Q&A With Ex-Texas and Current Miami Heat Center Dexter Pittman
By Steve Hunt/FoxSportsSouthwest.com
Dexter Pittman had a solid four-year stay at Texas. After fighting off questions about his weight when he arrived in Austin, the big guy kept his weight under control for the Longhorns and had a successful stay with the Burnt Orange. Heading into the 2010 NBA Draft, those questions about his weight continued to be there but the consensus was that Pittman, whose dad Johnny, played at Oklahoma State, would go likely in the second round. He did. When the Miami Heat picked him 32nd overall, not only did he realize a lifelong dream of being drafted into the NBA, but he also knew he was about to embark on a new phase of his life both on and off the court.
How have things been in Miami so far?
Pittman: It’s great. The atmosphere is great. The coaches are great and the city is great. Where could I complain? Everything is good here, in Miami. It’s a great organization.
You had two fellow Longhorns also get drafted in Avery Bradley and Damion James. How does that make you feel?
Pittman: I’m happy for those guys because I know we worked so hard for this moment. We deserve it and our families deserve it also. It’s like a dream come true. When you’ve worked so hard and have an opportunity to go out there, show your skills and all they’ve taught you (it’s great).
Discuss how you look back on your time at UT.
Pittman: I look back on my time at UT as a great four years. Being there under Coach Barnes’ system prepared me for the big leagues. That’s the competition they were.
What do you think will be the biggest adjustment for you?
Pittman: Just learning the game mentally (will be the biggest adjustment) because when you get to this level, it’s more mental than physical because you have older guys.
How did Coach Barnes impact you the most during your years with him at Texas?
Pittman: First of all, he helped me transform my body and become a better player on and off the court. There’s nothing negative I could say about him.
Were you surprised at all when it was the Heat who drafted you?
Pittman: I kind of knew I would end up with them because Pat Riley said that I could come in and do what they wanted me to do-take care of my weight and get in top shape.
How much are you looking forward to working with someone like Pat Riley?
Pittman: It’s a dream come true-working with one of the best coaches in the game. Not many players get that opportunity in their first year. Getting to work with a great coach like him is a great thing.
Depending on how free agency shakes out, you could or couldn’t have some new teammates. How do you feel about that?
Pittman: It doesn’t matter because this is a business. You’ve got to come out and play no matter who’s on your side. You’ve got to go out there and sacrifice it all.
Are you excited about the start of NBA Summer League?
Pittman: I’m really excited about Summer League and am ready for it.
Since Michael Beasley also played in the Big 12, at Kansas State, do you guys already know each other?
Pittman: Yeah, Mike, Mario (Chalmers) and I have a good relationship. I talk to those guys all the time. Being in the Big 12 and knowing some of the other guys like Mike and Mario, I think they’ll help me out a little bit because they know the ropes.
What kind of rookie hazing are you expecting?
Pittman: I don’t know. I’m just taking a low key approach.
How honored do you feel to be part of such a big class of Big 12 players taken in the draft?
Pittman: I feel very honored because I know the Big 12 is a good conference. We’ve always been a good conference. Now we got to show that by having so many guys in the draft.
UT's Pittman on his nickname, Wal-Mart and an absurd transformation
Dec 15, 2009
By Luke Winn
The latest subject of our hoops Q&A series is Texas center Dexter Pittman, who's off to an impressive start in his senior season, averaging 13.6 points and 6.1 rebounds in just 19.8 minutes per game.
He arrived in Austin in the same 2006 recruiting class with Kevin Durant, but weighed more than 390 pounds and played sparingly in his first two seasons. In four years in Austin, the 6-foot-10 Pittman has undergone a miracle transformation, slimming down to near 290 pounds and establishing himself as the anchor in the paint for the second- ranked Longhorns, who are 8-0 and have big tests looming against North Carolina and Michigan State. The following is an edited transcript of our conversation:
Luke Winn: Can you tell me the origin of the nickname Sexy Dexy? I was watching the Long Beach State game (on Dec. 7) and an announcer suggested that you might have made it up. Figured I'd give you a chance to set the record straight.
