Where Pitt Women's Basketball Should Look In The Portal

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers women's basketball team was one of tumult for the 2025-26 season.

Now, following the departure of head coach Tory Verdi and the introduction of coach Robin Harmony, the transfer portal is set to officially open shortly.

Plenty of Panthers have already announced their intent to enter the portal, including the two five star freshmen in Theresa Hagans Jr. and Nylah Wilson.

On the other side, Pitt will need to do their recruiting of new talent. As of right now, the team features no incoming freshman players. Now, Harmony will have to deal with an already depleted roster and a low budget for the ACC in order to land talent.

Where can Harmony look?

The first place that Harmony will likely look is the two sets of sisters that she coached this past season at the College of Charleston.

The Philpotts sisters both appeared off the bench for Harmony and the Cougars, with Alanna having redshirted the previous year and appearing in five games in the previous season. Leah appeared in 31 games with no starts, averaging 3.6 points per game and 1.1 rebounds per game.

The other set of sisters are the Barbot twins, who were the offensive engine of Harmony's College of Charleston teams.

Taryn Barbot led the team in points per game, with 20.1 points per game as well as 5.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. Taylor Barbot averaged 11.4 points, but acted as more of a facilitator with 6 assists per game.

If Pitt is able to land both of the twins, that would settle their backcourt needs.

Outside of the players that played under Harmony at College of Charleston, Pitt should be able to make some moves for some low and mid major prospects.

One such player is guard Vanessa Harris, who averaged 10.2 points per game and 3.8 rebounds per game at Rhode Island. Harris earned 2026 Atlantic 10 Sixth Woman of the Year honors, so it may be tough for the team to compete with other high major teams for her services.

Rhode Island Rams guard Vanessa Harris (23) scores two over Alabama at the 2026 NCAA Women's March Madness basketball tournament at the KFC Yum Center In Louisville, Kentucky. March 21, 2026. | Matt Stone/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Another possibility is sophomore option from Southern Utah Sierra Chambers. The sophomore guard averaged 14.8 points per game and 3.8 assists per game this past season as a guard.

At this point, the forwards in the portal have not been as enticing, and Pitt will have to wait a bit longer to figure out exactly what they will be able to land for the 2026 season.

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