News a few days ago that shooting guard Detrick Mostella would be heading to Pitt was a pleasant surprise, to say the least. Right smack-dab in the middle of Pitt to the ACC and football recruiting, Jamie Dixon managed to reel in a four star shooting guard eligible for next season. Mostella is a high end talent, and will play a big role next season, but how big of one?
Mostella is a scoring guard that can shoot it up and he can flat out get off the ground. He is not your everyday Pitt shooting guard and it will be interesting to see how a player like this fits into the program. Is Dixon going to continue to add athletic guards like Mostella and Newkirk, and play a more open style? Or will he stick to his formula of defense and efficient offense? Either way, it's exciting to have a player like this entering the program. The ACC is a more up and down league in contrast with the former Big East, and perhaps Dixon is anticipating the need to run a bit more. Mostella is a confident player and he will look to score, which will be a welcome sight for Panther fans.
It's also interesting to speculate what the rotation will look like next season. Pitt lacked a true scoring threat from the shooting guard spot in past years and that should change with Mostella. Robinson, Zanna, and Patterson will almost surely start next season, but the combination of the other two starters is what will make things interesting.
Mike Young, Derrick Randall, and Joe Uchebo will be in a deadlock to fight for the extra post spot, but the shooting guard position has a bit more depth and seems to be a fierce battle as well. Cam Wright is a junior that has been around the program. He is not a great scorer but Dixon certainly appreciates his defense. Obviously, Mostella will be in the thick of the race, but will Durand Johnson and Chris Jones come in to play as well? Can Josh Newkirk emerge as well? A lot of questions, but it is certainly nice to have options.
The program seemed to be in flux a few months ago. There were transfers and rumors of transfers galore, Steven Adams went off to the NBA, and recruiting seemed to be lacking. Now a few months later, Pitt now has three Rivals top 150 prospects coming into the program. They return three starters from an NCAA tournament team, and 12 of the 13 scholarships have now been filled. Things looked bleak back in April but appear to be much more stable now. I, for one, am feeling a bit more optimistic about next season.
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