Part 1
Olivier Robinson Nkamhoua
ORN has been going up against a number of 4 and 5 star players in the winter and spring season and more than held his own. A major sleeper candidate since recovering from a bad leg injury which limited his exposure, he is originally from Finland so many don’t know about him. His stock started taking off after a strong performance against 5 star Nfaly Dante and Sunrise in January along with what he did against Kofi Cockburn and Oak Hill. The three leaders appear to be Pitt, Illinois and Tennessee but it may come down to Pitt and Tennessee. He may visit Minnesota. His recruiting is pretty tight lipped.
ORN has good size, great athletic ability, and can pass. He is a long 6’9 W / PF / C who can make some 3s, hit pullups, and score in transition. ORN was originally a point guard before his huge growth spurt and is one of the most intriguing recruits in the entire class. He is very underrated and proved it again at the prestigious Acits where he was the rebound leader in the entire tournament over a bevy of 4 and 5 star players including Hunter Dickinson. If he had more exposure his stock would have really taken off but he still racked up high D-1 offers in short time from Tennessee, Maryland, Arkansas, Illinois, etc..
These are the types of players that always emerge late and come out of the woodwork and fall under the radar when injury prevents exposure. Its why point guard RJ Davis is severely underrated for missing most of last summer with injury for example. Davis had a 10-1 assist to turnover ratio as Stepinac’s point guard (Yes you read that correctly on Davis and he’s also a lethal shooter). And why Levance Fields missing 2 cycles of AAU time gave Pitt a huge leg up recruiting him.
Cam Thomas
The top scorer for Oak Hill over 5 Star Cole Anthony and its not really all that close. Averaging 27 points per game and lethal from 3 point range, Thomas is emerging as arguably the best scorer in the country if he isn’t there yet and is easily a 5 star guard. His top schools are rounding into form and Pitt will make the final list. Capel has been recruiting him very hard. Thomas is expected to visit Pitt in the future. He is most likely staying in the ACC which is the conference he wants to play in because he views it as the best league. Uconn is recruiting him hard and Bruce Pearl and Dana Altman and Oregon are also coming on strong along with Miami. Odds are good currently that he is ACC bound.
Earl Timberlake and Hunter Dickinson
Another player I have been talking about for months. Timberlake has been to Pitt. Pitt coaches have been visiting him, and expect him to be back at Pitt again. I mentioned a long time ago Timberlake wants to major in sports medicine and get early playing time with the chance to start. It is 2 of the biggest factors in his recruiting process and I stressed this months ago. Timberlake is a bulldog on the floor that plays suffocating defense. He is the exact type of player Capel wants: defines toughness, is athletic, is versatile, and is a good passer. He needs to really work on 3 point shooting, but is very strong in other parts of his game. Pitt is also strongly recruiting his backcourt teammate Will Jeffress, a 5 star player in 2021. Pitt has been watching all these players in the spring.
Dickinson visited Providence recently who also is one of Timberlake’s top schools. Dickinson was also down at Kentucky a few months back. Purdue is in strong position here and Kansas is looking at him with Duke monitoring. Dickinson has been decent but inconsistent at the EYBL after a 26-point performance but is proving he is one of the top rebounders in the country. He also was the prestigious ACITS Tournament MVP after strong scoring and rebounding performances. His long list of schools recruiting him continues to grow as he is a rock in the middle and elite on defense already.
John Hugley IV
It’s a good sign that Hugley has visited Pitt 3 times already and understands the glaring need Pitt has for big men. As I mentioned months ago, Hugley has a strong relationship with the Pitt coaching staff as does his coach and handler who visited Pitt with him. But as I mentioned as well, getting him is not going to be easy with a high number of other schools coming in hard including Tom Izzo and Michigan State, Louisville, and Ohio State. Pitt really wants him and we will remain on the very short list.
Hugley has visited Louisville and Kansas unofficially. Tom Izzo just watched him again at the EYBL along with Jeff Capel. Pitt and Ohio State are the 2 early leaders. Pitt is recruiting him probably harder than any other school. Expect Michigan State to turn it on with him. And as I said a long time ago, his ranking was far underrated. He’s made a big splash in the spring circuit already and has been rebounding very well. Capel will continue to recruit him extremely hard.
