Federiko Federiko is one of the most important pieces on Pitt’s roster.
The junior big man has proven that he is an elite rim protector and lob finisher, giving Pitt a dynamic player on both ends of the floor. Last year, he cemented himself as one of the ACC’s best shot blockers, averaging 1.7 blocks per game. This year, he’s already averaging three blocks per contest, along with an improved rebounding average of 7.8 per game. Although it’s still early in the season, Federiko has accomplished these statistical improvements playing 21.3 minutes per game, as opposed to 23.4 last year.
So how can he get better? On Monday, before heading out to Brooklyn for Pitt’s Preseason NIT event starting on Wednesday, Federiko gave a quick answer regarding what he needs to do to improve this year.
“Just more blocks, more rebounds,” he said. “Help my team to win.”
Federiko spent a large portion of the summer back home in Finland as opposed to working out with the Panthers in the Steel City. There, he practiced with the Finnish National Team, playing alongside professional players in overseas leagues and NBA players as well. Lauri Markkanen, last year’s NBA Most Improved Player and an NBA All-Star, was there as well.
With the experience, Federiko had the opportunity to learn from these professionals while preparing for his junior campaign with the Panthers.
“Really on all kinds of stuff,” Federiko said about what he improved on in Finland. “Seeing on defense, different helps and stuff like that. I got to guard different kind of players. I really picked up a lot of things. I felt like I just got better and reading different things.”
“It’s different, it’s definitely different,” Federiko continued. “The competition is always fun here [at Pitt], we play hard against each other, we get each other better. There, you’re playing against pros.”
For Pitt’s freshman point guard Bub Carrington, he has been excited to play alongside Federiko since he arrived on campus in May.
“I was excited [to play with Federiko],” Carrington said. “From where I am from, there’s not really a lot of bigs, honestly. In the DMV area, it’s a lot of good guards that come out of that area. I was always, especially as I got older, I was always the tallest player on my team. To play with an actual big that’s going to do big things, I was really excited for it.”
Carrington, Federiko and the Panthers will take on Florida on Wednesday night at 9:30 p.m. at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
