Expect men’s, women’s basketball teams to recover from tough year

I’m not going to lie to you: Pitt’s basketball programs — both men’s and women’s — were terrible last season. I’m not going to lie to you: Pitt’s basketball programs — both men’s and women’s — were terrible last season.

The men endured a month-long losing stretch that they never fully recovered from. They finished the regular season with a winning percentage barely above .500 at 17-16, with a mediocre 5-13 record in Big East play. Not only did the Pitt men’s basketball team fail to qualify for the NCAA Tournament for the first time in a decade, it also wasn’t invited to the National Invitational Tournament, either. Rather, Pitt’s postseason play occurred in the third-tier College Basketball Invitational, in which the Panthers went 5-1 to capture a “championship” on their home floor. Don’t expect a banner to be raised over it.

And despite what seemed like a promising start, the women’s team never truly got going. It lost its last 17 games and went 0-16 in Big East play, including a humiliating, incomprehensible 76-point loss to Notre Dame.

But last year’s turmoil doesn’t necessarily mean that the Panthers will continue their slump for all of your four or so years at Pitt. Trust me, both teams pack loads of potential and offer hope to suffering Pitt fans for the 2012-2013 season and beyond.

Let’s start with the men.

Although the Panthers lost both their leading scorer and rebounder following the graduations of Ashton Gibbs and Nasir Robinson, the departure of the two seniors will lead to increased minutes for a trio of talented young Pitt players ready to replace them: rising juniors Talib Zanna, J.J. Moore and Lamar Patterson. Patterson, who averaged almost 10 points and five rebounds and was named co-most-valuable-player by the team in his sophomore year, and Moore, who raised his game in the final 13 contests of the season by scoring 11.7 points per game, have both shown glimpses of their abilities to excel offensively. Zanna’s physical presence makes him an ideal replacement for Robinson at power forward.

Those three have the talent to fill the void left by Gibbs and Robinson on the court, and there is no doubt that Travon Woodall, last season’s other co-most-valuable-player, will be the man to take over the primary leadership role. The rising senior has shown his mettle and talent time and time again in his past two years as a starter, and, if he can remain healthy, he will have full control of the Pitt offense this coming season. Despite missing 11 of the team’s 39 total games in his junior year, Woodall still led the team in assists at 6.1 per game and was the Panthers’ second-leading scorer at 11.7 points per game.

Pitt’s depth in the backcourt could be crucial for its hopes of returning to the NCAA Tournament next season.

In addition to Woodall, Patterson and Moore, John Johnson, Cam Wright, Durand Johnson and incoming recruit James Robinson — the No. 4-ranked point guard and No. 43 overall prospect in the class of 2012 — will all vie for minutes this season.

Last year, John Johnson showed off his 3-point shooting ability, making 38.4 percent of his shots from long range. Wright gained more playing time as the season progressed, exhibiting defensive prowess and athleticism that helped him score around the basket. After redshirting, Durand Johnson also hopes to make an impact with his athletic 6-foot-6 frame, and Robinson might see a few minutes at point guard as he learns from Woodall.

In the paint, the Panthers will also cause more matchup problems for opposing teams.

Although Nasir Robinson played harder than nearly every player on the court, his 6-foot-5 body created mismatches in favor of the opposition at the power forward slot in nearly every game.

But having height at the forward and center positions will not be a problem for Pitt next season.

The 6-foot-9 Zanna will compete with 6-foot-9 senior Dante Taylor to start at power forward, while 6-foot-11 sophomore Malcolm Gilbert and 6-foot-10 Steven Adams, the No. 4-ranked center and No. 6 prospect overall in the recruiting class of 2012, will add further depth to the Panthers’ frontcourt.

The increase in minutes for all of these players should pay early and substantial dividends for the Panthers in the 2012-2013 season. A potential starting lineup of Woodall, Moore, Patterson, Zanna and Adams, who is considered by some to be the most prized recruit ever to commit to play basketball at Pitt, should get Panthers fans excited for the future.

Another factor that will assist Pitt’s chances of succeeding in what could be its final season in the Big East — before switching to the Atlantic Coast Conference — is the significant number of talented players from other Big East teams departing to the NBA draft or other professional leagues this summer.

All six members of the 2012 All-Big East First Team — Kevin Jones of West Virginia, Jae Crowder and Darius Johnson-Odom of Marquette, Kris Joseph of Syracuse, Jason Clark of Georgetown and Jeremy Lamb of Connecticut — either graduated or declared for the NBA draft, leaving the conference bereft of star power heading into the new season.

With this loss of talent, the Big East schedule will likely not pose as much of a challenge for the Panthers as it did last year, and this could lead to more wins for Pitt in its quest to return to the top of the conference.

So have faith — the men’s team will rebound and likely it will happen immediately. Because of Pitt’s internal growth and potential big-time additions and the competition’s loss of experience and talent, the 2012-2013 season should be more like what Panther fans have grown accustomed to over the past decade.

As for the women, there is nowhere to go but up in the coming years.

The team’s struggles have increased annually since the 2008-2009 season in which the Panthers, led by Shavonte Zellous, reached the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament. Pitt’s win totals have decreased from 16 to 14 to eight in the three seasons since that 2009 run.

But, with a team that incredibly will not have any seniors for a second consecutive season, the Panthers are making progress toward returning to national prominence.

Rising sophomore guard Brianna Kiesel led a talented freshman class last season, and her successful first year didn’t go unnoticed, as the conference named her the Big East Freshman of the Year. Kiesel led Pitt in points and assists per game at 13.6 and 2.8 points, respectively.

In addition to Kiesel, junior guards Ashlee Anderson and Marquel Davis provided a scoring punch for the team. Anderson finished second on the team in scoring at 10.6 points per game, while Davis finished third at 8.5 points per game.

Exactly how much the Panthers improve next season could rest on the shoulders of a girl taller than Michael Jordan.

Marvadene “Bubbles” Anderson, a 6-foot-11 recruit from New Jersey who is presumably the world’s tallest teenage girl, will bring plenty of height and attention to the Panthers this season, and her success on the court will go hand-in-hand with Pitt’s ability to pick up wins.

Anderson will be joined in the Pitt frontcourt by junior Kyra Dunn, who finished second on the team in rebounding at 5.6 per game and averaged five points per game.

Junior Abby Dowd also provides a long-range threat to stretch the defense. She made a team-high 35 3-pointers last year, including seven in a 23-point performance against DePaul in January — a game in which Dowd tied the school record for 3-pointers made in a game.

With a young, talented group of players continuing to improve under ninth-year head coach Agnus Berenato, the strategy for the Panthers is to stay on course and get better with every game.

And if Bubbles can dunk a few times along the way, it could be a fun season for Pitt fans watching the rebuilding women’s basketball team.

Overall, prospects for both teams look bright. So go ahead, purchase those Oakland Zoo shirts and make sure you figure out the ticket-requesting process. The seasons to come look to be worth following.