Jeff Capel and his staff are actively pursuing juniors for next years class but are still trying to put the finishing touches on the Class of 2018.
With two scholarships still available, the Pitt staff is hosting a big man from Virginia.
Chester Makoi (6-foot-9, 200 pounds) from Williamsburg, Virginia and a member of Team Loaded North Carolina (AAU) will be making an unofficial visit to Pitt today.
Justin Byerly, a NCAA basketball recruiting analyst for Prep Hoops and Prep Hoops North Carolina, was one of the first people to mention this.
PSN spoke with Byerly this morning to get some insight on Makoi and find out about his future plans.
“Chester is long, athletic and active on both ends and rebounds the ball really well. He was committed to Longwood before the coaching change. He’s a reclass to 2019 so I’m assuming Pittsburgh is trying to get him to come in for the 2018 class. He is a kid that would probably be able to get things done in the classroom to get in the Class of 2018,” said Byerly.
Unlike most of the other players Capwl is pursuing, Makoi isn’t a highly rated prospect but is someone with plenty of potential to develop.
“He’s not going to be a guy that comes in and impacts the ACC right away. If he does reclassify to 2018, he could be a guy that even redshirts,” said Byerly. “He’s a developmental player but definitely has all the tools. At the end of the day, he’s 6-9 and has nearly a 7 foot wing span. He would have a chance to come in and be a double-double guy down the road with the right program.”
Byerly tells PSN that Makoi is originally from Alaska and moved to Williamsburg area and believes that assistant Milan Brown could be the guy that located Makoi, possibly while recruiting at College of Charleston.
