Coached by former Shocker, 2024 recruit Zion Pipkin commits to Wichita State basketball
When P.J. Couisnard began his coaching career, he always wondered what it would be like to have one of his players commit to his alma mater.
The former Shocker star no longer has to wonder after Thursday when his star player at Legacy School of Sport Sciences, Zion Pipkin, verbally pledged to Wichita State.
“I’ve had close to 30 kids go to college and to finally see one go to my school is a dream come true,” Couisnard said. “Especially one of my best ones.”
Pipkin is a 6-foot-2 versatile guard from Houston who is a three-star prospect and ranked No. 148 overall in the class of 2024 by both Rivals and 247Sports. He is the fourth top-150 high school prospect, according to 247Sports rankings, to commit to WSU in recent history, joining Landry Shamet (No. 136 in 2015), Markis McDuffie (No. 140 in 2015) and Tyson Etienne (No. 142 in 2019).
Convincing Pipkin to pick the Shockers over Colorado was the second significant 2024 recruiting win in the past month by first-year WSU head coach Paul Mills. He who also swayed Wichita native T.J. Williams, the No. 173-ranked prospect, to choose WSU over Iowa.
In Pipkin, Couisnard believes Mills has found “a steal” and a combo guard who is tailored to play in Mills’ system. Pipkin, who took his official visit to WSU on Sept. 8-9, was once ranked as high as a top-60 player in the 2024 class.
“He definitely fits the mold with what coach Mills is trying to do there,” Couisnard said. “(Pipkin) can run the pick and roll. He can make plays off the bounce. He can catch and shoot. He can really score the ball and he’s a really good passer too. He’s just a hard-nosed kid who works really hard. He’s a leader.”
At Oral Roberts, Mills found success by developing guards with versatile skill sets. He rarely uses a primary point guard, rather two or three ball-handling guards who can all create their own offense as well as offense for others.
Pipkin has displayed a scoring tenacity that makes him stand out at the high school level, as well as a creative passing eye. That combination has made him effective in ball screens at the high school level, something the Shockers hope will only flourish in Mills’ pick-and-roll-heavy offense.
Defense is typically the hardest adjustment for scoring guards, but Couisnard believes Pipkin has the intangibles to play his role on that end of the court as well.
“One thing about kids who play for me at Legacy and (AAU club) Cooz Elite, our coaches do a good job of making our kids compete on the defensive end,” Couisnard said. “On defense, he always accepts the challenge. He’s always wanting to pick up full and guard the other team’s best player. You add a college weight program to him and I think he’s got the tools to be a great defender.”
The transfer portal can of course change things in the spring, but for now, Mills has filled his 2024 recruiting class as only two players, graduate transfers in center Jacob Germany and forward Dalen Ridgnal, are slated to depart the program following this season.
With Williams and Pipkin on board, Wichita State’s 2024 recruiting class is ranked No. 32 nationally by 247Sports and No. 42 by Rivals. They can both ink their letter of intent to WSU as early as Nov. 8.
