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I'll be wrapping up the basketball player previews today. We didn't do the freshmen mostly because, to offer up analysis on their strengths and weaknesses without having seen them in a single regular season game outside of high school would be kind of silly. We'll have all kinds of time during the season for rash generalizations, after all.
Today, our last player we'll be looking at is center Tyrone Haughton.
Position: Center
Class: Junior
Height/Weight: 6'9"/220 pounds
2013-14 Stats (at Iowa Western CC): 3.9 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.2 blocks per game
Overview
Haughton is a JUCO transfer who comes to Pitt via Iowa Western Community College. He had offers from other programs such as Tennessee, Memphis, and Wichita State, and Rivals had him listed as a three-star recruit. He was listed as a power forward most places prior to coming to Pitt, but will likely play center for the Panthers. ESPNU ranked Haughton as the No. 31 overall JUCO player.
Strengths
Haughton gives the team a big body and is a shot blocker/rebounder. His offensive game seems to leave a lot to be desired, but with so many other scorers, the Panthers don't really need him to do much at that end. Last year, Haughton averaged more than six rebounds and three blocks per contest last year and while those numbers were put up in community college, those are skills that should still somewhat carry over into Division I despite a step up in competition. He doesn't have a great offensive game, but he did shoot 55% from the field last season.
Weaknesses
Haughton doesn't have much of an offensive game. I mentioned above that Pitt doesn't need him to be a juggernaut offensively, but he'll need to improve there if he's going to need to provide some kind of offensive presence. in addition, Haughton hasn't yet played against major D-I competition. He'll be thrust not only into Division I, but into potentially the toughest conference in the country. The step up in competition will be significant.
The center also comes in a bit behind everyone else. He didn't play in the team's games in The Bahamas and really missed out on being able to gel with the team.
Lastly, Haughton is a miserable free throw shooter - he made only 29.6% of his at the line, according to this site.
Conclusion
Haughton could be headed for a redshirt. Most recently, Jamie Dixon said that he's behind other players which makes some sense given his lack of D-I experience. Haughton didn't even play in Pitt's first exhibition against IUP and seems like he's a while away from being a contributor. The Panthers need help at center and if he redshirts this season, that's a pretty big indication of just how much work he needs. If he progresses to the point that he doesn't redshirt this year, it would mean he's taken great steps forward.
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