Omari Witherspoon
- Thread starter bummer01
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As of today....
I think we are 3rd on his list. I think Maryland is the team to beat and the hometown hero pitch from Maryland.
I think we still lead for Dixon and Evans who has Tennessee a close 2nd. That's as of today.
Its hard to get excited about HS recruiting in basketball. Not even sure why anyone bothers to recruit these kids anymore. Most will transfer and 22 year olds from mid-majors are better.
Jaland Lowe and Bub Carrington did awfully well for True Fr.
This is a profoundly stupid post when Pitt will have largely been driven last year and this year by key players recruited out of HS.
I dont follow that either but football has a higher retention rate than basketball.
I agree HS recruits played big roles for us last year but that's not something I think you can rely on. If you can identify players who are ready for starter's minutes in Year 1 like Bub and Lowe, go for it. For the others, not sure its worth a scholarship that can go to a 22 year old who averaged 17 PPG in the Horizon
The 22 year old who averaged 17 points in the Horizon is probably going to cost you several hundred thousand more dollars, though.
They’re nameless gray faces with the same 3 star 5 point whatever rivals grades as the recruits for 55 other D1 schools. I can’t think of anything less interesting.
I also really appreciate you admitting you don't follow recruiting but yet, feel comfortable having an opinion on it. Like @King Of All Message Boards said... very on brand.
The prediction on Witherspoon seems to be off given the latest destination guesses.
Colby Ciabueno is generally spot on with Dc / Maryland kids. He regularly attends high school games covering the area and the powerhouse league of the WCAC.
His forecast changed and was put to Pitt late last night. That would be a surprising loss to Maryland who thought they had him.
Witherspoon did not play in the EYBL, but rather Under Armor.
Stats are below
14.7 ppg, 4.2 rebounds per game, 2.9 assist per game, 3.25 turnovers per game, 41% FG, 26% from 3, 73% from the line. 2 steals per game
These are respectable numbers in a summer league. Obviously the 2 red flags are the 3 point shooting and the turnover problems. He had twice as many turnovers as anyone else on his entire team, which is telling me his usage rate was far too high ( he was the leading scorer). He did play on a team that had scoring issues, so, that should be taken into consideration. Its one of the reasons Krauser had a lower efficiency at Pitt, because he often carried the entire offense.
I think the thing that’s telling to me is that the staffs that typically have a really good finger on the pulse for more under-recruited WCAC and DC guys - places like Mason, Maryland, VT, and Pitt - all jumped in head first and prioritized him this summer.
The traction we have gotten with big quality guards/ wings the last couple of years is pretty impressive …staff doing a good job.
His offer sheet is pretty good. He canceled his visit to Xavier, also had offers from Clemson, West Virginia, Oklahoma State, VCU, etc..
Jamie Shaw also just put into a CB for Pitt this morning. So unless something major changes (again, lol) this is probably our next commit.
He and Derek Dixon were both 2nd team All Met selections from high school. Because the WCAC has been the toughest high school basketball league for some time, making an All Met team is good recognition.
His national on3 ranking is 133rd, just outside 4 star range.
This should be at minimum a respectable pickup for us.
One more thought as Im still pretty surprised by this news.
I have to wonder how this potentially impacts Amari Evans. I dont know if it does or it doesn't, but Witherspoon is going to be either at the 2 or the 3. He will not play any 1. The staff is going back to visit Dixon again. Dixon can play the 1, but he is better at the 2 with his shooting ability. Dixon is still arguably the top priority with a decision likely this month.
IF Pitt gets Dixon over North Carolina and Virginia and others, which is by no means a guarantee, where does that leave Evans? Because my thought would be the last ship going out at the guard positions are for the 2 home run recruits - Meleek Thomas and Isaiah Denis.
A very interesting change of events in the last 24 hours.
I have to wonder how this potentially impacts Amari Evans. I dont know if it does or it doesn't, but Witherspoon is going to be either at the 2 or the 3. He will not play any 1. The staff is going back to visit Dixon again. Dixon can play the 1, but he is better at the 2 with his shooting ability. Dixon is still arguably the top priority with a decision likely this month.
IF Pitt gets Dixon over North Carolina and Virginia and others, which is by no means a guarantee, where does that leave Evans? Because my thought would be the last ship going out at the guard positions are for the 2 home run recruits - Meleek Thomas and Isaiah Denis.
A very interesting change of events in the last 24 hours.
They do seem to be hitting their stride a bit. I realize a lot of it comes down to available funds, (and maybe this is just my Pitt fanboy attitude coming through) but I really believe Capel has the right demeanor and approach to thrive in this transfer-heavy, NIL recruiting landscape.
