Pitt Basketball Hires WVU Recruiting Director As New GM

The Pitt Panthers hired a rival's top staff member in a new position.

Jan 25, 2025; Syracuse, New York, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers head coach Jeff Capel reacts against the Syracuse Orange during the second half at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-Imagn Images | Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

PITTSBURGH — The Pitt Panthers have made a hire for their basketball staff, who will greatly help them construct their roster going forward.

Jeff Goodman of The Field of 68 reported that Pitt hired former West Virginia director of recruiting Jay Kuntz as their new general manager.

Former West Virginia director of recruiting Jay Kuntz will be the new general manager at Pittsburgh, source told @TheFieldOf68.

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) April 10, 2025

Pitt hasn't made an official announcement, but Kuntz posted a GIF on Twitter that suggested he is taking a job at a rival school.

😉 pic.twitter.com/WSgU8gRMYC

— Jay Kuntz (@JayTKuntz) April 10, 2025

Kuntz is a native of Wallingford, Conn. and he graduated from West Virginia University in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in multidisciplinary studies. He also earned a master’s degree from WVU in athletic coaching education in 2014.

He was a four-year student manager during his time at West Virginia, 2008-12, while working as an assistant camp director for the Bob Huggins Basketball Camp and coordinating the men’s basketball manager staff consisting of 16 individuals.

Kuntz served as coordinator of player development from 2015-17 and then was the Assistant to the Head Coach from July 2017-22, before taking over as Director of Personnel/Recruiting.

His roles consisted of working with Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) and making sure the WVU staff complied with the NCAA. He also served as the liason between the men's basketball team and the Country Roads Trust, the NIL fund that connects WVU fans to student athletes, allowing them to financially support them.

Kuntz will now serve as a general manager for Pitt, where he will essentially work on building the roster for the future. This includes scouting not just high school talent, but potential transfer additions from the top programs in Division I, through Division II, Divisiion III, JUCO and the NAIA.

They're also responsible for finding the right fits for the team.determining which players are worth targeting and spending on with NIL and soon, college revenue sharing money.

Pitt needs a general manager quickly this offseason, as they have lost six players to the transfer portal and had three players graduate, bringing just three players back.

They have an incoming freshman and two incoming transfers from Iowa State, but still need at least five-six more players on their roster for next season.

Kuntz has dealt with two big roster overhauls during his time at West Virginia. The first one took place after Bob Huggins resigned following an arrest for a DUI before the 2023-24 season and then after they fired interim coach Josh Eilert before the 2024-25 season and Darian DeVries took over as coach.

Pitt has won the past two matchups against West Virginia in the Backyard Brawl, including 80-63 on the road on Dec. 6, 2023 and then an 86-62 win at the Petersen Events Center back on Nov. 15.

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