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Montverde’s TJ Wainwright Breaks Down Recruitment, Pitt Interest After Hearing from Tim O’Toole

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While Pitt is looking to improve on a sloppy 2-4 start to the hoops season, Jeff Capel and his staff are still out actively recruiting a few players in the class of 2022.

One of those players, TJ Wainwright, heard from Pitt for the first time just a few weeks ago after an event in New Haven, Connecticut.

Wainwright, a Los Angeles, California native, now plays point guard for Montverde Academy’s post-grad team. Standing at 6-foot-3 and weighing 182 pounds, Wainwright says he plays both the one and the two, but considers himself a true point guard. According to 247 Sports’ Composite Rankings, he is ranked as the No. 265 prospect in the nation, and is a three-star prospect.

“I am a straight competitor,” Wainwright told Pittsburgh Sports Now. “I’ll do whatever it takes to win the game. I am a scorer first, but coming to Montverde I learned how to become more of a playmaker and a creator for others.”

Prior to his time at Montverde, he attended high school at Westchester Senior High in Los Angeles. Now, playing for one of the top post-grad programs in the nation, he has seen his recruitment pick up as of late.

“I had offers going prior to COVID, then when COVID hit I kind of lost everything, due to the transfer portal and seniors getting an extra year,” he said. “Montverde reached out to me and I just felt like that was a good place where I could develop and get better.”

Wainwright said that he is currently being recruited by Pitt, Portland State, DePaul, Wagner, NJIT, and a few more schools. For Pitt, assistant coach Tim O’Toole was the one to reach out to Wainwright.

“I wouldn’t say he is recruiting me too hard but he reached out and said he definitely liked my game and liked my style of play after seeing me play in Connecticut,” Wainwright said. “So, I wouldn’t say he is recruiting me too hard, but hopefully that changes.

For a California kid playing his post grad ball in Florida, you wouldn’t expect Wainwright to know much about Pitt hoops. But now that he is being recruited by the school, he is eager to get to know the program more.

“I could definitely learn some more [about Pitt],” he continued. “I know they play against the best of the best in a good conference, and I could see myself definitely contributing and being there, for sure.”

Wainwright does not know when he is going to commit to a school, but hopes to make a decision sooner rather than later.

Sandy Schall, Coldwell Banker
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Rob Radich
Rob Radich
2 years ago

So Pitt is now recruiting against Wagner and NJIT.

Send it in !
Send it in !
2 years ago
Reply to  Rob Radich

Makes sense since they get transfers from Stoney Stream & Oakland…the college not the neighborhood.

The Truth
The Truth
2 years ago

O’Toole better start recruiting Wainwright hard . . . head coach Smoke ‘n Mirrors ain’t got much else and he’s on the ropes. Capel may start to recruit my grandfather soon just to say he signed someone. . . anyone. It’s that desperate at Pitt right now.

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