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October 29, 2014

That’s right. ACC basketball media day is today. Coach Jamie Dixon, James Robinson and Cameron Wright are down in Charlotte for the day.

The ACC is doing interviews and taking fan questions on Twitter with the hashtag #ACCTakeover . I don’t see any problems when UNC Coach Roy Williams gets his turn. What could go wrong?

There will be coverage on ESPNU and on ESPN3.com all day today.

In the meantime, Pitt picked up a big recruit over the weekend. And in this case I am talking more about size and tonnage.

Pensacola State sophomore Rozelle Nix, a 7-foot center listed at 315 pounds, committed to attend Pitt beginning with the 2015 season after a campus visit this weekend, Pensacola State assistant coach Ontario Lett said.

And Nix has slimmed down considerably from when he first got to Pensacola. He started out close to 400 pounds last year. But he has dropped the weight and more reduction is anticipated.

“Back then, he weighed 385, nearly 400 pounds, and now he’s down to the 310 range. Coaches weren’t that interested in him. When Coach Barton saw him in July, he was running the floor better than any of the big men there and playing above the rim, and playing with more stamina.

“Coach Barton said it was literally like night and day. Like a whole new person.”

Following a weekend campus visit which included taking in the Pitt-Georgia Tech football game, Nix committed to the Panthers over South Carolina and Loyola Marymount on Sunday night.

“I’ve been around basketball a long time. I’ve never seen the commitment and dedication that I see with this kid,” Lett said. “We’ll do conditioning here and he’ll come back later and do more by himself. Tell him don’t eat friend chicken, and he won’t eat it. He stopped drinking Gatorade because it has a lot of sugar in it. He’s so driven about the transformation with his body. He has a chance to play in the ACC and he can’t believe it.”

Yes, former Panther Ontario Lett is one of his coaches. Can’t imagine a better coach for a huge big man that needs to get into shape and be prepared to play down low for Pitt.

“I was playing down low in the real Big East,” said Lett, who started at Pitt under Ben Howland and current Panthers coach Jamie Dixon from 2001-2003. “System-wise, Pitt is a good place for Rozelle. They play halfcourt physical defense, box out and throw the ball in the low block — that’s his game.

“We played at the same junior college. He’s taking the same role I took. I’m helping him with his footwork and the mentality needed in the post. His transformation will be easier because of the people at Pitt.”

Nix is from the Cincinnati area, so Pitt is a good geographic fit for him as well.

As far as available JUCO talent, Nix is considered a top-10 center and among the top-30 overall.

This seems to be the strategy the last few years for Dixon and centers. Go after a couple of the top center talents, and fall back to JUCO if not happening. The approach seems to be towards minimizing scholarship time for the centers. If a top player would choose Pitt, he’s out in a year or two. If they go JUCO, it’s two years.





Jamie filling a position of need, love the Ontario Lett connection. Awesome he committed after sitting through Pitt-GT, shows he has a strong stomach.

Comment by gc 10.29.14 @ 7:31 am

Last year as a 400 lber, he had very modest ppg and rebound numbers. I would expect these numbers to improve dramatically.

He will most likely not be dominant in ACC but he defends the post and rebounds, he will be an asset. We appear to have sufficient talent at the other positions for the next few years .. especially if our commitments (Damon Wilson 15, Mustapha Heron 16) stay on.

Comment by wbb 10.29.14 @ 8:19 am

UNC will come out of this smelling okay. The ACC will suffer a reputation problem, not UNC. That school has been respected too long to be down for long. However, what went on there is a national cultural problem. It is time for all to pull for themselves.

Comment by Old Pitt Grad 10.29.14 @ 1:34 pm

How is what happened at UNC a national problem? I refused to believe it goes on at many other schools

Comment by wbb 10.29.14 @ 2:25 pm

Check out Swofford sticking up for his alma mater. The ACC has no beef with UNC.

Comment by 2$Chuck 10.29.14 @ 2:37 pm

John Skipper, President ESPN, is a UNC chapel hill grad. Don’t expect ESPN to go after this story with the ferocity that it deserves. Oh sure, they did an OTL and have run a few scrawls across the screen during sportscenter, but they will “move forward” and on to a different scandal. This will all too soon be forgotten.

I hope the Zoo has some funny, creative signs for the Tar Holes when the come to the Pete.

Comment by Boubacar Aw 10.29.14 @ 3:30 pm

Pitt picked to finish 6th, behind Duke, UNC, Lville, UVa and Cuse.

No Pitt guy on ACC preseason team

Comment by wbb 10.29.14 @ 5:49 pm

wbb, I think that is more than fair considering the production we lost and the amount of unknowns.

I agree that no one should be on the preseason team. Let’s hope that someone surprises us and gets on All-ACC end of season team.

Comment by gc 10.29.14 @ 6:33 pm

Josh Newkirk. The Cam Wright injury was the best thing that could have happened for him. Once he gets in the starting line up, he won’t come out.

Comment by Boubacar Aw 10.29.14 @ 8:09 pm

1 minute of Jamie Dixon at the ACC media day:

link to youtube.com

Comment by Howard 10.29.14 @ 9:45 pm

Smizik with a “Whats wrong with Pitt football” in the PG today.

Comment by alcofan 10.30.14 @ 6:29 am

Thanks Howard, I like it, excited about our 5 sophomores. Should make for some consistency for the next three years.

Comment by gc 10.30.14 @ 8:12 am

That one minute was edited from 9 minutes. You can see it all at:

http://www.pittsburghpanthers.com/blog/2014/10/accmediaday—october-29-2014.html

Dixon starts at 7:23:03.

There’s an injury report in there: (1) Durand Johnson not yet healed yet, (2) Cameron Wright expected to come back about the same time as the Hawaii trip.

Comment by Howard 10.30.14 @ 2:17 pm

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