Pitt BB Recruiting
Highly-Rated Pitt Target Visits Duke
Pitt target Braydon Hawthorne took an official visit to Duke over this past weekend, just days after taking a visit to Pitt.
Check out the photos from his trip below, via Hawthorne’s Instagram page.
The 6-foot-8, 175-pound wing is one of the top-75 players in the nation, according to 247 Sports. He is from Huntington, West Virginia, and is the No. 1 overall player from West Virginia. He has also visited Kentucky.
Weeks ago, Pitt reportedly hired former West Virginia’s former Director of Recruiting Jay Kuntz, who was on staff at WVU when they landed Hawthorne initially. However, that hire has not been announced officially by the University yet. Pitt does not have any commitments locked up in the class of 2026. The Panthers brought in just one high-school player in the class of 2025, adding Omari Witherspoon out of Washington, D.C. to the roster for this upcoming season.
In other recruiting news, Pitt landed a 2025 commitment on May 3 from Henry Cody Lau out of Australia.
Pittsburgh Sports Now spoke with ‘Pleb” a talent evaluator in Australia, who gave us this scouting report on Pitt’s newest addition.
“Henry Lau, 18-years-old, 198cm forward. Just coming off a year in the NBL, our #1 league here, as a DP (Development Player), which are essential for young players to learn the system. Rarely see court time. He is very long, which helps his transition game. He is quicker than he looks, and I think his reaction speed is a huge strength. Really helps his rebounding and blocks. A wing-type player who won’t play iso ball, but on transitions will absolutely go coast-to-coast if required. A very smart player with positioning. Can catch defenders sleeping when getting put backs and offensive rebounds. A conservative defender who doesn’t take risks when getting posted on. Hands straight up to just affect the shot. Can take body contact pretty well, too. Long arms help him get some big blocks. Really makes the shooter think twice because he can get so high relatively quickly. Not much wind-up needed. Not much of a three-point game (yet). Can shoot it but really relies on getting it inside, and if he has to pull up, he does spin-cycle a lot to get out of trouble and will go for a layup or mid-range. The stroke is good. He played in the U20’s National Championships here in Australia, which has the likes of Roman Siulepa, and Dyson Daniels younger brother, Dash Daniels.”
