Pitt lands Spanish 6-foot-11 Diaz Graham twins

Jeff Capel and Pitt basketball had been quiet on the recruiting front after landing Nelly Cummings, Blake Hinson and Federiko Federiko in the Transfer Portal back in April. But that silence ended when two of the targets they had been working hard to recruit in the 6-foot-11, 195 lbs. twins from Spain, Jorge Diaz Graham and Guillermo Diaz Graham, announced their commitment to Pitt Wednesday afternoon:

Shortly after making their commitment public, the twin brothers signed with Pitt to seal their commitment and are set to join the program as the first high school recruits of the 2022 class. Both are talented scorers who came to the United States from the Canary Islands, and have developed into solid prospects at IMG Academy.

“In Guillermo and Jorge, we are adding a pair of talented forwards with well-rounded skill sets that not only complement one another but also our current roster of players,” said Capel in a released statement. “They have both shown excellent shooting ability out to the three-point line as well as a strong overall feel for the game. They have each steadily improved their strength and overall athleticism since arriving in the United States last year and are poised to make an impact at the college level. We are excited to add them to our program and help them continue to develop their games.”

Guillermo was known for being a consistent perimeter threat who could also pass the ball efficiently within an offense. He played a big factor in Spain's U18 National Team's run in the 2021 FIBA European Challengers tournament when he averaged 11.0 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game in their 5-0 run to winning the tournament. He also finished by leading the team with 16 points, 5 rebounds and 6 blocks in Spain's 68-50 win over Serbia and shot 55.6 percent from the field, including 70.8 percent on two-pointers.

Jorge is also known for his ability to hit three pointers and performed well in the National Prep Showcase in Feb. scoring 55 points across two contests for IMG Academy and leading them in scoring on the year. He's also ranked higher than Guilermo in the On3 Player Rankings that has Jorge as the No. 76 prospect of this class and Guillermo as the No. 89 prospect.

Both players will be welcomed front court additions to Pitt as scorers with length who join John Hugley, Hinson and Federiko as the forwards of the team, along with sophomore Nate Santos as an option on the wing. If either or both of the twins become strong outside scoring presences for Pitt, it could be a major piece that's been missing in Capel's teams over his first four season coaching the program. Their defensive skills and length as shot blockers would also help with Pitt's schemes and challenging shooters on the perimeter while Hugley defended the paint.

Capel's efforts to recruit lengthy defenders has given the team a multitude of options to replace the kind of defender it had in Mouhammadou Gueye, who led the team with 67 blocks last season in his last year of eligibility. Federiko and the Diaz Graham twins would each be young 6-foot-11 forwards who showed good defensive instincts in junior college and high school competition.