last year as a transfer from South Plains College (TX). "And my teammates, too. They're all receptive to me speaking up.

"I want to add to my decision making. Just making sure to slow my mind down to my body. I think that will up my game and it'll be harder to defend me."

Also returning to Pitt's guard group is sophomore Emy Hayford, who averaged 4.7 points per game and 3.2 rebounds while dishing out 36 assists in 2019-2020. Hayford showed a knack for hustle, racking up a season-high 10 rebounds to go with eight points in the Panthers' November win over Fairleigh Dickinson.

Pitt's guards were able to gain more experience last season when senior Aysia Bugg missed 11 games due to injury. The Panthers will look to supplant her 12.1 points per game with a host of newcomers.

Leading the new faces is junior guard Jayla Everett, who comes to Oakland by way of the University of New Mexico, where she accounted for 12.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game in three semesters with the Lobos. Everett, the 2018-2019 Mountain West Freshman of the Year, was granted immediate eligibility in October and will be an anchor in Pitt's starting five this season at the point guard spot. Her presence will allow Harris to shift to her natural spot, shooting guard.

"Jayla's a very fiery player," White said. "She's a competitor and she has a really good skill set. Her tempo and things that she's able to do are at a really high level. Whenever we compete, she'll get after it. That's what I'm really excited about (her) bringing to this group. With the kids that we have coming back, she adds a really important piece to just being a little bit more diversified."

Three freshmen and another transfer will bolster the Panthers' backcourt depth. First-year players Taisha Exanor (Chateauguay, Quebec), Sandrine Clesca (Laval, Quebec) and Liatu King (Washington, DC), as well as sophomore transfer Destiny Strother will provide a mix of size, speed, and sharp-shooting. Strother, a reliable threat from beyond the arc, will be immediately eligible to play after transferring from Marquette.

Unfortunately, injury has impacted the Panthers before the season commences, as junior Ismini Prapa will miss the campaign with a knee injury.

Handling adversity like that is something White thinks his team should be capable of, especially after navigating a difficult 2019-2020 season and an unprecedented and unpredictable offseason during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Their mentality to really put us in a different category is what they want to be able to do," White said. "To do that, they have to be willing to pay the price and sacrifice time and work on their skills that they need to do in order to be able to play and compete at the highest level against the best. And that's what they want to do."

The Pitt women's basketball season gets underway at the Petersen Events Center on Wednesday at Noon against George Mason.

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