Confronting Florida in NIT Season Tip-Off presents challenge for Pitt’s big men
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One of the most-discussed storylines during the first four games of Pitt’s basketball season has been the growth of big men Federiko Federiko and the Diaz Graham twins, Guillermo and Jorge.
Growth, in terms of production on the court and physically, as big men, slightly bigger men than they were during the 2022-23 season.
Guillermo is the tallest of the three, standing at 7-foot, but only an inch above his brother and Federiko.
Each added weight and muscle in the offseason, with the twins opting to stick around campus and work with Pitt’s training staff, rather than going home to the Canary Islands.
The weight gain was nothing outrageous but enough that might help them withstand the rigors of dragging opposing bigs up and down the court over the next four months. Guillermo is up to 220 pounds from 205 last season, and Jorge weighs in at 210 from 190. Federiko, who spent much of the summer working with Finland’s national team, is now 225, from 220.
The added bulk will be necessary Wednesday night when Pitt meets Florida, its first opponent this season from a Power 5 conference, in the NIT Season Tip-off at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. The game is scheduled to tip at 9:30 p.m., after the opener matching No. 13 Baylor and Oregon State. Winners and losers will play Friday.
Florida is unranked but has opened the season with a 3-1 record, losing only to No. 24 Virginia, 73-70. The Gators defeated Loyola (Md.), 93-73, and Florida A&M and Florida State by the same score, 89-68.
Through the early days of the season, Florida has leaned on two bigs for its rebounding, sophomore Micah Handlogten (7-1, 235) and graduate student Tyrese Samuel (6-10, 239). Their stats are similar, each with 34 rebounds and four blocks in four games.
“It’s going to be a great challenge for our bigs,” Federiko said.
Samuel is averaging 12.5 points per game, and Handlogten checks in at 10, with 70.4% shooting accuracy (19 of 27). They are one of six Gators scoring in double digits, led by 6-4 guard Zyon Pullin (15), a transfer from UC Riverside who arrived with 1,312 career points.
Federiko leads Pitt with 12 blocks and is second in rebounding, one behind Ishmael Leggett (32-31). At this early stage, Federiko is rebounding at a better rate than he did through the entirety of last season (7.8-5.3).
He hopes to improve his defense while becoming more of a scoring threat. He is averaging 7.3 points per game, less than a point over last year’s 6.6 average.
“Offensively, I haven’t yet picked up. I know I’m much better,” he said. “I just haven’t gotten my chance yet. But the season is just starting.”
Federiko’s big-picture goal is for the team to surpass its 24 victories from last season. He said this season’s team has “more length, more younger guys, more energy.”
“Same kind of team as last year, but I feel like younger dudes bring more pop and energy. We want to be a better team than last year.”
Seven players from last season’s team are gone, but what’s left is a legacy of togetherness that the team had last season. With eight new players, this season’s group gets along well and spends almost all of their free time with each other.
“We clicked from the start,” freshman Bub Carrington said. “It’s a unique experience. Not every team is like this, for sure.”
Carrington got his collegiate orientation from Leggett, a junior who played at Rhode Island last year. He said it happened over the summer in a pickup game.
“I caught (a pass) on the wing and (Leggett) was guarding me. He just took it from me. I (said), ‘Yeah, OK, this is different. These guys are stronger. They play harder.’
“He made me look like a kid. That was my welcome-to-college moment. I had to realize I had to be stronger. I had to be more physical.”
Carrington and Leggett have meshed well through the first four games, averaging 18 and 15 points per game, respectively, but with different styles.
“Ish is the one who’s going to go right at you. I’m the one who’s going to figure a way around you,” Carrington said. “The perfect balance.”