McCaskey boys' basketball star Lamar Patterson verbally committed Friday to continuing his academic and athletic careers at the University of Pittsburgh.

Pitt, 11-0, is ranked sixth nationally in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today polls. In their most recent outing, the Panthers beat No. 6 Duke 65-64 in overtime in a matchup of undefeated teams at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 20.

"He just told me after practice today that he's going to Pittsburgh," Red Tornado coach Steve Powell said Friday afternoon. "He had a big smile on his face, so they must have made a great impression on him.

"It's an excellent program. I think Lamar will fit right into Coach (Jamie) Dixon's system."

A 6-foot-5, 220-pound junior, Patterson has helped lead McCaskey to an unprecedented three straight L-L League boys' championships. Versatile enough to play guard, forward or center, Patterson leads the Lancaster-Lebanon League in scoring (24.4).

"I like Coach Dixon, and the facility played a big part in it," said Patterson, who expects to major in computer science at Pitt. "My mom wanted me to stay (close to home), so I wanted to do it for her."

He becomes the latest member of a recruiting bonanza engineered by Dixon and his staff. Chester High senior forward Nasir Robinson recently committed to play for the Panthers next year. Patterson becomes the third county player in two years to commit to Pitt. Former Lancaster football stars Pat Bostick of Manheim Township and Jordan Gibbs of Penn Manor are members of Pitt's football team.

Patterson's older brother Perry was a basketball and football star at McCaskey and recently completed his football career at Syracuse University.

That Lamar committed as a junior surprised Powell.

"For a young man to commit early, that's something," he said. "He had a lot of suitors — Temple, the University of Michigan, University of Virginia, Miami, Penn State, St. Joe's, Rutgers.

"But one of the things we talk about as coaches is that if you know what you want to do, don't let people spend a lot of time and money on something you're not going to do."

Patterson took Powell's message to heart and now looks to prepare himself to join one of the top teams in the nation and one of the top conferences — the Big East. Pitt went 29-8 last season and finished the season tied for second in the Big East and ranked 12th nationally.

Dixon, now in his fifth season at Pitt, stresses creativity on the court. Powell believes Patterson is a good fit for both Dixon's coaching style and the Big East's physical brand of ball.

"Jamie gives the kids the ability to create and that's Lamar's type of game," he said. "I think Lamar can end up playing a '2' (shooting guard) or '3' (small forward) at Pitt. He's still growing, so as he fills out he's going to get more physical strength."

"It's a lot off my chest," Patterson said. "Now, I don't have to worry about it."

E-mail: egruver@lnpnews.com