The University of Pittsburgh men’s basketball program signed two student-athletes—center Rozelle Nix (Cincinnati, Ohio/Pensacola State J.C./Withrow H.S.) and guard Damon Wilson, Jr. (Powder Springs, Ga./Our Savior New American H.S.)—to a National Letter of Intent, head coach Jamie Dixon announced on Saturday. The NCAA Division I fall men’s basketball signing period runs from Nov. 12-19, 2014.
“We are extremely excited about Rozelle and Damon,” Dixon said. “Both are good players from winning backgrounds and both have outstanding work ethic.”
A 7-foot, 318-pound center, Nix will enter his sophomore season at Pensacola State Junior College, where helped guide the Pirates to a 21-11 record, state semifinal finish and Panhandle Conference Tournament title last year. Pensacola entered the year ranked No. 3 in the FSCAA coaches’ poll. An extremely strong and physical center, Nix uses size to his advantage and is comfortable playing with his back to the basket. He has shown improvement in the low post, where he has developed a consistent drop move and hook shot. An All-Panhandle Conference selection last year, Nix will be coached this year by Pensacola assistant and former Pitt player Ontario Lett (2001-03). He will enroll at Pitt as a junior with two years of eligibility remaining.
A 6-foot-5-inch, 200-pound combination guard, Wilson is a consensus top-100 national recruit. Wilson enters his senior season at Our Savior New American (Centerreach, N.Y.), where he averaged 10.9 points and eight assists per game while leading the Pioneers to the 2014 USA National Prep Championship title, a 28-3 overall record and No. 9 final national ranking in the USA Today poll. OSNA enters the 2014-15 season ranked No. 13 nationally in the USA Today preseason poll. An athletic, versatile and pass-first guard with a nice scoring touch and ideal size, the lefthanded Wilson is an all-around player who can drive to the basket and displays a high basketball IQ. His toughness has been compared to Pitt point guards of the past: Brandin Knight, Carl Krauser and Levance Fields.
Pitt plays its second regular season game against Samford on Sunday, Nov. 16 at 1 p.m. ET. The contest will be televised on the ACC’s Regional Sports Network and on Root Sports locally in Pittsburgh.
Pitt returns three starters and 11 letterwinners from a team that finished 26-10 overall and advanced to its 12th NCAA Tournament in the last 13 seasons. For more information and updated news on Pitt Basketball, follow twitter.com/hailtopitthoops. For more information on the Pitt basketball team check out the 2014-15 Basketball Media Guide, 2014-15 Schedule and 2014-15 Pitt Basketball Prospectus.
PITT’S 2014 FALL MEN’S BASKETBALL SIGNEES
(early signing period for men’s basketball ran from November 12-19)
Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown/High School
Rozelle Nix Center 7-0 318 Cincinnati, Ohio/Pensacola State J.C./Withrow
Damon Wilson Guard 6-5 200 Powder Springs, Ga./Our Savior New American H.S.