Healthy Panther Tray Woodall finds college humbling

• Pittsburgh guard Tray Woodall is back on the court for his senior season after a frustrating year battling injury
• Woodall leads the Panthers in assists this season and averages 12.3 points a game while making more than 50% of his field goal attempts
• Woodall played for the legendary coach Bob Hurley at St. Anthony's High School in Jersey City

PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh guard Tray Woodall is back on the court for his senior season after a frustrating year in which he battled through a severe abdominal injury.

Woodall, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., missed 11 of the first 12 games last season but returned to start the final 20. Woodall, who has a knack for hitting clutch shots, leads the Panthers in assists this season and averages 12.3 points a game while making more than 50% of his field goal attempts.

Pittsburgh coach Jamie Dixon says Woodall and promising freshman James Robinson are interchangeable at point guard and shooting guard. They make for a formidable backcourt duo as the Panthers look to challenge the upper echelon of the Big East Conference.

USA TODAY Sports caught up with Woodall recently.

Players I look up to

Now it would be (former Pitt players) Carl (Krauser), Levance Fields and Brandin Knight. I take a little bit from each. Patience from Levance. Leadership and talking from Brandin. Being aggressive from Carl. We are all close. Guys don't know how close we are. They will text and call after games.

What I've learned most about life from being in college

That it humbles you. I came from a high school that finished No.1 in the country. I came to college thinking I am probably going to be the man. You just have to be ready for it. It's a life experience.

Beside my parents, the most influential people in my life

My godfather and my godbrother. Jio Fontan plays at (Southern California), and his father, Jorge. When I was in the worst times, and when I could have gone down the wrong path and didn't have to play basketball anymore, he basically put the basketball back in my hands when I moved to Paterson (N.J.). I moved from Brooklyn to Paterson. When I left Brooklyn, I was labeled one of those bad kids. Everyone knew I could not be on their team because I was one of those bad kids. When I moved to Paterson, I met him and then Jio became one of my best friends. I started staying with them on weekends and then weeks, and they started taking me to school. And I lived with them. I was like 12.

What's it like playing for coach Bob Hurley at St. Anthony's in Jersey City?

We were No.1 in the country, and he made us run sprints so much that we forgot we were No.1. A lot of guys do a lot of different things for cameras, but that was 110% him. That was all him all the way. (He) told me potential means you have not done it yet. Rankings don't matter.

My favorite road arena

Carrier Dome (Syracuse). They fit the most people in there. I would also say West Virginia, but we don't play them anymore. I love West Virginia. It gets crazy with West Virginia and is nowhere near the same with anyone else. It's different. I know their fans don't get anywhere near as rowdy as they get with us. It goes back before my years. But I don't even think they understand why they don't like us. They just don't like us because they felt they were told that. It's ridiculous. It got to the point where it was just unsafe. It should not get that bad. It's crazy. Throwing stuff at us, spilling drinks. I was like, "What's up? This is crazy." ... They are throwing stuff on the floor — quarters, popcorn. I'm glad we came out on the other side and not the same side as the student section or it would have probably gone down.

Four up, four down

1. When did you recover fully from your abdominal injury?

The first week of practice this year. Worst pain I have ever been in. When I first got hurt, I already knew I was going to be out for a while because I could not walk. I could not stride because it was groin plus my lower abdominals. It was unheard of for a basketball injury. They always call that for a hockey injury. I tore my lower ab. I don't remember how many centimeters, but it was pretty big. Plus, I had two hernias. It was just a slide on defense in a game against Duquesne, and I felt it rip or pop and immediately went down.

2. How tough was it being out when the team struggled?

It was tough being on the sideline knowing that I could not help. That is why I am taking full advantage of this season. You never know when someone is going to go down.

3. What do you think about the way freshman James Robinson has played so far?

I am very impressed. He seems like a veteran out there. We knew right away that he was a guy that you could not speed up. He plays at his own pace. And he is just one of those guys who just wants to go out there and learn. He picked up on things really fast. When he first was here, I didn't think his defense was as good as it is, but he impressed me and surprised me. Plus he knows the game. There are a lot of players who are not students of the game. As a point guard, it is great to have someone on the same wavelength.

4. When you look at 7-foot freshman Steven Adams, what's his potential?

Before he came here, everyone talked about how good he was and everything. When he got here, he impressed me with how humble he is. He is still adjusting to the speed, but you can tell that he is coming along. As a freshman, you're not going to get it right away, but I was just impressed with the way he pursues the basketball. You don't see that all the time from a 7-footer. You see 7-footers who are uncoordinated. But he has a feel for the game and can move around like guards. If he comes back next year, he will definitely exceed expectations when he goes pro. He loves college and likes to learn the game more. He likes being around the guys. When he goes to the NBA, he wants to be effective there. Staying here in college will definitely help him.