Gray Talks About Pitt Commitment

Aaron Gray, a massive 6-11, 280 pound center from Emmaus H.S. in Emmaus, Penn., told us he loved the style of play at Pittsburgh. "That was the main clinching thing for me with my decision," said Gray, who committed to the Panthers.

"Both schools were real close. Everything was really even. I knew either place I went to would be a great choice. But the thing that made me choose Pitt over Rutgers was I felt the style of play fit me better. They run more sets for their big men. They play more of a half court. Rutgers is more up tempo."

Gray visited both campuses in September. "Chris Taft will play at four and the first year I will be sharing time with Toree Morris. If I progress as much as they think I will progress, I can move as early as my sophomore year in the starting lineup."

Indiana was in the picture at one point this fall, but the Hoosier program dropped out a while ago. "It will come down to who performs better," said Gray, regarding challenging other players for minutes.

"Indiana was offering," Gray said. "But I just decided that Pittsburgh and Rutgers would be a better fit. I didn't want to go that far away.

"It seemed like every day I had a new favorite. My parents were great throughout the whole thing. They really helped me along with my thought process. They really wanted me to make my own decision. I kind of told my parents last Friday. We kept it quiet and talked about it throughout the weekend. Then they decided to have a press conference. I told the coaches yesterday morning."