Senior class leaves mark

Amid the blaring brass horns and furious cheering from the student section, Aaron Gray… Amid the blaring brass horns and furious cheering from the student section, Aaron Gray silently plodded through the team entrance into his final home game trailing the rest of his teammates. Despite his larger than life stature, Gray’s understated manner was, for one last time, displayed for all in attendance. Even with some coaxing from his fellow players, Gray stubbornly refused to crack a smile as he toiled through the layup lines, simply offering high-fives and a few inspirational words instead.

Just moments earlier, Levon Kendall swiftly jogged to the court, inconspicuously positioned in the middle of the pack. Fans have come to expect this from the senior forward – never first, nor last, just working himself seamlessly into the fabric of the team. Kendall was just as unassuming during warm-ups. The senior seemed distant, unreachable, with the seemingly singular goal of refining his layup and rebounding techniques.

And then there was Antonio Graves, displaying his trademark smile, nearly as wide as Gray is tall. Never one to hide his emotion, Graves seemed to revel in this moment. Once the layup lines formed, however, Graves gathered up a ball, sharpened his hesitation step and quickly darted to the basket. Despite his excitement, Graves didn’t abandon the tireless work ethic he has developed during his four years at Pittsburgh.

This is the story of the senior class. Three different players, three different demeanors, one common, diligent work ethic.

It was this work ethic that morphed Gray from a sluggish, overweight freshman into the preseason Big East Player of the Year. Having lost 30-some odd pounds, Gray is now a sturdy NBA prospect, a distant cry from what many projected him to be when he first set foot in Oakland.

Kendall came to Pitt as a somewhat unknown and unheralded commodity from Canada. Unlike Gray, Kendall actually spent his career building upon his 6-foot-9 frame. With the added muscle, Kendall has become one of the steady factors for the Panthers. An ideal role player, Kendall shot, blocked, passed and rebounded his way into the starting lineup at the beginning of last season and never relinquished his job.

Graves was the final commitment to the senior recruiting class. The formerly scrawny guard from Ohio was also an unheralded prospect out of high school. Many fans and experts believed Graves would never crack the starting lineup, but he did, quickly. Graves started 25 of 27 games in his sophomore campaign, but inconsistent play moved him back to the bench as a junior. In his final season, however, after countless hours of refining his jump shot, improving his ball handing and bulking up, Graves once again worked his way back into the starting rotation.

On this night, Gray won the tip-off opposite West Virginia’s Rob Summers. The three senior starters immediately made an impact. On the Panthers’ opening possession, Kendall smoothly cut to the baseline, handled a dart from Mike Cook and banked in an easy layup, just like warm-ups.

Next, it was Gray’s turn. On Pitt’s third possession, Gray grasped the feed from Graves at the top of the key and sunk the open jumper, a rare outside opportunity for the center.

Typical of Graves to defer to his teammates. Following his six assists on the night, Graves moved into soul possession of second place on the team in assists. Several possessions later, Graves accumulated his second helper by finding Ronald Ramon for a wide-open 3-point opportunity.

Despite missing his first several shots, Graves finally notched his first points in typical fashion with just more than five minutes remaining in the opening half. He received the pass at the top of the key, and using the same hesitation step he refined during warm-ups, took one hard dribble to the free throw line and leaned in as if to draw contact from a phantom defender. The shot, like so many previous to this one, didn’t fall smoothly through the orange rim, but rather bounced, rattled and clanked off of every conceivable surface before finally, unwillingly, falling through.

The Panthers prevailed over their rivals, 80-66. When all was said and done, the evening once again belonged to Gray who, with 12 points and 13 rebounds, notched his 13th double-double of the season. As he has throughout the past two seasons, Kendall complemented his post partner with 12 points and nine boards of his own. Graves, meanwhile, ensured everyone’s involvement with a team-high six assists and, most importantly, one last giant grin for the home fans.