Wednesday, May 15, 2019

News and Notes - Wednesday, May 15th, 2019

Happy Wednesday, and thanks for stopping by the Pitt Basketball Lead! Let's check out some mid-week Pitt basketball news:
  • Today is the 19th birthday of rising sophomore guard Trey McGowens:
  • McGowens was very notably Jeff Capel's first commit as head coach last April, and showed some tremendous flashes during the 2018-19 season, as he started 32 games and posted 11.6 points per game as a true freshman.
  • As for 2019 recruiting, many are left wondering where Pitt will go now that they missed out on Khadim Sy, the latest in a string of disappointing second-place finishes for big men by Capel's staff. One possibility is 7-foot center Charles Coleman, who just de-committed from Wake Forest earlier this week. Capel reportedly offered Coleman a scholarship yesterday.
    • Coleman, a three-star prospect out of Boston, MA, ranks 330th nationally according to 247sports. Since his de-commitment from Wake Forest, Coleman has received scholarships from some major programs including Duke, UConn, and Georgia.
    • It's hard to say at this time whether Pitt has a shot with Coleman. UConn offers him a closer landing spot to his home in Massachusetts, while Duke offers him the same opportunity to play in the ACC as Pitt would, but with a greater likelihood of early on-court success. 
    • Meanwhile, Pitt may offer him the best chance at meaningful playing time early in his career. Coleman will certainly be a player to follow moving forward, not just in terms of other schools from which he receives offers, but in terms of Pitt's contact with him.
  • Another recruiting note, as Moon forward Donovan Johnson was named the Pennsylvania 5A Player of the Year yesterday.
    • Johnson also saw his recruitment take a huge step forward yesterday as he was offered a scholarship by North Carolina, where his brother and former Pitt Panther Cameron Johnson finished his collegiate career this past season.
    • Congratulations to Johnson, who has certainly earned a celebration following a very successful junior year. Johnson, the brother of Cameron and the son of former Pitt forward Gil Johnson and the brother, should continue to be a major recruiting focus of Capel's moving forward.
  • One final note on Donovan Johnson--according to the Post Gazette, he may not be eligible to play basketball his senior year at Moon due to PIAA/WPIAL restrictions which state that "a student may not play in more than six seasons in a sport after the sixth grade." At the center of the issue is that Johnson repeated eighth grade, which has him at the end of his sixth season. According to the article, Johnson will appeal the decision that would restrict him from competing next season.
    • If Johnson is deemed ineligible to compete at Moon next year, is it possible that he could re-classify to the 2019 class and play at the college level for the 2019-20 season? This is a question that I'll be hoping to explore, and one that may intensify Capel's pursuit of Johnson.
  • On a lighter note, you can vote for Pitt in Uniswag's 2019 "Uniform of the Year" competition for college basketball jerseys. The Pitt retro uniform is nominated alongside ACC opponents Louisville and Georgia Tech, as well as a variety of other schools. You can follow the link in the tweet to vote for Pitt:
  • Over at Pittsburgh Sports Now, Mike Vukovcan offers a take on Sy's decision to play basketball at Ole Miss and on the state of recruiting for Capel and Pitt.
  • Finally, if you haven't had the chance to check out my article from yesterday on Capel's recruiting philosophy and the state of affairs following Sy's decision, feel free to give it a read.
That's it for today's News and Notes. Thanks for reading, and Hail to Pitt!
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