[Breaking news: Jared Wilson-Frame has committed to Pitt]
With a pair of remaining scholarships left to complete the Panthers’ class of 2017, Pitt head basketball coach Kevin Stallings had a pair of impressive recruits visit over the last 48 hours: Miami (FL) Miami Christian School center Felipe Haase (6-foot-10 inches, 240 pounds) and Northwest Florida State College small forward Jared Wilson-Frame (6-foot-5 inches, 225 pounds).
To gain perspective on Wilson-Frame, I contacted Northwest Florida State College Head Basketball Coach Steve DeMeo.
“Jared is a kid from Hartford, CT and the ACC is an appealing conference. It’s the premier conference in the country now. Back in the day, Pitt was in the Big East and the Big East was the premier conference. Pitt should be a destination choice for most big time recruits,” said DeMeo.
“Jared is a guy that can play multiple positions. He played point guard for us last year. He can play the 2 (shooting guard) and 3 (small forward). He can score at all three levels. He has a nice mid-range game. He’s an unselfish player that can find the open man. He’s a special player. He has a few things to work on like most players always do. He has to get a bit more consistent on a daily basis but he’s taken huge steps in that direction. Jared would be a big addition to the Panther basketball program.”
Coach DeMeo was asked about Wilson-Frame’s size. His height has been listed between 6-foot-3 inches to 6-foot-6 inches tall. “He’s all of 6-foot-5 inches tall and 225 pounds. He’s slimmed down and toned up a lot. He has a similar build to (former Western Pennsylvania standout) Lance Jeter that was from Pittsburgh and went to Nebraska to play basketball. Jared has more versatility. He can play anywhere between the 1 through 4 for us. He’ll the play power forward position for us when we go small. He’s a true talent, no doubt about it.”
The Pitt coaching staff started to evaluate Wilson-Frame shortly after getting hired in the spring. Coach DeMeo was very impressed with the Panthers’ coaching staff throughout the recruiting process. “Coach (Jeremy) Ballard has done an incredible job. He’s a meticulous recruiter. He does it with class; he does it the right way. Obviously Coach Stallings is a premier coach in this business but I don’t know him as well. We do have some mutual connections that worked for him. I know he’s a special man and recruiter. How the Pitt staff has approached things has really opened my eyes. When guys do things the right way you want to help them as much as you can.”
“A lot of people don’t have the respect for the junior college game, coaches or players. Those guys have the respect and I appreciate that. Jared appreciates that as well.”
Coach DeMeo was asked about Wilson-Frame’s interest level in the Pitt program. He was quick to reply, “When you’re a junior a college kid and you’re visiting early, the interest isn’t high, it’s ‘off the charts’ high. We wouldn’t let him go there unless we thought it wasn’t an incredible fit; not just a fit for Jared, but for Pitt as well. We want our players to be successful. We have graduated 17 guys and all 17 have gone D1. We have a large number that have gone high major. I don’t want to see Jared go and be a one and done then transfer. I want him to be there for two or three years and be successful. Pitt has always done an incredible job with helping junior college kids get on track and fast.”
PittsburghSportsNow.com will follow up with Wilson-Frame shortly after his official visit.
Harry G. Psaros can be found on Twitter at @PittGuru
