Pitt Basketball
Michalowski: Pitt Off to a Great Start Recruiting Young WPIAL Stars

It’s time to respect WPIAL basketball, and the Pitt basketball program is doing just that.
15 players from around the conference are being recruited at the Division One level. Ten players hold scholarship offers from Division One programs. More than 30 players around the WPIAL are handling their respective recruiting processes, with many of the local programs at the forefront. While it is common to see schools like Chatham, Carlow, Point Park, and other smaller programs recruit lots of WPIAL players, this group of high-school talent has the potential to play all the way at the highest level of college hoops.
Pitt has offered scholarships to four prospects currently in the WPIAL: Royce Parham (North Hills), Brandin Cummings (Lincoln Park), Meleek Thomas (Lincoln Park), and Alier Maluk (Imani Christian). The Panthers have also reached out to Daemarr Kelly, a 6-foot-5 guard from Penn Hills who has burst onto the recruiting scene with four new Division One offers in the past year.
Parham is a top-60 player in the class of 2024 (On3). Thomas is ranked as the No. 11 player — a five star — in the 2025 class. Maluk is No. 23 in that same class — a high four star. Not to mention Cummings, who holds eight division one offers heading into his junior year and also happens to be the younger brother of current Pitt point guard Nelly Cummings.
Since Jeff Capel took over as head coach, Pitt has had a total of five former WPIAL players on its roster — all walk-ons — with the latest being Aidan Fisch (Franklin Regional) and Noah Jackson (Central Catholic). With all due respect to the walk-ons, the Panthers now have their eyes on these local guys with legitimate high-major basketball talent.
Parham, a 6-foot-8 forward from North Hills, has taken two visits to Pitt: one this summer, and one last. If any of you die-hard fans were wondering why he did not take or post any photos in the uniform on this year’s visit — that’s why. He had some from his last visit.
“I feel good there,” Parham said about Pitt. “It’s a good gym, it’s a good campus, and it’s right in my backyard, so that’s good. It would just be great. I’d be at home, win games, and just play for the team that I have always been with, that I have grown up with in my city.”
Pitt hosting Parham — the four-star forward who holds the most college offers and interest in Western PA — twice before his junior year begins, is a great start. Now comes the hard part. With schools like Texas, Virginia, Indiana, and Xavier jumping into his recruitment in June, and Penn State (his mother’s alma mater) pushing hard as well, landing Parham will be no easy task for Pitt. However, the staff has done everything right so far, and has made him feel welcomed with each visit.
Parham shined this summer on the Nike circuit, competing for Team Durant alongside Cummings and other talented prospects on the East Coast. As the Pittsburgh guys on the team, Parham and Cummings grew closer and built a strong relationship on and off the court.
As for Cummings, as mentioned earlier, he is the younger brother of current Pitt point guard Nelly Cummings. When Nelly entered the transfer portal from Colgate on March 21, Pitt instantly reached out and invited the brothers out for a visit. On March 25, the two brothers took a trip to check out their hometown campus, and both enjoyed it.
“My brother, he had the same thoughts as me,” Brandin told PSN in March. “We loved the campus, we loved the people. Pitt is close to home, so he likes the school. Things like that. He loves what he’s seeing.”
Brandin then received an offer from the Panthers on March 30. Days later, on April 1, Nelly committed to the Panthers. In a matter of days, the Cummings family was all about Pitt.
“We think very highly of Pitt,” Nelly told Pittsburgh Sports Now shortly after committing. “We are really excited about the opportunity we have in front of us, and now, I am going to recruit my brother now. I am definitely all in! We are definitely just excited for the situation and ready to make the best of it.”
