Pitt Parts Ways with Women's Basketball Head Coach Tory Verdi
Pitt Athletics is making a change at the top of the women’s basketball program.
It was announced Tuesday that Pitt has parted ways with Tory Verdi after three years at the helm of the program. On3’s Talia Goodman was the first to report.
Verdi is out after another highly disappointing season in which Pitt went 8-23 overall and 1-17 in the ACC. The move also comes nearly a month after it was reported that six former players filed a lawsuit against Verdi, alleging mistreatment.
“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,” Pitt athletic director Allen 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.”
Verdi was hired at Pitt in 2023 by previous athletic director Heather Lyke. Across three years, he compiled a 29-66 record and 8-46 mark in ACC play. Prior to Pitt, Verdi spent seven seasons at UMass.
According to Mitchell Northam of USA Today, Verdi had three years remaining on his contract at roughly $800,000 per year.
Pitt athletics will now begin a national search for the next women’s basketball head coach. The program has not compiled a winning season since 2014-15 under Suzie McConnell-Serio when the Panthers went 20-12 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
