NBA Draft: Ashton Gibbs Will Remain At Pitt

It's been a rough couple of weeks for Pitt basketball fans since the Panthers' third round NCAA Tournament loss against the Butler Bulldogs back in March. From the crushing disappointment of unreached expectations to the cold, hard reality of having to replace three senior starters for 2011-2012, the days following the loss were difficult. Then came news in mid-April that sophomore guard J.J. Richardson intended to transfer from the program.

Perhaps worst of all, star guard Ashton Gibbs has been testing the NBA Draft waters for the past few months, leaving Pitt fans wondering if Jamie Dixon and the coaching staff would have to work even harder replacing departed talent.

Good news came Saturday, however, as Gibbs told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Ray Fittipaldo ($) he intends to stay put in Oakland. The news will certainly make the Panthers' rebuilding efforts a lot easier next fall as they'll have a reliable shooter and proven scorer in their rotation to count on in addition to some leadership from the upperclassman.

Hopefully, we'll be able to get you some quotes from Fittipaldo's piece when it runs in the paper tomorrow. For now, it's behind the PG+ pay wall, so we'll have to wait. Either way, though, finally a good night for Panther fans.