Pitt freshman Chris Taft eats Sugar Smacks before every game.
Once the ball is tipped, he turns into Captain Crunch on the low block.
A 6-foot-10, 250-pound freshman, Taft could be the Panthers' highest-impact newcomer. He patterns his game after that of his favorite NBA player, Kevin Garnett.
"I can pass, dribble, rebound and score," Taft said Friday, a day before Pitt opened practice for the 2003-04 season. "I have to work on my jump shot a little bit."
Taft, nicknamed "Big Ticket," averaged 23 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and four blocks per game as a senior at Xaverian High School in Brooklyn. He was the New York state Player of the Year.
Pitt assistant coach Barry Rohrssen, a native of Brooklyn and a Xaverian graduate, was instrumental in recruiting Taft, who turned down the likes of North Carolina and Syracuse.
When Pitt coach Ben Howland bolted for UCLA after last season, Taft wavered. He was hoping that Dixon, Howland's long-time assistant, would get the nod -- and not because Dixon once starred in a Rice Krispies commercial.
The cereal thing only goes so far.
"I was a little bit worried, because I was wondering who was going to get the job, but my Ma was like, 'If coach Dixon gets it, you're not going anywhere,' " Taft said. "I really liked coach Dixon, and when he got the job, I knew this was where I wanted to be."
Taft's passing skills make him a perfect fit for Pitt's offense.
"I love to pass," he said. "I'm not a selfish player. If I see my teammates open, where they can score for me, I'm going to pass them the ball."
Four of Pitt's five starting spots likely are taken, and Dixon said he doesn't expect any of his six freshmen to start. But he didn't rule it out, either, and the center position could be available if senior Toree Morris doesn't upgrade his play from last season.
"Everybody wants to start," Taft said. "But as long as I get a lot of playing time, that's all that really matters."
Pitt's six freshmen are redshirts Levon Kendall, a 6-9 forward and 6-6 forward Ed Turner and four first-year players -- Taft, 6-1 point guard Antonio Graves, 7-foot center Aaron Gray and 6-8 forward Dante Milligan.
Dixon said some of his young players will be forced into pivotal roles.
"We're going to need somebody to play significant minutes," he said. "They're going to be thrown in the fire."
Dixon doubts whether he has a low-post scoring presence to replace Ontario Lett. If he is looking for volunteers, however, Taft will be first in line.
Taft was asked if he is confident about scoring down low over Big East centers.
"Oh, definitely. Of course," he said. "That's the whole point of a big man. You gotta know how to score from the post."
His best shot?
"I gotta go with the jump hook. If you perfect it, it's impossible to stop. ... The right hand is better than the left, but it's just a matter of time."
And, if all goes as planned, it's just a matter of time before Taft becomes a dominant player in the Big East.
If so, Pitt surely will spoon-feed him the ball.
Additional Information:
Give him the ball
Julius Page arrived for his senior year wanting something very badly.The ball.
Even though Page was Pitt's leading scorer last season at 12.2 points per game, he sometimes disappeared from the offense.
He shot fewer than 10 times in 21 of Pitt's 33 games.
'I learned that I should have taken over instead of waiting for someone to tell me to,' Page said. 'Defensively, I did what I had to do, but offensively, I should have spoke and said, 'Just give me the ball.' That's what I'm going to have to do this year.
'My freshman year, I came in here a little cocky. I think I have to get that back.'
Slowed by an ankle injury, the 6-foot-3 shooting guard expects to be 100 percent for Pitt's season-opener Nov. 14 vs. Alabama.
If that game, or any other, boils down to a final possession, guess who's going to demand the ball?
'Who else is going to be the guy⢠It has to be me,' Page said.
He paused, and in the spirit of Pitt's unselfish attitude, added, 'Me, Chevy (Troutman) or Jaron (Brown) is going to be taking that shot.'
