As Jamie Dixon’s Pitt Panthers soft non-conference schedule winds down this week with games against Delaware State (Wednesday) and Kennesaw State (Sunday), it may not be a big test for the Panthers in terms of winning or losing, but it is a huge final test for Pitt freshman center Steven Adams.
With the Big East Conference season beginning December 31 against the Cincinnati Bearcats, it would be nice to see Adams heading into conference play on a high note.
The heralded freshman has had his ups and downs so far in a Pitt uniform and is averaging 7.1 points and 6.0 rebounds per night in 20.9 minutes per contest.
Adams seems to get more comfortable in the Panthers’ offense by the game and is slowly adjusting to the speed of the collegiate game, something that has to be a big learning curve for the seven-footer from New Zealand.
“It’s just a matter of him getting used to the college game,” said Pitt forward Lamar Patterson after a November home game. “He’s going to be a big part of what we do, but the college game is a big adjustment and I think he is coming along fine.”
Adams is fresh off his best performance in a Panthers’ uniform when he recorded his first career double-double with a 16 point, 10 rebound performance against Bethune-Cookman on Saturday.
It will be big for Adams and the Panthers if the freshman turns himself into a double-double machine in Big East play, and these next two games are huge for Adams in terms of preparation for that.
Adams has come under a lot of heat early because of his production, but he has come a long way in such a short time already.
“No one works harder,” said Dixon. “Steven is coming along fine and is putting in the work. The production will be there for him.”
The key with Adams is aggressiveness. Sometimes he has it and sometimes he doesn’t.
He’s that big and gives Pitt great size. If he can develop a back-to-the-basket game, then he will be a real weapon for the Panthers in Big East play. But Adams has to be a big guy that demands the ball. That’s what legit big men do. But he does have a nice touch around the rim as he is shooting 60 percent from the floor. He just has to do it more often.
At the defensive end Adams is fine. He goes after the ball aggressively, but needs to show better hands holding onto the ball at times. He is averaging 1.8 blocks per game, so he is using his outstanding wingspan to his advantage, but he can still contest even more shots in the future.
These are all little things that are correctable with experience, something Adams certainly will gain throughout the season.
So when you see the names Delaware State and Kennesaw State on the schedule, it might not look like much, but for a guy like Adams these are huge games as he continues to get his feet wet.
Hopefully he learns from each game and is a big factor when Pitt opens up their final Big East Conference season.
Photo Credit: Post-Gazette
