Brandin Cummings, the EYBL, and future Roster building

[Vader_Storm]

To start off, Brandin Cummings is 7th in the entire EYBL in scoring. His numbers are as follows:

18.8 ppg
4.3 rpg
1.9 apg
1 steal per game
54% FG percentage
40% 3 point
2-1 assist to turnover ratio


These numbers are beyond impressive through 2 complete EYBL sessions. They are better than Dior Johnson, Judah Mintz, Ty-laur Johnson, Jaland Lowe, Carlton Carrington, or any other Pitt commit or target not named Justin Champagnie in the Capel era in AAU play thus far. Cummings can score. He is deceptively quick and can beat players off the bounce, he has legit 3 point firepower with a midrange game, and he has an arsenal of moves both 1 on 1 and in the PNR. His step back jumper has been terrific and he can score in a lot of ways. Cummings looks like a top 50 player right now. He is playing like a top 50 player right now. And he has been very efficient on top of the strong numbers, which makes it all the more impressive because he is one of the most efficient players in AAU thus far. The 6 players scoring more than Cummings in the EYBL are 5 star caliber players that schools like Kentucky are going after.

On top of all this, Cummings has only played 25 minutes per game and his coach failed to play him more in the early going. Most of the top players are pushing close to 30 minutes per game or more, so Cummings numbers would have been even better with the extra playing time. He has some Ashton Gibbs in his game and he has some Cam Thomas in his game. He is really good and is far better than even I expected just a month ago. He plays mainly at the SG position as an undersized 6'1 SG, but also has played the role as a scoring point guard. With all due respect to Nelly, Brandin is considerably better.

I've watched every Cummings EYBL game except 1. His rebound numbers are better than what he was doing in high school although he still is not a great rebounder. His defense is average and he has shown some ability to keep players in front of him although he still needs considerable work on defense and gaining strength.





The 2024 recruiting class as a whole is rather weak. There is a lack of real quality NBA talents and a number of the 5 star players wouldn't be close to 5 star players in other stronger recruiting classes. I would expect a wave of 2025 kids to reclass into this weak 2024 class. The top player in 2026 is 4th overall in the entire EYBL U17 division in scoring. He is playing up 2 divisions and eating these players up. If players like Boozer and Flagg played up a division , the same would be the case. It makes me think a player like Meleek Thomas or Alier Maluk may seriously want to class up to take advantage of a soft 2024. Thomas is barely top 5 nationally in 2025. And if the 2026 kid classes up, Thomas will move down even further because he is not better than Dybantsa.



From the looks of where we stand when I look at the future roster a year from now, we need a PG, a SG / Wing combo, and a 4 / 5 somewhere in there. We are only 2 sessions deep into the EYBL after todays games. With that said, I think we need to full court press Jalik Dunkley Distant who we have been consistently recruiting for a long time. 6'6 Guard / Wing with a near 7 foot wingspan. Here are his numbers

12.5 ppg
3.1 rpg
2.4 apg
53% FG
36% 3 point

Like Cummings, he is very efficiency and his team is also in first place in its division with only 1 loss. He has Vince Carter athletic ability and very high upside. Rebound numbers are a little low, but everything else looks good including the shooting percentages and he plays hard on defense. His offense has been better and more consistent than expected. He is high on Pitt and will be taking an official visit here in the future I was told, just not a date in place yet. He should be in my opinion one of our top remaining targets in 2024. Other high majors are starting to take a look at him but we have been recruiting him for a while. We will not take his twin brother.





We still need a point guard in 2024 and a PF / C. The PF / C could be resolved this recruiting cycle, a player like Papa Kante would be perfect.


I still like Kyle Greene as a point guard who is planning to visit here. Pitt recently offered Darius Acuff Jr, 2025 point guard that is a stud. Acuff is one of the 6 players currently scoring more than Cummings in the EYBL. If Cummings wants to try to be a scoring point guard in college, we could start going after guys like Austin Swartz from North Carolina who we might just offer and go after anyway.

It will be interesting how Capel plays this with regards to 2025 kids reclassifying up into a weak 2024 class. I would be very selective in 2024 with what Im seeing thus far. With Cummings being this good, we are in good hands at the SG position unless he wants to try to transition to being a scoring pg.

 

[Drew1208]

To start off, Brandin Cummings is 7th in the entire EYBL in scoring. His numbers are as follows:

18.8 ppg
4.3 rpg
1.9 apg
1 steal per game
54% FG percentage
40% 3 point
2-1 assist to turnover ratio


These numbers are beyond impressive through 2 complete EYBL sessions. They are better than Dior Johnson, Judah Mintz, Ty-laur Johnson, Jaland Lowe, Carlton Carrington, or any other Pitt commit or target not named Justin Champagnie in the Capel era in AAU play thus far. Cummings can score. He is deceptively quick and can beat players off the bounce, he has legit 3 point firepower with a midrange game, and he has an arsenal of moves both 1 on 1 and in the PNR. His step back jumper has been terrific and he can score in a lot of ways. Cummings looks like a top 50 player right now. He is playing like a top 50 player right now. And he has been very efficient on top of the strong numbers, which makes it all the more impressive because he is one of the most efficient players in AAU thus far. The 6 players scoring more than Cummings in the EYBL are 5 star caliber players that schools like Kentucky are going after.

On top of all this, Cummings has only played 25 minutes per game and his coach failed to play him more in the early going. Most of the top players are pushing close to 30 minutes per game or more, so Cummings numbers would have been even better with the extra playing time. He has some Ashton Gibbs in his game and he has some Cam Thomas in his game. He is really good and is far better than even I expected just a month ago. He plays mainly at the SG position as an undersized 6'1 SG, but also has played the role as a scoring point guard. With all due respect to Nelly, Brandin is considerably better.

I've watched every Cummings EYBL game except 1. His rebound numbers are better than what he was doing in high school although he still is not a great rebounder. His defense is average and he has shown some ability to keep players in front of him although he still needs considerable work on defense and gaining strength.





