As Pitt football laments Addison loss, transfer portal can help basketball taken in Altoona, Pa. (Pitt)

Marquette Athletics

Greg Elliott drives on a Seton Hall defender during his career at Marquette.

ALTOONA, Pa. -- Pitt lost star wide receiver Jordan Addison this week to USC, but the Panthers' basketball program added a piece from the transfer portal in former Marquette guard Greg Elliott.

No, that absolutely is not an apples to apples comparison by any means. Virtually no basketball addition from the transfer portal could make up for what Pitt football is losing in Addison.

But there is some irony here, nonetheless.

Pitt football fans upset over a star player transferring out have to take some solace in the hope that maybe, just maybe the portal could end up being some kind of saving grace for Jeff Capel's struggling basketball program.

If Capel -- or any other future basketball coach -- is going to turn things around at Pitt, he certainly will have to rely heavily on the transfer portal to do so. The Panthers may never be able to compete with other big-time programs when it comes to recruiting high school stars, but Pitt's tradition in basketball and the prestige of competing in the ACC could entice standouts from other schools to come to Oakland for a chance to bring the Panthers back to national prominence.

If Pitt can land the right two or three transfers in any given cycle, it theoretically could lead to a quick improvement year over year. Hey, that's what USC is trying to do in football -- and Addison certainly will help -- and Pitt is in the same boat as many other college basketball programs when it comes to hoping to catch lightning in a bottle with a strong transfer class.

Whether or not Capel can pull that off will go a long way in determining how much longer he remains Pitt's coach. Because after going 11-21 overall last season (6-14 in the ACC) and losing most of his roster, the coach clearly will be on the hot seat this winter.

The easiest way for him to get off the hot seat won't be through high school recruiting -- since it can take those youngsters two or three years to make an impact in college -- but rather to find the right nucleus of transfers who can step in and help right away.

Pitt picked up a solid piece with the addition of Elliott, who became the third addition from the transfer portal so far this offseason. He played in 114 games, starting 11, at Marquette over four seasons and averaged 5.6 points. He can provide some depth and experience off the bench at shooting guard.

Elliott, who had a career-high 25 points against DePaul and 22 against UCLA last season, announced his decision to transfer to Pitt on Tuesday. The school made it official Friday.

"Greg is a talented guard who brings toughness, three-point shooting , experience and maturity to our backcourt rotation," Capel said in a university release. "He has been productive throughout his career and has the ability to really impact the game with his three-point shooting. Greg's overall skill set fits well with the rest of our backcourt and will help enable us to move guys around on the wings more freely. We are excited about how the roster is shaping up and eager to get on the court to prepare for the 2022-23 season."

Here's more from the Pitt release on Elliott:

The Detroit, Mich., native averaged a career-best 7.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists last season, while playing under 17 minutes per game. He went 34-of-88 (.386) from three-point range and was an 88.7 percent (47-of-53) shooter from the free throw line. Elliott scored a career-high 25 points in a win over DePaul, going 7-of-11 from the field, 4-of-6 from three, and 7-of-7 from the foul line. He also had 22 points, while going 6-of-9 from three-point range, in a December loss to No. 4 UCLA.

Elliott will have one season of eligibility remaining after earning his degree in corporate communications from Marquette.

He joins a Pitt backcourt that features a trio of 1,000-point scorers in Jamarius Burton (1,003), Nelly Cummings (1,112) and Nike Sibande (1,560). The group, along with Elliott, has combined for 4,319 points and 516 three-point field goals in their careers.

That figure in the final sentence -- 4,319 combined career points from those four players -- is one of the most appealing things about the Pitt program right now.

Maybe things can get a lot more appealing if Capel can land one huge piece from the transfer portal. It might be a bit of a long shot at this stage in the game, but there still could be hope. The Panthers have two scholarships remaining, and Capel can offer a lot of playing time, particularly to an experienced frontcourt player.

Along with Elliott, these are the other two players Pitt has landed from the transfer portal this offseason.

* PG Nelly Cummings: A 3-star pickup from Colgate, where he averaged 12.4 points per game last season and was second-team all-Patriot League. He began his career at Bowling Green before moving on to Colgate.

* SF Blake Hinson, a 3-star pickup from Iowa State, where he sat out last season with a non-COVID medical condition after transferring from Ole Miss. He last played for the Rebels during the 2019-20 season and averaged 10.1 points and 4.6 rebounds.

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