Pitt received some good news on the recruiting front on Tuesday as 2020 guard Femi Odukale committed to the program over other finalists Seton Hall and UMass. Odukale took an official visit to Pitt back in February. He also used official visits to Massachusetts, Seton Hall, and Saint Bonaventure.
Odukale is a 6'5" guard that is capable of running the point or playing off the ball. He played this past year for Springfield Commonwealth Academy as a part of post-graduate year. Prior to that, Odukale played for South Shore High School in Brooklyn.
The post graduate year brought out some exposure for Odukale. In addition to offers from Pitt and Seton Hall, he also collected offers from Virginia Tech and Washington State as well.
Odukale's post graduate year also brought out more point guard skills in his game. Panther-Lair.com spoke to Springfield Commonwealth Academy coach Nick Couluris when Pitt offered, and he had this to say about his point guard: “Femi is a lead guard,. He’s great with the ball in his hands, phenomenal IQ on both ends of the floor, and just a competitor. I mean the kid competes for 40 minutes every night. You don’t have to do much to get him going, self-starter, and he’s really come in and been a leader.”
Odukale will come to Pitt to help add some needed depth to the backcourt. Pitt is set to bring back starters Xavier Johnson and Trey McGowens and will welcome transfer Ithiel Horton into the fold after he served a one year waiting period due to his transfer from Delaware. The Panthers have lost Ryan Murphy to graduation and he will transfer for his final season of eligibility, thus making Odukale's commitment important for depth purposes.
Odukale joins a recruiting class that features John Hugley, Max Amadasun, and Noah Collier. The roster still may see some turnover so it appears things might not be settled for next season just yet.