The 2024 recruiting class as a whole is rather weak. There is a lack of real quality NBA talents and a number of the 5 star players wouldn't be close to 5 star players in other stronger recruiting classes. I would expect a wave of 2025 kids to reclass into this weak 2024 class. The top player in 2026 is 4th overall in the entire EYBL U17 division in scoring. He is playing up 2 divisions and eating these players up. If players like Boozer and Flagg played up a division , the same would be the case. It makes me think a player like Meleek Thomas or Alier Maluk may seriously want to class up to take advantage of a soft 2024. Thomas is barely top 5 nationally in 2025. And if the 2026 kid classes up, Thomas will move down even further because he is not better than Dybantsa.



From the looks of where we stand when I look at the future roster a year from now, we need a PG, a SG / Wing combo, and a 4 / 5 somewhere in there. We are only 2 sessions deep into the EYBL after todays games. With that said, I think we need to full court press Jalik Dunkley Distant who we have been consistently recruiting for a long time. 6'6 Guard / Wing with a near 7 foot wingspan. Here are his numbers

12.5 ppg
3.1 rpg
2.4 apg
53% FG
36% 3 point

Like Cummings, he is very efficiency and his team is also in first place in its division with only 1 loss. He has Vince Carter athletic ability and very high upside. Rebound numbers are a little low, but everything else looks good including the shooting percentages and he plays hard on defense. His offense has been better and more consistent than expected. He is high on Pitt and will be taking an official visit here in the future I was told, just not a date in place yet. He should be in my opinion one of our top remaining targets in 2024. Other high majors are starting to take a look at him but we have been recruiting him for a while. We will not take his twin brother.





We still need a point guard in 2024 and a PF / C. The PF / C could be resolved this recruiting cycle, a player like Papa Kante would be perfect.


I still like Kyle Greene as a point guard who is planning to visit here. Pitt recently offered Darius Acuff Jr, 2025 point guard that is a stud. Acuff is one of the 6 players currently scoring more than Cummings in the EYBL. If Cummings wants to try to be a scoring point guard in college, we could start going after guys like Austin Swartz from North Carolina who we might just offer and go after anyway.

It will be interesting how Capel plays this with regards to 2025 kids reclassifying up into a weak 2024 class. I would be very selective in 2024 with what Im seeing thus far. With Cummings being this good, we are in good hands at the SG position unless he wants to try to transition to being a scoring pg.

All of our players keep shrinking

 

[Vader_Storm]

All of our players keep shrinking

Not really.


A lot of the websites have Carrington listed as 6'3 or 6'4. His own high school team listed him at 6'6 and he looks 6'6 and is easily taller than Lamothe who is listed at 6'4. When Carrington gets to Pitt in June and goes through pictures and measurements, he'll be listed at 6'6. Now Carrington hit a growth spurt last year and is still 17, but still, the people running the websites need to be more up to date than what they are doing and update these things. They are way off here.

Jaland Lowe looks 6'2 to me or just a tad under. Ive seen websites list Lowe at 6'0. The EYBL officially listed Lowe as 6'2. That looks close to accurate.

Barnes looks 6'6.

Cummings is listed at 6'1 on the EYBL and the season ticket aau websites. The recruiting websites list him at 6'3. He isn't 6'3 and 6'2 is stretching it. He's maybe 2 inches taller than Nelly Cummings, and Nelly Cummings looks closer to 5'11 than 6'1. Pitt lists Nelly at 6'0. And that to me is a tad generous for Nelly.

 

[Drew1208]

Not really.


A lot of the websites have Carrington listed as 6'3 or 6'4. His own high school team listed him at 6'6 and he looks 6'6 and is easily taller than Lamothe who is listed at 6'4. When Carrington gets to Pitt in June and goes through pictures and measurements, he'll be listed at 6'6. Now Carrington hit a growth spurt last year and is still 17, but still, the people running the websites need to be more up to date than what they are doing and update these things. They are way off here.

Jaland Lowe looks 6'2 to me or just a tad under. Ive seen websites list Lowe at 6'0. The EYBL officially listed Lowe as 6'2. That looks close to accurate.

Barnes looks 6'6.

Cummings is listed at 6'1 on the EYBL and the season ticket aau websites. The recruiting websites list him at 6'3. He isn't 6'3 and 6'2 is stretching it. He's maybe 2 inches taller than Nelly Cummings, and Nelly Cummings looks closer to 5'11 than 6'1. Pitt lists Nelly at 6'0. And that to me is a tad generous for Nelly.

Yeah it's just been a running joke on a few threads.

 

[Pittisit4me]

Not really.


A lot of the websites have Carrington listed as 6'3 or 6'4. His own high school team listed him at 6'6 and he looks 6'6 and is easily taller than Lamothe who is listed at 6'4. When Carrington gets to Pitt in June and goes through pictures and measurements, he'll be listed at 6'6. Now Carrington hit a growth spurt last year and is still 17, but still, the people running the websites need to be more up to date than what they are doing and update these things. They are way off here.

Jaland Lowe looks 6'2 to me or just a tad under. Ive seen websites list Lowe at 6'0. The EYBL officially listed Lowe as 6'2. That looks close to accurate.

Barnes looks 6'6.

Cummings is listed at 6'1 on the EYBL and the season ticket aau websites. The recruiting websites list him at 6'3. He isn't 6'3 and 6'2 is stretching it. He's maybe 2 inches taller than Nelly Cummings, and Nelly Cummings looks closer to 5'11 than 6'1. Pitt lists Nelly at 6'0. And that to me is a tad generous for Nelly.

Brandin is every bit of 6'3" if you don't smash down his fro.

