The depth on this Pitt basketball team is so impressive, and will make for some spirited debates throughout the season as to who should be seeing more minutes, who should see less and (hopefully) why.

Last night it was Tyrell Biggs stepping in to a primary role with a season high 24 minutes in which he scored 11 points (5-7) and grabbed 8 rebounds. He stepped up when Aaron Gray was first limited by early foul trouble and then a split lip requiring 7 stitches.

Levon Kendall moved to center, meaning more minutes for Biggs at power forward. Known for his defense and rebounding, Biggs shot 5 of 7 from the floor yesterday. He has scored a career-high 11 points twice in four games this year. Last season, his single-game high was eight points, as he played only eight minutes a game.

“When Tyrell shoots like that, we’re going to be tough to stop,” said Fields, who finished with five assists, five rebounds and no turnovers.

Biggs underwent a startling offseason transformation, losing about 20 pounds thanks to a conditioning routine and an improved diet. Reportedly a 300-pounder as a New Jersey high schooler two years ago, Biggs now has a chiseled 6-foot-8, 245-pound frame. But he insists his physical attributes are the same. Dixon disputes that.

“He’s quicker. He jumps better,” Dixon said. “It’s not even close. But he doesn’t think he lost any weight.”

Biggs is not selling it to anyone. His old HS coach last week saw the difference. Still, if he wants to claim that, fine. Keep playing this well, and no one will care.
UMass tried — and succeeded early — to get Gray in foul trouble. They learned a lesson about Pitt’s depth and versatility in scoring options. Not to mention, a still stout defense inside.

Massachusetts coach Travis Ford, whose 2-1 team is picked to finish second in the Atlantic 10, said having Gray sit out so much was his team’s goal. Late Friday night, the Minutemen put in three new plays designed to try to get Gray in foul trouble.

“When he went out, I said, ‘OK, ‘ ” Ford said. “And then it got worse.”

The Minutemen stayed in the game and led, 29-28, with 6:16 left in the first half before foul trouble caused Rashaun Freeman, Stephane Lasme and James Life to spend time on the bench. Pitt responded, running up a 46-37 halftime lead.

“We couldn’t score anymore,” Ford said. “We don’t have enough weapons. We didn’t take advantage of [Gray’s absence] because our guys got in foul trouble.”

It helped Pitt, too, that it continued to shoot well.

Here’s the thing about that kind of approach — trying to draw fouls on a player. Unless it’s well executed and well planned, the team trying it is also going to be called for more than a few. It’s just going to happen. You need depth to pull that off. Something UMass didn’t have.
Finally, a little recap story on how Jamie Dixon and Pitt ended up discovering Levon Kendall after 9/11.

Instead, Dixon went to a Nike All-Canada camp at Toronto, the only high-profile event within driving distance of Pittsburgh being held the weekend following the attacks. He didn’t take a day off recruiting because the nation was on high alert.

“There’s often times in recruiting when things fall through. You have to have back-up plans,” he said. “I knew a couple of kids who were going to be up there. I didn’t know anything about Levon.”

Three players in the Toronto tournament were being recruited by Pitt, but Dixon kept noticing Kendall, a power forward from Vancouver. He passed and shot well. He showed good defensive fundamentals. He even had intangibles, like interacting well with his teammates during downtime.

Because there were no flights — and virtually all the U.S. tournaments were postponed — Dixon stayed in Canada for another day. He saw Kendall play in four games in two days. He came back to Pittsburgh and told Howland about the experience.

Pitt ended up whiffing on the other 3 players in Canada including Denham Brown who went to UConn. That opened up the scholarship offer for Kendall.