As the Fourth of July rolls in, Pitt basketball still has open open scholarship for next year’s team.
The Panthers have already added transfers Ishmael Leggett (Rhode Island) and Zack Austin (High Point) through the transfer portal this offseason, as well as freshman Papa Kante (former Michigan signee). All three players are on campus for the Panthers, as well as Pitt’s other incoming freshmen — Jaland Lowe and Carlton Carrington.
With only one scholarship open, Pitt has been very selective in the portal, reaching out to veteran guards as they enter.
Most recently, the Panthers’ staff reached out to Jeremiah Williams — a 6-foot-4 guard out of Chicago. Williams began his collegiate career at Temple (two seasons), followed by one year with the Iowa State program. However, Williams tore his achilles and was sidelined for the entire year for the Cyclones — the team that Pitt eventually beat in the Round of 64 in last season’s NCAA Tournament. After entering the portal earlier this offseason, Williams committed to his home-state school, Illinois. However, shortly after, Williams de-committed from the Illini.
So Williams is one option. He has also heard from several other Division One programs since recently re-entering the portal, and reportedly has visits set up to take a look at Rutgers and San Jose State.
Pitt Reaches Out to Recent Illinois De-Commit Jeremiah Williams
Paul Mulcahy (former Rutgers point guard) was also linked to Pitt, and reportedly had a zoom call with the Panthers’ staff early on in his portal recruiting process. However, since the date of the zoom call (June 15), Mulcahy has visited Xavier and Notre Dame, and has also been linked to Washington and West Virginia.
Joe Toussaint is another guard that the Panthers have reached out to in the portal, but the former West Virginia guard appears to be leaning elsewhere in his recruitment. Toussaint reportedly visited Texas Tech and Kansas State already, and may visit Alabama in the near future.
HIGH SCHOOL RECRUITING
Pitt’s staff has been actively recruiting high-school talent as of late as well.
Over the weekend, the staff extended a scholarship offer to Matthew Hodge, a 6-foot-8 forward in the class of 2024.Hodge, a Belmar, New Jersey native, is ranked as the No. 130 prospect in the class of 2024 by 247 Sports’ Composite Rankings. He also added offers from Florida State, Penn State, Virginia, and Alabama in recent days.
The Panthers also dipped into the 2025 class in mid-June, reaching out to over 25 prospects in the class for the first time.
Local standouts Meleek Thomas and Alier Maluk heard from Pitt, as expected. As did Kiyan Anthony — the son of Carmelo Anthony — who received an offer from the Panthers on the first day of the Direct Contact Period.
Pitt Offers 2025 Kiyan Anthony, Son of NBA Star Carmelo Anthony
In addition, Pitt offered Carlton Carrington’s former high-school teammate Tyler Jackson out of Baltimore St. Frances. Jackson is an electrifying guard prospect with offers from Kansas, Alabama, Illinois, and other big-name programs.
Lots of new pieces. My open question is who will be the leader(s) on this squad. Not sure Blake will be, or wants to be in that role. Other guys are fairly young/less-experienced. Maybe it falls to Leggett or Austin?