Inside The Panthers

Pitt Lands Houston Transfer Damian Dunn

The Pitt Panthers added a veteran transfer to their backcourt.

Stephen Thompson

Feb 10, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Houston Cougars guard Damian Dunn (11) holds the ball against
Feb 10, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Houston Cougars guard Damian Dunn (11) holds the ball against / Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers have bolstered their backcourt this offseason with the addition of a veteran guard from the transfer portal.

Former Houston and Temple guard Damian Dunn, a 6'5 super senior from Kinston, North Carolina, announced through On3's Joe Tipton, who then posted on Twitter, that he had committed to Pitt, making him the second transfer player to join the program this offseason.

Dunn took a step back into a smaller role when he joined the powerhouse Cougars this past season, playing nearly half as many minutes, taking half as many shots and scoring less than half as many points as he did the season prior. But there is evidence on his resume that he can be productive as a scoring guard.

In his final season at Temple, Dunn averaged a career-high 15.3 points and 3 rebounds per game alongside 3.7 rebounds and a 34.8% shooting clip from 3-point range. He showed strong playmaking ability too, with a career-high 20.8% assist rate while keeping his turnover rate under 20% for a third straight season on high usage (26% or more in his redshirt freshman, sophomore and junior seasons). At Houston, Dunn unlocked a new level defensively with a career-high steal rate and and a defensive box plus minus figure of 2.4 (his previous career-high was 0.1).

The Panthers have landed some other major recruiting wins so far this offseason, getting probable starting guards Jaland Lowe and Ishmael Leggett to confirm their returns to Pittsburgh. They also added former Florida State center Cameron Corhen this week to fill an open spot in the frontcourt. Dunn gets the Panthers to 11 scholarship players on the roster, leaving two open spots.

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Stephen Thompson
STEPHEN THOMPSON

Stephen Thompson graduated with a bachelor's degree in communications and political science from Pitt in April 2022 after spending four years as a sports writer and editor at The Pitt News, the University of Pittsburgh's independent, student-run newspaper.  He primarily worked the Pitt men's basketball beat, and filled in on coverage of football, volleyball, softball, gymnastics and lacrosse, in addition to other sports as needed. His work at The Pitt News has won awards from the Pennsylvania News Media Association and Associated College Press.  During the spring and summer of 2021, Stephen interned for Pittsburgh Sports Now, covering baseball in western Pennsylvania. Hailing from Washington D.C., family ties have cultivated a love of Boston's professional teams and Pitt athletics, and a fascination with sports in general.  You can reach Stephen by email at stephenethompson00@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter. Read his latest work:

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