Pete Newell left his mark on Texas center Dexter Pittman.
The 6-foot-10-inch, 298-pound junior attended the legendary coach’s big man camp in August and learned the same moves Newell had taught to Shaquille O’Neal, Bill Walton, Hakeem Olajuwon, Scottie Pippen, Shawn Marion and many others before him.
The camp happened to be Newell’s last, as the Hall of Famer died Monday at the age of 93.
“I spent about a week with [Newell]. He’d call me to the sidelines and talk to me and had me in the gym early,” Pittman said. “I found out he had passed and was down about that.”
But his legacy lives on in Pittman, who showed his progress by scoring 10 points and grabbing six rebounds in 15 minutes in the Longhorns’ 76-51 rout of Tulane Tuesday.
Newell, who won an NCAA championship at California-Berkley and a gold medal while leading the 1960 Olympic team, worked with Pittman on passing the ball post to post and at getting a better feel for the defense without looking.
But one thing Newell told him stood out.
“He told me that I was a beast, just trying to joke around with me,” Pittman said. “He said I was one of the biggest big men he had seen come through the camp in a long time.”
That’s quite the compliment coming from a man who has coached some of the best.
Surfs up?
The seventh-ranked Longhorns head to Hawaii this weekend for the EA Sports Maui Invitational that kicks off Monday when Texas faces Saint Joseph’s.
But that trip to Hawaii isn’t necessarily relaxing, as the team plays three games in three days and has most of its free time already planned.
“I’m not taking a bathing suit or anything like that,” said Texas coach Rick Barnes. “I’m not planning on laying out by the pool.”
If Barnes can manage to break away for some casual time, he wouldn’t mind trying to surf for the first time.
“Maybe I will surf,” Barnes said. “They gave us a surfboard last time [at the tournament]. Maybe we’ll take it back with us.”
Senior guard A.J. Abrams said he would catch some waves with his coach, too.
“It’s a possibility,” Abrams said “If we had time to surf I would try to do it, but I don’t think I would be too good at it.”
Barnes may need to pack some swim trunks after all.
EA Sports star
With the Longhorns playing in the EA Sports-sponsored Maui Invitational, it’s fitting that forward Damion James is one of the players shown in the commercial for the company’s new college basketball video game.
James’ likeness is shown swatting away a defender’s pass in a game-play clip. While NCAA rules prevent video game companies from using real player names in their games, the player wearing No. 5 in a Texas jersey is supposed to be James.
“Someone told me about it, but I haven’t seen it yet,” he said.
But the new-found celebrity isn’t getting to the junior who’s averaging 14.5 points per game.
“I’m just happy to be in this position,” James said.
Committee approach
It has been so far, so good for Texas ’ point-guard-by-committee-approach that alternates Abrams, Justin Mason, Dogus Balbay and Varez Ward.
The four are averaging a combined 23.5 points and 7.5 assists per game with Abrams accounting for most of the scoring and Mason leading in assists.
“I think for the first time doing it, it worked out pretty well,” Abrams said. “Anytime I can come off some screens and try to make plays off that, that’s good for us.”
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