ETA: I see a LOT riding on this year. HAVE to come out strong and must make the tourney. I don’t see any excuses short of a serious midseason injury for not making the dance. But if Pitt has a good season and Lowe and/or Delalic end up on some draft boards? Then you have a lot to work with.
One last thing on Witherspoon.
He was selected for the AAU under armour all star game this summer. That's pretty significant even though under armour is not quite as good as the EYBL.
Most of the players selected for these types of games are either 5 star or high 4 star type players. I have to believe the staff likes this kid a lot with potential to work with.
I have not watched a lot of film on him but if he commits Ill start watching his high school games over the winter. This could be a sneaky good pickup for us.
He was selected for the AAU under armour all star game this summer. That's pretty significant even though under armour is not quite as good as the EYBL.
Most of the players selected for these types of games are either 5 star or high 4 star type players. I have to believe the staff likes this kid a lot with potential to work with.
I have not watched a lot of film on him but if he commits Ill start watching his high school games over the winter. This could be a sneaky good pickup for us.
Dunn, Leggett, and Austin are Seniors. Lowe will most likely head to the NBA after a good season. We will have room for all the good players that you mentioned if need be.
Technically we do. But it would be wise to go hunting in the recruiting transfer portal again for proper class balance and not load up on a bunch of freshmen. We have done well in the recruiting portal.
You can offer 15 ‘ships next year. You usually see some additional movement as well. Maybe someone like Barnes. There is plenty of room to add transfers as well.
What you wrote is 100% true. But 4 star top 100 recruits still expect to get paid, especially when you have blue bloods chasing some of these guys. And we don't have an unlimited money printer to work with, especially if we get Lowe to come back for his junior season.
Im all for recruiting over players that don't pan out in 2 years. But we still need the money to make it work.
Just catching up a little on basketball recruiting. I don't follow it all that closely. I followed UVA's fairly closely during spring portal moves, as the roster was again gutted, all the Tony Bennett rumors were floating around, and the possibility of repeat of 2023 seemed all too real.
But when did UNC get so involved with Dixon? He seems to have become a somewhat of a priority for them lately.
If I’m not mistaken, I saw Beebah describe himself as a point guard recently. And I don’t really expect Jaland back after this year. So, perhaps it’s possible that Beebah takes the point in 25/26 opening up minutes both at the #2 and #3. And if Delalic blows up, things will open up even more.
I fully expect Lowe to have a good year and then go pro. If Delacic becomes a 4 ala Hinson, then there will be a ton of PT available at the 1-3 spots next year.
For evans, i dont think pitt will close the door on him even if they get dixon and witherspoon, at least not until after meleek commits somewhere. It would probably be easier to get him to take a discount with beebah and amari on the roster and selling the hometown angle. And while they may want to keep some class balance, you dont pass on talented players to do so. It is unlikely that dixon evans and witherspoon would be at pitt for more than 2-3 years together even if they are all landed. Pitt doesnt have the money to keep dixon if he balls out, and from what ive heard about witherspoon, he sounds like a late developer and could be a 1
This summer. They are serious about him too. They have been checking him out at open gym practices.
He's been going up against Lowe quite a bit in practices. He can for sure play the 1 but that doesn't mean its his or the teams best position for him in the future right now although it would be his best position in a Pro league. He is much more of a major scoring weapon combo guard than a playmaker point guard at this point in time. But he has pretty Elite ball control coming into Pitt and I would be comfortable with him out there against quality defensive teams that are extending pressure. He takes care of the ball and does not turn it over very often.
Witherspoon is a ways, a long ways, away from being a D1 point guard right now. Ive watched maybe an hour of highlight tape, his handle is too lose, his turnovers are too high, and he isn't a good enough passer for a point guard. You are asking for trouble if a power 6 point guard has more turnovers than assists. This has been a problem for him both in the WCAC and in AAU. He is much closer to an undersized 3 than a 1 right now. But he should be able to play both the 2 and 3 here.
That's not to suggest that he isn't a decent player with quite a bit of upside that can develop and as I said above his stats are certainly respectable based off what he did this AAU season. His overall stats are pretty well rounded overall and based off his long arms and wingspan, he could be a real problem on the defensive side of the ball moving forward as his steal numbers have been great in both leagues and he does quite a bit of turning defense into offense. I need to see at least a few more games, full games, and not highlight videos, but from my early look of him you can see some Lamar Patterson based off his height, his build, his athletic ability, the way he moves, and there are some similarities to the way they play. He is much more of a 2 / undersized 3 right now.