Dexter Pittman: The nickname originally came from the women's basketball team, the summer before my freshman year. I'd be the only male basketball player in the weight room early in the mornings, when they were there, and they saw how hard I was working. They commented on how my body was changing, and one of them said, "You're getting sexy!" All the girls were like, "Yeah!" -- and one came out said, "Sexy Dexy!" That's where the name came from. I was just a pup then, and Kevin wasn't even on campus yet, because he was still playing All-American stuff.
LW: Who were the key players involved in that -- and was either a future girlfriend?
DP: It was Mariana Mergerson and Kristin Nash. I did date Mariana a little bit. We're still like best friends.
LW: Why is your Twitter account Big_Pitt instead of Sexy_Dexy? I thought that would be a natural handle.
DP: I didn't want people to think I was conceited.
LW: I wanted to ask you about a few Tweets. One said that you had Twitter activated on three phones. Really?
DP: I love phones like women love shoes. Even if they're not on -- I just want to have them around. I'm known on the team to have the best phones. Like, if the iPhone is out, I get it before any one of my teammates. And then they be getting on me, like, "Man, you change numbers more than anybody I know! I'm not even saving yours in my phone!" I have the iPhone right now, but I love Blackberries, so I got the Storm and the Curve, and I don't know which one I want to give up yet.
LW: Why this phone obsession?
DP: I think phones are the backbone of this generation, communication-wise, the way we stay in touch with family and friends. And I love technology. My dream was always to be an engineer or something when I got older. When I was a little boy I didn't think about playing basketball, I dreamed about building computers and robots. ... When I was seven, if the VCR broke, my grandma would tell me to fix it, and I'd take it apart and put it back together. Or I'd go to one of my neighbors' houses and fix their TV. I love taking things apart and putting them back to together.
LW: The other Tweet was about your love for Wal-Mart. You said it's "my favorite place and it's the place to be." That's a serious thing?
DP: Oh my god. If I could live in Wal-Mart, I'd live there. Do you know that movie Where The Heart Is? It's the one where the lady has a baby in Wal-Mart, and stays in Wal-Mart. That's one of my favorite movies because of that scene.
Wal-Mart is a great store. If I get rich, I want to buy one, because it has everything. You don't have to go anywhere else. I'd rather go to Wal-Mart than the mall. I had an addiction where I was going to Wal-Mart every day to buy something, but I calmed down. I haven't been there in two weeks -- that's why I don't have any food in my fridge.
I'm scared I'm going to go there and blow all my money. Because I'd stop in the electronics department and buy a Blue-ray or something, and I'd get home and be like, why did I just buy this?
LW: Seems like it got a little out of hand.
DP: I was going every day. It was crazy. I'd even get mad when someone would say something about Target. I'd be like, "I hate Target, don't talk about Target." Wal-Mart is so much better. I want to go there right now, now that we're talking about it.
If you watch CNBC, they've been showing a special about Wal-Mart. I've watched that probably three times. It talks about the communities where they build stores, their prices, their stock, all that.
LW: When did this obsession start?
DP: My grandma used to always take me there when I was younger. It's a superstore ... and that's another reason I like Wal-Mart: It's so big, I feel small there.
Q&A with Texas Longhorns center Dexter Pittman
Brian Smith, FOX Sports Southwest
Dexter Pittman has overcome a lifetime of teasing, lost 70 pounds over the course of one summer and become a low-post force for one of the best teams in the nation. Is Pittman satisfied with what he’s accomplished? In his own words: “I don’t think I’m even close to how great I can be.” Check out what else Dexter had to say in this exclusive interview with FoxSportsSouthwest.com.
Can you take us through the loss at
Dexter Pittman: I think we handled it well. It was just about us not doing what we’re capable of and executing offensively
How loud was it inside Bramlage Coliseum? It seemed pretty crazy.
DP: Yeah, it was pretty loud. It was one of the loudest places I’ve been in since I’ve been in the Big 12. But I really don’t listen to the loudness; I’ve learned to block it out.
The play inside the paint seemed very tough. Was that one of the more physical games you’ve ever played in?
