Panthers miss out on 5-star center Reid

Pitt fans are used to having the rug swept out from under them.

Whether it's Justin Champagnie declaring 'Pitt is back' this past February after the Panthers took down Duke and start with an 8-2 record and then lose 10 of their next 12 games, or Scottie Reynolds hitting a layup at the buzzer in the 2009 Elite Eight, Pitt fans know the feeling.

This time, it happened when they weren't even playing.

For weeks, Jamie Shaw of Rivals had Pitt as the leading program to land Efton Reid, a five-star, 7-foot-1 center who was a top 25 high school recruit in the country. His profile had the look of a player who could be an immediate game changer for any program, and would've been the boon that redeemed Jeff Capel's offseason after losing five players, including three starters, to the NCAA Transfer Portal.

Reid was set to announce his commitment on April 15, as announced weeks ago by his mother on Twitter:

April 15, 2021 here we come! My son, Efton J. Reid III will be announcing his college decision! Get that #15 Jersey ready here comes Big Man Efton Reid to the court! Mama bear has spoken! 🐻

— Maria (@rebbie8041) April 3, 2021

Then everything changed when Shaw changed his leading team to land Reid's commitment to Florida State on April 14, the night before his scheduled announcement. But then, the announcement was postponed for almost a month until late afternoon Sunday, when Reid took to social media to reveal his decision. North Carolina and LSU emerged as other major programs in play.

Good on Reid for handling his recruitment process with care and taking his time to make an important decision in his life, as several top programs across the country were in hot pursuit to make him their next big center.

But for Capel and the Panthers, that's a tough blow. As of Friday morning, the only high school recruit Capel has gotten a commitment from has been 3-star sharpshooter Nate Santos, who made his commitment official back in April:

Official.

— Pitt Basketball (@Pitt_MBB) April 15, 2021

That means Capel has to start landing commitments from players who are still available, which might be a lot harder to do in May. Granted, he did land William Jeffress in April of 2020 as one of the top recruits, so it's not out of the question.

But where Capel could make the biggest impact might be in the Transfer Portal, as the number of players in the portal surpassed 1,550 Friday and looks like it might grow past 1,600 within a week. That's still unprecedented as the most players in the portal in a season was set last season at 1,025. Players like North Carolina's Walker Kessler and Garrison Brooks have entered the portal, two dominant front court players who are big losses to the program.

Capel has been active in the portal, getting commitments from Oakland forward Daniel Oladapo and Texas Tech point guard Jamarius Burton. Pitt's best hopes now hinge on finding other 3-star recruits and possibly landing some important veterans through the portal, while also hoping Champagnie returns to the program over declaring for the NBA Draft.

That's a lot of hoping in a time that was supposed to be Capel rebuilding the program. We'll see in the next months just how this plays out and if Pitt will have a talented roster ready to finally compete in the ACC. But if it doesn't manifest, it could be another step towards Capel's era coming up empty. And coming up short on Reid would be just one of many links in that chain if something doesn't change.