Pitt Basketball 4-Star Target Commits to Kentucky

PITTSBURGH — The Pitt Panthers missed out on one of their top basketball recruits, who chose to go elsewhere.

Braydon Hawthorne, a four-star recruit in the Class of 2025, announced his commitment to Kentucky, picking them over Duke, Pitt, Virginia Tech and West Virginia.

BREAKING: Braydon Hawthorne, the No. 33 overall recruit in the 2025 class, has committed to Kentucky, he tells @247Sports.

Story: https://t.co/SiXwqQTVIL pic.twitter.com/QZIHegyBMd
— Travis Branham (@TravisBranham_) May 20, 2025

Hawthorne hails from Beckley, W.Va. and played for powerhouse Huntington Prep in Huntington, W.Va.

He originally committed to West Virginia on Oct. 14, 2024, just 10 days after receiving his offer, and then signed his National Letter of Intent (NLI) a month later.

Hawthorne re-opened his recruitment on March 21, after West Virginia head coach Darian DeVries left after one season and took over as head coach of Indiana.

Pitt hosted Hawthorne on an official visit on April 29, placing them in his top schools soon after.

He made official visits to Kentucky on April 16, Virginia Tech on April 18, the new staff at WVU and Duke on May 2.

Hawthorne is a consensus four-star recruit and the top player in West Virginia in the Class of 2025, with 247Sports ranking him No. 33 in the nation and the No. 10 small forward, On3 ranking him No. 35 in the United States and No. 9 at his position and ESPN ranking him No. 81 in the country and the No. 23 small forward.

Pitt has three recruits in their Class of 2025, in four-star guard Omari Witherspoon from St. John's College High School in Washington, D.C., who signed his NLI, three-star center Kieran Mullen from Vancouver and who played for St. Thomas More High School, a boarding school in Oakdale, Conn. and Australian forward Henry Lau from Sydney, who will start as freshman in the 2025-26 season.

They also signed all four transfers they had previously committed, including an Iowa State duo in guard Nojus Indrusaitis and center Dishon Jackson, plus Oregon State guard Damarco Minor and South Alabama forward Barry Dunning Jr.

The Panthers return four players in forwards Cam Corhen, Papa Amadou Kante and Amdy Ndiaye, plus guard Brandin "Beebah" Cummings.

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