One of the newest prospects on Pitt basketball’s recruiting board is Christian Fermin, a 6-foot-10 forward/center in the Class of 2022.
At just 217 pounds, Fermin possesses a wiry frame with lots of room to add muscle. He is unranked on 247 Sports and Rivals and is just a two-star recruit according Verbal Commits, but is looking like a potential diamond in the rough in the class.
“My shot blocking is one of my best strengths,” Fermin told Pittsburgh Sports Now. “I can guard every position on defense. But, definitely the shot blocking is what stands out to a lot of college coaches. Offensively, I would say that I am a really versatile player. I can step out, shoot threes, I shot at a really high rate this season, but I can also score in the post. I can go against double, triple teams and I am really great at finding the open man and getting those passes there quickly.”
Fermin recently finished up his junior season at Pocono Mountain West High School in Pocono Summit, which is in the northeastern corner of the state.
“I feel like me personally, I had a really good season, I was the MVP of our division and we went really deep into the playoffs,” he said. “I had multiple triple-doubles and averaged upwards of 18 points, 12 boards, and seven blocks, something around there. But, we got knocked out in the semifinals by a really great team up in the Lehigh Valley, so, after that happened, I can’t really say it was too good.”
Fermin has flown under the radar as far as recruiting, as he has not been garnering much high major attention yet. Now is definitely the right for Pitt to come in and build the relationship, and it did just that as its season finished up.
“They recently just started reaching out to me two weeks ago,” Fermin said. “It has been off and on because they were just finishing up their season, so I wouldn’t expect them to be hitting me up consistently yet. But, they’ve been talking with my coaches and I feel like there is definitely an offer coming from them because they have been communicating with my coaches a lot lately.”
Fermin added in that so far, assistant coach Tim O’Toole has handled his recruitment for Pitt. While he said he does not know too much about the program yet, he wants to learn more and continue to build that relationship.
“I have never watched them play personally, but obviously they are a really great program. They have a really big name so I know that they are definitely going to be good. Coach O’Toole told me that they are historically a great program and they look to bring in players under the radar. They have a really family-based program and that is something I could really appreciate.”
Although he is still just a junior in high school, Fermin is confident that he will be able to contribute to whichever school he chooses as soon as he steps on campus.
“For me, it is really, what can I do my freshman year at that school,” he said. “I feel like I am good enough to play on a lot of teams my freshman year so does the team really want me to come in my freshman year and have a big impact. If not, they might have a little trouble getting in the race. But most schools really want me to do great things my freshman year, so that is going to be the biggest thing.”
While the ACC has had a down year, recruits like Fermin are still confident that the conference is one of, if not the best, in the nation.
“That is definitely something that interests me,” he said about playing in the ACC. “That is obviously a really, really great atmosphere to be in, to be able to play so many great teams. There are lots of great teams in the ACC, so yeah, I would definitely love to play in the ACC.”
While Fermin does not yet have an offer from Pitt, he does have offers from Hofstra, Central Connecticut State, La Salle, St. Bonaventure, Marist, Siena, and VCU. Along with Pitt, other schools showing interest are Temple and St. Josephs.
Pitt bball recruiting is looking GREAT for 2021 & 2022 so far. Can’t wait to fill our roster with a bunch of portal players
Kid is ambitious… not sure i can remember a 0 star recruit starting as a freshman in a major conference…