Pitt women’s basketball landed their first recruit in the Class of 2024, as Audrey Biggs announced her commitment in a Twitter post on Tuesday.
Biggs hails from Catlettsburg, Ky. and plays for nearby Boyd County High School. She stands at 6-feet and starts at the small forward position. The best assets of her game includes her ability to drive through opponents to the paint to score, a great quick-spot up shooting efficiency and on-ball defending, along with moving around screens.
Biggs averaged 17.5 points per game as a sophomore in 2021-22, averaging 44% shooting from the field and seven rebounds per game. After undergoing ACL surgery, Biggs recovered and received All-State honorable mentions as a junior from the Lexington Herald-Leader. She also played for her home state in the Kentucky-Indiana All-Star basketball series earlier in June.
She visited Pitt this month for an official visit, which greatly impressed her to the point that she knew Pitt was going to be her future home.
“So, I knew right when I left the campus, really that, that was home,” Biggs said. “From the coaches to the facilities, to my future teammates, everything. I just had the feeling it was home.”
Biggs originally wanted to surprise head coach Tory Verdi and the rest of the staff with her commitment. She contacted the Director of Basketball Operations (DOBO) at Pitt, which is Abby Anderson and spoke of her plan, but Anderson let her know that she needed to contact the coaching staff on her decision.
She chose to bring her whole family in on a FaceTime call with the Panthers coaching staff. This includes her brother Bryce Biggs, who is a redshirt sophomore offensive lineman for rival West Virginia football. Biggs said it was a great conversation and that the coaching staff was incredibly happy for her to join the program, particularly Verdi.
“Coach Verdi was the first one to say, ‘Hey. You better be calling me to say you’re committing.’ We all just laughed and right then and there I said, ‘I’m all in.’ He said, ‘What took you so long!’ They were really excited and we’re just really excited to put together this program and bring it back to what it can be.”
Biggs’ family has played a large role in her basketball career so far, especially over a tough season in 2022-23, after she suffered that torn ACL. Dealing with such a severe injury made it tough at times for Biggs to see where her future lied in basketball, but her family supported her through everything and loved Pitt as a school for her.
“They have been great,” Biggs said. “There’s been a lot of ups and downs throughout my career and the recruiting process, but it really has been just a blessing. I came off an ACL injury this past year and it’s been hard and I didn’t know what my future was going to look like after that, but Pitt loved me and offered me after the injury actually. That was eye-opening to me and my family has been there every step of the way. It was my decision overall, but I really wanted their opinion and they loved it. They thought that there were no negatives and that you’ll succeed here at Pitt.”
Committing to Pitt takes a burden off of Biggs’ shoulders, as she continues to play travel ball with the West Virginia Thunder on the Under Armor Circuit and will play many games in July. She spoke to other girls on her team who also know where they are playing in college, and they told her that it makes it much easier going forward.
Biggs is committed to her travel team and said that she plays with some of the best girls in the country. She truly believes that they have a shot to win Under Armour Nationals this summer and she’ll be using that time to develop her game heading into her senior season and eventually, her career at Pitt.
While this is a new program under a new coaching staff, Biggs believes whole-heartedly in the program and what coach Verdi is doing. She loves the players that are already on the roster and is excited to play for the Panthers starting in 2024.
“Coach Verdi is bringing in some girls who are just ready to work and ready to bring that program to what it can be,” Biggs said. “He’s bringing it. We’re gonna pack the Petersen [Events Center] and it’s going to be awesome. I think it’s going to be cool for everyone to watch me play and wear that No. 23. So, I’ll be ready!”
