Pitt fires embattled women’s basketball coach Tory Verdi amid court struggles, legal issues

Pittsburgh fired women’s basketball coach Tory Verdi on Tuesday, ending a three-year tenure in which the Panthers struggled to find success on the court and Verdi potentially ran into trouble off it.

Athletic director Allen Greene announced the decision shortly after the Panthers missed the ACC women’s tournament after going 8-23, including a 1-17 mark in conference play.

“After a thorough and thoughtful evaluation of our women’s basketball program, it has been determined that we have not progressed enough competitively and now is the right time to seek a new leader for our program,” Greene said in a statement. “We thank Tory for his dedication over the past three seasons and wish him and his family nothing but the best in their future endeavors. The search process for our next leader is already underway.”

The decision comes just weeks after former Pitt players filed a lawsuit against Verdi and the university, alleging they were subject to Verdi’s abusive coaching methods and their pleas for the university to intervene went unheard. The school has denied the allegations.

Verdi went 29-66 with the Panthers, who hired him in 2023 following a lengthy run at Massachusetts.

Pitt’s next coach will be the program’s third in four years. The Panthers have struggled to find their footing since moving from the Big East to the ACC in 2013. Pitt has just one NCAA tournament appearance since swapping conferences, and that came in 2015 under Suzie McConnell Serio.