No, he’s not trying to get out of going to Pitt. Turns out Steven Adams did not pull out of the Jordan Brand Classic and will be playing Saturday night on ESPN at 7pm down in Charlotte. Another chance to see the 6’10 to 7′-er (depending on where you get your measurements) before he comes to Pitt. He will get another matchup against the No. 1 player in the 2012 recruiting class, Kentucky-bound Nerlens Noel.

Obviously he is one of the players to watch (Insider subs):

Adams is the most physically imposing player in the game, thanks to his unique combination of strength and athleticism. He will attack the rim and score with his excellent mobility, huge hands and soft touch inside 15 feet. Defensively, he is very difficult to score over and Noel has said he is the hardest guy he’s ever tried to score on.

He’s also the subject of a feature article from ESPN.

Much of the piece talks about how unfamiliar he is with all the hype and something of an innocent.

Even among the best high school players in the country, Adams is sure to stand out on the court because of his style of play. An uncommonly well-coordinated big man, Adams runs the floor like a guard and has the skill to score in a variety of ways, but he chooses to focus on post defense and rebounding.

It’s a mentality that stems partly from being raised outside the typical American basketball system. Adams isn’t concerned with his own numbers, just with doing whatever he can to contribute.

“Steven is completely untainted by the process of being a highly regarded player in our country,” says Ryan Hurd, who coached Adams this past season at Notre Dame Prep (Fitchburg, Mass.). “He just does his thing on the court, and nothing else really affects him.”

Then there is Adams’ reaction to all the excitement after he shutdown Nerlens Noel in a January game.

Adams was so new to the culture, however, that he had no idea who Noel was until after the game. The concept of player rankings was foreign to him.

“I didn’t find out until afterward,” says Adams, who was a late addition to the Jordan Brand Classic roster along with Noel. “When I did find out how highly ranked he was, it made sense. He was really friggin’ good and a real nice guy off the court.”

“He couldn’t figure out what all the excitement was about,” adds Hurd. “He was shocked by it. He had just put up huge numbers against one of the top guys in the entire country, but it never really even registered for him.”

Because of the whole bit about being unfamiliar with the hype and attention, you can expect descriptions to include “just a big kid” and “man-child” to be commonly applied.

Adams is a 6-11 man-child originally from New Zealand who has the physical build to deal with the rigors of the Big East. And the Panthers have a huge need for that kind of player after a disappointing season that included a 5-13 record in conference play.

“I kind of thought of it as more of an off-court, mental thing they were dealing with,” Adams said. “They had Khem Birch leave, and then they weren’t playing with their point guard, (Tray) Woodall, for quite a while. They probably had a bad mindset.”

They did rally in the postseason, though, winning the CBI championship to finish with a 22-17 overall record. That’s a bit of momentum Adams hopes to help build on. The mental adjustment to Pitt and the Big East might be the toughest part of the transition to the college level.

“It’s kind of scary because I need to get used to playing in front of big crowds and stuff,” Adams said. “But I’m also quite excited for it, so I can take my game to the next level.”

Here’s Steven Adams being part of a “pit crew” as part of the extra-curricular activities.