Pitt center DeJuan Blair went through a lot of changes over the summer between his first and second seasons as a college basketball player.

The one change is readily noticeable in his appearance. Blair, the reigning Big East Conference rookie of the year, is a more chiseled, physical specimen, the result of a rigorous offseason conditioning program designed to increase his minutes played and production.

The other change is less noticeable because it takes place behind the doors of Pitt's closed practices and inside the locker room. A sophomore in the middle of a strong senior class and a large group of first-year players, Blair has developed into one of the team's best leaders.

"I've never seen anything like it with a sophomore," Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said. "He has risen to the challenge. He's done a great job with his leadership and his energy in practice. He's a leader in a lot of ways. That's the biggest change in him I've seen. Yeah, he's in better shape, but I've been more impressed with his leadership."

It wasn't difficult for Blair to build credibility among his teammates last season. He averaged 11.6 points and 9.1 rebounds per game and was the first Pitt freshman to score 400 points and pull down 300 rebounds. He was a consensus freshman All-American.

It's not common for a sophomore to assume a leadership position on any team, let alone one with Pitt's strong senior class. But with senior point guard Levance Fields out of the mix during the preseason with a foot injury, Blair has worked hard to fill that void.

Blair, from the Hill District, won three City League titles and a PIAA championship at Schenley High School. He brings a never-back-down mentality and exudes a natural confidence that defies his age.

"I'm trying to be a leader," Blair said. "A lot of people look up to me. Since I'm a sophomore a lot of people say, 'How can Levance look up to me?' But I bring a whole lot of leadership. That's in my blood, to be a leader, to be a winner."

Many athletes would have been satisfied with the freshman season that Blair enjoyed, but he didn't rest on his laurels this summer. He remembered how it felt to get tired, to get lazy on defense and to sit for long stretches because of bad fouls.

So the 6-foot-7, 265-pound Blair set out to ensure that he was in the best shape of his life for his sophomore season. Now the player who once tipped the scales at well over 300 pounds has a new and improved physique and a higher set of expectations this season.

"My stamina will be excellent," he said. "I won't get as many fouls. Last year I got tired and gave lazy fouls. I have a year under my belt now. I know what I want to do. I tried to look back and see what I did wrong and build on what I did right."

Blair's offseason regimen was overseen by Tim Beltz, Pitt's strength and conditioning coach who also helped whip another Pitt center, Aaron Gray, into shape a few years ago. Gray is now playing for the NBA Chicago Bulls.

Beltz's mission was to get Blair in the best possible cardiovascular condition while not jeopardizing his natural, brute strength.

"DeJuan is big and powerful," Beltz said. "That's one of his biggest assets. Putting him on a treadmill for two hours and have him lose a whole bunch of weight wouldn't be the smartest thing. The key thing was the fitness level."

In addition to the offseason workout regimen, Beltz said Blair achieved his goals by adhering to a strict diet. Since the end of last season he has only dropped a few pounds, but his body fat has been trimmed by a large percentage.

"I lost a couple of pounds, but the big thing was body fat," Blair said. "I had a lot of body fat last year. I slimmed down. I'm building muscle. I got a little quicker. I'm quick off my feet. I'm running the floor better than ever."

That's a scary thought for Big East coaches. The even scarier thing is that Blair is only scratching the surface of what he can do with his body, according to Beltz.

"I look at DeJuan and he's only at the tip of the iceberg," Beltz said. "We can have a lot more development with him."