DP: Not really. I don’t think it was that physical, to be honest with you. It could’ve been a little more physical, but the refs had the game under control. I think our games against
Do you think the team may have been a little overconfident after running off 17 straight wins to start the season and being ranked #1?
DP: No, I don’t think we were overconfident at all. I think we were probably under-confident. We didn’t realize that we were #1, and we didn’t realize that people were going to come hard after us. We’ve got to know that though. We’ve got to know when we’re ranked in the top-10 that everybody’s going to come at you, because they want to build their resume and they want a piece of the pie.
You, Justin Mason and Damion James are the lone seniors on this year’s squad. Did you take it upon yourselves to become the leaders of the team this year?
DP: Yeah, we took it upon ourselves, but really and truly, we don’t have to lead that much because this team is mature and basically everyone is a leader. But when it’s really time to lead, then the three of us step in and say, “Hey, we’re doing it this way.” We know when to step in and when not to.
You have a two-game home stand starting tonight against
DP: It’s not about me dominating. I know I could dominate every game, but every team that we’ve played so far sits back in the paint on me, so there’s 3 or 4 guys guarding me and it’s hard for me to get open looks with the ball. But I change the game in other ways like blocking shots, altering shots and playing defense. So I’m really not worried about my scoring; it’s about me going out there and doing my job in order for us to win.
How much pride do you take in rebounding and playing defense? Do you think it’s even more important than scoring?
DP: Yeah, because everyone knows I can score. They like to criticize me because of my defense, but I’m taking pride at getting better defensively every day.
Talk to us a little bit about the first summer you spent in
DP: My teammates and Coach Barnes being there for me and helping me get through the struggle and the pain. They kept me motivated and positive. I just knew it was something I had to do in order to become a player.
Can you take us through a typical day during that summer?
DP: I got up at 5 a.m. I worked out at 6 a.m, then went to class, then came back to work out with the team. After that I went to study hall, then came back and worked out again with the team. So I was working out three times a day.
When you were being recruited in high school, did some schools bring up your weight as an issue?
DP: Some did, and some others weren’t really honest with me. They just saw me as a project and they thought that I could come in and help their team out, but they weren’t looking at it as a personal problem for me like Coach Barnes did. He told me that he could change my life forever, and he did.
Are you happy with where you’re at right now physically, or are you looking to lose even more weight? What do you eventually want to look like?
DP: No. I’m looking to lose more weight. I just want a sick body, and that’s what I’m working for, that’s my motivation right now. I lost the weight, but now it’s time for me to transform into a sick, muscular body, like Dwight Howard. I’m just trying to be ‘Big Sexy.’
Have you seen your story make an impact on other kids who struggle with their weight?
DP: I get it all the time. It motivates me that somebody looks up to me. It motivates me to keep going.
You came in with Kevin Durant your freshman year. Is he the best you’ve ever played with?
DP: He’s the best to ever play this game, so I’d have to say yes. He’s a great guy. We learned a lot from him.
You got to attend Pete Newell’s famed Big Man Camp in 2008, before your junior year. How much do you think that helped to improve your game?
DP: It helped me a lot. It helped me unlock the true big man inside me. It helped me develop my strengths and get interested in the low post game instead of just doing something else. So now when I score, it’s just off of instinct.
You really improved during your junior season. What else do you think contributed to your improvement?
DP: Just having confidence and knowing that I have to become a player more than just a role-player.
How much better do you think you can be?
DP: Right now, I don’t think I’m even close to how great I can be. I think I’m just a quarter of what I can be. And that’s the good thing about it. It’s like a burning feeling on the inside of me, telling me that I’m going to be way, way better. Just wait, take my time and keep working and getting better. I love the work.
Your father played for
DP: Yes. I always wanted to play for
I imagine you’re one of the most popular guys on campus. How cool is it to walk around campus and have everyone recognize you?
DP: It’s crazy. I’ll always go out of my way for people, because they were there to support me through the tough times.
You’ve been great on the court, but maybe even better off it. You have been named to the Academic All-Big 12 team twice. How important is it for you to excel in the classroom?
DP: Very important. I take pride in the classroom because growing up, there was a lot of criticism that I wasn’t serious in the classroom, so I wanted to prove people wrong and let them know that I am.