The Pitt men’s basketball team is coming off a 15th consecutive postseason appearance.
Most schools would be happy with that, but Jamie Dixon and company are coming off a very disappointing 2014-15 campaign which saw them end up in the NIT.
For the Panthers to get back on track and return to the NCAA Tournament, Dixon will have to turn things around with a lot of new faces.
Gone are graduated guard Cameron Wright, and big men Derrick Randall and Aron Nwankwo. Also gone are swingman Durand Johnson and guard Josh Newkirk as they transferred to St. Johns and Indiana respectively.
In their place are a bunch of new faces, but guys who aren’t short on experience.
New to the Panthers this season are graduate transfers Rafael Maia, Alonzo Nelson-Ododa and Sterling Smith. Also new are junior college prospects Jonathan Milligan and Rozelle Nix, along with freshmen guard Damon Wilson and forward Ryan Seelve.
With so many new faces, it usually makes chemistry a hard thing to come by, but Dixon likes what he has to work with.
“I think we have 13 guys that can play,” said Dixon. “We’ve got a lot of new guys, but at the same time, we’ve got a lot of returning minutes. We have a unique recruiting class in that we have transfers, but, given the situation, it was what we needed and it is going to be productive for us. It’s going to be interesting how our seniors adapt and how they fit in. I’m excited where they’re at. They’re going to bring some experience, some size and skill. Alonzo, Rafael and Sterling are all going to give us some nice options.”
The interesting thing about the new faces to the program is the fact that Dixon brought in the three graduate transfers.
Smith is very intriguing as he adds some much needed shooting to the Pitt roster. He averaged 13.9 points while at Coppin State while making a shade under 42 percent of his 3-pointers.
Nelson-Ododa comes in from Richmond where the 6-foot-9 forward averaged 6.6 points and 5.1 rebounds last season for the Spiders. Maia, who is injured right now, comes from Brown where he averaged 9.9 points and 8.7 rebounds per game while leading the Ivy League in both rebounding and field goal percentage last year at Brown.
All three graduate transfers, while not star players, could make the Panthers a very deep team.
“These guys have made impacts at what many people might consider lower level schools; they’ve stepped in and contributed,” Dixon said. “They’re oftentimes 22, 23 years-old, and they’re stepping in and playing against guys who are 18, 19.”
What Maia and Nelson-Ododa can help with is in the rebounding department. If the Panthers are going to get back to playing Pitt basketball, they have to do a better job at rebounding the basketball, something that was a huge issue a season ago.
Dixon hopes that 6-foot-11, 300 pound junior transfer Rozelle nix can become a factor inside.
“I see a guy who works,” said Dixon. “He’s got great hands, soft touch, scores the ball well around the basket. His conditioning and his weight is something we try to improve. You’ll see, he’ll stand out. You’re going to notice him when he’s out there. He’s big, nice, soft spoken, has a toughness and physicality as well. He can use his body. It’s a process. We need him to continue to improve. He’s got to stay healthy so we can monitor and develop his body type. We want our bigs to be a little more interchangeable this year so we can do a combination of things offensively and defensively.”
However it isn’t just about the new guys as the Panthers core is a pretty strong one.
All-ACC forwards Jamel Artis and Michael Young return for their junior seasons after putting together solid sophomore campaigns. Point guard James Robinson is also returning for his senior season as the Panthers return eight letter winners from a year ago.
A big key to the season could be the developments of Sheldon Jeter and Chris Jones as both showed glimpses a season ago. Underclassmen Cameron Johnson, Ryan Luther and Damon Wilson should also be ready to contribute.
However any success for the Panthers this season could come down to how far the likes of Artis, Young and Robinson can carry them.
The addition of some new big will free Artis up to play on the wing more, which should be a positive.
“We have a lot of big men,” said Artis. “They’re comfortable down low. That will put me in more of a position to create for others. The ACC is tough. There are a lot of big men and we didn’t have that last year.”
Artis also understands that he has to step into more of a leadership role this season and welcomes the challenge.
“Me, Mike and James will provide leadership this year,” he said. “We have to lead them and be better. We have to set the tone. It starts with us, and our big men have to play hard. We just all have to come together and be great.”
Artis and company get things started Friday night as Midnight Madness kicks off with #ZooAfterHours at the Petersen Events Center.
A lot needs to be done before Pitt opens the season Friday, Nov. 13 against Gonzaga in the Armed Forces Classic in Okinawa, Japan.
“We have a long time before we go to Japan and we have a great deal of work to do before we head over there,” said Robinson. “In these next couple of weeks leading up to it, we need to get close because by the time we get there we need to be ready to go. I think from an experience standpoint, it’s going to be unique, going to be a lot of travel, going to be fun, but at the end of the day, we’re going there for business and to get the job done.”
Photo Credit: Associated Press
