A few early thoughts on next year before getting into recruiting
Defense
Pitt’s defense finished 70th in the country in total efficiency last year. I expect Pitt’s defense to push for Top 30 in the country this coming year, perhaps better. Frame, Ellison, and Chukwuka were by far the 3 worst defensive players on the team this past year on defense and they are getting replaced with 2 high impact defensive players with Gerald Drumgoole and Karim Coulibaly. These 2 new freshmen anchored their teams on defense this past year.
Drumgoole is a large 6’6 wing pushing a huge 6’11 wingspan for a guard / wing and Coulibaly is a big 6’8-6’9 pushing a 7’0+ wingspan. Drumgoole’s high school team held their opposition to under 30% shooting for the entire season suffocating 4 and 5 star players constantly on defense. Coulibaly’s team stuffed opposing teams on defense too at Scotland Red Prep and he did it again as the anchor on defense with Mali. I am expecting these 2 players to play significant minutes this coming year with Drumgoole primarily at the 3 and Coulibaly primarily at the 4. Wingspan, not height, is why it will be a major difference maker.
Coulibaly
I like this kid… a lot. My very first post I made on this board last December I said this kid was significantly underrated and to dial up the recruiting pressure in which Capel did ( Coulibaly was once a 4 Star Top 60 player Nationally). And bam, here we are. Not only was Mali’s run in the U19 World Cup basketball Tournament magical as they made it to the finals, it was fueled by Coulibaly and Mali’s defense.
Let’s step aside from the fact Coulibaly finished strong in the entire tournament at 18th in total points, 13th in rebounds, 8th in blocks, 11th in steals, and 50th in assists with a top 30 overall efficiency ranking against a loaded field of 4 and 5 star ranked players heading to schools like Duke, Kentucky, Virginia, Gonzaga, etc... And that is indeed some stat sheet stuffing at 13.1ppg, 6.9rpg, 2.4 apg, 2.1 stl pg, and 1.7 blk pg. Lets also not forget he was the prep school player of the year at Scotland Red for the #1 team in Prep school basketball before losing in the National Title game. And his efficiency stats last summer were also very high.
He severely outperformed other Pitt targets like 4 Star Tyrese Samuel in every single facet of the basketball game this tournament and his team beat Samuels in the tournament. And he outperformed other 4 and 5 star ranked players in this tournament in every single facet of the basketball game. But again, where Mali and Coulibaly shined was they held teams to the following shooting percentages in this tournament:
43%, 37%, 39%, 27%, 34%, 38%, and finally 42% against team USA that featured roughly 10 players that will be in the NBA all of which are 5 star Nationally Ranked players. The best defense in college basketball last year, Texas Tech who lost in the National Title game, held opponents to 37% shooting. Its no wonder Mali went to the finals at the world cup tournament and beat the opposition. Team USA struggled shooting too against them and Coulibaly.
Large Wingspan, Toughness, and Tenacity... I love these traits in basketball players and Coulibaly and Drumgoole both have these traits. And its why our defense its going to ramp up and be much better because they suffocate on defense and force turnovers.
I am also repeating what I previously said. Pitt’s 2019 recruiting class is underrated and it will be proven starting next year. And I didn’t mention Champagnie who was strong at IS8 and a former Top 100 recruit himself that still didn’t turn 18 years old yet.
The ACC
I am also going to repeat another thing I said previously. The ACC is going to be a potential mess next year outside 3 teams in Duke, Louisville, and North Carolina. Virginia Tech has 1 player over 6’5 in height entering next season and lost everyone including their coach. Clemson has now lost 8 players from this past seasons team and now Clyde Trapp, their projected starting SG from what crumbs was left on their returning team, is now out all of next season too with acl / mcl injuries. That’s the tip of the iceberg for how bad most of the ACC league is looking as Virginia Tech and Clemson will be the 2 worst teams in all of Power 6 basketball next year and with Wake Forest losing Jaylen Hoard, their best player to the NBA as a 1 and done, that’s 3 teams that are at the bottom of the all of P6.
