Taking over Pitt basketball

As a track star, Shavonte Zellous excelled nearly every time she stepped on or around the… As a track star, Shavonte Zellous excelled nearly every time she stepped on or around the oval. She was named track team MVP all four years at Jones High in Orlando, Fla. She won the district championship in the long jump.

As a junior in high school, she won both the district and regional championships in the 100-meter dash to go along with her position on the championship-winning 4-by-100 meter relay.

But being a track star wasn’t in the cards for Zellous.

She loved basketball, a sport that would provide her with an outlet from Orlando.

In basketball, she had a game where she either matched her track accomplishments or surpassed them.

Growing up playing basketball with her brother and his friends, Zellous, a redshirt junior guard for Pitt women’s basketball, honed her ball-handling skills on the playground.

She was a four-year captain and letter winner at Jones High, where she led the team to a second-place finish during her junior season and district and regional championships during her senior campaign.

That year, she led the Tigers to a 30-2 record, averaging 15.5 points and 15 rebounds per game. With those numbers, Zellous took her team to the Florida state championship game, where she took home the MVP award along with being named a MacDonald’s All-American nominee.

After that state championship game, the Panthers stepped in to heavily recruit Zellous, who was already being pursued by West Virginia, North Carolina and Florida State.

“We came in really late. We were just watching a basketball game on television,” Pitt head coach Agnus Berenato said, explaining how she and assistant coach Jeff Williams first saw Zellous.

“We saw the Florida state championship game and Shavonte just stood out. We already had [current Pitt center] Marcedes [Walker], but she hadn’t committed yet to our program. We saw [Zellous] and then we offered her an official visit. The rest is history.”

Joining the Panthers that year with Zellous were Walker and point guard Karlyle Lim.

Those two players played during their freshman campaign while Zellous sat with a redshirt.

In her two seasons of play since that redshirt season, Zellous has transformed her game from that of a pass-first guard to a dependable shooter, as evident by her team-leading 19.1 points per game last season.

After her redshirt year, Zellous fell into a defensive role for the Panthers. She finished second on the team in blocks with 26 and third in defensive rebounding with 117.

That season saw the Panthers miss the NCAA Tournament, but advance to the Women’s National Invitational Tournament, a postseason tournament for the teams that just missed the NCAA Tournament field.

“I was new to college basketball and wasn’t up to the game’s speed my first year,” Zellous said.

“With [star point guard] Mallorie [Winn]’s injury, I had to help with the offense last season.”

Winn’s absence, which most saw as a crippling effect for the team, became a blessing in disguise, because it let one of the game’s top shooters, Zellous, establish herself.

“My teammates encouraged me to just shoot, shoot, shoot, and I came to my senses,” Zellous said. “Marcedes was a big part in that.”

Walker helped Zellous ease the transition from a part-time contributor to a full-time gamer.

In her second season and first as a full-time starter, which saw the Panthers advance to the second round of the 2007 NCAA Tournament, Zellous won the Big East Most Improved Player award.

She started 33 games last season before the team was knocked out in the second round against perennial-power Tennessee.

Zellous became more of an offensive threat in Winn’s absence.

Walker, who finished second on the Panthers in points per game last season with 19, is Zellous’ best friend on the team, and has been a guide in helping Zellous become a team leader.

Zellous, who spends her evenings talking on the phone and hanging out with her friends, is looking for the Panthers to build on last season’s success.

“We have depth now,” said Zellous.

“We have Mallorie [Winn] back, Sophronia [Sallard] is in there and all of the freshman will help us pick up where we left off.”