Pitt reaches out to Dartmouth transfer Brendan Barry

Pitt coach Jeff Capel and his staff have had a busy week on the recruiting trail, as key contributors Trey McGowens and Ryan Murphy entered the NCAA transfer portal, coveted recruit Femi Odukale committed to the Panthers, and the staff reached out to Wichita State transfer Jamarius Burton and Virginia Tech transfer Landers Nolley II. That trend continued on Friday, as Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports reported that the Pitt staff had recently been in contact with outbound Dartmouth star Brendan Barry, a sharpshooter with immediate eligibility as a graduate transfer.

In three seasons at Dartmouth, Barry averaged 9.8 points, 3.0 assists and 2.5 rebounds per game while shooting 44.5 percent on 357 shots from beyond the arc. However, his career numbers obscure a more productive junior season in which he averaged 13.2 points, 3.2 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game while making 44.5 percent of his 182 three-point shots. That performance came in the 2018-19 season, which was his last on the court with the Big Green, as Barry was sidelined with a hip injury for the entirety of last season.

Pitt is not the only team in the mix for Barry, as Rothstein noted that DePaul, Iowa State, Michigan, Santa Clara, Temple and Wake Forest have contacted him as well. The 6’2”, 180-pound shooting guard hails from Fair Haven, New Jersey, meaning Pitt is relatively close to home for Barry. And the sharpshooter would likely see plenty of minutes at Pitt, where some consistent shooting is direly needed. Pitt ranked 335th in the nation in three-point shooting percentage last season, making just 29.6 percent of its long-distance shots.

In addition to Barry, Pitt is in pursuit of four-star recruit William Jeffress as well as other targets in the transfer portal. Jeffress, who has been Pitt’s top target for a number of months at this point, has noted that Pitt is in good standing, but it is unclear how Capel and his staff are faring with Barry or any other transfer targets.