Inside The Panthers

Jeff Capel Visits With Local Blue-Chip Pitt Recruits

Pitt Panthers head coach Jeff Capel took a trip down Fifth Avenue to see two of the best players in the state play.

Stephen Thompson

Jeff Capel Visits With Local Blue-Chip Pitt Recruits
Jeff Capel Visits With Local Blue-Chip Pitt Recruits /
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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. 

Make sure you bookmark Inside the Panthers for the latest news, exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage, and more!

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Stephen Thompson
STEPHEN THOMPSON

Stephen Thompson graduated with a bachelor's degree in communications and political science from Pitt in April 2022 after spending four years as a sports writer and editor at The Pitt News, the University of Pittsburgh's independent, student-run newspaper.  He primarily worked the Pitt men's basketball beat, and filled in on coverage of football, volleyball, softball, gymnastics and lacrosse, in addition to other sports as needed. His work at The Pitt News has won awards from the Pennsylvania News Media Association and Associated College Press.  During the spring and summer of 2021, Stephen interned for Pittsburgh Sports Now, covering baseball in western Pennsylvania. Hailing from Washington D.C., family ties have cultivated a love of Boston's professional teams and Pitt athletics, and a fascination with sports in general.  You can reach Stephen by email at stephenethompson00@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter. Read his latest work:

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