DeJuan Blair's basketball career at Pitt is only three games old and, already, the freshman is drawing some impressive comparisons.
There are those who feel Blair's combination of skill and toughness are reminiscent of forward Brian Shorter, one of the most ferocious scorers and rebounders in Pitt history. Others believe Blair compares favorably to Charles Smith, the Panthers' all-time leading scorer and shot blocker.
Saint Louis head coach Rick Majerus, a veteran of the college basketball scene, took the complements a step further. And if Majerus, with 424 wins in a 21-year coaching career, is right with his assessment, Blair could finish his collegiate career as one of Pitt's all-time greats.
"That Blair reminds me of a young (Karl) Malone," Majerus said following Pitt's 69-58 defeat of Saint Louis Sunday at Petersen Events Center. "Malone is the second-leading scorer in the history of the game. Blair can be the same way if Blair gets some conditioning. Blair has phenomenal hands. He has soft hands. He has good touch and he has strong hands.
"And he has a joy about playing. I really love that kid."
No doubt No. 19 Pitt (3-0) has enjoyed Blair's strong start.
The 6-7 center weighed as much as 303 pounds during a stellar scholastic career at Pittsburgh's Schenley High School, where he led the school to the 2007 PIAA Class AAAA championship. He slimmed down to 265 before the start of Pitt's season, has started all three games and held his own against taller opponents.
Against Saint Louis, Blair defended seven-footer Bryce Husak and held the Billikens center to two points and three rebounds.
"He's a big guy to guard. The coaches kept telling me to keep my feet active," Blair said. "I was moving around and able to get a couple deflections and made some nice plays."
Blair scored 16 points on eight of 15 shooting with eight rebounds and three steals. At times, he took over the game. Blair scored Pitt's final six points of the first half and also showcased his footwork during one second-half sequence when he left Husak flat-footed with a spinning baseline move. Blair missed the inside shot but collected his own miss and scored on the putback.
"There's going to be a lot of that," Blair promised. "I'm a big man with quick feet. A lot of these seven-footers are slow, so why not go around them?"
Blair is averaging 15.3 points and 9.7 rebounds, plus he leads Pitt with seven steals. Most impressive is his shooting percentage as he's made 21 of 30 field goals (70.0 percent). In wins over Houston Baptist and North Carolina A&T, Blair made all but two of his shots.
"He's gotten better each game and he's continued to improve in every area," Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said. "On defense, he's has a way to go but he can score in the paint, he's bright and he understands things."