Lance White Has Panthers Believing Again

PITTSBURGH — When Lance White took over as the Pitt women’s basketball head coach this summer, he had a conundrum.

On one hand, he had a team that finished 10-20 the previous season and was 2-14 in ACC play. On the other hand, he had basically the whole team.

The 2017-18 Panthers played without a senior and had three offseason departures to match the three already signed first-year players that White inherited from formed coach Suzie McConnell-Serio.

So how does White plan on improving the Panthers’ outcomes with what is essentially the same team? Part of it is work, as he’s upped the tempo and intensity of the team’s practices, but that’s also come with a healthy dose of encouragement that these Panthers can be better players than they showed a year ago.

Here’s White, forward Kalista Walters and guards Aysia Bugg and Jasmine Whitney after practice on Wednesday:

And here’s a gallery from Pitt’s open practice: