Basketball: Woodall, Richardson impress first night of summer league

While most Pitt basketball fans are waiting to see where some ex-Panthers end up in this… While most Pitt basketball fans are waiting to see where some ex-Panthers end up in this week’s NBA Draft, others got their first chance to see the next generation of Panthers on Monday.

At the Greentree SportsPlex, located just outside the city, the Pro-Am Summer League started last week.

There are six teams of players from local colleges. Three games are played at night, starting at 7 p.m. and are open to the public. Each game consists of two 22-minute halves.

Pitt is well represented, as every member of the team, except Ashton Gibbs, is playing. Gibbs was selected to play this summer with USA Men’s U19 World Championship Team coached by Jamie Dixon.

It was the first chance for fans to see the incoming freshmen — Dante Taylor, Lamar Patterson, J.J. Richardson and Talib Zanna.

Taylor, a McDonald’s All-American in high school, is widely regarded as the best of the four prospects. The 6-foot-9-inch Taylor could replace DeJuan Blair in the starting lineup next season, although he’s not concerning himself with the possibility of following an All-American.

“There’s no pressure,” Taylor said. “I just have to come in and perform.”

He scored 14 points and had nine rebounds, but looked a bit winded during the latter parts of both halves. After the game, Taylor said he’s not in his ideal shape, but has no doubts he’ll build up his stamina before the season starts.

Taylor, who said he arrived on campus over the weekend, did show qualities that led him to become such a highly touted played coming out of high school. A few times, he showed a nice touch on his shot from the paint and grabbed a few of his rebounds with many other players vying for the ball.

Richardson impressed with both his physical play and finesse. He scored 13 points and had seven rebounds. For a 6-foot-7-inch wing player, Richardson handled the ball well and showed good passing ability. He also played a half in the second game, scoring seven points and pulling down four rebounds.

Zanna also looked like he can contribute to the team this year. After an unproductive first half, Zanna scored 15 of his 17 points and grabbed 11 of his 13 rebounds in the second half.

Patterson didn’t have as much success as his fellow freshmen. He hit a jump shot early in the game, but didn’t score again.

With the Panthers losing four starters, this group of freshmen figures to see a lot more time than most players from previous incoming classes. According to Taylor, the group is prepared for it.

“We’ve got to come in and be ready to play,” he said. “We all knew what we were coming into, and we all knew who was leaving, so now we have to go and prove what we can do on the court.”

During Monday’s opening games, the most impressive player from Pitt wasn’t exactly a new face, but one not seen frequently last year.

Point guard Travon Woodall, who redshirted last year with multiple injuries, played in the second game of the night and dazzled with his quickness and ability the run the offense.

Woodall ended the game with 24 points and seven assists, but also showed promise on the defensive end, swatting the ball away from his opponent on several occasions.

With the graduation of Levance Fields, Woodall is expected to battle for starting the point guard job with Gibbs, who played the position last year off the bench, even though his natural position is shooting guard.

Early in the game, Woodall tossed a no-look pass to Gilbert Brown, who caught the ball midair and threw it down to complete the alley-oop.

Not only did Woodall show off his passing ability, but he showed that he can score in different ways.

He hit a few 3-pointers, as well as some jump shots. But Woodall also used his quickness to drive to the hoop for layups and frequently altered his shot in midair to avoid a defender while still connecting.

Playing on the same team as Woodall, Brown scored 18 points also using a variety of shots. He had a few highlight-reel dunks, but also hit a few outside shots, including some from beyond the arc.

While Brown also missed a decent amount of shots, he created many of his own shot opportunities off the dribble and was aggressive on offense.

With Sam Young and Blair graduating, the Panthers will need other guys to fill in on offense, and Brown looked like he was going to try to be one of the leaders.

In the third game, Jermaine Dixon, the only senior on the roster this year, showed he should be just as good if not better than last year. He scored 23 points, grabbed seven rebounds and had three assists.

“I did all right,” Dixon said. “I was a little rusty, but it was my first time playing [this offseason] with referees.”

He said he hopes to improve his ball handling and rebounding during the offseason. He occasionally dribbled the ball up the court a few times, but showed an increased effort to rebound. Oftentimes, Dixon was in the middle on any fracas in the air to grab a missed shot. He also showed his ability to drive past opponents on his way to the basket, as he did last season.

Dixon also mentioned he, along with juniors Brown and Brad Wanamaker, are going to have to take over for the departed players as leaders of the team.

“That’s a role we’re going to have to take on,” Dixon said. “We knew right after the Villanova loss [in the Elite 8] that was our job. We’re definitely up for it.”