Chris Dokish, Pittsburgh Recruiting

PITT LOOKING AT LATE BACKCOURT ADDITION

Pittsburgh looking at surprise late addition for 2009-2010 season

by CHRIS DOKISH

The graduation of Levance Fields has left the Pittsburgh Panthers in a bit of a bind this season as Jamie Dixon and his staff are trying to stay a contender in the highly competitive Big East. The player who was supposed to be the heir apparent, Travon Woodall, is a redshirt freshman whose injuries have prevented him from getting experience. Sophomore combo Ashton Gibbs had a great summer playing the point as he helped Dixon win the U19 World Championships, but the Panthers prefer that Gibbs concentrate more on shooting, than distributing. With the point guard position in flux, something that hasn’t happened for the Panthers in at least a decade, Dixon and his staff looked for a solution.

Enter Chase Adams. The 5′10″ Baltimore native who is currently visiting the Pittsburgh campus with his Mom. Adams has spent the last three seasons at Centenary College in Louisiana where last season he averaged 14.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg, and 4.5 apg, while making 39.8% of his three point shots and 70.3% of his free throws as a junior last season. He was also named Summit League Defensive Player of the Year thanks to his 83 steals (2.7.game). He has averaged 2.3 spg over his three year career.

Despite playing for a very poor team, Adams showed that he could also play against major Division 1-A programs. As a junior, against Mississippi State, Adams had 15 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals, and nailed 4 out of 8 from three point land. Against LSU, he had 16 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 steals, and against Texas Tech, Adams had 23 points and 6 rebounds, while making 4 out of 5 of his three pointers. For the season, Adams scored 20 or more points eight times, had 5 or more rebounds ten times, and four or more steals nine times.

Adams, who is an excellent student, would be eligible immediately because Centenary is on probation. He will only be eligible to play this season, which would give the Panthers the opportunity to still continue to fill their scholarship limit for the 2010 class.

One player targeted by the Panthers is 6-foot-4 shooting guard Cameron Wright of Benedictine HS in Cleveland, OH. Wright is scheduled to visit the Pittsburgh campus this weekend. Even though the Panthers have just one scholarship remaining for 2010 on paper, they also want to add a true center, and are heavily recruiting Toronto native Maurice Walker, 6-foot-10 and 270 pounds, who will play this season at Brewster Academy in New Hampshire.