Pitt Reveals Starting Lineup for Season Opener

PITTSBURGH - The Pitt Panthers are set to officially kick off the 2025-26 season vs. Youngstown State, a Horizon League foe from right across the Ohio border, and the starting lineup has been revealed.

Pitt Reveals First Starting Lineup

Pitt is running back the same lineup it used in the scrimmage win vs. Pitt-Johnstown last week. Damarco Minor, Omari Witherspoon and Brandin Cummings are starting at guard, and Roman Siulepa and Cam Corhen are starting at forward.

Minor had a strong preseason for the Panthers, leading the way against both Providence and Pitt-Johnstown. He led the team in scoring against Providence and provides a steady, veteran presence at the 1. He has the keys to the offense in his hands.

Cummings had a slow start against UPJ, but he rebounded with a strong second half performance. Jeff Capel said after the game that Cummings just needs to "be a good player for Pitt" this season - be the glue guy.

Corhen is perhaps the key to unlocking the Panthers' full potential on the inside this season. Capel said he needs to be stronger on the glass, but if he can be, it opens up a lot for the entire team.

Siulepa is a young player who is still learning the game, especially at the college level, but if he gets downhill, he's hard to stop. He should be able to impact the game best when running in transition - as he showed across both scrimmages.

Witherspoon looked strong in his first college action against Providence, and he was even better against UPJ. He's a physical presence on both sides of the ball and should have the opportunity to make an immediate impact as a true freshman.

A Closer Look at the Starting Lineup

Minor is on his fourth program in five seasons, playing for South Suburban College, a JUCO, as a freshman. He transferred to Division I SIU Edwardsville as a sophomore and stayed for his junior season before transferring to Oregon State for his senior season.

He averaged 31.9 minutes, 9.8 points, 5.1 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 39.7% from the field, 28.2% from deep and 83.5% from the foul line last season.

Cummings played in 31 games and made four starts as a freshman for Pitt last season, where he averaged 6.3 points, 1.6 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game, while shooting 42.9% from the field, 37.7% from 3-point range and 82.1% from the free throw line.

Corhen is another returner, like Brandin Cummings, joining Pitt last season after a few seasons at Florida State.

He started all 32 games for the Panthers last season, averaging 11.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game, while shooting 63.5% from the field and 59.3% from the foul line.

Siulepa hails from Australia and previously played in the National Basketball League (NBL) and was a prolific rugby player at the youth level — there had been a legitimate conversation regarding his future in both sports.

He has played with both the South West Metro Pirates in NBL1 and the Tasmania JackJumpers in the NBL, while representing Australia internationally at the youth level.

Siulepa played for the Emus at both the FIBA U16 Asian Championships and then FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup in 2022, the FIBA U17 Oceania Championship in 2023 and most recently, the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup in Switzerland.

Witherspoon was a standout at St. John's College High last season, and while he held nearly 20 offers from Division I programs, he went largely under the radar out of the DMV. He has a chance to make a legitimate impact for the Panthers this season.

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