Pittsburgh Basketball: 5 major offseason storylines for Panthers in 2021

1. Trying to land a five-star prospect

When head coach Jeff Capel was brought to Pittsburgh from Duke, the hope from the fan base was that his recruiting prowess would be a big boost for the program competing with some juggernauts in the ACC.

He has landed a five-star caliber prospect in his time with the Panthers, class of 2022 point guard  Jalen Hood-Schifino. However, he de-committed months ago, though he’s still considering the program going forward. So Coach Capel and Pittsburgh are trying to land another, this time in big man Efton Reid.

Reid is a top-20 overall center talent from the state of Virginia, one of the top post scorers in the entire 2021 recruiting class. He’s had arguably the quietest recruitment of any top-100 player in the class and we only know his decision date (April 15th) because his mother sent a tweet out.

https://twitter.com/rebbie8041/status/1378439523676254209

The fact that this entire recruitment has flown under the radar probably has helped the Panthers the most. There have only been a few programs reportedly that have been in consistent touch with Reid, namely Pittsburgh and Ohio State. LSU and hometown option Virginia are also in the picture but from the little info out there, the Panthers and Buckeyes are the teams to beat.

This feels like a complete mismatch on paper. If none of the seniors on the current roster leaves for the Buckeyes, they’re a consensus preseason top-5 team for next season. And if starting center Kyle Young leaves, Reid can slide in and start for a national title contender. On the other hand, Pittsburgh is just hoping to get out the bottom-five of the ACC at some point.

The one selling point that the Panthers have is their frontcourt…. or lack thereof. Despite Terrell Brown’s best efforts, this team has not had a real center to compete in ACC play for five years. This team’s lack of frontcourt production has been a major issue that desperately needs to be addressed. Reid can come in and be the 1st or 2nd offensive option for the Panthers, where he’d have to be behind E.J. Liddell and Duane Washington over at the Buckeyes.

Landing Reid would be a massive boost of momentum for Pittsburgh Basketball. His arrival would give players a new look at the team, including one currently deciding whether or not to come back. And if Reid comes and plays well in his likely lone year with the program, it would potentially entice future five-star prospects to play for Coach Capel and the Panthers.