I haven't heard much discussion on this but as I've been putting together the basketball roster previews, I gave it some thought - could forward Jamel Artis be a candidate for a redshirt?
Artis is an incoming freshman and has the ability to play small forward or power forward. But with Pitt's situation having improved recently, Artis seems like he might not be needed all that much this season.
Anything changes with injuries, obviously, but let's assume he plays at one of the two forward spots. Lamar Patterson is the likely starter at small forward and if Durand Johnson plays there as well, that position should be in good hands - especially if Chris Jones ends up there instead of at guard. At power forward, you've got incoming freshman Mike Young and transfer Derrick Randall.
The redshirt of Artis comes down to what happens with Randall in my opinion. Randall transferred from Rutgers, but the question, of course, is his eligibility. The NCAA has yet to rule on him being able to play right away, but as I've said before, with the Mike Rice situation at Rutgers, I'd expect he should be able to play this season. Assuming he can give Pitt minutes there, Artis may not be needed right away. But if not, Artis may be needed there to fill in.
Another factor? One thing to watch would be the ability/inability of JUCO transfer Joseph Uchebo to play right away at center. That could give Zanna minutes at power forward and further take some of the strain off at that position. To me, that's always been the best option if it's possible, anyway.
There's a lot up in the air, including the ability of Randall to play right away. But if he can, it might make a lot of sense to redshirt Artis.
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