For years, you could turn on any NBA game on television and you would be guaranteed not to see one thing- a Pitt Panther on the court contributing at the next level. But while the NBA still isn’t littered with former Panthers, Jamie Dixon has gotten a pair of players to the NBA in recent seasons as both Lamar Patterson and Steven Adams are starting to carve out a nice niche on their respective NBA teams. The more success guys like Patterson and Adams have at the next level, the better it ... Read More
Pitt’s Steven Adams selected by OKC Thunder with 12th overall pick
Anyone that was still wondering if Pitt's Steven Adams made the right decision when he declared for the 2013 NBA Draft got their answer Thursday night. Yes he did. After one season as a Panther, the much heralded Adams turned himself into a lottery pick when the Oklahoma City Thunder selected him with the No. 12 overall pick. Adams becomes the first Pitt player drafted in the first round since the Indiana Pacers selected Vonteego Cummings at No. 26 in 1999. His selection at No. 12 marks ... Read More
2013 NBA Mock Draft: Is Pitt’s Steven Adams a lottery pick?
With the NBA Finals underway, all but two teams have their eyes completely on June’s NBA Draft. There has been a lot of movement in the two weeks since my last mock. With that being said, let’s take a look at the NBA Finals edition of my 2013 NBA Mock Draft. The Cleveland Cavaliers are on the clock. 1. Cleveland Cavaliers Player Name: Nerlens Noel Position, School: PF, Kentucky Usually by now, we know who the No. 1 pick is going to be, but the Cavs have yet to say Noel is their ... Read More
Steven Adams Declares for 2013 NBA Draft
When he was recruited to come to Pitt, many expected Steven Adams to be a one-and-done player. Despite a less than spectacular freshman campaign, that's become a reality. According to a University of Pittsburgh press release, Adams announced on Tuesday that he will make himself available for the 2013 NBA Draft. Adams intends to sign with an agent, which means he can't change his mind and return to school. “In discussing options with my family and Coach Dixon, I feel that it is in my ... Read More
Panthers “Shocked” by Wichita State in NCAA Tournament
Many thought the Pitt Panthers were slighted a bit from the selection committee when they only received a No. 8 seed, As it turns out, the committee had it spot on. Instead of using the low seed as possible motivation for a tournament run, Jamie Dixon's team came out as flat as possible and played as poorly as they have all season long, watching their season come to an end in a 73-55 embarrassing loss to Wichita State. The story of the game was shooting, or to be exact, the lack of ... Read More
Tray Woodall, Steven Adams earn All-Big East honors
Two Pitt players were honored early on Sunday when the Big East Conference announced their season ending awards. Senior point guard was named to the All-Big East Third Team on Sunday, following a vote of the league’s 15 head coaches. In addition, freshman Steven Adams was named to the league’s six-member All-Rookie Team. Woodall was a preseason honorable mention and had a very good final season in a Pitt uniform, averaging 11.7 points and 5.3 assists on the season, leading the Panther to a ... Read More
Pitt’s Steven Adams resembling legitimate NBA prospect
Coming into the season many felt that incoming Pitt freshman center Steven Adams could be a one-and-done type of player. Adams had the attention of many NBA scouts before he even played a game in a Pitt uniform and given his size and massive wingspan, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him head for the greener pastures after only one season of collegiate ball. But things didn't exactly start that way for Adams as early in the season he resembled a lost freshman, much more than he did a ... Read More
Pitt uses strong second half to knock off Seton Hall
Coming off their best win of the season Saturday against Syracuse, No. 23 Pitt had to be careful not to fall victim to the classic "trap game" Monday night against the struggling Seton Hall Pirates. For 30 minutes, they nearly fell into that trap. The Panthers broke open a 36-34 game at the 10 minute mark of the second half, by going on a 20-12 run to escape with a 56-46 win to improve to 19-5 on the season and 7-4 in Big East Conference play. Pitt had problems getting into a rhythm for ... Read More
Pitt must address rebounding issues Saturday vs. U Conn
There has been one common theme surrounding the four losses the Pitt Panthers basketball team has suffered so far during the 2012-13 campaign- the lack of rebounding. Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon has stressed the importance of rebounding over and over again, but the message hasn’t exactly gotten through yet. Currently Pitt ranks only 190th in the nation, pulling down only 34.7 boards per contest, which is not like a Pitt team. It has hurt them at stretches throughout the season, ... Read More
Pitt gets back on track with route of No. 19 Georgetown
Well that was more like it. After back-to-back disappointing losses to begin their final Big East Conference season, Jamie Dixon’s Pitt Panthers came out with a sense of urgency we haven’t seen in a while. The end result was a performance unlike any other we have seen this season and an impressive 73-45 road win over No. 19 Georgetown. Just when you thought it was safe to write the Panthers off, they got back to doing what they do best- playing strong defense. Freshman center Steven Adams ... Read More