Carl Krauser freshman athlete of the winter

He wasn’t the team’s leading scorer and he wasn’t even among the starting five. But when Carl… He wasn’t the team’s leading scorer and he wasn’t even among the starting five. But when Carl Krauser stepped onto the court this basketball season, excitement arose from the Oakland Zoo as they chanted the word “future.”

“The Future,” one of Krauser’s nicknames, is exactly what this 6-foot-2-inch freshman point guard is to the Pitt men’s basketball team. Krauser, who served as Brandin Knight’s shadow this season, will take over the point guard position for the Panthers next year.

Krauser, who averaged 18.6 minutes per game in his inaugural season, was so explosive and thrilling to watch coming off the bench for the Panthers that The Pitt News has selected him as the Freshman Male Athlete of the Winter.

After redshirting his first year at Pitt, Krauser was an immediate threat for the Panthers this season, playing a key role off the bench. In his debut performance as a Panther, Krauser produced 11 points, five assists and pulled in a team-high nine rebounds against Duquesne. Since then, Krauser has been a fan favorite.

A native of the Bronx, N.Y., Krauser brings a New York street-ball style of basketball to the Pitt offense much different from that of Knight. With his fancy dribbling and no-look passes, he was perhaps the most exciting player to watch this season.

Scoring in double figures eight times, Krauser averaged six points per game in his freshman season. He also averaged just less than three assists per game, second only to Knight.

Perhaps the most pleasing statistic to know of “the future” is his free-throw shooting. Krauser was second on the team in that category, shooting 72.9 percent from the charity stripe this season, which was perhaps the Panthers’ biggest weakness this season.

Keeping that in mind, Krauser looks to be the missing link in guiding Pitt to win the close games next season that they often fell short of this year.

Former head coach Ben Howland was impressed by Krauser’s performance last season and when Howland left, Krauser openly expressed his disappointed thoughts in a television interview.

With Jamie Dixon recently hired to replace Howland, it is questionable whether Krauser will be the Panthers’ go-to man and lead the team on the court. Krauser, however, seemed more than happy to be playing for Dixon next season.

“It’s going to be real fun,” Krauser said. “Me and [Dixon] have a great relationship on and off the court.”

With Dixon’s promotion to the head coaching position, it appears that Krauser’s future will be the same as Howland planned for him. With the departure of Knight, Krauser has some big shoes to fill.

His experience of last season looks to carry over into next. Krauser was among the top 20 point guards in the country in high school, and if he continues to improve, Pitt may see a National Championship in the near future.