Pitt F Guillermo Diaz Graham Stands Tall in Spot Start
DAYTON -- Guillermo Diaz Graham learned hours prior to tip-off that he would be starting at center for the Pitt Panthers in their first NCAA Tournament game in seven years.
With regular starter Federiko Federiko, one of the best post defenders in the ACC, unavailable, head coach Jeff Capel turned to the only center left on his roster. It was a move made by default, not necessarily choice, and it created what on paper looked like an exceedingly unfavorable matchup with Mississippi State.
The Bulldogs' first-team All-SEC center Tolu Smith - all 6'11 and 245 pounds of him - was quick to try and target the wiry freshman defending him, but after playing 37 minutes of brutally physical basketball, 205-pound Diaz Graham and Pitt emerged victorious, 60-59, in the First Four at UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio. When the world expected him to be completely overmatched, Diaz Graham left every bit of himself on the floor.
"Man, I'm exhausted," Diaz Graham said after the game. "That was a hell of a fight. He's a really good player, and he was trying to attack me every time. Of course, he's bigger than me. Just fighting, he's bigger than me but I'm going to fight more than you. It's exhausting, but we won, so it was worth it."
Unfazed by the bright lights of college basketball's biggest stage, Diaz Graham held Smith to just 13 points on 5-11 shooting and eight rebounds - figures that sit below his season averages. Facing a deficit in weight and experience, Diaz Graham still held his own. Smith could move him, but Diaz Graham's long arms allowed him to reach for steals and take Smith out of rhythm. He got some help from his teammates, who brought quick and effective double teams every time Smith touched the ball, but the bulk of the work containing Smith's typically dominant skill set fell to Diaz Graham.
“He just continued to fight," starting guard Jamarius Burton said. "He understood that most of his offense came from duck-ins and getting angles and stuff like that, so for him, he just wanted to make it difficult on him.”
It wasn't always easy for Diaz Graham. In the first half, he looked for a breather and had to call for a substitute. He had played more than 20 minutes just four times this season and the season-high 37 he logged against Mississippi State took a toll. He was tired and frustrated after missing some easy opportunities to score at the rim, but his teammates wouldn't allow him to hang his head.
"He got down on himself a little bit in the first half because he felt like he didn’t finish opportunities around the rim," fellow starter Greg Elliot said. "But we told him to stick with it. The way this game went, a lot of big plays are going to need to be made so we just told him to be ready for the next one.”
Diaz Graham was, indeed, ready for the next one.
He punctuated the evening by blocking Smith with two seconds left in the game to preserve the 60-59 lead Pitt held through the final buzzer. After turning Smith away from the basket, he roared to the Panther fans sitting along the baseline. He felt confident, in control and ready to let the emotions that had built over the course of the day spill.
After the Bulldogs' final attempts at a game-winner fell off the rim, his twin brother Jorge rushed from the bench to center court to great Guillermo. The two embraced and shed tears of joy as they celebrated moving on in the NCAA Tournament and Guillermo's massive role in making that happen.
"As soon as he hugged me, all the emotions from the game, they just come out of my body," Diaz Graham said. "I couldn't control it."
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