Big Fella Blair a perfect fit for hometown Pitt

Pittsburgh’s basketball prodigy couldn’t have landed at Pitt at a better time.

A 7 footer… Pittsburgh’s basketball prodigy couldn’t have landed at Pitt at a better time.

A 7 footer named Aaron Gray had departed, leaving a gaping hole in the heart of Pitt’s interior. If the initial earthquake of Gray’s graduation wasn’t bad enough, the aftershock of 6-foot-10-inch power forward Levon Kendall’s departure did the rest.

No more twin towers meant no more twin killings for Pitt. No more back-you-down wins, no more knock-down-drag-out defensive battles.

Everything Pitt accomplished in the past two seasons swirled down and out of Oakland. But the prodigy, a 6-foot-7-inch, 265-pound beast named DeJuan Blair filled the holes left by Gray and Kendall, answering the prayers of desperate Pitt hoops fans.

Blair grew up within walking distance of Pitt’s Oakland campus. Once he got to Schenley High School, a Pittsburgh City League school just up the street from Pitt, Blair kept growing – up and out.

Big Fella, which Blair explained to media on Pitt basketball Media Day was his nickname, can gobble you up in the paint. And he does it with a smile.

At Schenley, he led a squad filled with unprecedented talent to a 103-16 overall record and a 57-0 record against City League opponents in four years. Blair and company won the Pennsylvania Class AAAA state championship his senior year, helping Schenley become the first City League team since 1978 to win the title at the state’s toughest level.

“A lot of people put down the City League,” Blair said, “but nobody has ever done what we did. We proved a point.”

Blair’s Schenley teammates, D.J. Kennedy and Jamaal Bryant, left him for their own college basketball experiences. Kennedy went to St. John’s and Bryant is playing for Broward Community College in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The trio remains close, however, and Blair keeps them and their accomplishments on his mind every passing day.

“We talk all day,” Blair said. “I’m just glad they’re doing something. I’m glad they’re not here with me, not doing anything.”

Blair cracks a smile when he talks about his high school buddies, the friends with whom he made history. But that’s in the past, and Big Fella is ready to focus on the future.

“I want to get Pitt over the hump,” Blair said. “That’s why I’m here – to get Pitt to the Sweet 16, to the national championship. That’s my goal.”

It’s not very often that a freshman commits to a program, finishes high school and immediately impacts his new team the way Blair has so far this year. An absolute monster in the paint, it wasn’t a difficult decision for Pitt coach Jamie Dixon to make.

Blair had everything the team needed in a player poised to replace Gray.

“He picks things up rather quickly,” Dixon said. “He’s a hard worker, and that’s something I wasn’t so sure about until we started coaching him. You never really know until you get a guy here.”

Dixon said Blair has lost 30 pounds since arriving at Pitt, and his improvement is tremendous. But, Dixon added, it’s a combination of multiple skills and assets that make Blair the freshman sensation he is.

The hybrid post player possesses long arms, quick feet, soft hands, a wide body and, most importantly, a likeable personality.

“His teammates love him,” Dixon said.

Dixon doesn’t think the fear of losing a 7-foot center like Gray is warranted. He’s quick to note Blair can make an impact in his own way.

“Everyone thinks that everybody has a 7-footer because we had one the past two years,” Dixon said. “But the reality is there aren’t a lot of them out there. They usually take a while [to develop], too. [Blair] just a great feel. He’s going to be a good player no matter what.”

For Blair, his instant success is the culmination of whirlwind that found the youngster committing to Pitt after a strenuous recruiting period.

A week before he committed to Pitt, Blair recalled, the endless amounts of phone calls and text messages that college coaches sent him finally set him off. It got to the point that Blair couldn’t stand to be near his phone any longer.

“I went into my grandma’s room and threw my phone,” Blair said. “It was getting overwhelming and out of hand. My grandma didn’t like seeing me that way.”

Blair’s grandma, Donna Saddler, ended the commotion with one fateful phone call. Saddler, who has a strong relationship with Blair, made the decision for him to go to Pitt, Blair said.

“I was at Schenley in English class and I got called down to the office,” Blair said. “My grandma was on the phone, and she said, ‘Pitt is it. You have to pick Pitt.'”

Blair’s tight-knit family comes to all of his home games. The close proximity of the school helped make the decision easier for Big Fella. The freshman goes home when he doesn’t have class or practice and hangs out with his family.

“It’s home,” Blair said. “I like the coaches. I like the environment. I love the [Pitt student section, the Oakland] Zoo. Just to look up in the stands and see my mother and my grandmother and my father, it’s a big accomplishment. I just love it.”

Pitt fans love it, too. Blair averaged 10.3 points and 7.8 rebounds through six games with his new team. He’s used his long arms and blue-collar Pittsburgh-brand of basketball to fill Pitt’s void in the post so far.

The prodigy sits on a blue and gold folding chair in the front row of seats at the Petersen Events Center. Arms rested on his knees, a tattoo covers Big Fella’s left bicep.

It’s him with angel wings and a basketball in his grasp. In script above the art, a subtle message to Pitt basketball fans reads, “God’s Gift.”

Their prayers have been answered.