John Hugley will not suit up again this season for the Pitt Panthers.
Hugley has announced that he will sit out for the remainder of the season in order to get well both physically and mentally.
After missing the start of the season due to a knee injury sustained during practice, Hugley played in only eight games and didn’t resemble the player that starred for Pitt last season. In those eight games, Hugley averaged 8.0 points and 3.6 rebounds in just 18.2 minutes per game.
Hugley issued this statement this afternoon, prior to Pitt’s matchup against Georgia Tech.
“Thank you for your continued support throughout a challenging year for me mentally as well as physically. I want nothing more than to be on the court with my teammates, however due to an injury and my mental health being a priority; after long discussions and talks with my coaches, family and mentors I have decided the best course of action will be for me to sit out the remainder of my season to fully invest in healing mentally as well as physically. Thank you for the love, encouragement and prayers. The support from my family, friends, coaches, teammates and fans is truly appreciated as I continue on this journey.”
Following this statement from Hugley, Pitt issued a statement stating that Hugley will seek a redshirt year, which was followed by this statement from Jeff Capel.
“We are here to support John as he continues to learn to manage challenges in his personal life,” said Capel. “John has worked hard to get to this point and should be applauded for seeing out the help to continue to grow as a young man. This next step will allow him the time and space to focus on his personal growth. We are here to provide love and support for him on this journey that will undoubtedly help him throughout his life.”
Now that this storyline has been resolved, Capel realizes his team will be shorthanded in the frontcourt and will have to come up with ways to overcome Hugley’s loss and substitute for his minutes.
Time to move on from this guy. He’s not done much except be a distraction.
H2P.
The guy is clearly struggling mentally. These aren’t just college athletes, they are young adults. I commend him for getting the help he needs and hope he can return to his old self next year.
Nobody is saying he shouldn’t get help for his “issues”. But if he’s is that bad of shape he should focus on only on his well-being. He should probably quit basketball and get himself some serious help. Hanging around the program probably isn’t doing anyone any good.
H2P.
What a snowflake response
John was important in recruits and transfers wanting to come to Pitt. He was our best rebounder, post scorer and post passer.
His biggest liability was his defense and shot blocking. The last 2 games we could have definitely used him. Federico and the Diaz twins are better rim protectors , but lack the body at this time to draw fouls and score in the paint on post moves, also teams don’t double team our post players to free up our outside shooters who are significantly better this year.
wow Burton, wanting to throw a kid out who is struggling? Not very nice but it is pitt
That’s one persons misguided opinion.Not sure what that has to do with it being Pitt.Then again you need to be mentally tough to endure all the assulting going on 3 hours to the east.Would have loved to have seen what this team could be with Hugley playing at a high level.Hope he can get his head on straight and get back onto the court both physically and mentally
Well said. The one campus stadium clown is only here to stir the pot and rile people up. Ignore him and he will eventually go away.
Get well John …
Get in prison John
Hoped it would not, but feared it would happen. I sincerely hope that this dark cloud lifts soon.
To me this is good news. We were all wondering. I’m happy John is getting the help he needs and proud of the program for aiding him. Too many times we see mental health issues ignored. Many times the results of that are bigger headlines than a talented college student taking some personal time. After what happened to Damar maybe we should all be a little more understanding of each other.
The last thing Pitt BB should do is ask him to leave. The guy is BB player and loves the sport. That would only make his depression worse. Redshirt him. Support him and let him come back next year ready to go. A lot of athletes suffer from anxiety and depression. Kevin Love for the Cavs is a prime example. We need to support these guys not tear them down.
Revoke his scholarship. F that felon
I had a hunch he was through for the season, a couple weeks ago.
I don’t think he will return to Pitt….if he returns it will be at Cleveland State
or Kent State.
Not sure what the hand wringing is for. Last year he was the focal point of an epically bad team. And shot 46% as a low post option. Did nothing as a Freshman before being bounced, and did little this year. Better team overall without him frankly. Do hope that he gets the help that he needs, but not a tremendous loss basketball wise