Clark enjoys Pitt visit

Crisshawn Clark's hometown in Ohio is exactly four hours from Pittsburgh.

That may seem far, but for an Ohio kid who is currently at Canada junior college in Redwood City, Calif., it's a relatively short trip. The JUCO combo-guard was in town this past weekend for an official visit, and with perfect weather on homecoming weekend for the Panthers, it is no surprise that Clark enjoyed himself.

"The visit was amazing," Clark told Panther-Lair.com. "I have never seen a university with a support system for the players like that. In Pittsburgh, the team is like the pro team for the city since they don't have an NBA team. The players get a lot of support from the fans and staff."

Clark was quite busy on his visit. He got in Friday morning after a visit to Loyola (Ill.) and was constantly on the move. It started with Midnight Madness on Friday night, watching practice Saturday morning and the homecoming football game at noon.

"I went to the football game and that was great," Clark said. "I got to see the Midnight Madness event and all of the facilities. We also got to go out to eat a couple of times, including Jerome Bettis' restaurant. The coaches told me that there will be a lot of minutes available after the seniors move on. My style fits well in their system too, and I could slide between the 1-3 spots really.

"The practice was very competitive and intense. Coach Dixon and the assistants really push the guys to reach their full potential because they want the best for them."

As much as Clark liked the visit, he isn't quite ready to end his recruitment, and he still plans to take visits to Oregon and Hawaii.

But even though Clark didn't commit this weekend, Pitt still stands a fair chance to hold off the other schools in the end.

"The visit most definitely helped Pitt's chances," he said. "Pitt is my number-one school as of right now. It is an awesome situation because the people want you to succeed here. They have passionate fans.

"The coaches didn't push me to make a decision too much because they understand the process. I really respect and like that. I did make sure to let them know that I am trying to make this process as short as possible. After the next two visits, I will have a decision. Pitt is a place that I can really see myself playing at."