Former Pitt Forward Transfers to Duquesne

PITTSBURGH — A former Pitt Panthers player returned back to the city where he started his college basketball career.

Xavier transfer forward John Hugley, who spent three seasons at Pitt, is transferring to in-city foe Duquesne, according to Joe Tipton of On3.

Hugley hails from Cleveland and played for Charles F. Brush High School in nearby Lyndhurst, Ohio.

He would star as a senior for Brush, averaging 24.0 points, 13.3 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.6 blocks per game during the 2019-20 season. He earned first team All-Ohio, All-Northeast Lakes District Division I Player of the Year and Western Reserve Conference Player of the Year for his play.

Hugley concluded his time at Brush with four straight conference titles, 1,660 points and 1,170 rebounds and as two-time all-state and a three-time all-district selection.

He was a consensus four-star recruit in the Class of 2020 and chose Pitt over other choices like Nebraska and NC State.

Hugley would run into legal trouble as a freshman, as he received three felony charges for allegedly stealing a car the summer before his first season with the team.

He had only played in seven games in the 2020-21 season, averaging 5.1 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, as Pitt suspended Hugley the rest of the season.

Hugley would have his charges dropped to two misdemeanors and he would earn reinstatement back to the team for the 2021-22 season, utilizing a redshirt for the previous campaign.

He would start 31 of 32 games he played in, averaging career-highs of 29.6 minutes, 14.8 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game, while shooting 47.1% from the field, 16.7% from 3-point range and 71.0% from the foul line.

His play earned him Honorable Mention All-ACC honors, with his 2.7 offensive rebounds per game ranking second best in the conference.

Hugley dealt with a knee injury sustained in preseason, which kept him from playing three of the first four games, before he played seven games into early December.

He stopped suiting up for the team for personal reasons and eventually annnounced in mid-January that he would sit out for the remainder of the season to deal with his injury and his mental health.

Hugley entered the transfer portal after that season and played in 47 games for the Panthers, starting 38 of them, while averaging 25.5 minutes, 12.2 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game.

He transferred to Oklahoma for the 2023-24 season and played in 24 games, starting one, through mid-February, before ending his season needing surgery on a meniscus tear following a game vs. Oklahoma State on Feb. 10.

Hugley averaged 17.6 minutes, 8.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game, while shooting 54.8% from the field, 39.4% from 3-point range and 75.8% from the foul line in his sole season with the Sooners.

He re-entered the transfer portal and landed with Xavier for his fifth season last campaign. He played in 34 games, averaging 9.9 minutes, 2.9 points and 2.0 rebounds per game, while making 47.1% of his shots from the field.

Hugley will play his sixth season and fourth team with Duquense next season, as he has an extra year of eligibility from the COVID-19 pandemic season.