Pitt Basketball Hosts WVU Decommit

Hawthorne hails from Beckley, W.Va. and played for powerhouse Huntington Prep in Huntingon, W.Va.

He originally committed to West Virginia on Oct. 14, 2024, just 10 days after receiving his offer, and then signed his National Letter of Intent (NLI) a month later.

Hawthorne re-opened his recruitment on March 21, after West Virginia head coach Darian DeVries left after one season and took over as head coach of Indiana.

He's already made official visits to Virginia Tech on April 1 and Kentucky on April 17 and will make an official visit to Duke on May 2.

Hawthorne stands 6-foot-9 and possesses a 7-foot-3 wingspan, which benefits him on blocks, steals and rebounds, He is also quick, incredibly athletic and has great verticality, as he loves going up for big time dunks and alley-oops.

He also will shoot 3-pointers on occasion, but his best play comes from driving to the rim and going through contact for the bucket.

Hawthorne is a conensus four-star recruit and the top player in West Virginia in the Class of 2025, with 247Sports ranking him No. 71 in the nation and the No. 16 small forward, On3 ranking him No. 35 in the United States and No. 9 at his position and ESPN ranking him No. 81 in the country and the No. 23 small forward.

Pitt has two recruits in their Class of 2025 in four-star guard Omari Witherspoonfrom St. John's College High School in Washington, D.C., who signed his NLI, and three-star center Kieran Mullen from Vancouver and who played for St. Thomas More High School, a boarding school in Oakdale, Conn., who just committed on April 28.

The Panthers return four players in forwards Cam Corhen, Papa Amadou Kante and Amdy Ndiaye, plus guard Brandin "Beebah" Cummings.

Pitt also signed all four transfers that previously committed, including Iowa State duo in guard Nojus Indrusaitis and center Dishon Jackson, plus Oregon State guard Damarco Minor and South Alabama forward Barry Dunning Jr.

Pitt Basketball Roster Heading into the 2025-26 Season

Graduate Student (One Year of Eligibility)
Center Dishon Jackson (Iowa State)
Guard Damarco Minor (Oregon State)

Senior (One Year Left of Eligibilty)
Forward Cameron Corhen
Forward Barry Dunning Jr. (South Alabama)

Junior (Two years Left of Eligibility)
Forward Benjamin Mayhew (Walk-On)
Forward Jajuan Nelson (Walk-On)

Redshirt Sophomore (Three Years of Eligibility Remaining)
Forward Papa Amadou Kante

Sophomore (Three Years Left of Eligibility)
Guard Brandin "Beebah" Cummings
Guard Nojus Indrusaitis (Iowa State)
Forward Amdy Ndiaye
Center Liam Mignogna (Walk-On)

Freshman
Guard Omari Witherspoon
Center Kieran Mullen