There is no question Chris Taft is probably the most talented and biggest potential star on the Pitt team. It’s also no question that Taft has come no where near tapping his potential. He has been visibly unmotivated in games this season. His numbers are only slight improvements from last year, and far from where even he intended. The big game against Providence was nice to see, but it remains to be seen whether he keeps it going or just falls back to his old habits.

Right now, Taft is saying all the right things.

“I just told myself that the way I had been playing the last couple of games before this game was not really me,” Taft said after scoring a career-high 25 points and getting a season-high 15 rebounds in Pitt’s 86-66 whipping Monday of Providence. “I need to play with a lot more energy and help my teammates out and play more aggressive.”
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“Truthfully, I just didn’t like the way I had been playing. And I know the coaches didn’t like the way I had been playing,” said Taft, who is 6 feet 10 and 260 pounds. “I just told myself that I can’t play like that. I can’t afford to play bad because we have to keep winning games.”

Maybe Dixon was passing on what he was hearing from NBA personnel. ESPN college basketball analyst Len Elmore said recently that some of those same NBA scouts who spoke so highly Taft before the season had become more wary of his work ethic in games and practices.
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If Taft is finally coming into his own, that’s great news for the Panthers. They have built themselves back into a Big East contender largely without Taft’s best. If he can play like he did against Providence on a consistent basis, the Panthers could become a national title contender.

The pressure is on, and Taft knows it. And while he isn’t promising the same dazzling numbers, he is promising the same effort that led those eye-popping statistics against the Friars.

“I just felt like I wasn’t playing real good basketball,” Taft said. “I felt like I could have double-doubles day in and day out. But enough talk. I just have to go out and do it. Whatever happens, happens. But I know one thing, I’m going to go out there and play with a lot of energy.”

If Taft is playing with desire and well, Pitt is a potential Final Four team. If he is playing soft, Pitt is just another Tournament team that will get no farther than the Sweet 16. We’ll see how Taft plays in February.

The nice thing, is he doesn’t have to do it alone. None of the starters do. Pitt has a bench, and Coach Dixon has been using it. The results have been positive. It has given the team more energy, wins and seems to have restored focus to the team.