Pitt freshman Keith Benjamin came to Pitt with aspirations of replacing Julius Page in the starting lineup. He was among the top 150 recruits in the country and chose Pitt, in part, because he thought he could play early.

But seven games into his inaugural season with the Panthers, Benjamin's role is a bit undefined. He is averaging just 1.6 points and 6.6 minutes per game and does not appear to be a major part of coach Jamie Dixon's plans at this time.

Benjamin has been the ultimate team player throughout, but he admits that it has not been easy.

"It's a hard thing to do, but at the end of the day you always have to be a team player and remember why you're here," he said. "Everybody feels like they should be on the court. But obviously, it's something the coaching staff is not seeing right now, or something I'm not showing right now. I really don't know what it is. I'm just thinking about what the coaching staff is saying and continuing to work hard every day. Hopefully, by the time conference play comes around I'll be out there."

Benjamin, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound guard, has had to watch as sophomore Antonio Graves has come into his own as a starter, as Yuri Demetris seizes his opportunity to start as a senior and as fellow freshman Ronald Ramon plays a key role off the bench.

Benjamin appears to be the odd man out. Graves is the starter at shooting guard and is playing at a high level. He is averaging 11.2 points and 26.2 minutes per game. Ramon, the first guard off the bench, has displayed an understanding of the offense and an ability to make 3-pointers. He is averaging 6.7 points and 25.0 minutes per game. Demetris, the starting swing player, is averaging 4.0 points and 22.7 minutes per game.

For a highly recruited player such as Benjamin, not being a part of the early season success has been trying. Benjamin played for Mount Vernon High School in New York last season and won a state championship. He is used to being a part of on-court successes. Being on the periphery is altogether new.

"I expected to start because I saw the opening there with Julius graduating," Benjamin said. "Antonio Graves wasn't that strong of a player last year. But when I got here there was a lot of stuff I had to pick up quick. Antonio is a semi-veteran. He knows the little tricks and stuff from last year. Yuri is the ultimate veteran being here for five years. They're both playing good right now, so there's nothing I can do."

Biding your time at Pitt is nothing new to even the most talented players that come through the program. Benjamin need only look to Chevon Troutman and Carl Krauser, the two leading scorers this season, as examples of players who waited for their opportunity. Troutman and Krauser redshirted and then played a backup role before starting.

"Me and Chevy had a conversation [Wednesday]. He was saying don't get down," Benjamin said. "He said I'm not going to have to sit as long as he did. He sat a year and a half. Chevy doesn't see me sitting this whole year. Neither does Carl. A lot of people don't see me sitting this whole year. I'm just getting better day by day and waiting to seize the moment."

There is an outside chance that Benjamin could take a medical redshirt this season. His ankle was injured last season in high school and this summer, some cartilage was torn in his knee, forcing him to miss about half of Pitt's summer workouts.

For Benjamin to be eligible for a medical redshirt, he could only play in 20 percent of the games this season. He has played in five, so if the Panthers play 30 games and Benjamin does not play in another one, he would be eligible.

Dixon said yesterday that the medical redshirt is a possibility but that Benjamin playing and contributing to the team is a possibility as well.

"[The medical redshirt] was brought to my attention around the Carnegie Mellon scrimmage," Benjamin said. "But coach Dixon feels that I can make a big impact this year. He just doesn't see it right now because we're playing teams that we know we can beat. Maybe it doesn't call for me right now. Maybe my time is coming."