The ACC lost a record 10 1st round NBA Draft Picks including 6 of the top 11 overall picks to the NBA draft, another record. Not only is college basketball going to be way down. The ACC as a whole is going to be way down and way worse next year as opposed to what we saw this year. Most teams in the ACC lost 4 or more starters / players with some teams getting hit even worse.
Ithiel Horton
I like this kids game a lot on offense. Lights out shooter, decent athleticism, and good potential. It will take some time for him to adjust on defense but he has the potential to be a major weapon on offense. Think Gibbs potential on offense with the 3’s with way better athletic ability to drive in the paint. He made 79 3’s as a freshmen at 41%. He was lights out in his conference Tournament. And he faced 3 NCAA Tournament teams and was good in all 3 of those games last year, including a nice performance in almost beating Maryland on the road.
Recruiting News and Notes
Earl Timberlake- I reported on him last December that Pitt was a major factor. He is extremely high on Pitt still and will be visiting Pitt a 3rd time in the near future for an official visit. He likes everything about Pitt and has strong relationships with current Pitt players. Alabama is a major player to get him along with South and North Carolina. I reported Pitt was the leader for him previously. I think Pitt is still in the Top 2-3 for him right now and “may” lead. Sports medicine and early playing time are still major factors in his recruitment. I reported that first before anyone.
John Hugley IV- Another player I reported on early that likes Pitt a lot that I said was very underrated 7 months ago. He has been to Pitt 3 times and has over 25 Division 1 offers since then from Florida, Florida State, Louisville, West Virginia and a boatload of others. Louisville will be a major factor to get him as he is visiting there again and he already visited Kansas unofficially. His coach / handler, who I mentioned 8 months ago, really likes Pitt and Jeff Capel and has also visited Pitt and Jeff Capel. Early playing time is a major factor. Michigan State could be a factor too.
RJ Davis- A player I called extremely underrated in my winter writeup 7 months ago before he blew up. Making the All Tournament team at Peach Jam and monster performances in each EYBL session, with offers pouring in from everyone including Kansas and North Carolina coming in hard, his stock has exploded and will continue to do so. This is a player that missed a lot of time because of former injury. Capel and Cronin have been on him longer than most. The two leaders for Davis are Pitt and Marquette as of right now. Georgetown is now trailing who I would say round out his Top 3.
This is a player that commands and wants attention and wants being recruited hard including his family. Its why Capel followed him around all spring and summer while also recruiting his mother. Marquette is a major player because they are selling him on being the next Markus Howard. Davis is extremely high on both schools. Georgetown lost ground because of their failure to not be at more of his games, but he is still considering them.
Jalen Bridges- A player I have not talked about much in the past, Pitt and Bridges are both very, very high on each other and Bridges is attending Scotland Red Prep, the same school as Karim Coulibaly. Ive heard Pitt “could” lead for Bridges from whispers. He has offers from Indiana, Ohio State, Marquette, Miami, West Virginia, and a ton of others when he exploded this summer and is now a 4 star Top 100 player everywhere. He is a 3 /4 combo type player with a shot in development but impact ready on defense.
DJ Gordon- Obviously the relationship is there and Pitt and Gordon are both high on each other. The potential issue for Gordon is the other competition from players looking at Pitt or at Pitt currently. He has a strong relationship with multiple Pitt players. He also had a really strong spring and summer and received a lot of offers. He is also close with John Hugley. If one of Gordon / Hugley commit to Pitt, the other could soon follow.
Puff Johnson- It’s a 4 team race for Puff Johnson between Pitt, Arizona, North Carolina, and Notre Dame as of now. A number of others have reported Arizona “could” lead.
Cam Thomas- With the investigation going on with NC State, the door is now open on his short list which Pitt is still on. This is another lethal scorer and 5 star talent that commands the ball. 2 of his Top 5 schools are under heavy investigation by the NCAA. Thomas is heavily interested in joining the ACC because of the competition and wants a fast paced college. Miami, Uconn, and Oregon are also high on the list. He is being recruited as a 1 and done.
These are only “some” of Pitt’s biggest targets I just talked about but Pitt is in strong contention for these players.
Im excited for the coming months up until the season starts and looking forward to the season starting. Ill also put out boldly that Pitt is going to challenge to win 20+ or more games next year. Its payback time and we have the talent to beat a lot of teams next year. Mark it down.