 

[rockypanther]

To start off, Brandin Cummings is 7th in the entire EYBL in scoring. His numbers are as follows:

18.8 ppg
4.3 rpg
1.9 apg
1 steal per game
54% FG percentage
40% 3 point
2-1 assist to turnover ratio


These numbers are beyond impressive through 2 complete EYBL sessions. They are better than Dior Johnson, Judah Mintz, Ty-laur Johnson, Jaland Lowe, Carlton Carrington, or any other Pitt commit or target not named Justin Champagnie in the Capel era in AAU play thus far. Cummings can score. He is deceptively quick and can beat players off the bounce, he has legit 3 point firepower with a midrange game, and he has an arsenal of moves both 1 on 1 and in the PNR. His step back jumper has been terrific and he can score in a lot of ways. Cummings looks like a top 50 player right now. He is playing like a top 50 player right now. And he has been very efficient on top of the strong numbers, which makes it all the more impressive because he is one of the most efficient players in AAU thus far. The 6 players scoring more than Cummings in the EYBL are 5 star caliber players that schools like Kentucky are going after.

On top of all this, Cummings has only played 25 minutes per game and his coach failed to play him more in the early going. Most of the top players are pushing close to 30 minutes per game or more, so Cummings numbers would have been even better with the extra playing time. He has some Ashton Gibbs in his game and he has some Cam Thomas in his game. He is really good and is far better than even I expected just a month ago. He plays mainly at the SG position as an undersized 6'1 SG, but also has played the role as a scoring point guard. With all due respect to Nelly, Brandin is considerably better.

I've watched every Cummings EYBL game except 1. His rebound numbers are better than what he was doing in high school although he still is not a great rebounder. His defense is average and he has shown some ability to keep players in front of him although he still needs considerable work on defense and gaining strength.





The 2024 recruiting class as a whole is rather weak. There is a lack of real quality NBA talents and a number of the 5 star players wouldn't be close to 5 star players in other stronger recruiting classes. I would expect a wave of 2025 kids to reclass into this weak 2024 class. The top player in 2026 is 4th overall in the entire EYBL U17 division in scoring. He is playing up 2 divisions and eating these players up. If players like Boozer and Flagg played up a division , the same would be the case. It makes me think a player like Meleek Thomas or Alier Maluk may seriously want to class up to take advantage of a soft 2024. Thomas is barely top 5 nationally in 2025. And if the 2026 kid classes up, Thomas will move down even further because he is not better than Dybantsa.



From the looks of where we stand when I look at the future roster a year from now, we need a PG, a SG / Wing combo, and a 4 / 5 somewhere in there. We are only 2 sessions deep into the EYBL after todays games. With that said, I think we need to full court press Jalik Dunkley Distant who we have been consistently recruiting for a long time. 6'6 Guard / Wing with a near 7 foot wingspan. Here are his numbers

12.5 ppg
3.1 rpg
2.4 apg
53% FG
36% 3 point

Like Cummings, he is very efficiency and his team is also in first place in its division with only 1 loss. He has Vince Carter athletic ability and very high upside. Rebound numbers are a little low, but everything else looks good including the shooting percentages and he plays hard on defense. His offense has been better and more consistent than expected. He is high on Pitt and will be taking an official visit here in the future I was told, just not a date in place yet. He should be in my opinion one of our top remaining targets in 2024. Other high majors are starting to take a look at him but we have been recruiting him for a while. We will not take his twin brother.





We still need a point guard in 2024 and a PF / C. The PF / C could be resolved this recruiting cycle, a player like Papa Kante would be perfect.


I still like Kyle Greene as a point guard who is planning to visit here. Pitt recently offered Darius Acuff Jr, 2025 point guard that is a stud. Acuff is one of the 6 players currently scoring more than Cummings in the EYBL. If Cummings wants to try to be a scoring point guard in college, we could start going after guys like Austin Swartz from North Carolina who we might just offer and go after anyway.

It will be interesting how Capel plays this with regards to 2025 kids reclassifying up into a weak 2024 class. I would be very selective in 2024 with what Im seeing thus far. With Cummings being this good, we are in good hands at the SG position unless he wants to try to transition to being a scoring pg.

No way in the world Acuff is coming to Pitt. No point in putting any resources there.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

To start off, Brandin Cummings is 7th in the entire EYBL in scoring. His numbers are as follows:

18.8 ppg
4.3 rpg
1.9 apg
1 steal per game
54% FG percentage
40% 3 point
2-1 assist to turnover ratio


These numbers are beyond impressive through 2 complete EYBL sessions. They are better than Dior Johnson, Judah Mintz, Ty-laur Johnson, Jaland Lowe, Carlton Carrington, or any other Pitt commit or target not named Justin Champagnie in the Capel era in AAU play thus far. Cummings can score. He is deceptively quick and can beat players off the bounce, he has legit 3 point firepower with a midrange game, and he has an arsenal of moves both 1 on 1 and in the PNR. His step back jumper has been terrific and he can score in a lot of ways. Cummings looks like a top 50 player right now. He is playing like a top 50 player right now. And he has been very efficient on top of the strong numbers, which makes it all the more impressive because he is one of the most efficient players in AAU thus far. The 6 players scoring more than Cummings in the EYBL are 5 star caliber players that schools like Kentucky are going after.

On top of all this, Cummings has only played 25 minutes per game and his coach failed to play him more in the early going. Most of the top players are pushing close to 30 minutes per game or more, so Cummings numbers would have been even better with the extra playing time. He has some Ashton Gibbs in his game and he has some Cam Thomas in his game. He is really good and is far better than even I expected just a month ago. He plays mainly at the SG position as an undersized 6'1 SG, but also has played the role as a scoring point guard. With all due respect to Nelly, Brandin is considerably better.

I've watched every Cummings EYBL game except 1. His rebound numbers are better than what he was doing in high school although he still is not a great rebounder. His defense is average and he has shown some ability to keep players in front of him although he still needs considerable work on defense and gaining strength.





