After last season’s NCAA tournament run ended with a loss to Marquette, the men’s basketball… After last season’s NCAA tournament run ended with a loss to Marquette, the men’s basketball team turned its eyes to filling holes. With forwards Donatas Zavackas and Ontario Lett leaving, the frontcourt is left with eight players who, combined, had 11 starts for Pitt last season – forward Chevon Troutman with three and center Toree Morris with eight.

“We’ve got to replace two guys who have played a lot of minutes for us,” head coach Jamie Dixon said, referring to Lett and Zavackas. “[They were] big contributors for us.”

Lett was a powerful force down low, registering 39 blocks and 163 rebounds. He also was second on the team with a field goal percentage of .608. Zavackas recorded 140 rebounds and averaged 10.1 points per game.

Dixon explained how the loss of Lett and Zavackas will force the Panthers to play freshmen this year.

“We’ve got nobody else,” he said, and with a smile, added, “but these are good freshmen.”

The Panthers have five freshmen at the forward and center positions who will be making appearances in the Pitt frontcourt this season.

Freshman Aaron Gray is practicing and learning his position from Morris. Gray is a seven-foot center from Emmaus High School in Emmaus, Pa. He was named Pennsylvania’s Gatorade State Player of the year as a senior, when he averaged 20 points and 15 rebounds per game.

Guard Carl Krauser spoke highly of Gray, saying he has great hands.

Chris Taft has also gone under Morris’s wing in the learning process. The freshman forward averaged 23 points and 10 rebounds per game as a senior at Xaverian High School in Coney Island, N.Y. Those numbers earned him the title of New York State Player of the Year.

“Chris Taft is a good, tough player from New York who jumps high, is real athletic, blocks shots, and he’s a great scorer down low,” Krauser said.

Freshman forward Dante Milligan is from New York, where he attended Trinity-Pawling High School. As a senior, he averaged 16 points and 8.7 rebounds a game.

Forward Ed Turner, who redshirted and traveled with the team his freshman year, will also see action this season. He attended Turner-Carroll High School in Buffalo, N.Y. – the same high school that Julius Page went to.

At Turner-Carroll, Turner averaged 20 points and nine rebounds per game as a senior. He led them to the city championship game in both his junior and senior years.

Forward Levon Kendall also redshirted his freshman year and traveled with the team. He went to Kitsilano High School in Vancouver, British Columbia, where he averaged 23.2 points and 13 rebounds per game as a senior. He was named First Team All-Canada in 2001.

“We’ll see all [five] of them being contributors, if not now, but in the future,” Dixon said.

“I think we’re going to surprise a lot of people,” Troutman said.

He feels the freshmen coming in are very talented and are ready to step up to the challenges this season will bring.

“I feel very comfortable with the big guys down low,” Krauser added. “All the big men down there are going to be very impressive. They are working hard everyday. They have great post moves.”

“Toree has done a great job working with the younger guys,” Dixon said.

Morris is also prepared to step up and play. He played in every game last season, mostly off the bench, recording 33 blocks and 90 rebounds. He scored 115 points in the limited action he saw last season behind Lett and Zavackas.

“Toree is dunking and catching the ball real well,” guard Jaron Brown said of what he’s seen in practice so far.

Junior forward Mark McCarroll played in 19 games last season and scored 28 points and recorded six assists. In limited action, 123 minutes of play, he pulled down 35 rebounds.

Troutman was number one in the nation last year with a .718 shooting percentage, and his teammates have confidence in him getting to the basket and scoring points.

“Chevy is a scoring machine,” Krauser said. “He’s a magnet to the basket.”

Troutman averaged 11 points and 5.1 rebounds per game last season for Pitt. He was named to Dick Vitale’s All-Rolaids Team as one of the nation’s best sixth men, due to his great relief. Troutman came off the bench in 28 games last season.

“Chevy is Chevy,” Dixon said. “He just continues to put up numbers and surprise people.”