The Pitt basketball employees has been working the switch portal for weeks, concentrating on gamers from across the nation.

One of many first gamers that the employees contacted as soon as the switch portal opened was Zack Austin, a 6-foot-7, 200-pound ahead out of Excessive Level College.

Austin informed Pittsburgh Sports activities Now that he met with the Pitt employees on a zoom name on Tuesday. Austin additionally included that he’ll “most likely” go to Pitt “quickly after the lifeless interval.” The NCAA states that there’s a recruiting lifeless interval — a interval during which recruits can not work together in-person with a university teaching employees — from March 30 to April 6. After that date, search for Austin to make a journey to Oakland.

Austin has been within the Excessive Level program for 3 years, however redshirted his first yr. As a redshirt freshman, Austin averaged 14.4 factors, eight rebounds, and a couple of.2 blocks per sport, additionally hitting 67 of his 208 three-point makes an attempt (32%). Austin made the Large South All-Freshman Workforce, because the Panthers completed the season 14-18 on the yr.

This season — in his redshirt sophomore marketing campaign — Austin averaged 14.1 factors and 5.4 rebounds per contest. He began 26 of 31 video games for Excessive Level, and likewise improved his capturing numbers in every class. Austin shot 44% from the sphere (41 as a freshman), 56% on two-point makes an attempt (51 as a freshman), 33% on three-point tries (32 as a freshman), and 79% from the free-throw line (72 as a freshman).

The Panthers want to fill three open scholarships. The workforce’s entrance courtroom presently consists of Jorge Diaz-Graham, Guillermo Diaz-Graham, and Federiko Federiko, with Blake Hinson, Nate Santos, William Jeffress, and freshman Marlon Barnes on the wing and Dior Johnson within the again courtroom. The Panthers can even welcome in freshmen guards Jaland Lowe and Carlton Carrington this season.

We at the moment are two weeks previous opening day of the switch portal window in faculty basketball, and native applications Pitt, Duquesne, and Robert Morris are definitely staying lively within the portal.

Greater than 1,000 division one gamers have already entered the switch portal inside the first 15 days of it being open, and all three staffs have been busy calling up recruits from throughout in an try and carry them to Pittsburgh.

PITT

The Panthers’ employees has reached out to greater than ten prospects within the portal, beginning with Chris Ledlum (Harvard), Zack Austin (Excessive Level), and Myles Stute (Vanderbilt) inside days of the portal opening, and most just lately reaching out to Joe Girard III (Syracuse) and DJ Horne (Arizona State).

As for the 13 confirmed gamers that Pitt has reached out to, 9 made not less than 40 three pointers this season, seven averaged not less than 12 factors per recreation, and two — Ledlum and Ball State’s Payton Sparks — averaged not less than eight rebounds per recreation.

Maintain monitor of Pitt’s portal exercise on the PSN Portal Information on the hyperlink beneath.

Pitt Basketball Switch Portal Information for 2023 Offseason

DUQUESNE

On Tuesday, Duquesne hosted St. Francis (PA) switch Landon Moore for a go to.

Per Landon’s IG he’s on a go to to Duquesne https://t.co/QtbjdDDtmQ pic.twitter.com/BIJTOkEcUY

— Jonny (@TheBluffBlog) March 28, 2023

Moore is a 6-foot-3, 200-pound guard out of Bloomington, Illinois who performed one season for St. Francis. He shined in his lone 12 months with this system, averaging 13.1 factors and three.6 assists per recreation whereas taking pictures 42% from the sector and 36% from three-point vary.

The Dukes have additionally just lately been involved with Buffalo switch Yazid Powell, New Hampshire switch Clarence Daniels, Queens (NC) switch Jay’Den Turner, Winthrop switch Toneari Lane, and others.

ROBERT MORRIS

Andy Toole and his Robert Morris employees have additionally been busy this portal season, reaching out to prospects from throughout.

The Colonials have reached out to the next prospects — and extra — over the previous couple of weeks.

Coppin State switch Justin Steers, New Mexico switch Javonte Johnson, Little Rock switch DJ Smith, Chicago State switch Bryce Johnson, Longwood switch Leslie Nkereuwem, Rider switch Nehemiah Benson, Yale switch EJ Jarvis, Bluefield State (D2) switch Malik Tidwell, West Florida (D2) switch LaTrell Tate, Saint Anselm (D2) switch Owen McGlashan, and extra.

PITTSBURGH — Pitt hit the sphere exterior Tuesday on the UPMC Rooney Sports activities Complicated for the primary time this spring, and Pat Narduzzi stated he wasn’t too happy with what he noticed.

Narduzzi broke down Tuesday’s follow and Saturday’s scrimmage, and Bub Means, Daniel Carter and Solomon DeShields made appearances to debate the primary eight practices and the areas they’ve every grown over the spring.