The 2024 recruiting class as a whole is rather weak. There is a lack of real quality NBA talents and a number of the 5 star players wouldn't be close to 5 star players in other stronger recruiting classes. I would expect a wave of 2025 kids to reclass into this weak 2024 class. The top player in 2026 is 4th overall in the entire EYBL U17 division in scoring. He is playing up 2 divisions and eating these players up. If players like Boozer and Flagg played up a division , the same would be the case. It makes me think a player like Meleek Thomas or Alier Maluk may seriously want to class up to take advantage of a soft 2024. Thomas is barely top 5 nationally in 2025. And if the 2026 kid classes up, Thomas will move down even further because he is not better than Dybantsa.



From the looks of where we stand when I look at the future roster a year from now, we need a PG, a SG / Wing combo, and a 4 / 5 somewhere in there. We are only 2 sessions deep into the EYBL after todays games. With that said, I think we need to full court press Jalik Dunkley Distant who we have been consistently recruiting for a long time. 6'6 Guard / Wing with a near 7 foot wingspan. Here are his numbers

12.5 ppg
3.1 rpg
2.4 apg
53% FG
36% 3 point

Like Cummings, he is very efficiency and his team is also in first place in its division with only 1 loss. He has Vince Carter athletic ability and very high upside. Rebound numbers are a little low, but everything else looks good including the shooting percentages and he plays hard on defense. His offense has been better and more consistent than expected. He is high on Pitt and will be taking an official visit here in the future I was told, just not a date in place yet. He should be in my opinion one of our top remaining targets in 2024. Other high majors are starting to take a look at him but we have been recruiting him for a while. We will not take his twin brother.





We still need a point guard in 2024 and a PF / C. The PF / C could be resolved this recruiting cycle, a player like Papa Kante would be perfect.


I still like Kyle Greene as a point guard who is planning to visit here. Pitt recently offered Darius Acuff Jr, 2025 point guard that is a stud. Acuff is one of the 6 players currently scoring more than Cummings in the EYBL. If Cummings wants to try to be a scoring point guard in college, we could start going after guys like Austin Swartz from North Carolina who we might just offer and go after anyway.

It will be interesting how Capel plays this with regards to 2025 kids reclassifying up into a weak 2024 class. I would be very selective in 2024 with what Im seeing thus far. With Cummings being this good, we are in good hands at the SG position unless he wants to try to transition to being a scoring pg.

Those are Top 30 type numbers.

 

[BballinsiderfromPitt]

Those are Top 30 type numbers.

If his team was winning and not 2-6, maybe

 

[Vader_Storm]

If his team was winning and not 2-6, maybe

Cummings team doesn't have the talent to win games. That's another thing holding his numbers back. He can't get any transition baskets because he is trying to rebound the basketball because no one on his team can rebound and the bigs are worthless. Its actually sad that Cummings has the most rebounds on his entire team through the first 2 sessions. He has also had to deal with a few double teams in a few of the closer games. The only other real talent on that team is Jerry Easter. Cummings and Easter are the entire team.


Now, your thought on the team record holds a lot more weight on some of the more talented teams like the NY Rens who have been a colossal bust. That's a team with 3 five star players and about 6 top 100 guys playing. All of them look overrated except Dylan Harper. And the only guy that has somewhat of an excuse is Malachi Palmer who has injury issues. Betsey, Cunningham, and Pang need to drop in the rankings although there is a lack of talent in 2024 overall to drop the first 2 that far.

 

[Vader_Storm]

EYBL scoring and efficiency national power rankings.


Cummings #2 overall in the entire EYBL in gold, which is All American level.



The #1 high school player in the country in 2026 is #4 overall.

The #1 high school player in the country in 2024 is #8 overall.

Cummings is in Elite company here.




https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FvDFhE9XsAAU9sT?format=jpg&name=small

 

[joeydavid]

If his team was winning and not 2-6, maybe

That roster is pretty terrible from what I watched. Nothing up-front and poor on the defensive end.

 

[rockypanther]

EYBL scoring and efficiency national power rankings.


Cummings #2 overall in the entire EYBL in gold, which is All American level.



The #1 high school player in the country in 2026 is #4 overall.

The #1 high school player in the country in 2024 is #8 overall.

Cummings is in Elite company here.




https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FvDFhE9XsAAU9sT?format=jpg&name=small

Ok Vadar.

To start off, Brandin Cummings is 7th in the entire EYBL in scoring. His numbers are as follows:

18.8 ppg
4.3 rpg
1.9 apg
1 steal per game
54% FG percentage
40% 3 point
2-1 assist to turnover ratio


These numbers are beyond impressive through 2 complete EYBL sessions. They are better than Dior Johnson, Judah Mintz, Ty-laur Johnson, Jaland Lowe, Carlton Carrington, or any other Pitt commit or target not named Justin Champagnie in the Capel era in AAU play thus far. Cummings can score. He is deceptively quick and can beat players off the bounce, he has legit 3 point firepower with a midrange game, and he has an arsenal of moves both 1 on 1 and in the PNR. His step back jumper has been terrific and he can score in a lot of ways. Cummings looks like a top 50 player right now. He is playing like a top 50 player right now. And he has been very efficient on top of the strong numbers, which makes it all the more impressive because he is one of the most efficient players in AAU thus far. The 6 players scoring more than Cummings in the EYBL are 5 star caliber players that schools like Kentucky are going after.

On top of all this, Cummings has only played 25 minutes per game and his coach failed to play him more in the early going. Most of the top players are pushing close to 30 minutes per game or more, so Cummings numbers would have been even better with the extra playing time. He has some Ashton Gibbs in his game and he has some Cam Thomas in his game. He is really good and is far better than even I expected just a month ago. He plays mainly at the SG position as an undersized 6'1 SG, but also has played the role as a scoring point guard. With all due respect to Nelly, Brandin is considerably better.

