Pitt Basketball
Pitt Hosts Pair Of Blue-chip 2018 Basketball Stars
Pitt head basketball coach Kevin Stallings and staff are diligently working on solidifying their 2017 recruiting class. With commitments in hand from Fairfax (VA) Paul VI point guard Aaron Thompson and Tilton (NH) Tilton School power forward/center Terrell Brown, an additional three players still need to be added to the Panthers’ roster. Over the weekend, the staff hosted a pair of elite 2018 prospects that could be key pieces to future. Pickerington (OH) Pickerington North High School forward Jerome Hunter (6-foot-7 inches, 200 pounds) and Mars (PA) Mars Area Senior High School shooting guard Robby Carmody (6-foot-4 inches, 185 pounds) attended the Pitt-Penn State football game at Heinz Field on Saturday.
“I attended the game on Saturday. It was a great game. It was the craziest I have ever seen Heinz Field,” said Carmody. “I got to sit with members of the team and staff. It was a good time.”
Photo courtesy of Robby Carmody
Carmody has evolved from a local gem to a legitimate high major recruit. He has received scholarship offers from Pitt, Notre Dame, Michigan, Louisville, Cincinnati, Xavier, Penn State, Rice, Purdue and Northwestern. Robby was offered a scholarship a few weeks ago during an unofficial visit and Pitt hopes to convince Carmody to become the next ‘home town hero’.
“I love the new coaching staff. I really think they are at Pitt for the right reasons,” he said. “Coach Stallings and staff want to take the program to the next level. He believes I’m the kind of player that can really drive his offense.”
Hunter, like Carmody, is a high-major prospect that has accrued scholarship offers from Pitt, West Virginia, Michigan, Ohio State, Dayton, Penn State, Xavier and several others. Saturday was his first trip to Pitt.
“This was my first visit to Pittsburgh. I got there around 9:30 AM and we went to speak with Coach Stallings. We talked for a little and he offered me a scholarship,” he said. “He showed me his office and we talked about the basketball program. When we finished up, we went down to the football game.”
Jerome Hunter at Heinz Field (Photo credit: Mike Vukovcan)
Hunter is a rangy, versatile forward known his aggressiveness on offense. He’s equally adept at hitting three pointers and finishing strongly around the rim.
When asked about his strengths on the basketball court, he stated, “I can dribble the ball, post up, I can go up to the wing, shoot it when I have to and guard any position.”
“I like Pitt, the coaches are great and the atmosphere was great. I didn’t really get to go on a real unofficial visit. I spoke with their strength and conditioning coach a little and that was about it. I would like to go back to get another look.”
Carmody and Hunter are priorities for the Panthers in 2018. Another key recruit will be visiting next week when mammoth 2018 Bainbridge (OH) Paint Valley High School center Dylan Swingle (6-foot-10 inches, 295 pounds) comes to Pitt for an unofficial visit.
Harry G. Psaros can be found on Twitter at @PittGuru
