New to the Zoo: Judah Mintz commits to Pitt

Jeff Capel and the Pitt coaching staff landed a key recruit on Friday afternoon, as Judah Mintz, a coveted combo guard out of Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Virginia, announced his commitment to the program.

"From the moment we set foot on Pitt's campus, the Pitt family embraced my family and I and treated us like we were a part of theirs," Mintz said via Twitter. "There is no substitute for the relationship I've built with Coach Capel and his staff, and I couldn't be more confident in this life-changing decision. I recognize how far this game if basketball has taken me, and I am beyond grateful. However, I'm nowhere near where I want to go, but I know that Pitt can help take me there."

The 6’4”, 170-pound combo guard is a consensus four-star recruit, and 247Sports, ESPN and Rivals all consider him one of the top 20 players at his position. Rivals also has him ranked as the No. 103 recruit in the 2022 class, while 247Sports places him at No. 83.

Mintz chose Pitt from an offer sheet that included 16 programs. Some of the most notable teams vying for his services were Florida, LSU, Marquette, Maryland, Seton Hall, South Carolina, Texas Tech, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest. However, the top contenders appeared to be Georgetown, Penn State and Pitt, as Mintz recently paid visits to all three schools and announced a short time after his last visit that a decision was coming.

The blue-chip recruit is set to play his senior season at Oak Hill Academy, a national powerhouse, but he spent the majority of his high school career at Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C., where he emerged as the top prospect in the nation’s capital. Last season at Gonzaga, Mintz averaged 16 points per game, improving on the nine points per game he averaged as a sophomore.

At Pitt, Mintz will have an opportunity to play a central role on a team already loaded with comparable young talent in its frontcourt. There he will join John Hugley and William Jeffress, who also came to Pitt as consensus four-star recruits and will look to assume more prominent roles on the team as sophomores next season. And if the trio can live up to their billing, Pitt could be in good shape in 2022.