Pitt's Damian Dunn Out for Season

Dunn went up for a shot and missed, but struggled getting up after the attempt in the second half of Pitt's 67-66 loss to North Carolina on Feb. 8. He grabbed his left elbow and also his right leg, showing apparent discomfort in both.

Panthers medical staff treated Dunn before escorting him off the floor and into the locker room for further treatment. He had six points, making four free throws in his 30 minutes in the loss to the Tar Heels.

Capel spoke following the loss to UNC that Dunn would likely miss the rest of the season, but that they needed to go back to Pittsburgh to get him checked out before confirming it.

Pitt returned back home after their 83-63 road loss to SMU on Feb. 11 and found out soon after. Dunn didn't play vs. SMU nor vs. Miami, with his arm in a sling for that one.

Dunn missed seven games this season after he underwent surgery on his right thumb and also suffered a right ankle sprain in the loss to then-ranked No. 19 Wisconsin at the Greenbrier Tip-Off in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va. on Nov. 24.

He returned on Jan. 7, for Pitt's road matchup with then ranked No. 4 Duke, a 76-47 defeat. He started four of the last eight games for Pitt prior to UNC, averaging 9.4 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.1 assists per game, while shooting 39.1% from the field, 35.5% from 3-point range and 82.4% from the foul line.

Dunn was one of the best players for Pitt this season prior to his first injury, ranking third with 13.0 points per game and averaging 25.2 minutes and 2.5 rebounds per game, while starting the first six contests. He also shot 50.0% from the field, 52.6% from 3-point range and 75.0% from the foul line.

He starred in the 86-62 win over rival West Virginia in the Backyard Brawl at the Petersen Events Center on Nov. 15. He scored a team-high 23 points and shot 7-for-12 from the field, 4-for-7 from 3-point range and 5-for-7 from the free throw line.

Dunn also had a great game in the 83-68 win vs. Murray State at home on Nov. 8. He scored 19 points, shot 6-for-11 from the floor, 3-for-5 from 3-point range and 4-for-6 from the foul line.

He hails from Kinston, N.C. and played for Meadowcreek High School in the Atlanta metro.

Dunn would commit to Temple and played for them for four seasons from 2019-23. His best season came in his last, 2022-23, putting up career-highs of 15.3 points and 3.0 assists per game, while shooting 41.1% from the field, 34.8% from 3-point range and 81.4% from the foul line.

He would eventually transfer to Houston for his fifth season, starting just four of the 37 games he played in. Dunn averaged 6.4 points and 2.3 rebounds per game last season for the Cougars and shot 35.9% from the field, 31.7% from 3-point range and 70.6% from the foul line.

With Dunn missing the rest of the season, this will most certainly end his college career, unless he receives a medical waiver, which is unlikely with how much he has played so far.

Pitt will rely heavily on both guards, senior Ishmael Leggett and freshman Brandin "Beebah" Cummings, with the latter getting his second start of the season. Freshman guard Amsal Delalić also dropped a career-high 14 points in the win over Miami, making himself another option.

The Panthers also had sophomore guard Jaland Lowe out vs. the Hurricanes with a concussion that he suffered in the second half of their loss to the Mustangs on Feb. 11.