Thoughts on the two games in MSG coming up soon, but some big recruiting news has swiped the spotlight tonight. Like many suspected, Khem Birch, one of the most highly regarded prep players in the Class of 2012 and Pitt commit has changed his mind. No, thankfully, Birch isn't backing out on playing for the Panthers. Instead, the explosive 6-9 PF has decided to decided to forgo his postgraduate year and signed a Letter of Intent with Pitt to enroll for 2011.
Above all, this is terrific news for the Pitt Panthers basketball program. Birch easily represents the most highly regarded recruit of Jamie Dixon's tenure, a likely one-and-done prospect who can fill up a stat sheet and dominate games, especially on the defensive end. The prospect of having Birch play alongside then-senior Ashton Gibbs is a tantalizing prospect for Panther fans, and if everything checks out, then Pitt should probably enter 2011 as a top-five preseason team as well.
ESPN.com scouting expert Dave Telep describe Birch in these glowing terms
"Birch has the makings of a young Derrick Favors. He's a long, angular shot blocker who patrols the paint, has good touch, can run and rebounds. Like Favors, there is work to be done on the offensive side. Part of our evaluation with him consisted of tracking his improvement. We've now had a year of his tracking shaved off the evaluation process and we'll slow play his ranking, while continuously evaluating his development based on this recent change in status."
Favors, by the way, was the third overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft.
Unfortunately, some concerns still remain. There are lingering questions about whether or not Birch will pass the NCAA academic clearinghouse, the trouble stemming from credits he took in his native Canada and how they transfer to his current American high school. In addition, this puts the Panthers two scholarships over the limit for 2011, with no obvious candidates from the current team our recruiting class to leave the team.
Unfortunately, some concerns still remain. There are lingering questions about whether or not Birch will pass the NCAA academic clearinghouse, the trouble stemming from credits he took in his native Canada and how they transfer to his current American high school. In addition, this puts the Panthers two scholarships over the limit for 2011, with no obvious candidates from the current team our recruiting class to leave the team.
While these issues may not be resolved as quickly or neatly as everyone would like, the fact remains they're the kind of problems you love to have if it means bringing a talent like Khem Birch into the fold.
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