Pitt Needs Aggressive Ishmael Leggett

The Pitt Panthers don't want Ishmael Leggett to compromise.

PITTSBURGH -- Before he joined the Pitt Panthers, Ishmael Leggett shouldered a massive load for a struggling Rhode Island team that was thin on offensive threats and needed their most talented player to take over when wins were within reach. 

As he moved to a more talented team, most expected Leggett to have to temper his game and cut back on the shot attempts to fit in with the other strong offensive threats Pitt has. But "most" does not include Pitt head coach Jeff Capel. Leggett shined as a focal point of the Panthers' offense for the first time in a win over Binghamton and Capel wouldn't have it any other way. 

“I don't want him to adjust [his game]," Capel said. "I want him to be aggressive. I want him to be who he is."

Leggett did exactly that against the Bearcats, scoring 18 points on 6-14 shooting from the field and recording team-highs in rebounds with 11 and assists with five in addition to playing stiff defense on the perimeter. Capel credited him with holding his primary defensive assignment, Dan Petcash, to just four points on 1-2 shooting from the field and two turnovers. 

It's only been two games but Leggett has improved his offensive efficiency significantly. He's shooting 47.6% from the field - an improvement of eight percentage points from last season - and 66.6% on limited 3-point attempts after making just 32% of his 3-pointers a year ago. He's also averaging eight rebounds and 3.5 assists per game so far this season, which would be career-highs if sustained over a whole year.

Leggett gave much of the credit for these impressive numbers to his teammates. The wide array of talented players around him provide support and make the game easier, he said. 

"It’s still instincts, but it makes it ten times easier when everybody around you is just as good as you," Leggett said. "I feel like it takes a lot of pressure off of my performance, and I just get out there and I go play, not really thinking about much. So credit to the guys around me. They make it a lot easier."

Leggett is playing some of the best basketball of his career within this small sample size the last thing Capel wants is to put a lid on it because the Panthers will need every bit of his versatile skill set moving forward. 

"I think that he understands he has some really good players around him," Capel said. "But I want Ish to be Ish, and we want to try to help him continue to get better. I thought he played outstanding tonight, not just the points and the rebounds but he did a heck of a job defensively." 

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