Pittsburgh basketball team has added JUCO guard Jonathan Milligan for the 2015-16 season, head coach Jamie Dixon announced Tuesday.
“We are fortunate to be able to add a guard of Jonathan’s caliber at this point in the year,” said Dixon. “He is a promising combo guard who received a lot of high major interest out of high school and while he was at Kilgore College. He has the ability to score from a variety of spots on the floor and break down defense by getting into the lane. He also has the quickness and instincts to be an outstanding defender in our program.
Milligan averaged 14.3 points, 2.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game last season while leading the Kilgore College to a 21-9 record and a Region XIV Tournament appearance. He increased his scoring to 17.5 points per game in conference play en route to claiming first team all-region and Region XIV all-conference accolades.
The 6-2, 170-pound guard posted 15 or more points in a game 13 times with a season-high 35 points (8-of-16 FG, 5-of-10 3FG, 14-of-15 FT) in a 68-65 win over Bossier Parish Community College. Milligan shot 48.3 percent from the field, including 40.3 percent from three-point range, and 79.1 percent from the free throw line on the year.
The Orlando, Fla., native averaged 9.5 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists in his first season at Kilgore.
Milligan began his high school career at Casa Grande High School in Arizona, averaging a league-high 24.2 points and 8.0 assists per game as a senior. He also spent one prep season at Mount Zion Christian Academy in North Carolina before enrolling at Kilgore.
He received heavy interest from numerous high major schools, including Tennessee, Creighton, Marquette and NC State, before choosing to enroll at Pitt.
Milligan joins a Pitt roster featuring eight players with extensive Division I starting experience, including All-ACC forwards Jamel Artis and Michael Young. Pitt finished last season 19-15 overall and reached postseason play for the 15th consecutive season.