2009 All-Metro Girls Basketball: For Pitts, commitment to U.Va. and her game paid off

More and more high school basketball players, boys and girls, are making college commitments during their junior or even sophomore years. Seems early doesn't it?

Jazmin Pitts turned a lot of heads and caused a lot of head-shaking when she committed to the University of Virginia as a 15-year-old between her freshman and sophomore years at Cosby High School.

Pitts, 6-1, made her decision during the summer of 2007. She was a second-team All-Metro pick as a freshman.

As she said then, the early commitment would allow her to concentrate on her game rather than on the recruiting process. Her game has evolved to the point that Pitts is a first-team All-Metro choice for the second year in a row and is The Times-Dispatch player of the year.

Pitts' teammate Becca Wann is on the first team along with first-team repeater Ka'lia Johnson of Thomas Dale, Shay Bentley of Manchester and Michelle Foley of Mills Godwin.

Recruiters chasing Pitts were active last year, but the numbers have fallen off since it's clear the Titans' post player is headed to Virginia. She can sign officially in November.

"[The U.Va. coaches] send me e-mails every week," Pitts said. "We talk on a regular basis. They are a big part of my life."

Pitts is still listed at 6-1. She plays in the paint for the Titans, who won the Dominion District and Central Region championships for the first time and advanced to the state Group AAA semifinals. She probably will play power forward for the Cavaliers. That's her position on her Boo Williams AAU team. It is there that she can work on rounding out her skills.

"I would love for her to bring her game out a little and develop a consistent 15-foot jumper along with some more moves to the basket from the free throw line," Cosby coach Rachel Mead said. "We were starting to run more high-low stuff at the end of the season, and I liked her being at the free throw line sometimes receiving the ball facing the basket. . . . It gave her and the team more opportunities to score because she drew such a crowd."

Opposing defenses have to pay attention to Pitts. She averaged 16.3 points, 10 rebounds and 2.5 blocks. She has more than 750 career rebounds and is in position to pass the 1,500-point mark. Pitts, Wann and second-team All-Metro Andrea Bertrand have surpassed 1,000 points in their careers.

"What makes Jazmin so valuable is her presence," Mead said. "When she is on the floor [always smiling], her teammates are so much more relaxed and sure of themselves. . . . She finishes most games totally exhausted and sore because a lot of times she is getting pushed, hit, pulled and held all game long."

Pitts has the good fortune to play with good players during high school and AAU seasons. She is working on her stamina and ball-handling.

"We all go at each other at practice," she said. "You learn more playing against the best players."

With her commitment out of the way, Pitts is looking forward to her senior season.

"My goals are to get to the state championship game and to come out [for every game] with a never lose attitude."

Contact Arthur Utley at (804) 649-6559