Pittsburgh Panthers will have Steven Adams back

Mar 21, 2013; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers center Steven Adams (13) dunks the ball in the first half of the game against the Wichita State Shockers during the second round of the 2013 NCAA tournament at EnergySolutions Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports

Pittsburgh Panthers fans may worry about whether or not Head Coach Jamie Dixon will come back, but one freshman center from New Zealand has made his intentions clear; he’s coming back.

“I’m coming back,” Steven Adams said to reporters following the Wichita State loss. “I don’t know why you guys keep asking that question, man. I’m coming back.”

Adams had an up and down season as he tried to adjust to the pace of the college game. Expectations were high for the seven foot center from Rotorua, New Zealand and often he played pass first, perhaps too much at times. In the game against the Duquesne Dukes, Adams was able to get several offensive rebounds but just was unable to put the ball in the basket.

As the season continued, he got more confident with the basketball, but the player who was expected to be a potential NBA lottery pick and had scouts regularly frequent games at the Petersen Events Center often was not a focal point in the Panthers offense.

While Adams is uncomfortable with group interviews, he did seem to get used to the attention or at least tuning it out in games.

His last impression was a favorable getting 13 points and 11 rebounds, much of it during garbage time against Wichita State.

Going into the tournament, Adams had seven points a game and a team leading 6.2 rebounds. His 192 rebounds all season were one behind Talib Zanna.