Pitt guard Ishmael Leggett is in the starting lineup for the Panthers’ game against Stanford, per StatBroadcast.com.
Leggett is a 6-foot-3 senior guard, who is leading the team in scoring at 17.5 points per game. The DMV native has been superb this season in his second campaign with the Pitt program. He is averaging 6.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game, as well. Leggett is shooting a career-high 51% from the field and is shooting 33% from three-point range as well.
He averaged 12.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per game last year in his first year as a Panther. He scored in double figures in each of his first 11 games at Pitt, before going on a five-game streak of not reaching that mark. As Jaland Lowe’s role increased to the point of becoming a starter alongside Bub Carrington for Pitt, Leggett shifted to a sixth-man role, coming off the bench.
He shined in the role that Jeff Capel described as the “sixth starter,” and was recognized with the ACC’s Sixth Man of the Year award following the season.
Leggett began his career at Rhode Island, playing in the Atlantic 10. After averaging 6.6 points per game as a rookie, he increased his statistics in each major category in each of the next two seasons with the Rams. In his third year in the program, he starred for the team, averaging 16.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game — all of which were career highs.
Pitt HC Jeff Capel explained what happened to Leggett in a press conference after the Cal game. He said that Pitt found out he wouldn’t be able to play in that game just under two hours before tip off.
Capel said that he found out that Leggett would not be able to play about 1.5 hours before the game, around 12:15 – 12:30.
“We thought that he wouldn’t [be able to play], but there was a chance,” Capel said on Jan. 1. “He got hurt Saturday in practice. He stepped on Jaland’s foot, and rolled his ankle. So, he hasn’t practiced since Saturday. We were off Sunday and he didn’t practice Monday or Tuesday. But there was a chance, so he worked out a little bit around noon. It was in that workout, where we knew that he wouldn’t be able to go. He’s fine straight ahead, but laterally, pushing off, he couldn’t do that. So that’s when we knew for sure that he wouldn’t be able to play.”
Stay tuned for more updates live from the Petersen Events Center from Saturday’s game.