Demarr Langford
Fairly same list of schools with Uconn, West Virginia, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, and Pitt as last September except the Aggies are on the list because of Buzz and Virginia is new. He has visited Uconn and West Virginia. Great defensive player, raw offensive player. Virginia has been watching him closely along with Chris Beard and Texas Tech. Those 2 teams know defense, obviously, and want him for that very reason. Virginia is new on the radar. Langford is a Top 100 recruit right now but he is probably a bit overrated because he isn’t the best shooter or scorer. His club at Putnam with 4 Top National top 150 players was beaten in the Prep School National Final 4 by Karim Coulibaly and Scotland Red. He is a another 2019 reclass candidate.
RJ Davis
One of the most underrated players in the entire country and I said that back in January in my winter writeup. He has been on a tear at the EYBL and his stock is going to skyrocket with interest. Capel and the assistants have spent a great deal of time watching him and recently visited him along with his 5 star teammate AJ Griffin. With O’toole being from his alma mater school, Pitt is a major player and that is a very good thing. He also will be Mick Cronin’s and UCLA’s top target.
Davis led the powerhouse CHSAA league in scoring at 26 points per game and continues to have a ridiculous assist to turnover ratio in the CHSAA and the EYBL. He should easily make the National Top 50-100 in the new rankings as everyone except Capel and Mick Cronin were late to the party in his early recruitment. ESPN recently again already admitted he was grossly underrated.
He is easily better than his backcourt teammate Ethan Morton right now who is set to visit Indiana next month. The secret is out now as coaches are flocking to see Davis. With Xavier Johnson to test the NBA waters likely next year, Davis could be the potential frontrunner to try to replace him. Davis is also shooting 66% from 3 and 89% from the free throw line and has been nothing short of lights out scoring and dishing assists. If Davis was a few inches taller than 5’11 which is the only thing holding him back, his stock would explode. Its already taking off and Pitt is in very strong position here.
Morton has really struggled shooting in opening EYBL play playing alongside Davis. Ethan is clearly more of a point forward type as opposed to a point guard, he doesn’t have the speed or needed athletic ability. I like him as a player, but I think Ethan is a bit overrated right now nationally. Even still, Pitt remains a player to get him and having him play with stud point guard RJ Davis only helps Pitt if they play together in college. I would expect Morton to try and elevate his game in the coming sessions. AJ Hoggard gave Morton a ton of problems in their only EYBL loss. Hoggard is also very underrated and physical. He is a player I would hope Capel reaches out to soon before his stock skyrockets which it is going to do. Uconn is all over Hoggard.
Olivier Robinson Nkamhoua
ORN has been going up against a number of 4 and 5 star players in the winter and spring season and more than held his own. A major sleeper candidate since recovering from a bad leg injury which limited his exposure, he is originally from Finland so many don’t know about him. His stock started taking off after a strong performance against 5 star Nfaly Dante and Sunrise in January along with what he did against Kofi Cockburn and Oak Hill. The three leaders appear to be Pitt, Illinois and Tennessee but it may come down to Pitt and Tennessee. He may visit Minnesota. His recruiting is pretty tight lipped.
ORN has good size, great athletic ability, and can pass. He is a long 6’9 W / PF / C who can make some 3s, hit pullups, and score in transition. ORN was originally a point guard before his huge growth spurt and is one of the most intriguing recruits in the entire class. He is very underrated and proved it again at the prestigious Acits where he was the rebound leader in the entire tournament over a bevy of 4 and 5 star players including Hunter Dickinson. If he had more exposure his stock would have really taken off but he still racked up high D-1 offers in short time from Tennessee, Maryland, Arkansas, Illinois, etc..
These are the types of players that always emerge late and come out of the woodwork and fall under the radar when injury prevents exposure. Its why point guard RJ Davis is severely underrated for missing most of last summer with injury for example. Davis had a 10-1 assist to turnover ratio as Stepinac’s point guard (Yes you read that correctly on Davis and he’s also a lethal shooter). And why Levance Fields missing 2 cycles of AAU time gave Pitt a huge leg up recruiting him.
Cam Thomas
The top scorer for Oak Hill over 5 Star Cole Anthony and its not really all that close. Averaging 27 points per game and lethal from 3 point range, Thomas is emerging as arguably the best scorer in the country if he isn’t there yet and is easily a 5 star guard. His top schools are rounding into form and Pitt will make the final list. Capel has been recruiting him very hard. Thomas is expected to visit Pitt in the future. He is most likely staying in the ACC which is the conference he wants to play in because he views it as the best league. Uconn is recruiting him hard and Bruce Pearl and Dana Altman and Oregon are also coming on strong along with Miami. Odds are good currently that he is ACC bound.
