Birt, Taplin make it official
South Plains in Levelland, Texas, is always one of the top junior college basketball programs in the country. The Texans program feeds Division 1 universities with excellent players on a yearly basis, and it has supplied Tulsa with a standout guard in the 2015 recruiting class.
Pat Birt, a former Plano (Texas) East High School star, is a strong 6-foot-5, 205-pound wing player that took an official visit to the Golden Hurricane campus in late October. Once the trip was over, he gave his verbal commitment to TU head coach Frank Haith.
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On Wednesday, Birt made it official by signing with the Hurricane, along with 6-foot-1 combo guard Sterling Taplin from St. Thomas More Prep in Oakdale, Connecticut.
"We are excited about the addition of these two young men to our program," Haith said. "Both Pat and Sterling will add skill and depth to our team moving forward, and will be key components as we move to replace a large graduating class in two years."
Birt said the decision to come to Tulsa was an easy one, as he has a family connection to the school.
"I knew before heading there on my visit that I was going to commit," Birt told Rivals.com. "It was a real easy decision. My mother is a Tulsa alum, so that played a factor. Also, I knew a lot of the players already, and I did my research on the program.
"One of the key reasons I picked Tulsa was because of their strength and conditioning coach (Todor Pandov), that was a big deal to me. Coach (Frank) Haith has the type of style that I like in his 4-out-1-in offense."
In the 2013 recruiting cycle, Birt was a rising high school senior, finishing the year ranked as a Top 50 player in the state of Texas. He eventually signed with Illinois-Chicago.
"I thought that my recruitment would have been more than it was at the end of my high school career," he said. "I had Illinois-Chicago and Portland as my two offers. This time around, I had what I was looking for in Tulsa -- a great conference playing against top players from around the country. I had several offers, and plenty of interest, but Tulsa was the opportunity that I didn't have in the past."
Hank Plona, assistant at South Plains, told Rivals.com that Tulsa targeted Birt in October and came after him swiftly.
"It was the Tuesday after the JUCO Jamboree when Tulsa came in and let it be known that Pat was at the top of their list," said Plona. "Pat felt optimistic about going to a place that would have a chance on a yearly basis to make it to the NCAA tournament. Tulsa also will utilize him in a way that will best suit his style. Pat is a strong wing that can really handle the ball and knock down shots. Tulsa and Pat are a perfect match."
As a freshman at Illinois-Chicago of the Horizon League, Birt made an immediate impact, averaging 6.3 points and 1.7 rebounds per game in 29 appearances in 2013-14. He shot 41 percent from the field and just under 39 percent from beyond the arc, starting in 15 games. Birt was a Horizon League All-Freshman Team selection before transferring to South Plains.
"Pat is an athletic, versatile wing and a very good shooter," said Haith. "We are excited for him to join our program, and know he is excited to come to Tulsa. He is a good student and comes from a great family with ties to Tulsa. He is already familiar with our current players, and will fit in well with our team. We look forward to him being able to contribute immediately."
Birt had eight double-digit scoring games last season and is known as an excellent shooter. Aside from hitting almost 40 percent of his three-point attempts, he also shot 87 percent from the free throw line.
"I think that Pat Birt is a natural scorer," Rivals.com analyst Eric Bossi told InsideTulsaSports.com. "Earlier in his high school days he was a bit more of a point guard, but as he got taller and stronger, he transitioned into being a wing scorer who handled the ball pretty well because he retained some of that point guard sense for the game to go along with his size.
"He has gotten a lot stronger and between his year at UIC and a year of junior college, he should be physically ready to play. He was well on his way to a strong career at UIC, making all freshmen in the Horizon, and he is a smart player who can make the mental transition to the AAC as well. Based on the trajectory of his high school career and what he showed as a freshman at UIC, Birt should add value to the Tulsa perimeter as a guy with good size who is a capable scorer."
Tulsa's other 2015 signee, Sterling Taplin, has accolades of his own. The 2014 winner of The Buffalo News Allen Wilson Player of the Year Award, Taplin was a three-time first-team All-Western New York selection for Williamsville North High School and held offers from Sienna, Buffalo, Canisius and others. However, he decided to attend prep school at St. Thomas More and began receiving attention from Boston College, Cincinnati, Florida Gulf Coast and several more.
"The (Tulsa) coaches are amazing," Taplin told InsideTulsaSports.com. "I feel I can make an impact on and off the court."
The season at St. Thomas More should help prepare Taplin for the transition to Tulsa next year.
"Sterling is a skilled point guard, and a very good scorer and passer," said Coach Haith. "He performed at a high level consistently throughout his high school career, and we look forward to him continuing to bring his good work ethic to Tulsa. Like Pat, he is a good student and will be a great fit with our team."
Both of Tulsa's 2015 signees were rated as 3-star prospects by Rivals.com.