Capel Signs Juco Standout Pattillo

April 23, 2008

NORMAN, Okla. - Jeff Capel's 2008 recruiting class -- already ranked in the top 20 nationally -- got an added boost Wednesday when junior college wing Juan Pattillo (pronounced puh-TILL-o) signed a national letter of intent with Oklahoma. Pattillo is ranked as the No. 3 junior college sophomore in the country by recruiting analyst Van Coleman of Hoopmasters.com.

A 6-7, 218-pounder who attends College of Southern Idaho, Pattillo averaged a team-high 17.4 points in 22.1 minutes per game for the 30-2 Golden Eagles this past season. He added 6.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.6 steals per contest while shooting .543 from the field, .396 from 3-point range (21-for-53) and .708 from the free throw line.

CSI was ranked No. 3 in the final regular season National Junior College Athletic Association poll and advanced to the Region 18 championship game where it lost to eventual national runner-up Salt Lake Community College, 81-77.

Pattillo scored at least 20 points 12 times and netted a career-high 31 at Salt Lake on Jan. 26. He recorded seven double-doubles on the year, including five during a six-game stretch in December and January.

"The word that comes to mind when I think about Juan is 'explosive,'" said Capel. "He is very athletic and can play multiple positions. At 6-7 and about 218 pounds, he's going to come here with great size already. We anticipate him being a wing player for us.

"He plays really hard, he can shoot it out to about 18 or 19 feet, he can put it on the floor. He can defend multiple positions and is a high-energy guy. The thing that probably stood out the most about his visit last weekend was how he connected and fit in with our returning players. We're very, very excited about Juan."

As a freshman in 2006-07, Pattillo averaged 11.9 points, a team-high 7.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.9 steals while shooting .583 from the field and .655 from the free throw line. CSI finished with a 30-7 record that year.

Pattillo, who is from Las Vegas, Nev., attended Canyon Springs High School.

"If you eliminate positions, I'm not sure that anyone would not have him as a top-five junior college player in the country," said recruiting analyst Mike Mitchell of Midwest Scouting Service. "He'll be a big asset because he's very versatile. He's athletic and quick enough and has enough skills to play on the perimeter, but he's also strong enough to play inside.

"He'll give OU a lot of flexibility in terms of how they want to play and how they want to scheme their lineup. He's a real impact type player and I'd be very surprised if he's not a very important player for them, a starter."

Pattillo joins four November signees as members of OU's 2008 recruiting class. Also in Norman for the 2008-09 campaign will be current high school senior guards Willie Warren (a McDonald's All-American) and Ray Willis, and junior college big men Orlando Allen and Kyle Cannon. Allen and Cannon will be sophomores in terms of eligibility next season.

Neysmith to Transfer

Capel also announced Wednesday that freshman guard Tony Neysmith is transferring.

A 6-5, 203-pounder from Norcross, Ga., Neysmith played in 22 of OU's 35 games this past season and made four starts. He averaged 0.5 points and 0.6 rebounds in 5.9 minutes per outing. Neysmith made four of his 10 field goal attempts on the season.

"Tony said he wants to be closer to home," said Capel. "We respect his decision and wish him luck. Hopefully he'll find a place where he'll be happy."

Neysmith was regarded as the No. 100 high school senior last year by Rivals.com.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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