The 2019 Pitt recruiting class had three known members in Gerald Drumgoole, Justin Champagnie, and Karim Coulibaly. Earlier this week, both Drumgoole and Champagnie cemented their spots at Pitt by signing letters of intent.
Drumgoole, a 6’6” small forward, is the anchor of the class as he committed to Pitt back on February 11th following a weekend visit to the Panthers. At the time of his commitment, he told Corey Evans of Rivals.com, “The ACC is the best conference in the country and coach wants Pitt to compete for a conference championship and to get to to the NCAA Tournament. We want to have one of the best home environments in the country and the Zoo is already one of the best student sections.”
Drumgoole’s stock steadily improved throughout his senior season as he left his hometown of Rochester (NY) and opted to play his senior year for La Lumiere, a high school powerhouse in Indiana. He played alongside five-stars Isaiah Stewart (Washington) and Keion Brooks (Kentucky). The team amassed a 29-1 record and finished second in the GEICO High School Nationals when it lost Florida powerhouse IMG Academy in the championship game.
He is currently ranked as the 133rd rated prospect in the Rivals.com database.
Upon signing, Pitt head coach Jeff Capel had this to say in a school released statement. “Gerald is a proven winner with an outstanding approach to the game," said Capel. "He is a selfless player willing to fill any role in order to help his team win. He has shown the ability to be an outstanding scorer as well as high-level defender and rebounder. His mental and physical maturity along with his work ethic will enable him to compete for immediate playing time.”
Justin Champagnie became the second prospect to sign his letter of intent when he sent in his paperwork on Thursday afternoon. Champagnie is a 6’5” small forward out of Brooklyn (NY). He visited Pitt alongside his twin brother Julian in February and eventually committed to Pitt on March 14th.
It was somewhat of a surprise decision as many expected the two brothers to be a package deal at the collegiate level, but Julian opted to pursue a year of prep school to improve his game. Nonetheless, Pitt is getting a three-star prospect that should be able to contribute right away next season.
“I choose Pitt because of many reasons: It felt like I was at home as soon as I stepped foot on campus, I felt like I can make an immediate impact for the program as a freshman, and I would to be a part of what comes next for Pitt,” he told Panther-Lair.com in an interview earlier this month.
In a press release, Capel had this to say about his new forward. "Justin is a high energy player who competes hard on every possession," he said. "He has the skill set and versatility to impact the game in a variety of ways and has shown the toughness to make winning plays. We are excited to have him join our program as he will be an excellent addition to our culture on and off the court.”
During the 2019 season, Champagnie helped lead his Bishop Loughlin team a 23-4 record and a spot in the CHSAA Class-AA semifinals before falling to Christ the King High School. Along the way, Champagnie averaged 19.8 points per game during his senior year.
The final piece of the recruiting class is Karim Coulibaly, a 6’9” forward that plays for Scotland Campus, near Chambersburg (PA). He committed to Pitt back in February and the plan right now is for him to sign in May alongside some of his teammates.
“He is doing it in May,” Scotland Campus coach Chris Chaney said. “Looking forward to it. Going to try to have a big event for him and some teammates.”
Part of the delay were his SAT scores. Coulibaly wanted to take his time with them to make sure he would get a good score.
“He prepared for it and didn't want to take it to early because of the language barrier,” Chaney explained.
Coulibaly is a native of Mali, and has been in the United States for a few years preparing to play college basketball. He helped lead Scotland Campus to a 57-4 record during his time there and was a part of a team that played for a national prep championship, before losing to Brewster Academy of New Hampshire back in March.
Pitt fans will be able to get an early look at both Champagnie and Coulibaly on April 27th at Montour High School for the return of The PBC Roundball Classic. The historic all-star game is making a return and the two Pitt commitments will be playing for the PA all-stars alongside some talented local standout players like Oscar Tshibwe (West Virginia) and Maceo Austin (Duquesne).
The puzzle that is the 2019-20 Pitt basketball is starting to take some shape. Pitt will return six players off of last season’s team barring any late transfers. Those six include Xavier Johnson, Trey McGowens, Au’Diese Toney, Terrell Brown, Kene Chukwuka, and Samson George. If you add in the three commitments, Pitt has four more spots it can fill before next season.
Capel and his staff explored many avenues on how to fill the roster. Pitt is still in the mix for 2019 recruit Olivier Robinson-Nkamhoua. A pair of junior college prospects have also been to Pittsburgh for official visits: Khadim Sy and Emanuel Ugboh.
In addition to that, Pitt has been linked to numerous transfers like Jahvon Quinerly, Justice Sueing, and Max Hazzard along with many more.
There also exists the possibility that Sidy N’dir can obtain a sixth-year of eligibility as well, so at this point the roster can take many twists and turns over the course of the next few months.
