A little under two months after Pittsburgh hired head coach Jeff Capel in March 2018, the former Duke associate head coach was without a recruit for his first full season. He had searched the scouting landscape, but didn’t land his first full commit until Trey McGowens came along.

Despite being new to Pitt, Capel gained a quick trust with the 6-foot-3 combo guard. Eventually, that gave the recruit originally from South Carolina the confidence and ability to reclassify to the class of 2018 and join the Panthers following one of its worst seasons in program history.

After going winless in Atlantic Coast Conference play last season, Pittsburgh (12-9, 2-6 ACC) jumped out to a 12-5 record before a four-game losing streak. In 2019, Pitt is on the upswing. While fellow freshmen Xavier Johnson and Au’Diese Toney have shined, McGowens has developed alongside them. Well into his first year, McGowens has showed incredible upside, averaging 13.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game while starting every game for the Panthers.

Before arriving at Pittsburgh, McGowens spent a year at Hargrave Military Academy under the guidance of coach Lee Martin. One thing that stuck out to Martin was McGowens’ work ethic.

Max Freund | Staff Photographer

“He’s always working to get better.” Martin said on McGowens’ approach. “He’s a gym rat.”

McGowens spent the bulk of his time in gym, and his play at Hargrave improved. After making a decision with his parents, Pam and Bobby, the then-high school senior decided to play college basketball a year earlier, joining the class of 2018. He shot up the recruiting charts, becoming a 4-star prospect and a top-100 player in both Rivals.com and 247sports.com rankings.

McGowens received interest from more than 40 Division I programs, eventually narrowing it down to Clemson, Minnesota, Baylor, Charlotte and Pittsburgh. Ultimately, he chose Pitt for his faith in Capel’s new system.

“I just trusted coach Capel and whole staff,” McGowens said on his decision to play at Pittsburgh.

McGowens became the highest rated player to commit to Pittsburgh since NBA Oklahoma City center Steven Adams, according to Rivals. Being a high recruit also led to large expectations for the freshman, which ultimately got bigger with the additions of Johnson and Toney to Capel’s first-year class.

McGowens has showed a knack for big game performances early on. He starred in a upset win over then-No. 11 Florida State, scoring 30 points with seven rebounds. He also got to the free throw line 19 times, beating up Phil Cofer and Terance Mann, and shined on the other side of the floor with 5 steals.    

“Energy and defence,” McGowens said when asked what his favorite aspect of his game is. “I love defense.”

Pitt’s young core has run into some growing pains, though. After its most important win of the season over FSU, the Panthers have followed it with four-straight losses, with two losses coming to Duke and Louisville. In these games, McGowens struggled to get going, averaging almost three less points than his season average.

Even with Pitt’s lack of recent success, the future for both McGowens and the rest of Capel’s first freshman class is bright. This year’s squad has shown they have the talent to overcome last season’s failures, even if they struggle time to time.

“It’s a lot of fun” said McGowens on playing with this Pittsburgh team. “But we gotta grow fast.”

Published on February 2, 2019 at 2:31 pm

Contact Nick: nleconom@syr.edu