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BREAKING NEWS
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>OFFICIALLY A PANTHER</p>— Tyrone Haughton (@44tyrone) <a href="https://twitter.com/44tyrone/statuses/441027280941223936">March 5, 2014</a></blockquote>
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Not actually breaking news, unless you have been under a rock for the past day. Iowa Western Community College center, Tyrone Haughton, committed to coach Jamie Dixon last evening. Haughton is a 6-9 big man with two years of eligibility remaining, and figures highly into the race for being the starting center next season. Haughton reportedly had offers from Memphis, Wichita State, Tennessee, and Fresno State.
Haughton was initially a three star recruit from Miami, and was on his way to play for South Carolina before he took the JuCo route. Haughton's height is listed at 6-9 consistently between the three main recruiting sites, but is listed somewhere between 217 and 250 for his weight. Haughton started 23 games this past season at Iowa Western CC and averaged 3.9 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 3.2 blocks per game.
Tyrone Haughton becomes the fourth recruit for the 2014 recruiting class, joining Sheldon Jeter, Ryan Luther, and Shaquille Doorson. Haughton's commitment also fills Pitt's allotment for scholarships for next season, although there are rumblings that one more will become available this off-season. Judging by Pitt's active recruitment of Kobie Eubanks, those rumblings must have some traction to them. Haughton and Eubanks both took in a visit to Pitt this weekend, and both were there for the game on Monday, but just Haughton pulled the trigger.
Tyrone Haughton is expected to come in and compete for the Center job right away, and that may be a real possibility. Shaq Doorson seems like a project, Derrick Randall does not appear to be good enough to start, and Joe Uchebo just does not move very well. To me, it comes down to Haughton or the possibility of Young and Artis starting together. However it plays out, nobody should be expecting Haughton to come in and average 15 points a night. He is a renowned shot blocker and a good rebounder, and after seeing Monday's performance on the boards, Pitt needs a guy like that.
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