Pitt BB Recruiting
2024 G Justin Menard Talks Pitt Hoops Connection, Buzz Around Panthers’ Program
Recently, the Pitt hoops staff reached out to a number of prospects in the 2024 class as the contact period began on June 15.
One of those prospects is Justin Menard, who has an interesting connection to Pitt. He broke down his connection and spoke a bit about his game in a recent interview with PSN.
“I’m from Middletown CT, I attend Loomis Chaffee Prep School in Connecticut, I’m a 6’3″ point guard,” Menard told Pittsburgh Sports Now. “I play on the ball, off the ball. I’m a pass-first guard, I really love to pass, but I can also definitely stroke it from deep. That’s pretty much my game, that’s a little bit about me.”
Menard’s school, Loomis Chaffee, was also home to a current Pitt Panther, Nate Santos, just two years ago. As a junior, Santos led the school to a NEPSAC Class A championship alongside Menard’s older brother, Josh, who now plays at Saint Anselm (DII).
“Yeah so Nate actually played with brother for a couple of years at Loomis,” Justin continued. “My brother was the point guard while he was there and they won a championship there, so he’s really close with us. So I definitely know him well.”
With big bros @Reece_Brown_ & @Walbrook_Rj8 getting some rest, 6’7” wing Nate Santos and future-St. Anselm PG Josh Menard (@jmenard22) handled the scoring load while @ChaseCollyer4 played his usual brand of menacing defense in @LC_BoysBBALL’s 71-54 win over Kingswood-Oxford… pic.twitter.com/jGupRcZnlH
— The Hustle (@TheHoopHustle) February 12, 2020
The younger Menard brother heard from a handful of schools this past week in addition to Pitt. Penn, Brown, Vermont, Dartmouth, Air Force, Siena, La Salle, and others all reached out in addition to the Panthers. When Pitt associate head coach Tim O’Toole contacted him from Pitt, Menard had already been aware of the recent recruiting success that the Panthers have had.
“I know they’ve got some really good coaches, a great program,” he said about the Panthers. “I also know they’re buzzed up like crazy right now. They just got Dior Johnson, so I know there is a ton of buzz going around about Pitt right now. It’s a big time school in the ACC, so, I mean, it’s just an awesome location. Obviously I know it from Nate [Santos] mostly, but It’s a pretty awesome spot with a big basketball culture.”
After a Justin Menard three Notre Dame beats the third quarter buzzer to go up 36-35 on Xavier. #ctbv#TraditionMatters pic.twitter.com/q4i3PiCbTJ
— Xavier Athletics (@athleticsXHS) March 23, 2021
To see the complete list of 2024 prospects that Pitt has contacted, check out the Die Hards Recruiting Board below.
