JUCO Recruit Russ Permenter Committs To PC

Check out the latest PC recruit, via ProJo Sports:

Once Russ Permenter heard the words “Providence College,” his recruitment was complete. Permenter, a 6-9 junior college forward from Temple, Texas, verbally committed to PC on Sunday at the end of an official visit to the school. Permenter watched the Friars practice, took in the win over Rutgers and had a chance to meet with PC’s players and coaching staff. “It’s just a great situation up there,” said Kirby Johnson, Permenter’s coach at Temple College. “It’s Big East, the best conference in the country. Basketball is king up there. Being from the South, the only negative is the cold weather, but Russ said he’s fine with that.”

Permenter was not highly recruited, but Johnson says he understands why. Two years ago, Permenter was a high school star in Temple who backed out of a commitment to Texas Christian and ended up signing to play at Texas-San Antonio. He broke his hand in November of last season and ended up playing token minutes in 14 games, averaging just 3.1 points and 1.5 rebounds. “Russ went to school with my son in Temple, so I told him when he went away to college that if things didn’t work out, we would be there for him,’’ said Johnson. “San Antonio just wasn’t a good fit, so he called us last May.’’

Permenter spent the summer working with Johnson and other members of a Temple College team that plays in one of the premier JUCO leagues in the country. He’s gotten stronger (about 225 pounds) and is averaging 19 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.1 blocks for a team that’s 16-10 and hoping to fare well in the Texas playoffs. “We play in an excellent conference. The last two national champions (South Plains, Midland) came from our region,’’ said Johnson.

Johnson said that when Temple played in a holiday tournament in Fort Smith, Ark., college coaches began to notice his center. South Alabama, Pepperdine and Penn State were among the schools calling, but PC assistant Chris Davis went to see Temple practice, watched a game and offered a scholarship. “Chris watched us practice and just said right away that he was someone Providence will definitely target,’’ said Johnson. “We’re a very up-tempo team, so our big men have to do a lot, and Russ can step out and shoot the ball but also is a good scorer in the post.’’

Johnson said that Permenter is a strong student who only came to junior college to gain additional basketball exposure. He’s enjoyed some big games (30 points and 19 rebounds one night) and is looking forward to the opportunity to play at Providence. “Everyone just needed a chance to see him play live,” said Johnson. “Providence can be a great opportunity for Russ.”

PC loses its entire starting frontcourt ( Jonathan Kale, Geoff McDermott and Randall Hanke) to graduation after this season. Permenter becomes the latest recruit to join coach Keno Davis’ first class that is now at a whopping seven players. He joins Detroit center James Still and Atlanta forward Kadeem Batts as frontcourt additions who’ll compete for playing time with holdovers Alex Kellogg, Jamine Peterson and Bilal Dixon. The other four members of the recruiting class are junior college shooter Kyle Wright and high school guards Johnnie Lacy, Duke Mondy and Vincent Council. Permenter and Council have yet to sign letters-of-intent but are expected to do so in April.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find a scouting report on Russ Permenter, but from this article it looks like he is a big man who can shoot from the outside. Of course, in the Big East, he's going to have to be able to hold his own down low on the defensive end or else he'll see his butt on the bench like Randall Hanke does for half the game because of his defensive inefficiencies.

Previously: PC Recruits Johnnie Lacy & Vincent Council

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