Guillermo and Jorge Diaz-Graham came into Pitt as a pair of skinny international prospects, who had been in the United States for just one year at the prestigious IMG Academy, not knowing much about what college basketball truly entailed.
Fast forward to this upcoming season, and the twins have an incredible one year of experience, 20 additional pounds on their bodies, and a heap of learning experiences on and off the court. In year one, Guillermo played in 33 games, averaging 12 minutes per contest behind Federiko Federiko, while Jorge appeared in 31 matchups, playing just over nine minutes per game.
“We know how our team felt, we were so connected,” Jorge said on Tuesday ahead of year No. 2 for the twins. “So, we try to teach that now to the younger guys and the newcomers. I think it has worked great, because right now, I think, and I know, we’re very connected. Just taking a step now and being more loud because now, you have people looking at you. So, I think we’ve done a good job with that.”
One of Jorge’s biggest learning experiences, he said, came in the December matchup against Syracuse, in which he 18 minutes in his second career ACC game. With Federiko in foul trouble and a resurgent Syracuse team battling back into Pitt’s early-game lead, Jorge stepped up to the challenge and scored nine points on 2-for-4 shooting. He hit his lone three-point attempt and grabbed five rebounds, helping Pitt secure the win on the road to start 2-0 in ACC play.
For Guillermo, his most memorable learning experience came in Dayton, Ohio, in Pitt’s First Four matchup. The 7-footer filled in for an injured Federiko in the starting lineup and delivered on the defensive end against Mississippi State forward Tolu Smith in a battle down in the paint. Guillermo grabbed five rebounds, poked away two steals, and swatted two shots, including perhaps the most clutch play of Pitt’s season, in the thrilling win in Dayton.
“That game took my soul,” Guillermo said. “When I ended that game, I just wanted to fall on the floor and start crying. Like, that game took everything from me. It was beautiful.”
Pitt returns veteran leader Blake Hinson, as well as Federiko down low. William Jeffress will be back following a foot injury that kept him out all of last year. But after that, the Panthers plan to look to a group of newcomers — three transfers and three freshmen — for production. The twins, despite being in just their second year with the program, are now leading the newcomers after coming in with no experience in the college game themselves just a year ago.
“I think there’s going to be new things, of course,” Guillermo said. “There’s always going to be something you’re going to learn playing basketball. But it’s definitely not coming into a new world. We’ve already kind of played a year. So, it’s definitely more confidence in ourselves and what we can do. Especially this year, this group of guys, [I’m] excited to go again and start playing again to see the difference. Like, OK, last year, I started this way. Let’s see how it will start this year. It’s a difference, like, how much have I really improved? We haven’t even played college basketball for real in a long time. So yeah, I’m excited for it.”
“We know more now so we can be comfortable in those situations,” Jorge added. “Like, UNC was a really hard game, because, you know, UNC is huge, the stadium is huge. Last year was kind of scary sometimes. Against Syracuse was kind of scary. But I feel like now, we’ve experienced that, so now we know what we are getting into, and that definitely helps.”
The twins, with their additional weight, feel that they will be able to box out and grab rebounds more easily than they used to.
“I’m not saying it will be easy, but It’s definitely like, I know I can move guys better now, and it’s not going to require 100 percent of my energy just to box out a guy,” Guillermo said. “Now, I can hit them harder and go for a rebound.”
The twins will look to lead Pitt in the opening game of the season at 7 p.m. On Monday, Nov. 6 against North Carolina A&T at the Petersen Events Center.
