What’s It Like to Coach, Play With Judah Mintz? Coaches, Teammates Weigh in

On Friday, Jeff Capel landed a commitment from four star Judah Mintz, an ultra-talented guard out of Washington D.C.

Mintz stands at 6-foot-4 and is listed as a combo guard on 247 Sports. Rivals, another popular recruiting site, lists him as a shooting guard. Ever since Pitt started recruited him, fans have wondered where he will potentially play for the Panthers.

Whatever position you want to call him, in Capel’s mind, does not matter. Mintz is his guy.

To get a better understanding of not only Judah Mintz the player, but also Judah Mintz the person, Pittsburgh Sports Now caught up with some of his teammates and coaches from Team Durant, the Nike EYBL program that he plays for.

“Judah is a type of player that everyone wants to coach and everyone wants to play with, as far as a peer he is always looking to go out of his way to help you with whatever you need,” guard Chas Kelley added. “As far as a teammate, he is the best there is, very appreciative, loves to compete, and the biggest X factor with him is that he can take constructive criticism. He truly will sacrifice what ever he can so that the team can get the win and that is special.”

Kelley, who has shared the backcourt with Mintz, went on to say that he thinks of Mintz as a point guard, who has the size and ability to also line up on the wing. A true combo guard.

Go Mode🚦➕ pic.twitter.com/9TA2ohQqPU

— Judah Mintz (@Jmintz10) February 9, 2021

How about from the point of view of a big man who has played alongside Mintz?

“Judah is overall a great teammate,” Team Durant center Cole Paar said. “He makes playing the center position extremely easy with his ability to get the attention of the defense and dish to the open man, not to mention his insane defensive ability. Whatever college gets him is getting a great player that can and will make an immediate impact.”

Another Team Durant big man, Khalif Crawley, recently said that Pitt Assistant Coach Tim O’Toole has been trying to recruit him to come play with Mintz at Pitt. From the moment Crawley joined the Team Durant program, the two have had a great relationship on and off the court.

“When I first joined Team Durant, Judah was actually the first person that texted me,” Crawley stated. “He texted me touching base, we talked. Team Durant welcomed me in with open arms, and so did Judah. He is actually a real cool dude, he’s funny. On the court, Judah is like a wizard. I don’t know how he makes certain shots. He gets that pump fake, gets you in the air, body pumps, gets to his spots every single time and gets his shots up. He is very athletic. He’s got sneaky bounce. You won’t think he is going to dunk on you but he’ll dunk the ball on you. He looks at me a lot too. I got a lot of post looks from Judah. So yeah, Judah is a good dude on and off the court.”

Ever since Capel offered the D.C. product back on April 27, he clearly fell in love with the prospect’s game. Just 38 days after offering, Capel hosted Mintz on an official visit, which would be Mintz’ first official visit as well as Pitt’s first official visit of the live period.

What did he see in Mintz? Let’s hear from some guys who have coached him and communicated with Capel regarding Mintz’ recruitment.

“The first thing that stood out [about Mintz] was his passion, his desire to compete,” director of recruiting Dwayne Wise said. “I said ‘Wow.’ This kid has great size on him, he has a swagger, he has a demeanor that I am the best guy on the floor. No matter how tough a player is, you can’t teach that. I’m sitting here watching him, not just making shots, but willing to defend baseline-to-baseline and share the ball. He just had that swagger about him that I am that guy.”

“Coaching a kid like Judah has been a blessing,” Coach Sherwood Leigh Avery added. “His energy, passion for the game and competitiveness is second to none. He’s been a great kid to coach because he is so coachable. He just wants to get better and wants to win.”