Pitt basketball recruiting: Panthers hot on trail of Kobie Eubanks

Pitt's 2014 recruiting class is admittedly a bit lackluster so far, but as most of us have known for some time, it could be getting a boost.

2014 shooting guard Kobe/Kobie Eubanks is strongly considering the Panthers. First things first - we've got figure out the correct spelling. Priorities here, folks. ESPN and 24/7 are both going with Kobe. Rivals and Scout say Kobie. For the record, his official Twitter handle says Kobe, but that could be just to troll us all.

Yeah, I still don't know.

Anyway, Eubanks seems to be a fairly hot commodity. The recruiting sites all list has a three-star, but ESPN gives him four stars and seems to be a bit higher on him, ranking him as the 23rd best shooting guard in the class.

Pitt has offered as have several other schools. Rivals says his other offers include Minnesota, Baylor, Miami, Wichita State, USC, Cincinnati, Missouri, and Murray State. 24/7 indicates that he has a few other offers, including Florida and Georgetown, but also says that Pitt is the leader in the clubhouse, saying he is 'warmer' on them.

When asked about the team pursuing him the hardest, Eubanks also said it's Pitt:

After going off for a game-high 24 points including five 3-pointers and a vicious two-handed dunk in a 72-56 victory over St. Peter’s Prep at the Metro Classic, Kobie Eubanks said one school is working the hardest for his services.

"Pittsburgh," the 6-foot-5 Eubanks told SNY.tv.

"They offered back in January but Jamie Dixon has come to see him," Our Savior assistant Eric Jaklitsch said. "He saw him in practice, he’s been to campus twice to see Damon and all the coaching staff came to see Kobie as well."

Yeah, I like that part about having five three-pointers, too. That's something really missing from this team right now.

FWIW, Eubanks himself also said Florida State has offered him in that article. Also according to that ZagsBlog article, he is scheduled to be visiting Pitt on March 3rd for their game against NC State.

Like most coaches, I think Jamie Dixon generally prefers talent over positional needs and with Pitt's need for a talented big man next year, on the surface, it might seem odd that he isn't going that route instead. But between Shaquille Doorson, Derrick Randall, and Joseph Uchebo, Dixon must figure that trio is going to be effective enough at center. And at this late stage, there can't be that much quality left when it comes to big men, anyway.

Really, at this point, Pitt needs to go for talent here over position - and that's what Dixon's doing.

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