Judge drops felony charges on Hugley, reinstated to Pitt basketball

Pitt got back a key forward from their 2020 recruitment class Thursday.

John Hugley was charged with three felony counts, two of criminal conspiracy and one of receiving stolen property, in Allegheny County back in January. The charges cut short his freshman season with the Panthers when he was just seven games into his NCAA career.

But in a preliminary hearing Thursday morning, Judge James J. Hanley Jr. dropped all the felony charges against Hugley, leaving only a misdemeanor for unauthorized use of a vehicle for driving without a license.

For Hugley, walking away with only a misdemeanor could mean he can resume his NCAA career. He was the highest rated prospect of Pitt's 2020 recruits as a 4-star rating above even that of William Jeffress. 

After starting the season opening loss to Saint Francis, Hugley didn't get a chance to start again for the Panthers but would appear in seven games in his freshman season. During that time he averaged 14.9 minutes per game, as well as 5.1 points and 4.3 rebounds behind Abdoul Karim Coulibaly who took over for Hugley starting in the Panthers' big man.

But with Coulibaly being one of Pitt's five transferring players this offseason along with center Terrell Brown, the Panthers have a huge vacancy for the five position on their roster. Max Amadasun didn't earn many playing minutes last season and after missing out on five-star center Efton Reid, it's unclear if Jeff Capel will find a prospect in his 2021 recruiting class that will rate as high as Hugley did in 2020.

Pitt reinstated Hugley to the program Thursday afternoon:

"John is grateful for the opportunity to return to the University of Pittsburgh and continue to be a member of our program," said Capel in a statement Thursday. "The past five months have been challenging for him and have forced him to grow and mature. We have stayed in constant contact with him throughout and although he was not here physically with us he has always been a part of our team." 

"We are proud of the way he has handled himself to recover from the mistakes he made," Capel continued. "John has taken ownership of his actions, remained committed to his academics and focused on his individual growth outside of basketball. We look forward to his full return to the University of Pittsburgh and the opportunity to continue to mentor a young man with a bright future."

Hugley, 6-foot-9, 240 lbs., being back gives Pitt the potential of a true presence in the paint. Even with Coulibaly and Brown, Pitt lacked a physical force at center who could bully opponents on defense and shag rebounds at a good rate without Champagnie stepping up.

It also gives a young man a chance to get his life back to normal and exhibit resilience after his mistake.