Next year’s recruits announced

The Pitt men’s basketball team announced the signing of four high school recruits for the… The Pitt men’s basketball team announced the signing of four high school recruits for the 2009-10 season yesterday, ending the NCAA Division I early signing period that began Nov. 12. And while a lot of recruiting revolves around speculation, Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said he and his team have a lot to be excited about. Pitt signed 6-foot-9 Dante Taylor ‘mdash; one of the most highly touted forwards in the country ‘mdash; along with swingman Lamar Patterson and forwards J.J. Richardson and Talib Zanna. Taylor, who is originally from New York, plays high school basketball at National Christian Academy in Fort Washington, Md., where he averaged 18 points and 11 rebounds per game as a junior. Dixon said that Taylor’s signing came because he and the Pitt coaching staff have been recruiting him since he started high school. And while there were numerous other programs going after Taylor, Dixon said he had confidence that Taylor would sign. ‘He seemed to always want to go to Pitt,’ said Dixon. ‘He always told us he was.’ Taylor chose Pitt over powerhouse programs like Kansas, Florida, Connecticut, Villanova, West Virginia, Georgetown, Syracuse and Memphis, among others. Taylor’s size is matched by Zanna, who is also 6-foot-9. Richardson stands at 6-foot-7, wile Patterson is listed at 6-foot-5. With current Pitt forwards Sam Young and Tyrell Biggs graduating after this season, Dixon said size was definitely something he focused on during the recruiting process. ‘We had to get size,’ said Dixon. ‘And we obviously did.’