This hero no accident
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Late-game hero Brad Wanamaker looks for an opening.
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This hero business in sports doesn't happen by accident. A kid doesn't just climb out of bed one day and become a Big Man On Campus by throwing down a critical 3-point shot and then two make-'em-or-lose free throws with fewer than two ticks on the clock and 12,781 pairs of eyes and a regional television audience watching. In the case of Pitt's Brad Wanamaker yesterday, it goes back to his freshman season when he was 18 years old, a fairly long way from home and not playing nearly as much as he wanted, the toughest of times when he was down on himself, his coach, the team, the university, just about everything.
"We had many conversations, many talks," Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said, 30 minutes after the Panthers' stunning, back-from-the-dead 82-77 overtime win against Louisville, the delirious noise still ringing in his ears from a Petersen Events Center crowd that couldn't quite believe what it was watching and Wanamaker's starring role in it.
You think Dixon is a pretty terrific game coach? You have no idea how good he is at what he does when the gym is empty. Great coaching is about so much more than just designing a play or orchestrating the defense.
"People make a big deal when a kid isn't happy with his playing time," Dixon said. "I think it's good. I want that kind of player on our team. I never want a kid to lose that desire. But, at the same time, I don't want his disappointment to get in the way of his development. [Wanamaker] and I talked about it a lot. He never stopped working to get better. He cares so much."
It was a mature Wanamaker -- mentally, physically and emotionally -- who took an inbounds pass deep in the corner from teammate Jermaine Dixon with Pitt down, 68-64, with 16 seconds left. He's a junior now, 20, a key element in the team's successful chemistry. He knew Louisville's zone defense was going to focus on Pitt's best shooter, Ashton Gibbs. He also knew what he was going to do once he had the ball in his hands.
First Published January 17, 2010 12:00 am
