Well it seems Coach Dixon, like a slew of other coaches was shuttling from the LeBron James Nike Academy Camp in Akron and the Rbk U Camp in Philly. The Rbk U camp is the one with more Pitt commits and a key target for the class of 2008 so that’s where the focus is.
Jerry Carino, who covers the NJ/NY HS basketball scene posts a bit about what he’s seen from a couple future Pitt players.
Travon Woodall will be solid at Pitt, and Tyshawn Taylor may be a little underrated (Hurley thinks he has a whole lot of upside) and rising junior Dominic Cheek posted 15 dominant minutes before he was carried off the court with what appeared to be a badly sprained ankle. The recruitment for Cheek will be heated over the next year.
Spent a few minutes chatting with Seton Hall Prep’s Ashton Gibbs for a feature in Tuesday’s papers. Gibbs said SHU was a close No. 2 in his college choice, but Pitt felt like a better fit. I like his solid fundamentals and his rugged defense, even though I’m not sure if he’s a 1 or a 2 (he wasn’t sure either), and I think he’ll be a good player for Pitt. His younger brother Sterling, by the way, is entering The Prep in the fall.
One more name to throw out there: Lamar Patterson, a 6-5 shooting guard/wing from Lancaster, Pa., is a Seton Hall target. Didn’t see much of him, but I can tell you he’s jacked and quick (think Brian Laing’s body in high school). Keep that in your back pocket.
As an aside, Lamar Patterson will be a junior this year and seems to be a fast-rising player in Pennsylvania recruiting. He’s also the younger brother of former Syracuse QB Perry Patterson.
Woodall got consistently solid reviews. Especially for efficient shooting.
Michael Rosario (Jersey City, NJ) needed 18 shot attempts to score his team-high 16 points. Travon Woodall, a 6’0’’ PG out of Paterson, NJ was much more efficient, scoring 15 points on 5/7 shooting from the field and 3/4 from three-point range.
Rosario has gotten more attention in NJ and is a 4-star shooting guard with a Rutgers verbal.
Eloy Vargas had a bit of trouble in the opening game, going against Renardo Sidney, the top player in the 2009 recruiting class. Not that this has caused any teams to back-off on recruiting Vargas. It just showed how good Sidney is.
