Vanderbilt's list of 2021 prospects is impressive. It's a "Who's Who" of Rivals Top 150 performers. One name toward the top of the list is Nathan Bittle.
The 6-foot-11, 190 pounder from Oregon is a five-star prospect, ranked No. 15 in the 2021 class.
On June 19, Vanderbilt was his 11th offer, joining Arizona, Cal, Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, Oregon, Portland, Tulane, UCLA, USC, and Wake Forest.
We watched him a few weeks afterwards at the Under Armour Finals, and it was easy to see what the fuss is about. He already knows how to play the game. His fundamentals of footwork, passing, and movement were impeccable. He reminds you of former Pac 12 bigs like Thomas Welsh and T.J. Leaf who had complete games.
Eric Bossi offered acomparison when he evaluated Bittle.
"Bittle is highly skilled and is already a Channing Frye-like threat out to the 3-point line. He runs the floor well, is alert and just seems to have a good feel for the game on the offensive end." .
Bittle averaged just over nine points per game on a very balanced West Coast Elite team. That may not be a huge number, but his efficiency tells what kind of talent he possesses. He shot 55 percent from the field and 73 percent from the line. His 46 percent shooting from 3 is incredibly tantalizing for someone 6-foot-11. He also averaged 4.3 rebounds per game.
What makes his performances more impressive with West Coast Elite was he did that playing up a year on the 17U circuit.
"It's been a good experience. It's gotten me prepared for next season's UAA circuit. Battling against big bodies and stuff like that."
Bittle is aware that he can do a lot of different things on the floor, and he also knows his size and skillset is coveted on the next level."
"I'm able to shoot the ball, finish inside, block shots, and kind of just like a big guard. Stretch four, yeah, I can play anything really that my coach needs me to do. It's feels good being able to know that I can bring the ball down the floor. I can shoot the ball. I can dribble inside, get my jump shot, finish inside.
"Just knowing that I can do everything that my coach tells me is a good feeling."
It's a good thing that Bittle is only a rising junior because he doesn't know a lot yet about Vanderbilt.
"Not really, I mean coaches stay in contact here and there so I don't know a whole lot about the school. I've just got to get to know them."
The get-to-know process applies to the coaching staff as well. We were kidding when we asked the teenager if he had to Google Jerry Stackhouse. We were surprised when he answered in the affirmative, but he was still aware of what the new Vanderbilt coach accomplished in the G-League.
"Yeah, I did," Bittle replies. "He's a great coach. I mean he's built the program around him. It's a great coaching staff."
When we followed up by asking if his professional coaching accomplishments were impressive to a recruit, he answers, "Yeah, that's big."
A good impression by the coaching staff will go a long way when Bittle makes his decision on down the road. We asked him what would have a big impact on his decision.
"Somebody that's got a great coaching staff that I can have a relationship with," he says. "A program that I'll be able to fit into."
The 6-foot-11, 190 pounder from Oregon is a five-star prospect, ranked No. 15 in the 2021 class.
On June 19, Vanderbilt was his 11th offer, joining Arizona, Cal, Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, Oregon, Portland, Tulane, UCLA, USC, and Wake Forest.
We watched him a few weeks afterwards at the Under Armour Finals, and it was easy to see what the fuss is about. He already knows how to play the game. His fundamentals of footwork, passing, and movement were impeccable. He reminds you of former Pac 12 bigs like Thomas Welsh and T.J. Leaf who had complete games.
Eric Bossi offered acomparison when he evaluated Bittle.
"Bittle is highly skilled and is already a Channing Frye-like threat out to the 3-point line. He runs the floor well, is alert and just seems to have a good feel for the game on the offensive end." .
Bittle averaged just over nine points per game on a very balanced West Coast Elite team. That may not be a huge number, but his efficiency tells what kind of talent he possesses. He shot 55 percent from the field and 73 percent from the line. His 46 percent shooting from 3 is incredibly tantalizing for someone 6-foot-11. He also averaged 4.3 rebounds per game.
What makes his performances more impressive with West Coast Elite was he did that playing up a year on the 17U circuit.
"It's been a good experience. It's gotten me prepared for next season's UAA circuit. Battling against big bodies and stuff like that."
Bittle is aware that he can do a lot of different things on the floor, and he also knows his size and skillset is coveted on the next level."
"I'm able to shoot the ball, finish inside, block shots, and kind of just like a big guard. Stretch four, yeah, I can play anything really that my coach needs me to do. It's feels good being able to know that I can bring the ball down the floor. I can shoot the ball. I can dribble inside, get my jump shot, finish inside.
"Just knowing that I can do everything that my coach tells me is a good feeling."
It's a good thing that Bittle is only a rising junior because he doesn't know a lot yet about Vanderbilt.
"Not really, I mean coaches stay in contact here and there so I don't know a whole lot about the school. I've just got to get to know them."
The get-to-know process applies to the coaching staff as well. We were kidding when we asked the teenager if he had to Google Jerry Stackhouse. We were surprised when he answered in the affirmative, but he was still aware of what the new Vanderbilt coach accomplished in the G-League.
"Yeah, I did," Bittle replies. "He's a great coach. I mean he's built the program around him. It's a great coaching staff."
When we followed up by asking if his professional coaching accomplishments were impressive to a recruit, he answers, "Yeah, that's big."
A good impression by the coaching staff will go a long way when Bittle makes his decision on down the road. We asked him what would have a big impact on his decision.
"Somebody that's got a great coaching staff that I can have a relationship with," he says. "A program that I'll be able to fit into."