One thing worth noting as I said above after watching a lot more tape. He was much more efficient at St Johns shooting the ball than he was in AAU. He's got a nice little step back that just needs more polish and consistency and he has had games where he was making 3, 4, 5 threes in a single game in the WCAC. So the potential is there for him to become an actual 3 level scorer in time with better 3 point shooting efficiency. With help around him taking the pressure off him and taking the ball out of his hands more and lowering his usage rate, like I said earlier in this thread, , will help his efficiency. When you have to shoulder the offensive load on a team that cant score it can really hurt your turnovers and efficiency and shooting, as was the case with Mike Cook at ECU and the player I compared to Cook before he got here, Ish Leggett. And you guys saw both of their ORTG's really rise up by lowering the usage rate.
247's updated player rankings are coming out next week. He was already mentioned by their director of recruiting that he is going to be close to the National top 100 or just inside of it in the new rankings. He has talent to work with.
I think he’s probably more of a secondary ballhandler/initiator type right now, but I think he’s also progressed quite a bit this summer that it’s worth the upside bet that he keeps progressing. Bub grew into that role, too, to become a viable high major primary ballhandler, even if he was still better off the ball.
I think the hope is that you can primarily keep him off the ball and still let him create like they did for Bub, but also that he’s good enough that you can run him out there as the primary guy for stretches and still be successful.
I think the hope is that you can primarily keep him off the ball and still let him create like they did for Bub, but also that he’s good enough that you can run him out there as the primary guy for stretches and still be successful.
No. But I think this is a rare case where the longer it drags on, the more I think Pitt has a chance.
He's for sure progressed. He was a 1st team all WCAC selection last year and 2nd team All Metro with Dixon. That is nothing to sneeze at at all. His high school team will be in the top 20 nationally in the country preseason and he will be the team captain leading the charge. He was a 1st team All Under Armour his final session in AAU and had strong performances at the Philly Live this summer. That's pretty big time at under armour even though the league isnt as strong as the EYBL. And he made the Under Armour All American All Star game.
He's getting recognized for it.
He's in the national top 130 on On3 and Madehoops and will be pushing a 4 star top 100 ranking or very close to it on 247. His offer sheet is good. People can see the raw talent and ability.
With that said, I think if anyone is hoping he is going to be Bub part 2 as of today he just isn't near there yet. And that's ok. Bub exploded in the EYBL and further took it to another level his final season at St. Francis were he was far and away the best player in the BCL. He was so embarrassingly underrated as he was constantly killing top players and teams for an entire year. I like this add, but Im also realistic he just isn't on the same level as Bub, Jaland, or Cummings right now, as of today, and thats ok. And yes, he could develop as you said to get closer to those 3. He has tools to work with.
Thomas seems like a smart elite recruit. He will likely wait til april/may to commit after he knows where playing time is available. Alot of the top guys go where they want and just assume they are gonna play over anyone, and alot of times it hurts their draft stock. Thomas doesnt want to go somewhere with guys like aj dybantsa or darryn peterson coming in or good returning guards.
When a million plus dollars is thrown around, I mean, I cant say how close Pitt can even get to a team like Arkansas and Calipari who has the chance to build all star teams with potential unlimited money.
I think Pitt can be competitive in the NIL game, but we have to spend wisely and not foolishly when trying to get the most talent.
What I can say is, he has been to Pitt a lot on visits, AND, he has hung out with our own players when not on a visit here. He was with Jaland Lowe not long ago just hanging out.
I think Pitt has a chance. Im not going to speculate how much because of the money thing. But he has a massive opportunity here and he knows already that Cummings is a stud and they have already won multiple state championships playing together and they could form a dynamite duo here at Pitt that competes for a National Title. We have a good pitch to make him with that.
I think the guy that should get a little more talked about is Isaiah Denis. We have been making the pitch hard to this guy that he is the next Bub Carrington and will showcase his talent as a Point Guard / Combo Guard here. I think he likes Pitt a lot too and really sees himself in that Bub role. He has a loaded offer sheet with a dangerous team in Kansas coming after him, and is very talented, but I think we have a legit shot with him. The one thing with Denis, he wants a lot of playing time early. We can offer that, a school like Kansas who will recruit 5 stars and load up on the recruiting portal cannot guarantee that.
My suspicion is that Witherspoon’s impending addition to this class is pretty telling about the chances of adding Denis to it.
He might lose his chance depending on who commits. Denis has visits lined up all the way through like the 3rd week of October with Kansas being the last one.
Dixon is committing to a school this month and Evans may commit this month too. I want Dixon over both of them. Dixon is my top priority with Thomas taken out of the equation because of money. And Dixon is likely the staffs top priority because we are sending coaches down to visit him constantly to close the door.
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