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Coach Speak: New Pitt Basketball Commit Max Amadasun

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The Pitt basketball program received a verbal commitment from Our Savior New Lutheran (Bronx, NY) center Max Amadasun (6-foot-10 inches, 240 pounds) this week. In addition to playing for Our Savior, he’s a member of the New York Lightning AAU program.

Adamasun, a native of Ireland, played with the Dublin Lions alongside Louisville Cardinal freshman center Aiden Igiehon. In 2016, he opted to move to the United States in order to improve his chances of playing college basketball. Many recruiting services have him rated a three-star prospect. He chose Pitt over scholarship offers from St. John’s, Penn State, Rhode Island and St. Louis.  Adamasun has a 7-foot-1-inch Pterodactyl like wingspan.

To gain perspective on the latest addition to the Zoo Era, Pittsburgh Sports Now spoke with Our Savior Lutheran Head Basketball Coach Peter Wehye.

Courtesy of Max Amadasun

“Max is probably one of the greatest stories we have,” said Coach Pete. “Max is very talented but always had to play behind the older guy. We sent Bernard Kouma to the University of Illinois. He had to play behind him for two years. People didn’t realize how talented he truly was because he always split minutes. With the New York Lightning, he played behind Cliff Omoruyi, one of the top players in the country. People really weren’t aware of his upside.”

“Max is an incredibly hard worker. He’s athletic, runs the floor, he’s a shot blocker and a strong rebounder. Coach Capel didn’t come out until July to see him because they wanted to see him be the featured guy. Max didn’t disappoint. He performed very well blocking shots, showing good hands, running the floor and showing a developing post game. I’m very encouraged by his jump hook as well.”

“Pitt is really getting a hard worker. He’ll run through a wall or dive on the floor for you. I know that’s what Pitt Assistant Basketball Coach (Tim) O’Toole saw in him. Tim was highly instrumental in the recruiting process as well. He’s a fabulous, high energy guy.”

“Coach Capel likes to coach his guys hard. I know how hard he wants his guys to play. I think that makes Max a perfect fit for his coaching style.”

When asked about Amadasun’s strengths and areas of improvement, Wehye stated, “He’s really good at running the floor, blocking shots and rebounding. Max has a very good 15-foot shot, he can pick and roll and he screens exceptionally well. I know that’s probably so undervalued but as a coach, it means so much. You can throw it down to him in the post and he has a nice quick hook and developing post game. His post-game, like most young big men, needs improvement.”

Coach Wehye was impressed with Pitt’s pursuit of Amadasun. He stated, ‘Tim (O’Toole) always came to visit Max even when he was hurt. Last February we brought the entire team out for a visit. Tim (O’Toole) always kept in contact with him. He recruited Max when he was at the University of California. Once he got the job at Pitt it was a smooth transition. Jeff Capel came to the school about four times to see Max as well. He came out once to see him as a junior as well. They were really aggressive in their pursuit. A lot of schools liked Max and offered Max, but nobody was as aggressive as Pitt. Jeff (Capel) is very transparent as well. He told Max his expectations and what he wanted. Their honesty throughout the process was a great selling point as well.”

Courtesy of Max Amadasun

Adamasun completed an official visit last weekend. He returned to New York raving about his experience. “When Max returned he sat down, spoke with the brain trust and he told he was very pleased with what he saw from the practices at Pitt,” stated Wehye. “He said they really push players and we do exactly that at our high school. It would be an easy transition for him.”

Harry Psaros can be found on Twitter at @PittGuru

Sandy Schall, Coldwell Banker
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