Pitt coach Jamie Dixon received his first verbal commitment for the 2009 recruiting class yesterday when 6-foot-5 shooting guard Lamar Patterson decided to become a Panther.

Patterson, from McCaskey High School in Lancaster, Pa., comes from an athletic family. His brother, Perry, played quarterback at Syracuse and was second-team all-state in basketball at McCaskey.

Lamar Patterson was expected to be the starting quarterback at McCaskey this past season, but he decided to give up football to concentrate solely on basketball. He also had scholarship offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Miami, Virginia, Michigan and Syracuse, among others.

"My brother understood the decision," Patterson said yesterday. "He always thought I was more of a basketball player anyway, so it wasn't that tough of a decision to give up football."

Patterson said he thought Pitt was the school he would attend for a while, but Pitt's victory against Duke last week cemented the decision.

"The way they came back that showed me a lot," Patterson said. "And when Mike Cook got hurt, coach Dixon was right by his side. I liked that."

McCaskey coach Steve Powell said Pitt is getting a player with a lot of potential and expects Patterson to fit nicely into Pitt's system. He has much to work on over the next year and a half, but Powell said Patterson can be an impact player in the Big East someday.

"He has to work on his strength and conditioning, his footwork and his decision-making," Powell said. "If he does those things, he'll be a super player for Pitt. When you see him play, his skill level is evident. He can shoot, pass, has great court vision. He's going to be an excellent fit for Pitt."