Alphonzo Billups discusses top six and Pitt recruitment

Jeff Capel and the Pitt coaching staff saw a flurry of recruiting activity over the weekend, as Gahanna, Ohio, point guard Sean Jones placed the program in his top three on Saturday and Richmond, Virginia, small forward Alphonzo Billups followed suit, placing Pitt in his top six on Sunday. On Wednesday, Billups discussed his top six and where things stood with Pitt.

“Coach Capel and Coach Brown are both great coaches,” Billups told Dushawn London of 247Sports. “They were my first visit, and the area and setting over there is nice. I loved their arena and all of it. I just haven’t been able to see much film on them yet. Moving forward, I want to learn more about the players and the rest of the coaching staff and their past.”

Billups went on to note that he had seen film on NC State, Oklahoma State and VCU, but his takeaways about Texas A&M and Pitt were focused on the coaches and the relationships they had developed during his recruitment. That could benefit Pitt, as Billups said he liked the playing styles of all six programs and added that relationships with players and coaches would be a key aspect of his decision.

At this point, Billups has not set a decision date, but he said an announcement will be coming soon. Billups has visited NC State, Pitt and VCU, but he wants to see all six schools before making a decision. That means visits to LSU, Oklahoma State and Texas A&M are all likely in the offing in the coming weeks.

The 6’7”, 180-pound small forward holds three-star ratings from Rivals and 247Sports. However, both outlets have him on the brink of four-star status. Rivals ranks Billups as the No. 117 prospect in the 2022 class, which leaves him three spots lower than the lowest-rated four-star recruit and 14 down from four-star Pitt commit Judah Mintz. The outlet also considers him the No. 33 small forward and the No. 8 recruit in Virginia.

As for 247Sports, the website ranks Billups No. 149 in the nation, No. 22 at his position and No. 8 in Virginia. His exact rating is also an 89, meaning he is one point off from attaining a four-star rating from 247Sports.

Pitt’s 2022 class currently consists of four-star shooting guard Judah Mintz alone. But that could change quickly, as Billups and Jones have whittled down their options to a handful of finalists. And should Capel manage to land all three, the program would have its best recruiting haul since the 2020 class, which netted the team two four-star prospects in John Hugley and William Jeffress.