Pitt head basketball coach Kevin Stallings has identified an athletic wing that appears to be a perfect fit for his up tempo style of play. Champaign (IL) Champaign Central High School wing Tim Finke (6-foot-6 inches, 205 pounds) was offered a scholarship within the last week. The 2018 prospect is ranked the 51st best overall player in the nation by Athlon Magazine.
“I first heard from Pitt in the past couple of weeks. They got in contact with my dad and then they got in contact with me,” said Finke. “They (Pitt) have kept a pretty strong relationship with ever since that point. It’s been intriguing for me just to see consistent contact.”
Finke is an athletic, high scoring prospect with a tremendous basketball IQ. For the second year in a row, his strong performances over the summer with his AAU squad the St. Louis Eagles have drawn plenty of mid to high major attention. That attention has led to a significant amount of scholarship offers. In addition to Pitt, he has received scholarship offers from the likes of Illinois, Notre Dame, Vanderbilt, Creighton, DePaul, Iowa State, Missouri and USC.
“I’m a wing, a ‘3’ but I’ll probably play the ‘2’ (shooting guard) in college. That’s where I’m trying to improve,” he said. “I love to compete. I’m going to give it my all every single game. I like to shoot the ball and I believe I shoot well. I can also play off of my shot. If they try to take away my shot I can get to the rim as well. I put on a lot of strength so I think I’m a lot stronger going to the hoop as well as getting rebounds and defending. I take pride in my defense as well.”
His brother, Michael, currently plays basketball for the University of Illinois. When asked if he was a lock to follow his brother’s footsteps, he stated, “I’m wide open. I’ve taken a lot of visits and I’ve seen what Illinois has to offer but I would like to see other schools. I’m just trying to find the right fit for me. Wherever that place is, that’s where I’ll go, whether it’s across the country or right here close to me. That’s what I’m trying to figure out.”
Pitt and Notre Dame are the first ACC schools to offer Finke. When asked about his thoughts on the conference, he stated, “That’s really intriguing for me. Getting an offer from Pitt, in the ACC and potentially going up against top teams game after game and competing at the highest level against the best players. It’s a great conference with history.”
Finke knows exactly what he wants from the school of his choice. “I have to connect with the coaching staff and the style of play is very important to me,” he said. “I want to go somewhere where I’m needed, not where I’m wanted. The overall feel of the school and the quality of education is a big for me as well.”
Harry G. Psaros can be found on Twitter at @PittGuru
