Panther of the Week: Jamel Artis

Wow!

That's really all I can say about this past week. Pitt had the lowest of lows with a loss to Virginia Tech to give the Hokies their first ACC win of the year and that was followed up with a massive upset against the number 8 ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish at The Pete. Three players really stood out this past week with solid efforts by Cam Wright, James Robinson, and Jamel Artis. In the end, Artis gets the nod, slightly ahead of James Robinson.

Robinson came out with a decent effort against the Hokies, but his ten assist/one turnover performance against Notre Dame is what made this decision extremely hard. Artis came out on top, though, as he continues to improve game in and game out. He is beginning to remind me of Lamar Patterson in our "Panther of the Week" posts from last season. The sophomore is breaking out and has Panther fans giddy thinking about what he could become when it is all said and done at Pitt.

Artis starred in a game that a lot of Panther fans would like to forget in the loss to Virginia Tech, posting 17 points, nine rebounds, and four assists. He did not duplicate that effort against the Irish - he surpassed it. On Saturady, Arits came up with 20 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and added in two steals. For the week overall, Artis shot 56% from the floor, 50% from beyond the arc, and finally a perfect five-for-five from the line.

Pitt is struggling this season and there is no doubting that. But the emergence of Artis has been a nice surprise to the season.

Be sure to join Cardiac Hill's Facebook page and follow us on Twitter@PittPantherBlog for our regular updates on Pitt athletics. Follow the author@BrunoPittsburgh.