Pitt's 7-Foot Tall Recruit Goes On Pittsburgh Tour
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - The Pitt Panthers' chances of winning the Big East basketball championship this season greatly improved with their incoming recruiting class, which arguably features one of their best recruit ever.
Steven Adams is a 7-footer from New Zealand and he chose Pitt mostly because Jaime Dixon and Adams' dad used to play there and got to know his family.
KDKA-TV's Bob Pompeani: Do you like being 7-feet tall?
Adams: Yeah, I think it's cool. I think it's pretty fun. Everyone notices you, it's pretty good at concerts.
Pompeani recently took Adams on a quick tour of Pittsburgh.
"I wasn't like outrageously tall. I was still kind of normal. But, then when I got to middle school, that's when I started to get much taller than everyone else. And then when I hit high school, that's when everyone just was small and I was big," Adams said.
Adams is big both physically and as part of Dixon's plan for the upcoming season.
Adams: I love shooting. I think all big men want to shoot. If they have the chance to shoot it, they'll shoot it.
Pompeani: What's your range?
Adams: I don't know, I can knock down some threes.
Stops on the tour included Pittsburgh landmarks such as Primanti's and Mount Washington.
Adams is excited to be in Pittsburgh and Panthers fans are excited to see him play.
He is the No. 1 international ranked recruit and the No. 4 overall recruit, according to Rivals.
However, some people are predicting him to be a one-and-done type of player, but he's choosing to not look that far ahead.
"I would like to play in the NBA, but I'm not putting my mind in that sort of area just yet. I just like having fun and enjoying all the little things," Adams said. "All I'm trying to do is do hard work. Just make sure I work hard and that's pretty much it. Work hard for the team and make sure everyone else [is] working hard as well. As long as we do well, as in everyone is playing to the best of their ability, I'll be happy."
Adams is one of 18 kids and his sister, Valerie, is the current world record holder in the shot put.
She will also represent New Zealand in the upcoming Olympics in London.
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