I've watched every Cummings EYBL game except 1. His rebound numbers are better than what he was doing in high school although he still is not a great rebounder. His defense is average and he has shown some ability to keep players in front of him although he still needs considerable work on defense and gaining strength.





The 2024 recruiting class as a whole is rather weak. There is a lack of real quality NBA talents and a number of the 5 star players wouldn't be close to 5 star players in other stronger recruiting classes. I would expect a wave of 2025 kids to reclass into this weak 2024 class. The top player in 2026 is 4th overall in the entire EYBL U17 division in scoring. He is playing up 2 divisions and eating these players up. If players like Boozer and Flagg played up a division , the same would be the case. It makes me think a player like Meleek Thomas or Alier Maluk may seriously want to class up to take advantage of a soft 2024. Thomas is barely top 5 nationally in 2025. And if the 2026 kid classes up, Thomas will move down even further because he is not better than Dybantsa.



From the looks of where we stand when I look at the future roster a year from now, we need a PG, a SG / Wing combo, and a 4 / 5 somewhere in there. We are only 2 sessions deep into the EYBL after todays games. With that said, I think we need to full court press Jalik Dunkley Distant who we have been consistently recruiting for a long time. 6'6 Guard / Wing with a near 7 foot wingspan. Here are his numbers

12.5 ppg
3.1 rpg
2.4 apg
53% FG
36% 3 point

Like Cummings, he is very efficiency and his team is also in first place in its division with only 1 loss. He has Vince Carter athletic ability and very high upside. Rebound numbers are a little low, but everything else looks good including the shooting percentages and he plays hard on defense. His offense has been better and more consistent than expected. He is high on Pitt and will be taking an official visit here in the future I was told, just not a date in place yet. He should be in my opinion one of our top remaining targets in 2024. Other high majors are starting to take a look at him but we have been recruiting him for a while. We will not take his twin brother.





We still need a point guard in 2024 and a PF / C. The PF / C could be resolved this recruiting cycle, a player like Papa Kante would be perfect.


I still like Kyle Greene as a point guard who is planning to visit here. Pitt recently offered Darius Acuff Jr, 2025 point guard that is a stud. Acuff is one of the 6 players currently scoring more than Cummings in the EYBL. If Cummings wants to try to be a scoring point guard in college, we could start going after guys like Austin Swartz from North Carolina who we might just offer and go after anyway.

It will be interesting how Capel plays this with regards to 2025 kids reclassifying up into a weak 2024 class. I would be very selective in 2024 with what Im seeing thus far. With Cummings being this good, we are in good hands at the SG position unless he wants to try to transition to being a scoring pg.

He is a 3 star and I don’t see a top 150 ranking on his rivals profile. Now according to your EYBL report he should be top 30 at worst and probably better in his class right now. Why is there such a huge discrepancy? Is he going to be a 5 star when retained based on what you have seen or heard. And as a 6ft 1in shooting guard? Because it sure sounds based off your report like he should be waaaaay higher than where others have him ranked.

 

[joeydavid]

Ok Vadar.

He is a 3 star and I don’t see a top 150 ranking on his rivals profile. Now according to your EYBL report he should be top 30 at worst and probably better in his class right now. Why is there such a huge discrepancy? Is he going to be a 5 star when retained based on what you have seen or heard. And as a 6ft 1in shooting guard? Because it sure sounds based off your report like he should be waaaaay higher than where others have him ranked.

Vader's quote, "He is playing like a top 50 player right now." is very much backed up by his stat line.

On his commitment, I thought he should be a 100 recruit already. Since then, he lead his team to a state championship and has been one of better (if not best) players in the EYBL.

Setting aside biases and whatnot, he probably ends up to 100 if not top 75 after this summer. The biases will keep him rated lower than his performance on the court because the services obviously have missed on him early.

FWIW, rivals is terrible at their rankings and especially bad in basketball.

Btw, in a direct comparison- I'll take Cummings over Lowe right now and I like Lowe a good bit.

 

[rockypanther]

Vader's quote, "He is playing like a top 50 player right now." is very much backed up by his stat line.

On his commitment, I thought he should be a 100 recruit already. Since then, he lead his team to a state championship and has been one of better (if not best) players in the EYBL.

Setting aside biases and whatnot, he probably ends up to 100 if not top 75 after this summer. The biases will keep him rated lower than his performance on the court because the services obviously have missed on him early.

FWIW, rivals is terrible at their rankings and especially bad in basketball.

Btw, in a direct comparison- I'll take Cummings over Lowe right now and I like Lowe a good bit.

Rivals, ESPN, and 24/7 all have him unranked and a 3 star. And playing like a top 50 player for two weekends is great. But EYBL isn’t even half over. I just like to keep things more realistic. When we pump these kids up so much over most other observers and evaluators we set them up when they don’t play at the level at Pitt some of you on here are making him and others seem like they will as a high school prospect. If he has a Nelly career, I will be thrilled.

 

[rockypanther]

Vader's quote, "He is playing like a top 50 player right now." is very much backed up by his stat line.

On his commitment, I thought he should be a 100 recruit already. Since then, he lead his team to a state championship and has been one of better (if not best) players in the EYBL.

Setting aside biases and whatnot, he probably ends up to 100 if not top 75 after this summer. The biases will keep him rated lower than his performance on the court because the services obviously have missed on him early.

FWIW, rivals is terrible at their rankings and especially bad in basketball.

Btw, in a direct comparison- I'll take Cummings over Lowe right now and I like Lowe a good bit.

You’re crazy about taking Cummings right now over Lowe when Cummings is in a younger class and Lowe is much higher ranked and a year older and more mature. Lowe is our highest recruit in this class. At least pick Carrington or Barnes.

 

[BTisinDC]

Vader's quote, "He is playing like a top 50 player right now." is very much backed up by his stat line.

On his commitment, I thought he should be a 100 recruit already. Since then, he lead his team to a state championship and has been one of better (if not best) players in the EYBL.

