The four-star point guard was one of Jeff Capel’s top targets
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On Monday morning, Pitt head coach Jeff Capel missed out on a blue-chip recruit, as R.J. Davis, a point guard out of Archbishop Stepinac High School in White Plains, New York, committed to ACC rival North Carolina.
Congratulations to Senior R.J. Davis @ariidavis_ on his commitment to play at the University of North Carolina! #Stepinac #CHSAA #UNC #Tarheels pic.twitter.com/IFKjd0k8FQ
— Stepinac Basketball (@step_basketball) October 21, 2019
Davis chose North Carolina from a top four that also included Georgetown, Marquette and Pitt. Prior to trimming his list down to four on Sept. 9, Davis had drawn interest from programs around the country and received offers from 29 schools. Toward the end of his recruitment, North Carolina became the heavy favorite to land him after he visited Chapel Hill.
The 6’0”, 161-pound Stepinac guard is a consensus four-star recruit, and 247Sports, ESPN and Rivals all agree that he is among the top 100 prospects in the 2020 class. Rivals and 247Sports rank Davis at 65th and 66th, while ESPN has him at 40th overall.
The announcement comes as a tough blow to Pitt, as the program may only have star point guard Xavier Johnson in the fold for one more season if he follows through on his ambitions to enter the 2020 NBA draft. In Davis, Capel would have had a successor in place for Johnson’s departure, but he will now have to shift his focus and explore other options.
