2022 New York Forward Tobe Awaka Says Pitt ‘Would Be a Perfect Fit’

While the Pitt staff is working tirelessly to complete next year’s roster, they are still actively pursuing prospects who are in the 2022 class just as hard as before. 

The most recent prospect to hear from Pitt is Tobe Awaka, a 6-foot-8, 245-pound forward from Hyde Park, New York. Awaka, who attends Cardinal Hayes High School, is a monster in the paint who prides himself on his toughness, defense, and skills on the inside. 

“I would say rebounding, defense, and running the floor are my best strengths,” Awaka told Pittsburgh Sports Now . “I think I have definitely gotten better at shooting. Last year my 3-point percentage was around 40 percent. It was much better than freshman year. Freshman year I didn’t really take many threes, sophomore year I started to shoot them more. Now, junior year, I feel much more comfortable shooting them.”

While Awaka is unranked on all recruiting sites, the junior prospect holds offers from Columbia, Dartmouth, Marist, and Siena. In addition to Pitt, he is also receiving interest from St. Johns, Stanford, California, Providence, and Brown. While he added that he does not care much about playing close to home, he would love to play in a conference like the ACC. 

“I think it would be a tremendous experience,” he said. ”It is one of the best basketball conferences in all of college basketball. Playing against Duke, North Carolina, all those schools, would be a great experience.”

Assistant coach Tim O’Toole was the coach to reach out to Awaka from Pitt, and he has also contacted Awaka’s coaches at New Heights, an AAU program based in New York. 

“He has spoken to me and also my coaches,” Awaka said about O’Toole. “He talks about how Pitt is a big time program, how they feel like my play style fits right in, you know, they’re kind of more of a tough program, and they feel that with my play style:  defense, rebounding, and all that- that I would be a perfect fit.”

Awaka also mentioned that another thing he knew about Pitt is that Justin Champagnie, the team’s best player, also played for New Heights in high school. As for a commitment date, he does not have one set at the moment, but is looking to rack up some more offers before he decides.

“My goal for the next year is to earn as many high major offers as I can and work on my game and become more of a well-rounded player with no weaknesses on the floor.”