The post-to-post football blogging to mention that Pitt finally got another recruit to actual give a verbal to the basketball team.

Pitt coach Jamie Dixon got his first good news on the recruiting front in a while when forward Sam Young of Hargrave Military Academy gave the Panthers a verbal commitment over the weekend. Young, 6 feet 6, 220 pounds, chose Pitt over Miami, Virginia Tech, Georgetown and George Washington.

Pitt had absorbed a series of blows in recruiting the past few weeks when some of the top players in the country had the Panthers in their final two but chose other programs. Jeff Adrien, one of the top forwards in the country, chose Connecticut; shooting guard Danny Green chose North Carolina; power forward John Garcia chose Seton Hall; and shooting guard Ricky Torres chose St. John’s.

Hargrave coach Kevin Keatts said Young will fit in well with the Panthers.

“Pitt got a really good player,” Keatts said. “He has the ability to score inside and outside. He’s super athletic, a great defender and he gets up on the glass.”

Young is not currently rated among the top 150 players by Rivals.com, but Keatts believes he will be by the end of the season.

These near misses were starting to bother me. His size suggests he will be a good strong player competing to fill the void after Troutman graduates after this season.

Pitt is also in the mix for some other big names.

They are in the hunt for top-three center Vernon Goodridge, a Brooklyn native who attends Lutheran Christian in Philadelphia. Goodridge eliminated Mississippi State, Florida State and Illinois recently. Also, highly regarded forward Tyrell Biggs, 6-8, 270, of Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey, N.J., is considering Pitt, Connecticut, Miami and Syracuse. And, 6-8 forward Ryan Reid of Tallahassee, Fla., appears to be down to Pitt, Florida State and Miami.

We need to close the deal on at least one of these. While it is still something of an achievement and minor surprise, even now, to see Pitt listed as a final possible choice for top players, it means nothing in the end if none actually decide to come to Pitt.