Earl Timberlake and Hunter Dickinson
Another player I have been talking about for months. Timberlake has been to Pitt. Pitt coaches have been visiting him, and expect him to be back at Pitt again. I mentioned a long time ago Timberlake wants to major in sports medicine and get early playing time with the chance to start. It is 2 of the biggest factors in his recruiting process and I stressed this months ago. Timberlake is a bulldog on the floor that plays suffocating defense. He is the exact type of player Capel wants: defines toughness, is athletic, is versatile, and is a good passer. He needs to really work on 3 point shooting, but is very strong in other parts of his game. Pitt is also strongly recruiting his backcourt teammate Will Jeffress, a 5 star player in 2021. Pitt has been watching all these players in the spring.
Dickinson visited Providence recently who also is one of Timberlake’s top schools. Dickinson was also down at Kentucky a few months back. Purdue is in strong position here and Kansas is looking at him with Duke monitoring. Dickinson has been decent but inconsistent at the EYBL after a 26-point performance but is proving he is one of the top rebounders in the country. He also was the prestigious ACITS Tournament MVP after strong scoring and rebounding performances. His long list of schools recruiting him continues to grow as he is a rock in the middle and elite on defense already.
John Hugley IV
It’s a good sign that Hugley has visited Pitt 3 times already and understands the glaring need Pitt has for big men. As I mentioned months ago, Hugley has a strong relationship with the Pitt coaching staff as does his coach and handler who visited Pitt with him. But as I mentioned as well, getting him is not going to be easy with a high number of other schools coming in hard including Tom Izzo and Michigan State, Louisville, and Ohio State. Pitt really wants him and we will remain on the very short list.
Hugley has visited Louisville and Kansas unofficially. Tom Izzo just watched him again at the EYBL along with Jeff Capel. Pitt and Ohio State are the 2 early leaders. Pitt is recruiting him probably harder than any other school. Expect Michigan State to turn it on with him. And as I said a long time ago, his ranking was far underrated. He’s made a big splash in the spring circuit already and has been rebounding very well. Capel will continue to recruit him extremely hard.
Demarr Langford
Fairly same list of schools with Uconn, West Virginia, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, and Pitt as last September except the Aggies are on the list because of Buzz and Virginia is new. He has visited Uconn and West Virginia. Great defensive player, raw offensive player. Virginia has been watching him closely along with Chris Beard and Texas Tech. Those 2 teams know defense, obviously, and want him for that very reason. Virginia is new on the radar. Langford is a Top 100 recruit right now but he is probably a bit overrated because he isn’t the best shooter or scorer. His club at Putnam with 4 Top National top 150 players was beaten in the Prep School National Final 4 by Karim Coulibaly and Scotland Red. He is a another 2019 reclass candidate.
RJ Davis
One of the most underrated players in the entire country and I said that back in January in my winter writeup. He has been on a tear at the EYBL and his stock is going to skyrocket with interest. Capel and the assistants have spent a great deal of time watching him and recently visited him along with his 5 star teammate AJ Griffin. With O’toole being from his alma mater school, Pitt is a major player and that is a very good thing. He also will be Mick Cronin’s and UCLA’s top target.
Davis led the powerhouse CHSAA league in scoring at 26 points per game and continues to have a ridiculous assist to turnover ratio in the CHSAA and the EYBL. He should easily make the National Top 50-100 in the new rankings as everyone except Capel and Mick Cronin were late to the party in his early recruitment. ESPN recently again already admitted he was grossly underrated.
He is easily better than his backcourt teammate Ethan Morton right now who is set to visit Indiana next month. The secret is out now as coaches are flocking to see Davis. With Xavier Johnson to test the NBA waters likely next year, Davis could be the potential frontrunner to try to replace him. Davis is also shooting 66% from 3 and 89% from the free throw line and has been nothing short of lights out scoring and dishing assists. If Davis was a few inches taller than 5’11 which is the only thing holding him back, his stock would explode. Its already taking off and Pitt is in very strong position here.
Morton has really struggled shooting in opening EYBL play playing alongside Davis. Ethan is clearly more of a point forward type as opposed to a point guard, he doesn’t have the speed or needed athletic ability. I like him as a player, but I think Ethan is a bit overrated right now nationally. Even still, Pitt remains a player to get him and having him play with stud point guard RJ Davis only helps Pitt if they play together in college. I would expect Morton to try and elevate his game in the coming sessions. AJ Hoggard gave Morton a ton of problems in their only EYBL loss. Hoggard is also very underrated and physical. He is a player I would hope Capel reaches out to soon before his stock skyrockets which it is going to do. Uconn is all over Hoggard.