Jeff Capel Visits With Local Blue-Chip Pitt Recruits
PITTSBURGH -- Pitt Panthers head coach Jeff Capel didn't have to travel far to see two of the best players in the region and the entire state compete in one of the biggest high school basketball events in the city of Pittsburgh this year.
Capel and his kids sat courtside at PPG Paints Arena to take in Lincoln Park's 72-58 win over North Catholic at the Holiday Hoops Classic, where he saw Pitt signee Brandin Cummings take home Player of the Game honors following a 23-point outburst.
“It feels great," Cummings responded to KDKA Radio's Josh Rowntree, who asked what it was like to have his future college coach in attendance. "He knows what I’m about. I personally feel like I’m one of the most underrated players in the country and that guy, he has a lot of trust in me and he believes in me so that was why I made the decision and I’m glad he was here to see me do what I do.”
Cummings' recruitment was locked down when he signed his letter of intent in November, picking Pitt over offers from South Carolina, Creighton, Duquesne and others. With Cummings already slated to join the Panthers in 2024, Capel and company are now putting the full-court press on his teammate, five-star junior Maleek Thomas.
Capel and Thomas met up after he had chipped in 15 points as Lincoln Park emerged victorious from a rematch of the 2023 WPIAL Class 4A championship game.
The Panthers have been pursuing Thomas - who's unanimously considered a top-10 player in the class of 2025 and No. 1 player in Pennsylvania - for a while now. They'll hope a personal connection with the hometown team and Cummings will beat out offers from the many blue bloods like Indiana, Villanova, Kentucky, Duke, UConn, Kansas, Louisville and others vying for his commitment.
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