Mar 22, 2014; Orlando, FL, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers head coach Jamie Dixon reacts in the first half of a men

Jamie Dixon and his Pitt Panthers lost a top-50 recruit this past Friday when prospect Maverick Rowan decided to re-open his recruitment.

This is a very tough loss for Pitt, as Rowan was a 6-foot-7 guard who shot 52 percent from the field and 46 percent from the 3-point line playing with the Ohio Basketball Club. He also led WPIAL Lincoln Park to a Class A state title in Pennsylvania.

Maverick decided to leave even though he was more than halfway to the WPIAL career scoring record of 2,838 points. Rowan was a scoring threat, which is something I believe Pitt needs in order to finally get over the hump and make it to a Final Four. He averaged 26.3 points per game with Lincoln Park.

It appeared that Jamie Dixon had landed a local star in the making, but some doubt occurred this past August, as Maverick, the No. 46 overall prospect in the Class of 2016, left the area. Rowan and his family decided to move from Midland, Pa., to Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., where it was stated that he wanted to play tougher competition at 5A Cardinal Gibbons. Maverick’s father, Ron Rowan, will be an assistant coach at the school.

One month later, we find the news that Rowan has re-opened his recruiting and also is considering playing in Europe upon graduation. For the Class of 2016, Pitt still has a commitment from the No. 25 overall prospect in Mustapha Heron, who is a 6-foot-4 guard whom many said could play at the college level as a high school sophomore last season.

Heron has stated that he intends to stay committed to the Panthers, even though assistant coach Barry Rohrssen recruited him and left to take a position with the Kentucky Wildcats.

There is still a chance that Rowan could re-commit to Pitt, but stayed tuned to City of Champions for further updates.