Pitt added some desperately needed size and shot-blocking ability Thursday when coach Jeff Capel received a verbal commitment from 6-foot-11, 210-pound Fede Federiko, who previously played at First Love Christian Academy in Washington, Pa.
Federiko is a native of Helsinki, Finland, and he played for the Finnish under-19 national team.
First Love’s Mike Mason, who coached Federiko during his post-graduate season of 2020-21, described him as “a high-motor kid, very athletic.”
“He runs and doesn’t seem to get tired,” Mason said. “I said, ‘You’re doing the wrong thing. You probably should be running marathons.’ ”
With a wing span Mason estimates at about 8 feet, 3 inches, Federiko could help Pitt guard around the basket while serving as a backup to center John Hugley. He also has displayed some versatility on defense, Mason said.
“He can block shots, can guard, can guard two or three positions on switches,” he said. “He should be a pretty good asset and addition to Jeff’s program.”
Pitt could have a formidable front court if Capel opts to use Federiko and the 6-9 Hugley at the same time.
Federiko played last season at North Oklahoma-Tonkawa, a junior college, where he put on about 15 pounds. He averaged 11.7 points and led Northern Oklahoma in shooting percentage (59.4), rebounding (8.6 per game) and blocks (1.9). He did not attempt a 3-point shot.
He chose Pitt over scholarship offers from nine schools, including South Carolina, West Virginia, St. John’s and Bradley. He had verbally committed to West Virginia in February. He has three seasons of eligibility remaining.
Since the end of the season, Capel has received commitments from three players in his quest to rebuild a roster torn apart by seven transfers and the loss of Mouhamadou Gueye, who exhausted his eligibility.
Federiko joins point guard Nelly Cummings, who transferred from Colgate, and forward Blake Hinson, who hasn’t played for two seasons after starting his collegiate career at Ole Miss in 2018.
Capel has five available scholarships, and he is likely to use at least four while he continues to reconstruct the roster.
