The basketball season officially got underway on Friday night as Pitt won an exhibition with Gannon, 80-50. After the game, head coach Jamie Dixon said one player will have to wait until next year to get on the court.
.@CoachDixon says that Rozelle Nix will redshirt this season and that Damon WIlson was sidelined with a hamstring injury.
— Pitt Basketball (@HailToPittHoops) November 7, 2015
Nix not getting onto the court this season isn't the biggest surprise in the world, but it does limit Pitt's options a little. The Panthers still have transfers Rafael Maia and Alonzo Nelson-Ododa, however. Those two, coupled with Michael Young, who will be playing some at center, should give Pitt enough size if they can stay healthy.
Also keep in mind, too, that the plan can change. That's the direction Dixon is going for now, but if they become shorthanded, they can always try and go to him.
Nix is a big body as evidenced here and needs to be in shape to really contribute. It sounds as if that's still somewhat of a work-in-progress. Just a couple of weeks ago, the Pitt basketball twitter account mentioned that he was working in hard to get into better condition.
It would be nice to have another big body in the mix this year, but assuming Maia and Nelson-Ododa are capable, this won't be a huge loss for this season.
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