Inside The Panthers

Pitt Basketball Lands First 2025 Commitment

The Pitt Panthers landed their first basketball commitment in the Class of 2025.

Dominic Campbell

Pitt Basketball Lands their First Class of 2025 Commitment in Guard Omari Witherspoon
Pitt Basketball Lands their First Class of 2025 Commitment in Guard Omari Witherspoon /

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers landed their first basketball commitment in the Class of 2025, in four-star guard Omari Witherspoon.

Witherspoon, a guard who plays who plays for St. John's College High School in Washington, D.C., announced his commitment live on 247Sports, picking Pitt over Maryland and Vanderbilt, that he had in his top three schools, which he announced on Sept. 3.

Two 247Sports writers predicted Witherspoon to commit to Pitt, with Jeff Ermann and Colby Giacubeno of InsideMDSports giving "High" confidence and a rating of 8 and a "Medium" confidence a rating of 6 to land him, respectively.

He recently made his official visit to Pitt this past weekend on Sept. 1, which made enough of an impression on him that he put them in his final three schools. He also recently took an unofficial visit to Maryland on Aug. 22 and an official visit Vanderbilt this past week as well.

Witherspoon added Pitt to his top 10 schools on July 29, just one week after they offered him. Other schools to make that list included ACC schools in Clemson and Virginia Tech, Big East schools in Butler and Xavier, Big 12 schools in Oklahoma State and rival West Virginia, plus George Mason.

"I love the coaching staff," Witherspoon told Dushawn London of 247Sports about Pitt. "Coach [Jeff] Capel and all the coaches are really genuine. I really like their play style and what they do. They spread the floor out, set ball screens, and allow their guards to play confidently. Coach is also a good mentor. He helps players get out of slumps and he has a father trait. It's great seeing he has that trait where he can build somebody back up."

He took an official visit to West Virginia on Aug. 30, but they failed to make the cut. So too did Xavier, who he cancelled a visit to and both ACC schools in Virginia Tech and Clemson, who he had scheduled visits to on Sept. 6 and Sept. 13, respectively. 

He stands at 6-foot-4 and truly plays as a combo guard. He loves to attack the hoop with authority and will step back from mid-range or behind the arc to score as well. He also has good court vision and knows where to find his teammates for good scoring opportunities.

Witherspoon also starred for the DC Premier U17 team on the Under Armour Circuit, leading to more schools noticing his abilities.

247Sports rates Witherspoon as a four-star, No. 5 recruit in Washington, D.C. No. 15 combo guard and No. 105 in the country in the Class of 2025. Rivals and On3 both rate Witherspoon as a three-star, while On3 rates him as the No. 4 recruit in D.C., No. 33 shooting guard and No. 133 recruit in the nation.

Class of 2025 recruits that have Pitt in their top schools include five-star guard Meleek Thomas (Top 7), four-star guards Derek Dixon (Top 6), Isaiah Denis and Amari Evans (Top 10) four-star wing Davion Hannah (Top 9) and four-star forward Niko Bundalo (Top 8).

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Dominic Campbell

DOMINIC CAMPBELL

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