Pitt F Nate Santos Taking Full Advantage of New Opportunities
PITTSBURGH -- Nate Santos arrived in Pittsburgh billed as a great shooter, but the results at the college level didn't match what was listed on his scouting report coming out of high school. In his fist year as a Pitt Panther, Santos rarely saw the floor and even when he played, the production lagged far behind what the team needed.
But the rookie struggles have not lasted for Santos, who feels he's finally found his footing at Pitt after using his freshman year to settle in. Even with the shooting numbers far behind what he expects of himself, Santos has found other ways to become a valued member in the rotation during this program's most successful season in nearly a decade.
The second half of Santos' high school career couldn't have gone worse. Between a season-ending injury and the Covid-19 pandemic, he spent two years idle, without live games and that time off has left him rusty. Santos' shooting splits during his freshman year- 32% from the floor, 22% from deep and 63% from the free throw line - reflected that. Those struggles have persisted this season, but Santos hasn't let that stop him from contributing.
"I thought played an unbelivable game," head coach Jeff Capel said following Santos' two-point, five-rebound, zero-turnover game against Clemson. "I thought he played with force. The past few times he has gotten in, I thought he's played with passion and energy. I thought he's played really strong. I have confidence in Nate. ... We have confidence in him."
Capel added that even when Santos has missed this year, he's taken good shots for the most part. Capel claims that Santos is making shots in practice and simply getting the makes to translate to gameday is the only remaining hurdle, but even with that in mind, Santos' other contributions - strong rebounding, defense and decision-making - have been excellent.
Santos appreciates his coach's confidence in him and values the feeling of contributing.
“It means a lot. It means my hard work is showing and that I want to go out there and take advantage of those moments," Santos said. "So it’s great seeing positive feedback.”
Santos has truly bought into the Panthers' rallying cry - one invoked over and over by the head coach and veteran leaders - "consummed by winning" - according to gradutate point guard Nelly Cummings.
"He just wants to win and I think when you're consumed with winning, there's something you can bring to every game," Cummings said.
All of this success - even though it might strike some as modest or go overlooked on the box score - has come painstakingly and with hard work. Santos has had to rinvent his game and go from knock-down shooter to a jack-of-all-trades role player. But the more he gets to play with the many new faces on this team, the easier it is to find his role.
“Getting to my spots and being on the court with those guys, I’m seeing where I fit in and what they like to do and just trying to implement myself with them," Santos said. "So it’s been a big help to play five-on-five with those guys.”
Now with some evidence to back it up, Santos believes his effort will carry him throughout whatever offensive struggles may persist. Becuase he is so singularly focused on helping the team be successful, Santos is comfortable doing whatever it takes to get on the court and contribute.
“I try to give my best effort because we’re a good team and I want to prove myself and just fight to be a good player on a good team,” Santos said.
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