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NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Analyzing 6 teams in play for top-100 Chisom Okpara

Feb 29, 2020; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA;Pitt Panthers head coach Jeff Capel (center) talks to his players during a timeout in the second half against the North Carolina State Wolfpack at PNC Arena. The Wolfpack won 77-73. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 29, 2020; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA;Pitt Panthers head coach Jeff Capel (center) talks to his players during a timeout in the second half against the North Carolina State Wolfpack at PNC Arena. The Wolfpack won 77-73. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports /
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NCAA Basketball Chisom Okpara Washington Huskies Jamal Bey Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
NCAA Basketball Chisom Okpara Washington Huskies Jamal Bey Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

Pittsburgh Panthers

The Panthers have been in the picture for Chisom since the beginning and hope to use that to their benefit. They have a top-100 commit in Judah Mintz and are hoping for a big 2022 class. They added three key transfers in the frontcourt this offseason in Junior College forward Chris Payton, along with Oakland forward Daniel Oladapo and Stony Brook shot-blocker Mouhamadou Gueye.

There’s a real chance that Oladapo and Gueye will be gone after next season and there’s a real need at power forward. Top-50 recruit Dom Barlow is a bigger priority for Pitt right now but if he goes elsewhere, look for the Panthers to aggressively target Okpara, who can offer a rotation spot as a freshman.

Washington Huskies

The frontcourt for Washington has undergone a complete change, with Junior College transfer Langston Wilson leading the way at power forward. The team does have some underclassmen coming in, including three-star freshman Jackson Grant, as well as current 2022 commit Tyler Linhardt. On paper, Okpara may be better than all three and could easily see playing time and have a big impact.

The issue here is that besides being all the way out on the west coast, the Huskies have one of the current worst rosters among all power conference programs. And if the team wins under 10 total games again, head coach Mike Hopkins could be on the hot seat for real.

Next. Top 25 frontcourts for 2021-22 season. dark

Had Stanford been the Pac-12 team on this list for Chisom Okpara, I would’ve given them a decent shot to land him. But Washington just doesn’t make sense for multiple reasons, as they don’t offer the forward anything more than the Big Ten programs also in contention.