James Robinson had seen every other school he was considering.
But he wanted to check out Pittsburgh before making a decision.
After visiting the Big East school Saturday, Robinson pulled the trigger for the Panthers over Virginia and Notre Dame.
“The school is ranked Top 10…and everyone there is committed to developing better student athletes,” Robinson said by text.
He added: “I will do anything to help us win.”
Ricky Ledo attended the Syracuse Elite Camp
DaJuan Coleman, one of the top big men in the Class of 2012, finished up an unofficial visit to Ohio State this weekend after visiting Syracuse Thursday.
“It was good just to finally get out and see the [Ohio State] campus and staff,” he said by text. “The coaching staff was cool. I’m just looking at all my options and planning to see Kentucky, Syracuse and Florida.”
Coleman previously said his “top three” was Syracuse, Ohio State and Kentucky and that he will likely visit Kentucky Oct. 15 for “Big Blue Madness.”
Earlier this month, he said he had developed a friendship with Ohio State big man Jared Sullinger, who was recruiting him to the Buckeyes.
St. John’s landed a player from the Playaz Basketball Club on Saturday.
His name is Darrick Wood, not Kyle Anderson.
But the move can’t hurt the Johnnies in the Kyle Anderson Sweepstakes.
The 6-foot-4 shooting guard verbally committed to the Red Storm Saturday after his unofficial visit.
“Yes, sir,” Wood, a Washington, D.C. native, told Alex Kline of The Recruit Scoop. “It was the perfect fit for me. Tough, real hardcore basketball. Just the way I like to play.”
Team USA was stunned by Lithuania Saturday night, 76-74, in the quarterfinals of the World University Games in Shenzen, China.
After battling back from as many as eight points down in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 74-74 with just under two minutes remaining, Team USA missed its last five shot attempts as Lithuania sank two free throws to secure the win.
John Jenkins of Vanderbilt led Team USA with 17 points, Pitt’s Ashton Gibbs had 16 and Alabama’s JaMychal Green added 12, but the Americans shot just 5-of-30 from beyond the arc, 0-for-14 in the second half.
The offers are coming fast and furious for Chris Obekpa, a 6-foot-9 Nigerian forward at Our Savior New American on Long Island.
UConn is the latest powerhouse to offer Obekpa, who previously held offers from Cincinnati, Providence, Seton Hall, St. John’s, Georgia Tech and Memphis, according to Our Savior assistant Eric Jaklitsch.
“Everybody’s recruiting him,” Jaklitsch said. “He’s one of the most highly coveted big men in the country in the senior class.”
Jaklitsch said UCLA also plans to offer the big man and bring him out for an official.
It looks like Jim Calhoun has won the power struggle at UConn.
Jeff Hathaway, Calhoun’s boss and rival, announced on Friday that he will retire as Director of Athletics at UConn. He will remain employed by UConn through September 15 to assist in the transition process.
Hathaway will reportedly be paid up to $531,717 through Sept. 15, 2013, plus medical and other benefits.
The decision came in the wake of a recent announcement by President Susan Herbst that she was conducting a review of the athletic department focusing on academic performance, NCAA compliance and fundraising.
