Ramon hones skills at point, maintains shot

Ronald Ramon waited patiently for his screen and then sliced through the key. As three… Ronald Ramon waited patiently for his screen and then sliced through the key. As three defenders closed in to take away his shot, Ramon kept his eyes on the basket and deftly passed an open Gilbert Brown in the corner.

Later that same possession, Ramon once again darted to the hoop, this time along the baseline, drawing the attention of the Providence big men. As he disappeared into the cloud of black jerseys, Ramon wrapped the ball around a defender to a wide-open Sam Young. Though neither basket fell, basketball fans had the sense that they were observing a very talented point guard.

The transition for Ramon from shooting guard back to point guard, where he has spotlighted several times throughout the past several seasons, has not always been smooth. But watching him now, you would be hard pressed to tell.

“Getting used to the offense wasn’t the problem,” Ramon said. “It was making sure guys were getting to the right spot, and I was getting the ball to the guys and making sure they take high percentage shots.”

Two games after the injury to Levance Fields, Ramon was thrown into the fire against Villanova. And his response was, well, less than adequate.

Ramon had more turnovers (five) than assists (three) in that contest and didn’t fare much better (three assists, two turnovers) against South Florida in the following game.

But things have started to click since. Ramon had eight assists in a win over Seton Hall and turned the ball over only once in the upset victory over Georgetown at home. He has had only one game with more turnovers than assists since the Villanova debacle. Even that was against, ironically, Villanova.

Last night, Ramon was patient and thoughtful in running the offense. He seemed to dissect the Providence zone for weaknesses before making his first move and then deliberately attacking the soft spots.

There was the swing pass to a slashing Young in the paint for an easy layup. There was the fastbreak in the second half in which he passed between two defenders to lead a darting Keith Benjamin to the basket. And there were the numerous occasions he followed his passes by rolling around a well-positioned screen to get the ball back and knock down an open jumper.

Ramon finished with 15 points, six assists and only two turnovers. He also tied a career-high with five 3-pointers.

While fans might best remember Ramon’s season for the game-winner against West Virginia several nights ago, they should consider the sacrifices and strides he has made to keep the Panthers in contention in the Big East despite their rash of injuries.

We have all witnessed the evolution of a true point guard, and the team will be better for it. Ramon has filled in admirably at the most important position on the court. While Pitt is still anxiously awaiting the return of Fields, it now knows it has a reliable substitute should anything else happen.

“It’s more about the number of minutes he’s had to play,” Dixon said. “He’s just done an unbelievable job throughout his career, and he’s been great this year.”

Perhaps Fields’ injury wasn’t so bad for the team after all.