After Monarchs, rest don't matter;recruit from Florida commits
By Ed Miller
The Virginian-Pilot
NORFOLK
The big kid standing on the sidelines in street clothes seemed eager to jump in as he watched Old Dominion's first basketball practice Friday night. As soon as it ended, in fact, he grabbed a ball and began shooting.
On Sunday, Jason Pimentel, a 6-foot-8 high school senior from Florida, did jump in, becoming the second player in the class of 2011 to commit to the Monarchs.
The 230-pound Pimentel informed coaches of his decision after he returned home Sunday afternoon. After visiting ODU, his first official recruiting trip, Pimentel said he didn't need to visit anywhere else.
"They've been recruiting me since day one," Pimentel said. "Coach (Rob) Wilkes has done a great job of keeping up with me, coming to my games, and he and coach (Blaine) Taylor did a great job recruiting me."
Pimentel, 17, averaged 20.6 points and 10 rebounds for Trinity Catholic in Ocala last season, and was named county player of the year by the Ocala Star-Banner. He transferred to Montverde Academy in Montverde, Fla., for his senior year. Montverde is coached by Kevin Sutton, who was an assistant at ODU from 1999-2001.
Pimentel said he liked ODU's campus and basketball facilities, as well as the program's record of success in both graduating players and winning games. The Monarchs are coming off a 27-9 year in which they advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament, their third trip in the past six seasons.
"I don't want to go to a losing program or a not-so-good program," Pimentel said. "They've always had a successful program."
Pimentel took unofficial visits to Stetson and Central Florida, and was preparing to make additional official visits, he said. He had offers from Richmond, Rider, East Carolina and UNC Wilmington, among others. Wake Forest, Florida State, Kansas State and Miami were also showing interest, he said.
"We were getting ready to go on the road," said Pimentel's father, Jason Sr. "Now we don't have to."
The younger Pimentel described his game as physical and aggressive.
"I love the physical contact," he said. "I sometimes love it too much, to where I get too aggressive."
That would seem to make Pimentel well suited to ODU's rugged style of play. He joins guard Breon Key of Phoebus High in Hampton in the 2011 class. Players can sign national letters of intent next month.
Ed Miller, (757) 446-2372, ed.miller@pilotonline.com
