Pitt Basketball Continues DMV Tradition with Omari Witherspoon

In the days of Jamie Dixon’s tenure as the Pitt basketball head coach, his teams were built on New York prospects.

Players such as LeVance Fields, Carl Krauser, Ronald Ramon, and many more came to Pitt from New York and became program legends, elevating Pitt basketball to new heights in the Big East.

Pitt certainly kept the New York tradition alive during the Jeff Capel-era with the rise of Justin Champagnie, a Brooklyn kid. In addition, the Panthers have recruited players from all over the world, including Jaland Lowe, a Houston kid, and several international prospects. However, recently, another region has played a huge role in Pitt’s roster makeup: the DMV (D.C., Maryland, and Virginia).

Pitt has now added key recruits from the area in back-to-back years. Last year’s team looked to guards Ishmael Leggett (D.C.) and Bub Carrington (Baltimore) for leadership and skill throughout the season. The two guards helped Pitt burst onto the national scene several times throughout the year, including the team’s run in the ACC Tournament — which was played in D.C.

Now, Pitt’s staff has continued the DMV-to-Pitt pipeline with the addition of Omari Witherspoon, who verbally committed to the Panthers on Wednesday. Witherspoon plays his high-school ball at the same school that Leggett did — St. John’s College High School in D.C.

Pitt’s two DMV natives on roster in the 2023-24 season: Bub Carrington and Ishmael Leggett.

It doesn’t appear that the Panthers will stop recruiting that region anytime soon. The staff is pushing for 2025 recruit Derek Dixon out of Gonzaga Prep (D.C.) right now, with a commitment date set for September 27. In addition, earlier this week, the staff visited another DMV kid — Parker Robinson — in the class of 2026. Robinson began his career at Good Counsel in Maryland before transferring to Overtime Elite.

Pitt Staff Visits 2026 Overtime Elite Prospect Parker Robinson

Stay tuned on Pittsburgh Sports Now over the next few weeks for all of the latest on Pitt basketball recruiting news revolving around Dixon, as well as the other prospects that are still considering Pitt.