Pitt Starting to Show Interest in 2022 7-Footer Christian Reeves

As Pitt searches for big men in the 2021 class, the pursuit of a center in the 2022 class and beyond is also still going on.

That search has recently expanded into Concord, North Carolina, where 7-foot-1 big man Christian Reeves plays his high school ball for Cannon School. Reeves is a native of Charlotte, North Carolina, and will play his AAU ball this summer for Chris Paul’s organization Team CP3.

“I would say my best strengths are finishing around the basket, running the court, blocking shots, and rebounding,” Reeves told Pittsburgh Sports Now. “My shooting ability has gotten a lot better over this past year. I am knocking down threes now, and I can hit mid-range and free throws as well.”

While he is unranked on recruiting sites and a zero-star prospect at the moment, Reeves is waiting patiently for his chance to make a big splash in his class.

“In AAU I really hope to showcase my game because I haven’t really shown everything that I can do yet. “In the school season, I want to go out and get a third state championship and help lead my team to that. I want to help the younger guys with that goal too.”

“His size and length, you know, he is 7-1 and still growing,” his head coach Che Roth said. “The thing that I know that they don’t know, because he didn’t really get an opportunity to showcase it, is his ability to shoot the ball. He is shooting it at a really high clip right now and it has been a huge priority for us and for his development the past few years.”

Roth raved about the big man’s skill set, saying he still has plenty of room to grow not only regarding his size but also his overall game.

“Just getting him a lot more comfortable out on the perimeter and not playing him with his back to the basket all the time,” Roth said when asked how Reeves has improved. “He can score in the post, really good in ball screens, and his ability to rebound, falter shots, block shots, is great. He will be able to showcase his offensive game more as he continues to play. But man, he can really shoot the ball. It comes off his hands so soft and clean, and he is also an elite level passer for a big. He gives you a tremendous amount of versatility because he has a really good motor for a big kid.”

The 230-pound big man currently holds offers from Houston Baptist and South Florida, but Roth told PSN that there are many schools out there trying to track him down and get involved in Reeves’ recruitment.

“Christian’s recruiting is through the roof because of his size,” Roth said. “As for interest, he’s got [North] Carolina, Pitt, Kansas, Tennessee, Clemson, South Carolina, Texas, Florida, I mean, you name it. But at the same time, his feet are firmly planted on the ground. He wants the best fit, and he wants to be challenged.”

Although he does not know much about Pitt just yet, Reeves does like the idea of potentially competing in the ACC.

“The ACC in my opinion is the best conference, and that would be a dream come true to be able to play against the best of the best. I want a college that will give me an opportunity to play a lot and then play professionally, because my ultimate goal is to play in the NBA or overseas. Also, a school academically that will help me get set up for the future.”

Pitt contacted Roth about Reeves a few weeks back, but has been unable to really get a strong idea of his game due to a few injuries that kept him sidelined as well as the pandemic.

“They just haven’t seen a ton of Christian because he has been banged up a little bit,” Roth said about Pitt’s interest in Reeves. “He played half a year and it was a dead period so nobody could come out, so I have sent them some tape and they have to streamed some of his games.”

Reeves is on the same team as DJ Nix, who was also featured by PSN recently after garnering his own interest from Pitt as of late. The two led Cannon to back-to-back state championships, and both look to continue their respective careers at the next level.