Even before Pitt won today, the news got out that Isiah Epps gave Pitt a verbal.
The 6-foot-2, 170-pound Epps picked the Panthers over Maryland. Epps, who is the first Pitt commitment for the Class of 2010, is ranked as the No. 8 point guard and the No. 40 overall player by rivals.com.
Here’s the Rivals.com link, which tabs him as a 4-star. Scout.com has him as a 4-star and the #10 PG. Epps is from Plainfield (HS), NJ. He’s also a ESPN/Scouts, Inc. Top-100 player (Insider subs.).
Epps, a lefty, drains his fluid jump shot with regularity. He has very good rotation, which naturally points to proper follow-through on the shot. He catches defenders off-guard in transition by opting to pull up on the break, and he hits 3’s in the defender’s face often.
Here’s some comments from Mr. Epps on his decision.
“I decided to go to Pitt because I was cool with Brandin Knight and he played with the Playaz before,†Epps said Sunday by phone. “He had that relationship and I felt at home when I was at Pitt. I felt real comfortable.â€
Epps cannot a sign a National Letter of Intent until April. He will visit Pitt next Sunday and will stay for Monday’s Syracuse game.
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“I made my decision last week but I talked to the coaches [Jamie Dixon and Knight] on Friday,†he said.
Epps follows in the footsteps of New Jersey guards Ashton Gibbs (Seton Hall Prep) and Travon Woodall (St. Anthony) who also chose Pitt out of the Garden State. Both will be juniors when Epps arrives on campus.
“They told me I was going to go in there and start from the jump,†Epps said of his role. “They might move Ashton Gibbs to the two and put me at the one.â€
Epps will be heading to prep school for his last year. Not because of grades, but because of his age.
Epps will not play for Plainfield next year because he will be too old as per New Jersey state regulations, and will have to prep somewhere. It remains unclear where he will spend the year.
“The school that I committed to I’m letting them decide on that right now,†Epps said.
Said Vasil: “I think it’s going to be a luxury for him to go to a prep school because he’ll be able to focus even more on his academics, so that qualifying isn’t really an issue.â€
The biggest players Pitt beat out for him were Maryland and the Jersey schools of the Big East. Texas and ‘Nova were also nosing about, but had not yet offered.
Speaking of future Pitt players and prep school, Lamar Patterson has been elevated to a starter at St. Benedict’s.
Patterson, who transferred to St. Benedict’s after three varsity seasons at McCaskey, is getting with it. Saturday’s game was his third consecutive start. He played well overall and scored 14, two less than his season high.
“I’ve gotten in better shape and I’ve been playing better in practice,” Patterson explained. “I never really thought I’d have trouble playing here once I got in shape.”
“We wanted him to earn it,” Hurley said of the starting job. “He’s been playing starter’s minutes all along. Right now, his body is in Big East shape for the first time.”
Big East shape is an issue, of course, because Patterson verbally committed, early in his junior year, to Pittsburgh.
“We expect our seniors to play hard, be unselfish and defend, because that’s what they’ll have to do in college,” Hurley said. “If you’re not ready to guard as a [college] freshman, you get buried on the bench, and then they recruit over you.”
By the end of his junior year, at McCaskey, Patterson was struggling, and realizing that unless he did something, he wasn’t ready for Pittsburgh.
Which is why he submitted himself to Hurley’s brand of discipline.
“I don’t think he’s the devil,” Patterson said of his coach. “He’s there to push me. [Pitt coach] Jamie Dixon is going to be 10 times worse than him.”
I don’t think Patterson’s work ethic will be a problem.
Pitt’s coaches are telling a junior in H.S. that he will be the starter at P.G. from day-one??? Oh, boy! I suspect that there is mis-communication, but it couold really come back and bite their recruiting hard.
Kenny, your surmise is logical. What do you think that Epps heard, and how did that play into his decision? Do you think that he was quoted correctly?
Pitt has gotten to the place now where a true freshman can come and end up starting sometime in their first year. Blair has done it and next year I would not be surprised if Taylor does.
The best HS players want to come in and play right away, just as Cheeks wanted to. You will never get them to come if you don’t: 1) Tell them they will have the chance 2) Have examples (Blair) of true freshman who ended up starting.
Personally I think that Epps somewhat embellished it but hey the young kid is going to the current #1 team in the land so I can understand his youthful exuberance.
Get this kid in a grammar class!
I feel confident that Wanamaker, or Gibbs could do a competent job at PG. Also, after watching the St. John’s game, I think that Dixon could make the switch next year.
Pitt’s going to see a lot of presses next year and it will be a real challenge for the remaining guards on the roster to handle the rock well enough to take advantage of what could be the country’s best front line.
Somehow or another (overestimating Woodall, perhaps) Dixon ended up in a situation where he’s got to get through “The Year Without a Point Guard”. (Not exactly The Year Without a Santa Claus, but close.) I think it’s going to be tough.
Next year, for the first time in recent memory, there won’t be a guy on the roster who’s comfortable doing that. It will be interesting……
