Parker Stewart confirms he will transfer from Pitt

Freshman guard Parker Stewart announced on Friday that he will transfer from Pitt, though his destination remains unclear at this point. He requested his release from the program on March 14 and was the first Pitt player to do so after former head coach Kevin Stallings was fired.

Stewart revealed his decision on Twitter, posting a video of his experiences with the Panthers over the last several months and concluding it with a thank you to the city of Pittsburgh.

In his lone season with the Panthers, Stewart became the team’s leading three-point shooter after Ryan Luther was lost to injury in December, as he converted on 38.6 percent of his shots from beyond the arc. Factoring out Luther, Stewart was also Pitt’s third-most prolific scorer, averaging 9.1 points per game to go with 3.3 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game.

Stewart also took care of the ball, which was a rare and beneficial trait on what was a turnover-prone team last season. When all was said and done, he averaged 0.6 turnovers per game, which was the lowest average among Pitt’s regular rotation of starters in the 2017-18 season.

The Union City, Tennessee, native was considered a three-star recruit and the No. 3 player coming out of Tennessee in the 2017 class, according to 247Sports. He was drawn to Pitt by Stallings after previously committing to Ole Miss, but given a similar coaching change recently took place in Oxford, it seems unlikely he will return to the Rebels to play for Kermit Davis.

With that said, Memphis has emerged as an intriguing option in Stewart’s home state under new head coach Penny Hardaway, making the once-proud program a potential landing spot. Time will tell where the talented guard ultimately ends up, but the team that signs him will have a solid shooter at its disposal once Stewart becomes eligible to play again.