Defense
Pitt’s defense finished 70th in the country in total efficiency last year. I expect Pitt’s defense to push for Top 30 in the country this coming year, perhaps better. Frame, Ellison, and Chukwuka were by far the 3 worst defensive players on the team this past year on defense and they are getting replaced with 2 high impact defensive players with Gerald Drumgoole and Karim Coulibaly. These 2 new freshmen anchored their teams on defense this past year.
Drumgoole is a large 6’6 wing pushing a huge 6’11 wingspan for a guard / wing and Coulibaly is a big 6’8-6’9 pushing a 7’0+ wingspan. Drumgoole’s high school team held their opposition to under 30% shooting for the entire season suffocating 4 and 5 star players constantly on defense. Coulibaly’s team stuffed opposing teams on defense too at Scotland Red Prep and he did it again as the anchor on defense with Mali. I am expecting these 2 players to play significant minutes this coming year with Drumgoole primarily at the 3 and Coulibaly primarily at the 4. Wingspan, not height, is why it will be a major difference maker.
Coulibaly
I like this kid… a lot. My very first post I made on this board last December I said this kid was significantly underrated and to dial up the recruiting pressure in which Capel did ( Coulibaly was once a 4 Star Top 60 player Nationally). And bam, here we are. Not only was Mali’s run in the U19 World Cup basketball Tournament magical as they made it to the finals, it was fueled by Coulibaly and Mali’s defense.
Let’s step aside from the fact Coulibaly finished strong in the entire tournament at 18th in total points, 13th in rebounds, 8th in blocks, 11th in steals, and 50th in assists with a top 30 overall efficiency ranking against a loaded field of 4 and 5 star ranked players heading to schools like Duke, Kentucky, Virginia, Gonzaga, etc... And that is indeed some stat sheet stuffing at 13.1ppg, 6.9rpg, 2.4 apg, 2.1 stl pg, and 1.7 blk pg. Lets also not forget he was the prep school player of the year at Scotland Red for the #1 team in Prep school basketball before losing in the National Title game. And his efficiency stats last summer were also very high.
He severely outperformed other Pitt targets like 4 Star Tyrese Samuel in every single facet of the basketball game this tournament and his team beat Samuels in the tournament. And he outperformed other 4 and 5 star ranked players in this tournament in every single facet of the basketball game. But again, where Mali and Coulibaly shined was they held teams to the following shooting percentages in this tournament:
43%, 37%, 39%, 27%, 34%, 38%, and finally 42% against team USA that featured roughly 10 players that will be in the NBA all of which are 5 star Nationally Ranked players. The best defense in college basketball last year, Texas Tech who lost in the National Title game, held opponents to 37% shooting. Its no wonder Mali went to the finals at the world cup tournament and beat the opposition. Team USA struggled shooting too against them and Coulibaly.
Large Wingspan, Toughness, and Tenacity... I love these traits in basketball players and Coulibaly and Drumgoole both have these traits. And its why our defense its going to ramp up and be much better because they suffocate on defense and force turnovers.
I am also repeating what I previously said. Pitt’s 2019 recruiting class is underrated and it will be proven starting next year. And I didn’t mention Champagnie who was strong at IS8 and a former Top 100 recruit himself that still didn’t turn 18 years old yet.
The ACC
I am also going to repeat another thing I said previously. The ACC is going to be a potential mess next year outside 3 teams in Duke, Louisville, and North Carolina. Virginia Tech has 1 player over 6’5 in height entering next season and lost everyone including their coach. Clemson has now lost 8 players from this past seasons team and now Clyde Trapp, their projected starting SG from what crumbs was left on their returning team, is now out all of next season too with acl / mcl injuries. That’s the tip of the iceberg for how bad most of the ACC league is looking as Virginia Tech and Clemson will be the 2 worst teams in all of Power 6 basketball next year and with Wake Forest losing Jaylen Hoard, their best player to the NBA as a 1 and done, that’s 3 teams that are at the bottom of the all of P6.
The ACC lost a record 10 1st round NBA Draft Picks including 6 of the top 11 overall picks to the NBA draft, another record. Not only is college basketball going to be way down. The ACC as a whole is going to be way down and way worse next year as opposed to what we saw this year. Most teams in the ACC lost 4 or more starters / players with some teams getting hit even worse.
