Jeff Capel and his staff will be hosting a 4-star recruit on a official visit this week.
2019 power forward Anthony Walker (6-8, 200) from Brewster Academy in New Hampshire will be in Pittsburgh this weekend. Rivals ranks Walker as one of the top 100 juniors in the country.
Last night, Walker told Pittsburgh Sports Now that he’ll be arriving on campus Thursday night and the official visit will being Friday morning.
Pitt is one of five official visits that Walker has scheduled: Illinois (September 5), Pitt (September 14), Rhode Island (September 21), Miami (October 5) and VCU (October 19).
Last night, Pittsburgh Sports Now spoke to Walker about his decision to make an official visit to see Jeff Capel’s program.
“Knowing how dedicated the coaching staff is to the program and that the coaching staff has a lot of experience was very reassuring to me and that if I go there I will have coaches that know what they’re talking about and are willing to do everything possible to make me a better player and a better person,” said Walker.
“If I do decide that Pitt is the place I want to be, they told me just to be myself and not to change. Just putting in the work and keep working hard and they’ll be able to showcase my talents.”
Capel was out to visit Walker yesterday and like most recruits we’ve spoken to, has been impressed with Pitt’s new coach.
“It’s really impressive the guys that he’s coached in the past and the guys that are still at Duke. They’re great players that I look up to. Knowing that he’s coached on USA Basketball, which is a place that I want to get to one day, also I want to play in the pros and he knows what it takes to get there,” said Walker.
For the Class of 2019, Pitt is looking to add big, talented forwards and Walker fits that description.
“Right now, I’d say the strength of my game is my flexibility. I can play and guard multiple positions. Being able to switch off a screen and being able to defend a guard is helpful to team defense, plus I play down low and guard a bigger guy in the post. Just having that versatility is a strength and something that I feel is important.”
Walker is looking forward to his trip to Pittsburgh to see whether it’s a place that he can see himself attending in the future. What is going to be important to him when he arrives in Oakland?
“I really want to check out the campus and see how it works with all the students, what student life is like there, what the buildings are like and how well I get along with the players on team.”