Setting aside biases and whatnot, he probably ends up to 100 if not top 75 after this summer. The biases will keep him rated lower than his performance on the court because the services obviously have missed on him early.

FWIW, rivals is terrible at their rankings and especially bad in basketball.

Btw, in a direct comparison- I'll take Cummings over Lowe right now and I like Lowe a good bit.

Which would you take for the PG role?

 

[joeydavid]

Rivals, ESPN, and 24/7 all have him unranked and a 3 star. And playing like a top 50 player for two weekends is great. But EYBL isn’t even half over. I just like to keep things more realistic. When we pump these kids up so much over most other observers and evaluators we set them up when they don’t play at the level at Pitt some of you on here are making him and others seem like they will as a high school prospect. If he has a Nelly career, I will be thrilled.

If you ignore that he just lead his undersized team to a state title...

He is a lot better than Nelly at the same stage. Frankly, I have coached enough to trust my eyes and own evaluations.

He can get by almost anyone at will and pulls with ease from 22' to 24'. His ranking will jump a lot at his current level of play.

 

[Pittisit4me]

If you ignore that he just lead his undersized team to a state title...

He is a lot better than Nelly at the same stage. Frankly, I have coached enough to trust my eyes and own evaluations.

He can get by almost anyone at will and pulls with ease from 22' to 24'. His ranking will jump a lot at his current level of play.

I couldn't agree more. I saw him play enough over the last two seasons to know he is going to be good enough to contribute right away at Pitt. He is far better and his ceiling is alot higher than Nelly. I can't wait for him to get here.

 

[Drew1208]

Don't care about rankings. They're half a popularity contest.

He can shoot, dribble, dunk with authority, he's a player. I can tell because he can play basketball

 

[joeydavid]

Which would you take for the PG role?

Lowe looks more like a natural PG. Brandin is more like Nelly as a lead guard. You can win with either but I like having 2 combo guards on the floor at the same time like JB/Nelly.

I guess that's a long way to say, I'll take Brandin with another CG on the court over Lowe. Hopefully that's the backcourt in 2-3 years.

 

[joeydavid]

You’re crazy about taking Cummings right now over Lowe when Cummings is in a younger class and Lowe is much higher ranked and a year older and more mature. Lowe is our highest recruit in this class. At least pick Carrington or Barnes.

If you want to play the "ranking" game- where was Lowe ranked a year ago?

 

[jpklein]

 

[rockypanther]

Why don’t we want Royce Parham? He is higher on that list than Cummings.

 

[joeydavid]

Why don’t we want Royce Parham? He is higher on that list than Cummings.

I mentioned this before. He seems like crybaby on the court and seems like bench role player type at the P6 level.

That list would make more sense if it were segmented by position. Comparing a CG to PF makes little sense.

 

[Vader_Storm]

Rivals, ESPN, and 24/7 all have him unranked and a 3 star. And playing like a top 50 player for two weekends is great. But EYBL isn’t even half over. I just like to keep things more realistic. When we pump these kids up so much over most other observers and evaluators we set them up when they don’t play at the level at Pitt some of you on here are making him and others seem like they will as a high school prospect. If he has a Nelly career, I will be thrilled.

I have said this many times in the past and Im going to say it again.

What you do in the EYBL against high level D1 college players is generally what you are going to do in college to a "decent degree". When guys put up big numbers in the EYBL with good efficiency (even better if their team is winning), they generally put up big numbers or at least decent numbers in college unless they have a bad attitude, poor work ethic, not coachable, injured, etc..


To illustrate my point. Judah Mintz dominated in the EYBL. His team dominated. And the recruiting networks dropped Mintz in the rankings when it was rumored he was coming to Pitt. I even debated with you about Mintz being a top 50 player in the past long before Mintz was barely ranked in the top 100. Then Mintz decommitted from Pitt and his ranking went way up and look what he did in 1 year at Syracuse.


RJ Davis is another player. His national ranking only skyrocketed when North Carolina went after him. Before that, when it was Pitt, Georgetown, and Marquette recruiting him hard, Davis was barely a top 100 level player. He got the huge recruiting bump from UNC and Roy Williams coming after him. But Davis dominated in the EYBL for the NY Rens long before UNC was even coming after him.


A third example is Keyon Menifield. He was one of the top scorers in the EYBL and was efficient but had a lack of good offers and was a small guard that ended up a highly underrated 3 star recruit. He never got the recognition he should have had after the big EYBL performances. He went to Washington, was one of the best freshmen in the pac-12, transferred, and was heavily recruited in the transfer portal, and ended up at Arkansas.



Pitt's best player in the Capel era was Justin Champagnie. He was also the best performer in the summer league out of everyone else. What you do in AAU in summer play matters, a lot.



Trust me when I say this. If Capel keeps recruiting and landing guys in the EYBL that continue to average around 15+ppg or more and we get enough of them, we are going to do some damage in the NCAA Tournament.

If Capel recruits players from the EYBL that average 5 points per game like the Noah Collier type players, we are likely headed back to the bottom of the acc.



And I do agree with you that 2 EYBL sessions isn't enough time to determine where a player should be properly ranked.


But based off what Dior Johnson, Carrington, Lowe, and Brandin Cummings have done or currently is doing, there is a lot to be excited about.

 

[Vader_Storm]

Vader's quote, "He is playing like a top 50 player right now." is very much backed up by his stat line.

On his commitment, I thought he should be a 100 recruit already. Since then, he lead his team to a state championship and has been one of better (if not best) players in the EYBL.

Setting aside biases and whatnot, he probably ends up to 100 if not top 75 after this summer. The biases will keep him rated lower than his performance on the court because the services obviously have missed on him early.

FWIW, rivals is terrible at their rankings and especially bad in basketball.

Btw, in a direct comparison- I'll take Cummings over Lowe right now and I like Lowe a good bit.

There are 100% biases in the rankings.


