Jennings Says Pitt is No. 1

After unofficially visiting Pittsburgh on Thursday and Friday, big man Danny Jennings of Staten Island says the school is his top choice at this point.

"Pitt at this point is the No. 1 school," Jennings said by phone on his car ride home.

Jennings is a 6-9 junior big man with the New York Gauchos AAU program who is transferring to Oak Hill (Va.) from Bishop Loughlin. He said he holds offers from Rutgers, Seton Hall, St. John's, Pitt, Xavier, Memphis, South Florida and that Arizona had shown interest.

During the visit, he met with Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon as well as Ashton Gibbs, the Seton Hall Prep guard who recently committed to Pitt. Both Gibbs and fellow senior Travon Woodall, the St. Anthony guard from Paterson who also committed to Pitt, are working on Jennings to join them.

Jennings met with the academic support staff and said he liked what they had to say.

"They have great facilities," he said. "I sat down with the tutoring services people. If you have a problem, you can go get one-on-one help if you need it."

As far as the basketball situation, Jennings said Dixon told him the Panthers will lose three big men in 2009.

"He sat with me and told me about how this would be a good situation," he said. "In the Class of 2009, they'll be losing three big men. I would be able to come in and play right away."

On the topic of his transfer to Oak Hill, Jennings is looking forward to a more stable environment and more competitive opponents.

"At Bishop Loughlin, I was commuting from Staten Island to Brooklyn," he said. "After practice ends at 10, I don't get home until 12:30. At Oak Hill, the classes are right by the dorm. And I'll be playing a national schedule at a higher level."

Steve Smith's Oak Hill squad meets Danny Hurley's St. Benedict's squad -- featuring Louisville-bound big man Samardo Samuels, Greg Echenique and Paterson's Tamir Jackson -- on ESPN2 on Dec. in Kentucky.

Comments

[Davidc]

Dan Jennings is the top big man in the Class of 2008.