The Pittsburgh Panthers are looking to fill out their roster and are looking at bringing in some NCAA Basketball players who can make an immediate impact.
In this edition of the NCAA Basketball recruiting notebook, I will examine how the Pittsburgh Panthers 2019 recruiting class is coming along. I will also look at the prospects of 2021 consensus top-15 recruit J.T. Thor reclassifying to the class of 2020 and how it will affect his recruiting as well as another big weekend for Auburn, plus much more.
The Pittsburgh Panthers, as expected, experienced some bumps this past season in coach Jeff Capel’s first season. The Panthers weren’t very talented last season but still managed to finish 14-18 on the season, although they were just 3-15 in ACC play. However, two of their victories were over 2019 NCAA tournament participants Louisville and Florida State. Plus, the Panthers reached the second round of the ACC Tournament and saw freshmen Xavier Johnson — an All-ACC Rookie team selection — Trey McGowens produce solid seasons.
But Capel knows he still has a lot of work to improve the team’s overall talent and recruiting is perhaps his strongest asset as a coach. After bringing in a 2018 recruiting class that included a trio of players that ranked in 247 Sports top-250 of the nation in the class — Johnson, McGowens, and Au’diese Toney — Capel has matched that number this year and still has work to do. So, far the Panthers’ 2019 recruiting class consists of 6’9″ power forward Karim Coulibaly (Mali), 6’6″ forward Gerald Drumgoole Jr. (Rochester, NY), 6’5″ Justin Champaignie (Brooklynn, NY) and 6’2″ New Mexico J.C. transfer Ryan Murphy (Fairfield, CT).
Capel has three scholarships still available to use in 2019 and he has been busy trying to fill those spots. The Panthers are currently in the mix for big men Eric Hamilton, Joseph Bilau and Nigel John. The frontcourt is a major need for the Panthers as 6’10” junior Terrell Brown the only player entrenched into the rotation. 6’9″ forward Kene Chukwuka, who is recovering from hip surgery, and Coulibaly are the only other current options.
Pitt hosted Hamilton, a grad transfer from UNCG, on Tuesday according to Mike Vukovcan of Pittsburgh Sports Now. The 6’9″ power forward averaged 6.1 points, on 59.1% shooting, and 4.4 rebounds while averaging 16.1 minutes off the bench. He scored in double-figures on four occasions and produced one double-double. Hamilton, who is a decent offensive rebounder, spent two seasons at Wichita State prior to attending UNC-Greensboro.
Bilau has been one of Capel’s top targets this year and he recently included the Panthers in his final four. The 6’10” power forward, who has only been ranked by Rivals and they rate him as a three-star recruit, had drawn a bunch of high-major interest though he is currently down to WVU, Georgia and Wake Forest. The French native has visited WVU as well as Pitt and has said that trips to Georgia and Wake Forest are possibilities. Bilau is long, athletic and a good rebounder, however, he is very raw having played basketball for just four years.
John is seeking a landing place after de-committing from Washington State following the firing of coach Ernie Kent. He is ranked as a three-star prospect by 247 Sports and 247 Sports Composite. The 6’9″, 250-pound center is an athletic, strong-wide body who knows how to operate around the rim and is a good rebounder and rim protector. John (Weatherford, TX) averaged almost 17 points, 10.8 rebounds and 3 blocks per game this past season for Lakeland Christian Academy. Pitt seems to be the favorites to win his services with Louisiana Tech, Kansas State, and Tulsa also possible destinations.
2021 high-major target JT Thor considering reclassifying to the class of 2020
2021 highly-touted recruit JT Thor is considering joining the class of 2020. The 6’9” power forward is a consensus five-star prospect is rated as a top-15 player in his current class by all four major recruiting services. He is ranked eighth in the class by Rivals, ninth by ESPN, 11th by 247Sports Composite, and 13th by 247Sports.
The South Sudan native is long and raw overall. He is a quick jumper and has a nice lefty shooting stroke along with a soft touch. Thor is more a catch and shoot player but does have the ability to score off the bounce as he possesses good handles. Strength and athleticism are the biggest areas that need improvement.
Thor has drawn a considerable amount of interest from high-major programs and is reportedly high on Kentucky’s wish list. Thor has made the trip from Huntington (WV) to Lexington for a couple of times this past year, attending the team’s Big Blue Madness event in October and then came back in January. While the Max Prep All-Sophomore honorable mention selection does not currently hold an offer from Kentucky, it is likely that Wildcats will get more involved, as well as other big-time programs, in his recruiting if he reclassifies.
The Huntington Prep product reportedly currently reportedly holds 15 offers with 13 coming from power-7 conference’s programs — including Kanas, Miami, Pitt, Maryland, NC State, Auburn, Florida, and LSU.
Auburn’s busy week continues
After hosting a bunch of 2020 recruits, including an official visit by Walker Kessler who is ranked in the top-20 of the class this past Saturday, the Tigers secured their first commitment from the class of 2021 in high-scoring point guard Daeshun Ruffin on Monday. The 5’10” sparkplug out of Jackson (Miss.) averaged 25.8 points a game to go along with 5.3 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.9 steals for MEBO Team Hood, which is sponsored by Portland Trail Blazers guard Rodney Hood, during the Nike EYBL regular season. Ruffin, consensus top-75 player in the class, over the likes of Alabama, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Houston, and many others.
Coach Bruce Pearl hosted top10 2020 power forward Greg Brown (Austin, TX) on Wednesday. The 6’8 hybrid 4-man currently holds 16 offers but seems to be most interested in Auburn, Baylor, Kansas, LSU, Texas, Texas A&M, UCLA, and Kentucky. Kentucky is the only one of the eight teams to yet offer a scholarship. Texas and Kansas are seen as the favorites for Brown with the Longhorns having a 75% chance to obtain his services according to 247Sports.
The Tigers will host five-star 2020 shooting guard Jaden Springer (Charlotte, NC) and 2020 four-star Jayden Stone this upcoming weekend (June 7-9). Stone took an official visit to Michigan State this past weekend. The 6’3″ Australian, who attends Sunrise Academy (Wichita, KS), reportedly holds 14 offers including Auburn, Iowa State, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Kansas State, Baylor, and Georgetown. Stone has said that Auburn and Baylor has been pursuing him the heaviest, although Louisville has remained in “constant contact.” He made a visit to Louisville to watch the UNC game in February. Meanwhile, Springer holds 18 offers, however, UNC is believed to be a near lock to obtain his recruitment.
Other recruiting nuggets
- Consensus five-star wing Cade Cunningham (Arlington, TX) confirmed that all 10 schools that are on his finalist list have offered him a scholarship on June 5. Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, Memphis, Florida, North Carolina, Texas, Oklahoma State, Virginia, and Washington were the programs that Cunningham is still considering.
- 2019 consensus top-75 recruit Jalen Wilson completed a three-day visit to UNC yesterday. Wilson, who visited Kansas this past weekend which he said was “great”, was on the Chapel Hill campus from June 3-5. The former Michigan signee is expected to talk to Wolverines’ head coach Juwon Howard at some point this week. He is not planning to take any other visits, although that could change. Wilson is also considering Florida and Oklahoma State.
- 2021 shooting guard Marcus Randolph (Willingboro, NJ) picked up his first scholarship offer from Temple on June 5.
- 2020 consensus top-55 power forward Lance Ware (Camden, NJ) received a scholarship offer from Ohio State on June 5. It the eighth offer he has received.
- New Mexico grad transfer Anthony Mathis decided to transfer to Oregon on June 5.