One of the perfect examples is Shawn Phillips. I remember when Pitt was recruiting this kid in high school, Phillips couldn't last 15 minutes in a game without fouling out in the EYBL. He couldn't rebound being 7'0 with very limited skills. And he got all this hype playing with Emoni Bates on an AAU team that wasn't good.


Capel quickly quit recruiting this kid because he was terrible. Jamie Shaw who used to run rivals wouldn't let his ego go from ranking this kid highly because he thought he was a potential mcdonald all american. Finally, with a ton of colleges that quit recruiting him and poor production, it forced their hand to drop his ranking, but he still was almost a top 50 recruit by rivals which was total insanity. Phillips took his non talent to LSU and averaged 1 point per game before he got pushed out the door.


But some people wanted for this kid to come to Pitt because he had a high 4 star ranking based off nothing. I must of said 10 times on this forum that Phillips was way overrated and would bust and Capel should not recruit him. And he did bust. And Capel did quit recruiting him with reason based off his play in summer league.


There is a ton of bias in rankings. Both with players that are missed early on, and with players that are ranked high early on but aren't dropped nearly enough. Phillips shouldn't have been a top 200 player.

 

[Drew1208]

There are 100% biases in the rankings.


One of the perfect examples is Shawn Phillips. I remember when Pitt was recruiting this kid in high school, Phillips couldn't last 15 minutes in a game without fouling out in the EYBL. He couldn't rebound being 7'0 with very limited skills. And he got all this hype playing with Emoni Bates on an AAU team that wasn't good.


Capel quickly quit recruiting this kid because he was terrible. Jamie Shaw who used to run rivals wouldn't let his ego go from ranking this kid highly because he thought he was a potential mcdonald all american. Finally, with a ton of colleges that quit recruiting him and poor production, it forced their hand to drop his ranking, but he still was almost a top 50 recruit by rivals which was total insanity. Phillips took his non talent to LSU and averaged 1 point per game before he got pushed out the door.


But some people wanted for this kid to come to Pitt because he had a high 4 star ranking based off nothing. I must of said 10 times on this forum that Phillips was way overrated and would bust and Capel should not recruit him. And he did bust. And Capel did quit recruiting him with reason based off his play in summer league.


There is a ton of bias in rankings. Both with players that are missed early on, and with players that are ranked high early on but aren't dropped nearly enough. Phillips shouldn't have been a top 200 player.

I'd be interested in stats that showed how impactful or not freshmen were on winning teams this past year.

 

[Vader_Storm]

I'd be interested in stats that showed how impactful or not freshmen were on winning teams this past year.

Right off the top of my head, I can tell you Purdue started 2 freshmen this year and Alabama started 2 freshmen this year. Purdue's freshmen were unranked 3 stars and these freshmen were the #2 and #3 scorers on their team. Alabama had a top 25 kid in Miller and a top 80-100 kid in Clowney who was the 3rd leading scorer as a freshmen at Alabama on the overall #1 seeded team.

Uconn won the national title with 2 very important freshmen in Karaban and Klingan. They were both top 5 scorers on Uconn and they were ranked between 50-100 nationally.


So, 2 of the 1 seeds and a team that won the National Championship had very important freshmen contributions by at least 2 freshmen on each team. And only 1 of them was a top 50 national recruit.


So, the stuff that SMF and bballinsider throw out there that only top 50 nationally rated freshmen help you win is a bunch of nonsense.

 

[HailToPitt1985]

Right off the top of my head, I can tell you Purdue started 2 freshmen this year and Alabama started 2 freshmen this year. Purdue's freshmen were unranked 3 stars and these freshmen were the #2 and #3 scorers on their team. Alabama had a top 25 kid in Miller and a top 80-100 kid in Clowney who was the 3rd leading scorer as a freshmen at Alabama on the overall #1 seeded team.

Uconn won the national title with 2 very important freshmen in Karaban and Klingan. They were both top 5 scorers on Uconn and they were ranked between 50-100 nationally.


So, 2 of the 1 seeds and a team that won the National Championship had very important freshmen contributions by at least 2 freshmen on each team. And only 1 of them was a top 50 national recruit.


So, the stuff that SMF and bballinsider throw out there that only top 50 nationally rated freshmen help you win is a bunch of nonsense.

The key variable that people miss is who the coach is on those teams with the freshmen. Maybe Capel demonstrated that he is capable of taking a team to a winning record. Maybe he didn't. But Hurley certainly proved he can take a team further and all the way to a NC, with freshmen. Capel has a way to go to prove that.

 

[Fsgolfdr]

The key variable that people miss is who the coach is on those teams with the freshmen. Maybe Capel demonstrated that he is capable of taking a team to a winning record. Maybe he didn't. But Hurley certainly proved he can take a team further and all the way to a NC, with freshmen. Capel has a way to go to prove that.

It’s kind of ironic , but coaches sure get more respect when they have better players .

If JC continues to recruit really good players he’s miraculously going to become a really good coach !

 

[rockypanther]

I have said this many times in the past and Im going to say it again.

What you do in the EYBL against high level D1 college players is generally what you are going to do in college to a "decent degree". When guys put up big numbers in the EYBL with good efficiency (even better if their team is winning), they generally put up big numbers or at least decent numbers in college unless they have a bad attitude, poor work ethic, not coachable, injured, etc..


To illustrate my point. Judah Mintz dominated in the EYBL. His team dominated. And the recruiting networks dropped Mintz in the rankings when it was rumored he was coming to Pitt. I even debated with you about Mintz being a top 50 player in the past long before Mintz was barely ranked in the top 100. Then Mintz decommitted from Pitt and his ranking went way up and look what he did in 1 year at Syracuse.


RJ Davis is another player. His national ranking only skyrocketed when North Carolina went after him. Before that, when it was Pitt, Georgetown, and Marquette recruiting him hard, Davis was barely a top 100 level player. He got the huge recruiting bump from UNC and Roy Williams coming after him. But Davis dominated in the EYBL for the NY Rens long before UNC was even coming after him.


