Basketball: Johnson, Gibbs shine on first night of summer league

A standing-room-only crowd packed the Greentree SportsPlex on Monday for the first night of the… A standing-room-only crowd packed the Greentree SportsPlex on Monday for the first night of the Pittsburgh Basketball Club Pro-Am Summer League that features players from schools such as Pitt, West Virginia, Duquesne and Robert Morris.

Players from area high schools and other Division I colleges also participate.

Pitt players are spread out between six teams so the Panthers play with some of their teammates and against others. The league holds games every Monday and Wednesday through July 13 — excluding July 4 — and continues with playoffs from July 18 to 20.

Each night features three games beginning at 7 p.m., and admission is free.

On Monday, Panther fans got their first look at Pitt’s players before the upcoming 2011-12 seasons. Redshirt freshman Cameron Wright said the summer league is an important part of developing team chemistry both on and off the court.

“I want to get better as a team together,” he said. “As long as everybody’s working together every day in summer league, or whether it’s in the weight room or the classroom. I just want to be at a point as a team so we can make the next step in the tournament.”

UPMC 73, PGT Trucking 69 (OT)

Pitt’s Talib Zanna, a redshirt sophomore, scored eight straight points to open the game for UPMC, showing off his range with two 3-pointers and a long jump shot.

Zanna looked like he would dominate the game inside before incoming Pitt freshman Malcolm Gilbert stepped up to the challenge.

Gilbert, a 6-foot-11 center, finished his first Pro-Am league game with 13 points and 11 rebounds, including an impressive dunk over Zanna in overtime that gave PGT Trucking a 64 to 62 advantage.

But Zanna led UPMC to the win with 28 points and 11 rebounds. He went 11 for 15 from the field.

Wright played for PGT but struggled. He finished with five points on 2-of-12 shooting from the field.

“I didn’t play very well today,” Wright said. “I got off a flight last night super late, but it felt good to be out here with my teammates and with the new guys to get to learn how they play.”

The Lair 69, Center Court 63

Incoming Pitt guard John Johnson nailed his first shot of the game, a 3-pointer, and raised plenty of commentary from the crowd.

While some spectators asked around to find out his name, Johnson continued to put on an impressive performance for Center Court, finishing with 28 points on 10-of-18 shooting.

Johnson hardly looked like a freshman for the majority of the game as he demonstrated his ability to get to the basket and seemingly score  at will.

“I felt good,” Johnson said. “I was playing with a lot of my teammates that have been showing me around campus ever since I came up here to visit. I was comfortable around them.”

He added that the league is important to help the incoming players mesh with the rest of the team.

“If they see me play well, then they’ll have more confidence in me when I’m on the court with them,” Johnson said.

Despite Johnson’s standout performance, another Pitt point guard picked up the win. Redshirt freshman Isaiah Epps finished the game with 12 points, six assists and four steals for the Lair.

Although he shot just 5 for 14 from the field, Epps ran the point with ease and set up his teammates with quality passes, showing that the Panthers have two solid point guards on the roster behind redshirt junior Travon Woodall.

Epps, who didn’t play in the Pro-Am league last season, said he enjoyed seeing how his teammates’ games developed and improved over the past year.

Although Johnson stole the show, many eyes focused on highly-ranked incoming freshman Khem Birch.

The center didn’t excel offensively, but he finished the game with an impressive number of blocks and looked more than comfortable on the defensive end.

SPK Law 76, PBC 60

Pitt fans spent the summer wondering whether Ashton Gibbs would return for his senior season or enter the NBA Draft.

In the final game of the night, Gibbs reminded the crowd how important his decision to return will be for the Panthers.

In a dominant performance, Gibbs went 7 for 15 from the field, including 5 for 11 from beyond the arc, and finished with 26 points, six rebounds and three assists.

The third game was the only contest that didn’t come down to the final minutes — SPK Law took a 20-point lead in the second half and coasted to a win.

Pitt redshirt sophomore Lamar Patterson added 10 points for SPK and said it felt good to play, but he more enjoyed watching Pitt’s incoming freshmen perform.

“I was really impressed with all of them, especially John Johnson and Khem Birch,” Patterson said. “They get to get their feet wet a little bit, just to see the next level and how hard they have to go.”

Senior forward Nasir Robinson played for PBC, finishing with 17 points and nine rebounds on 8-of-21 shooting.