Ithiel Horton
I like this kids game a lot on offense. Lights out shooter, decent athleticism, and good potential. It will take some time for him to adjust on defense but he has the potential to be a major weapon on offense. Think Gibbs potential on offense with the 3’s with way better athletic ability to drive in the paint. He made 79 3’s as a freshmen at 41%. He was lights out in his conference Tournament. And he faced 3 NCAA Tournament teams and was good in all 3 of those games last year, including a nice performance in almost beating Maryland on the road.
Recruiting News and Notes
Earl Timberlake- I reported on him last December that Pitt was a major factor. He is extremely high on Pitt still and will be visiting Pitt a 3rd time in the near future for an official visit. He likes everything about Pitt and has strong relationships with current Pitt players. Alabama is a major player to get him along with South and North Carolina. I reported Pitt was the leader for him previously. I think Pitt is still in the Top 2-3 for him right now and “may” lead. Sports medicine and early playing time are still major factors in his recruitment. I reported that first before anyone.
John Hugley IV- Another player I reported on early that likes Pitt a lot that I said was very underrated 7 months ago. He has been to Pitt 3 times and has over 25 Division 1 offers since then from Florida, Florida State, Louisville, West Virginia and a boatload of others. Louisville will be a major factor to get him as he is visiting there again and he already visited Kansas unofficially. His coach / handler, who I mentioned 8 months ago, really likes Pitt and Jeff Capel and has also visited Pitt and Jeff Capel. Early playing time is a major factor. Michigan State could be a factor too.
RJ Davis- A player I called extremely underrated in my winter writeup 7 months ago before he blew up. Making the All Tournament team at Peach Jam and monster performances in each EYBL session, with offers pouring in from everyone including Kansas and North Carolina coming in hard, his stock has exploded and will continue to do so. This is a player that missed a lot of time because of former injury. Capel and Cronin have been on him longer than most. The two leaders for Davis are Pitt and Marquette as of right now. Georgetown is now trailing who I would say round out his Top 3.
This is a player that commands and wants attention and wants being recruited hard including his family. Its why Capel followed him around all spring and summer while also recruiting his mother. Marquette is a major player because they are selling him on being the next Markus Howard. Davis is extremely high on both schools. Georgetown lost ground because of their failure to not be at more of his games, but he is still considering them.
Jalen Bridges- A player I have not talked about much in the past, Pitt and Bridges are both very, very high on each other and Bridges is attending Scotland Red Prep, the same school as Karim Coulibaly. Ive heard Pitt “could” lead for Bridges from whispers. He has offers from Indiana, Ohio State, Marquette, Miami, West Virginia, and a ton of others when he exploded this summer and is now a 4 star Top 100 player everywhere. He is a 3 /4 combo type player with a shot in development but impact ready on defense.
DJ Gordon- Obviously the relationship is there and Pitt and Gordon are both high on each other. The potential issue for Gordon is the other competition from players looking at Pitt or at Pitt currently. He has a strong relationship with multiple Pitt players. He also had a really strong spring and summer and received a lot of offers. He is also close with John Hugley. If one of Gordon / Hugley commit to Pitt, the other could soon follow.
Puff Johnson- It’s a 4 team race for Puff Johnson between Pitt, Arizona, North Carolina, and Notre Dame as of now. A number of others have reported Arizona “could” lead.
Cam Thomas- With the investigation going on with NC State, the door is now open on his short list which Pitt is still on. This is another lethal scorer and 5 star talent that commands the ball. 2 of his Top 5 schools are under heavy investigation by the NCAA. Thomas is heavily interested in joining the ACC because of the competition and wants a fast paced college. Miami, Uconn, and Oregon are also high on the list. He is being recruited as a 1 and done.
These are only “some” of Pitt’s biggest targets I just talked about but Pitt is in strong contention for these players.
Im excited for the coming months up until the season starts and looking forward to the season starting. Ill also put out boldly that Pitt is going to challenge to win 20+ or more games next year. Its payback time and we have the talent to beat a lot of teams next year. Mark it down.