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Late-season flourish by Panthers not factor at Big East media day

Thursday, October 25, 2001

By Phil Axelrod, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

Pitt Coach Ben Howland can thank the coaches in the Big East Conference for ignoring his Panthers yesterday at the league's annual preseason basketball media day in New York.

They have taken pressure off Pitt heading into the 2001-02 season.

The league's coaches picked Pitt to finish sixth in the West Division, ahead of only Rutgers. And the Panthers didn't have a player named to the All-Big East first or second teams.

The coaches didn't seem impressed that Pitt has three starters and six lettermen returning from a 19-14 team that participated in the championship game of the Big East tournament for the first time in school history and reached the second round of the NIT. In addition to the veterans, Howland is excited about three redshirt freshmen, including highly touted 6-foot-7, 235-pound Chevy Troutman.

Troutman, who practiced with team last year, is being projected as the cornerstone of a frontline that includes 6-10 sophomore Toree Morris (2.2 ppg, 2.4 rpg) and 6-8 junior Donatas Zavackas (7.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg).

Howland said he expects Troutman to shoulder the rebounding load that was carried by departed Ricardo Greer and Isaac Hawkins last season. Troutman came to Pitt with impeccable credentials after a brilliant career at Williamsport Area High School, where he was an all-state selection and led his team to the PIAA Class AAAA championship in 1998-99. He scored 1,563 career points and had 1,128 rebounds.

Pitt's backcourt will be 6-3 sophomore Julius Page (9.1 ppg), who burst on the college scene with his acrobatic dunks, and two-year starter Brandin Knight (9.2 ppg, team-high 171 assists). Page's role will change dramatically because he will become Pitt's first focus on offense, which will be a huge departure from his freshman year, when he could wait for Greer to make things happen.

Pitt has a friendly nonleague schedule that keeps the Panthers at home for 12 of 13 games, with the only trip to Ohio State Dec. 19. The season opener is against Morgan State at Fitzgerald Field House Nov. 16.

NOTES -- Syracuse could be without starting guard DeShaun Williams (12.4 ppg) for possibly seven games for violating the school's conduct code. Convicted of driving while impaired in March, he was fined $535 and lost his driver's license for a year. Under university regulations, athletes placed on disciplinary probation are suspended for 25 percent of their games for a the season. Syracuse already is without freshman point guard Billy Edelin, who has been suspended indefinitely. He has been accused of sexual abuse by two female students ... Boston College's Troy Bell and Syracuse's Preston Shumpert were the only unanimous first-team selections. The other first-team picks were Caron Butler of Connecticut, Kevin Braswell of Georgetown, Darius Rice of Miami and John Linehan of Providence.... The league has three new coaches -- Villanova's Jay Wright, Seton Hall's Louis Orr and Rutgers' Gary Waters.