So, I was without internet starting late Friday morning. We didn’t get it back until later on Saturday. By then I had gotten rid of the shakes and other symptoms of withdrawal and focused on getting things done in the offline world. Now it is a rainy Monday, definitely time to just look online.
Last month, Coach Jamie Dixon was taking in Jaylen Bond and his high school team on their way to the PIAA AAAA runner-up.
The weekend started with his verbal to Pitt. A week after an unofficial visit to both Pitt and WVU while in Pittsburgh for the AAU Jam Fest.
“Once he saw [Pitt], that pretty much solidified it,” said Steve Bond, Jaylen’s uncle. “That’s when we knew he was serious. He wasn’t even interested in taking any other visits.”
He’s a strong kid at 6-7, and between 205 and 220 pounds. And plays both forward positions.
“He’s a big body who can run the floor, he’s very powerful in transition and very powerful around the basket,” said Plymouth Whitemarsh head coach Jim Donofrio. “And he’s a young kid. He doesn’t turn 17 until May. His strength is already pretty impressive for a high school kid. He is a power player. A lot of people have said that he looks and plays like a Pitt kid.”
While the ESPN.com/Scouts, Inc. evaluations are over a year old on Bond, one of the things that it notes about him is that he has a solid basketball IQ and a hard worker [Insider subs.].
Pitt actually envisions him playing at the small forward position in the future as he does have a developing game on the perimeter.
“They want me to play the ‘three’ there and the things I can work on is my perimeter defense and overall perimeter skills,” said Bond of his future role at Pitt.
With the verbals of Bond and John Johnson, Pitt has filled 2 of the 3 scholarship opening s for 2011 (Brad Wanamaker, Gilbert Brown and Gary McGhee). According to ESPN.com/Scouts, Inc., Pitt has 2 of the top-4 Pennsylvania recruits. Rakeem Christmas (PF, undecided) is the top PA recruit, Bond is listed at #2, Juan’ya Green (SG, udecided) #3 and Johnson is 4th.
