CATCHING UP WITH DALTON PEPPER

July 24, 2008

Recent West Virginia commit hones game to prepare for Big East

In was an exciting weekend for West Virginia fans as in the matter of hours, Bob Huggins and his staff secured a pair of verbal commitments from New York City big man Dan Jennings and guard Dalton Pepper from Pennsbury (PA). The NBE Basketball Report got the opportunity to chat with Pepper on his commitment to the Mountaineers.

Pepper, a 6-foot-6, 210 pound shooting guard, decided on WVU after also considering Villanova, Temple, Wake Forest, Seton Hall and Miami during the recruiting process. The Mountaineers appealed to Pepper on several levels, which he indicated when asked of the factors contributing to his decision.

“Great coaching staff, nice players, and a very nice campus,” Pepper said. “I thought it was the perfect fit for me.”

Growing up on the east coast, Pepper certainly had a good feel for the teams recruiting him in the Big East, ACC and Atlantic 10. The chance to play in the Big East was definitely a factor in his college decision.

“I'd say it’s the best league in college basketball, and there are big time players in the Big East,” Pepper said.

Pepper will now finish off his summer season with the Jersey Shore Warriors with a trip to Orlando for the end of summer festivities surrounding the AAU Showcase and Nationals. This past season at Pennsbury High School he broke his father Jack’s single season scoring record and finished with 746 points while leading Frank Sciola’s squad to the state semifinals where they fell to Chester’s nationally ranked squad. On the season, Pepper averaged 22 points and nearly 10 rebounds a game and he went over the 1,500 career point plateau, moving past his father into second place on the school’s all-time list, just 20 points shy of the record. With another season to look forward to, he will set the new standard at Pennsbury Senior High School. He is looking forward to an even deeper run in the state playoffs.

“We bring back everyone but two people, we should be even better then last year which made the state final four and lost to Chester,” Pepper said

Even with all his personal success in his career and a college decision behind him, do not expect Pepper to rest any time soon. He wants to improve his ball-handling and foot speed prior to joining Bob Huggins’ team and become even a better shooter from the perimeter to hopefully fill the shoes that will be vacated by Alex Ruoff after graduation.

“My shooting, (I’ve) been working on it everyday real hard, and i want to improve my ball handling skills as well,” Pepper remarked to the NBE Basketball Report when asked what areas he is working on the most this summer.

West Virginia fans will definitely be very happy when a dash of Pepper is added to the mix in Morgantown.