Pitt wraps up Aaron Thompson
Fairfax, VA
Pitt took a giant step forward on Sunday morning in resupplying its cupboard of talent in the backcourt with the commitment of Aaron Thompson. The 6-foot-1 lead guard out of Paul VI High School in Fairfax, Virginia, has become known for his penchant of shutting down opponents on the defensive end and displaying the ability to his run his team on the other side of the floor. He will be expected to do that and much more at the ACC program.
After taking a visit to see the new staff in Oakland on Friday, Thompson felt that it was right to end his recruitment. “Pitt just felt like the right fit for me,” the junior guard told HoopSeen. “It was the opportunity and my relationship with Coach Stallings.”
While Kevin Stallings and his staff were able to chauffeur the DMV native and his family around campus a few days back, it was more about the relationship that each member of the staff had melded with the sturdy and consistent floor general. “All four guys on the staff have recruited me on their previous staffs so I have a good relationship with them,” Thompson noted.
Through two sessions on the Nike EYBL circuit this spring, the Team Takeover lead guard’s stats won’t exactly jump off of the page. Averaging just over five points per game, it is clear that Thompson will never be a go-to scorer, but it his near four-to-one, assist-to-turnover ratio that has been a calling card of his in recent years. His jumper remains a work in progress but with a nice first step, solid scoring abilities in the lane, along with the IQ and feel in making others better, Thompson is a well-needed and a great start for Pittsburgh in starting off its 2017 class.
The first commitment in the Kevin Stallings era for the Panthers, expect for a lot more activity on the recruiting front by the staff at Pitt. The need is for Pitt to bring in at least three more prospects within the current junior crop as they plan to say good-bye to some of its planned key contributors next season in Jamel Artis, Mike Young, Chris Jones, and Sheldon Jeter.
Building some momentum moving ahead, Thompson begins the process of delving further into the DMV, a great place to tap into due to the bevy of talent that continually is produced from within the region. Expect for Pitt to pursue such others as Naji Marshall, Ejike Obinna, and Nate Watson in the coming months, all which call the DMV their home.
