More time at guard steadies Wanamaker
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Sophomore Brad Wanamaker has played three positions during his time at Pitt. Unfortunately for him, many of his minutes last season came at point guard when Levance Fields was injured. More minutes came his way earlier this season at small forward when Gilbert Brown was out with a stress fracture of his left foot.
There hadn't been steady minutes at shooting guard, his natural position, until recently. But with increased time there, Wanamaker seems to have finally settled into a comfortable role with the Panthers.
Wanamaker has emerged as a dependable backup to starter Jermaine Dixon. He played 25 minutes last week against Vermont when Dixon had to sit out much of the game with foul trouble and came through with 2 points, 4 steals, 4 assists and 5 rebounds.
"It's me being more comfortable in my role and making plays to help our team be better out there," Wanamaker said.
- Game: No. 3 Pitt (9-0) vs. Maryland-Baltimore County (5-3), 7 p.m.
- Where: Petersen Events Center.
- TV: FSN Pittsburgh.
Coach Jamie Dixon has noticed the difference. Freshman Ashton Gibbs had been getting a lot of minutes at shooting guard earlier in the season, but Wanamaker has earned more minutes with his improved play.
"I thought he was playing very well early on," Dixon said. "Then when we had Gilbert out we played him more at small forward than we anticipated. He's getting more [minutes] where he expected to be and needed to be.
"He's playing very well. I'm not surprised. He's working hard and playing well. He just has to keep getting better defensively and get more patience on the offensive end. His thing isn't so much trying to make things happen when shooting it. He tries to make things happen with passes. That's where we're trying to get him better."
Dixon said Wanamaker is unselfish to the point where it has become a detriment to his game. He has the tendency to rush in transition, and that has led a bevy of turnovers. Despite averaging only 14 minutes per game, he leads the team with 17 turnovers.
Dixon has been stressing to Wanamaker to take the open shot when he has it. Wanamaker worked tirelessly in the offseason to improve his jump shot, and Dixon would like to see him show more confidence in that improved part of his game.
Wanamaker, who shot 16.7 percent from 3-point range last season, has made 4 of 7 shots from behind the 3-point arc this season.
"He's a much improved shooter," Dixon said. "It's not even close. He's shooting the ball well. We're trying to get him to the point where he's shooting the open shot rather than driving in and taking a more contested shot. That's something he has to get used to. That's a common thing going from high school to college, but probably more so with him because he was such an effective driver in high school.
"He is a far better shooter than he was. He's put in the work. I thought he could become a good shooter because of his form and his release. He's a good free throw shooter. It was building on that form and just getting more comfortable doing it."
Wanamaker's improved shooting could be important for the team. With Jermaine Dixon struggling from 3-point range, the reserve guards that come off the bench must be able to make open shots.
"I did a lot of work on my shot and I'm still doing work on it," Wanamaker said. "I'm trying to perfect my jump shot. For us to win, we need the outside jump shots."
First Published December 12, 2008 12:00 am