A third example is Keyon Menifield. He was one of the top scorers in the EYBL and was efficient but had a lack of good offers and was a small guard that ended up a highly underrated 3 star recruit. He never got the recognition he should have had after the big EYBL performances. He went to Washington, was one of the best freshmen in the pac-12, transferred, and was heavily recruited in the transfer portal, and ended up at Arkansas.



Pitt's best player in the Capel era was Justin Champagnie. He was also the best performer in the summer league out of everyone else. What you do in AAU in summer play matters, a lot.



Trust me when I say this. If Capel keeps recruiting and landing guys in the EYBL that continue to average around 15+ppg or more and we get enough of them, we are going to do some damage in the NCAA Tournament.

If Capel recruits players from the EYBL that average 5 points per game like the Noah Collier type players, we are likely headed back to the bottom of the acc.



And I do agree with you that 2 EYBL sessions isn't enough time to determine where a player should be properly ranked.


But based off what Dior Johnson, Carrington, Lowe, and Brandin Cummings have done or currently is doing, there is a lot to be excited about.

Now do all the ones you got wrong. Where’s that list?

 

[rockypanther]

I have said this many times in the past and Im going to say it again.

What you do in the EYBL against high level D1 college players is generally what you are going to do in college to a "decent degree". When guys put up big numbers in the EYBL with good efficiency (even better if their team is winning), they generally put up big numbers or at least decent numbers in college unless they have a bad attitude, poor work ethic, not coachable, injured, etc..


To illustrate my point. Judah Mintz dominated in the EYBL. His team dominated. And the recruiting networks dropped Mintz in the rankings when it was rumored he was coming to Pitt. I even debated with you about Mintz being a top 50 player in the past long before Mintz was barely ranked in the top 100. Then Mintz decommitted from Pitt and his ranking went way up and look what he did in 1 year at Syracuse.


RJ Davis is another player. His national ranking only skyrocketed when North Carolina went after him. Before that, when it was Pitt, Georgetown, and Marquette recruiting him hard, Davis was barely a top 100 level player. He got the huge recruiting bump from UNC and Roy Williams coming after him. But Davis dominated in the EYBL for the NY Rens long before UNC was even coming after him.


A third example is Keyon Menifield. He was one of the top scorers in the EYBL and was efficient but had a lack of good offers and was a small guard that ended up a highly underrated 3 star recruit. He never got the recognition he should have had after the big EYBL performances. He went to Washington, was one of the best freshmen in the pac-12, transferred, and was heavily recruited in the transfer portal, and ended up at Arkansas.



Pitt's best player in the Capel era was Justin Champagnie. He was also the best performer in the summer league out of everyone else. What you do in AAU in summer play matters, a lot.



Trust me when I say this. If Capel keeps recruiting and landing guys in the EYBL that continue to average around 15+ppg or more and we get enough of them, we are going to do some damage in the NCAA Tournament.

If Capel recruits players from the EYBL that average 5 points per game like the Noah Collier type players, we are likely headed back to the bottom of the acc.



And I do agree with you that 2 EYBL sessions isn't enough time to determine where a player should be properly ranked.


But based off what Dior Johnson, Carrington, Lowe, and Brandin Cummings have done or currently is doing, there is a lot to be excited about.

So based on your logic, Cummings is top 25 and 5 star even though he isn’t ranked more than a 3 star by the four national recruiting sites. Guess they must not follow the EYBL.

 

[Vader_Storm]

So based on your logic, Cummings is top 25 and 5 star even though he isn’t ranked more than a 3 star by the four national recruiting sites. Guess they must not follow the EYBL.

In due time Cummings will be a 4 star everywhere. He already got the 4 star bump by espn. I never said Cummings was a 5 star player. I did say Cummings is playing like a top 50 player.

 

[pittchagg]

Yeah Cummings is definitely a four star on ESPN, who does better rankings than Rivals.

 

[Vader_Storm]

Getting back to the thread topic on recruiting and summer play,

Andrew Slater and Pro insight confirmed what I said earlier. Jalik Dunkley Distant is planning / wants to visit Pitt. Although overtime Elite is a bit concerning here in the recruiting picture against Pitt.

Kyle Greene's early top 5 include Pitt, Clemson, South Carolina, Georgetown, and the College of Charleston in no particular order.


Cooper Flagg is leaning toward a 2024 reclass and is a heavy Duke lean. The Boozer's could also reclass along with Koa Peat. So that potential 2025 wave of reclasses might be coming at a later point in time. including at the very top of the class. If that happens above, Meleek Thomas would be fighting with Darryn Peterson for the #1 spot in 2025 unless a couple 2026 players class down into 2025.

 

[rockypanther]

Yeah Cummings is definitely a four star on ESPN, who does better rankings than Rivals.

Link?

 

[joeydavid]

Link?

Brandin Cummings - Lincoln Park Performing Arts Cs - PG

Brandin Cummings is a PG from Lincoln Park Performing Arts Cs in Midland, PA. Brandin Cummings is committed to the Pittsburgh Panthers

www.on3.com

Check back at the end of summer..

 

[pittchagg]

Link?

Brandin Cummings - Basketball Recruiting - Player Profiles - ESPN

Learn about Brandin Cummings and other recruit player profiles on RecruitingNation.com.

www.espn.com

 

[rockypanther]

Brandin Cummings - Basketball Recruiting - Player Profiles - ESPN

Learn about Brandin Cummings and other recruit player profiles on RecruitingNation.com.

www.espn.com

Thanks. I don’t know how I missed that. I saw a different profile on him. Must have been an older espn rating. Good stuff.

 

[joeydavid]

Thanks. I don’t know how I missed that. I saw a different profile on him. Must have been an older espn rating. Good stuff.