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Pitt went 0-2 this past week, but Jamel Artis had a performance few will forget. It’s unfortunate that the senior guard’s top performance came in such a dismal week for the hoops team. The week started with a tremendous comeback, that fell short, against the ranked Louisville Cardinals. It ended with a thud, at home, against Miami. Through it all, Artis shined, giving him the Panther of the Week honors.
Let’s just start with the low point of the season, which saw Pitt lose to Miami, AT HOME, by 26 points! In a game that saw no Ryan Luther and Michael Young battling a face injury, Artis tried his best to keep Pitt in the game, but fell short. The senior finished the game most would like to forget with a team high 15 points. He also chipped in two boards and two assists.
While that game is one that everyone wants to forget, Artis had one fans will remember for a long, long time against Louisville. The Panthers finished the contest with a 85-80 loss to the Cardinals. The game saw Pitt fall behind early, by over 20 points, but then everyone witnessed Artis’ refusal to let Pitt go away. He finished with 43 points, three rebounds and two assists. 32 of his points came in a wild second half.
The Baltimore, MD native was draining threes from NBA range and with defenders in his face and Louisville had to feel like they were in a horror movie for a little while. They had to be wondering why Pitt wouldn’t die until the final seconds. Artis shot 68% from the floor and that included seven treys.
Unfortunately most will remember this for the dismal performance against the Hurricanes and they should, but it should not let us forget Artis’ performance earlier in the week. The team needs Young to rebound from his injury and they must have find someone to step up for Luther’s absence. If that doesn’t happen, it won’t matter what Artis does.
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