Big East Report Team Blog: Pittsburgh

New home

2011-09-28T18:43:00.003-04:00

By Chris Dokish

Since Pitt will no longer be in the Big East, I have gone back to my own, simple blog. The first article, a big one on Pitt football, will be posted sometime on Thursday, Sept. 29.

http://panthersprey.blogspot.com/2011/09/welcome.html

Pitt to the ACC looks like a sure thing

2011-09-17T12:25:00.004-04:00

By Chris Dokish

With the news that both Pitt and Syracuse have applied for membership to the ACC, it looks like Pitt and the Big East will be no more. There's no way that both schools would apply for membership without already getting the word that they will be accepted. Consider it a done deal.

In my opinion, the Pitt fans should be ecstatic with this news. While it's sad to see the Big East basketball conference change forever, Pitt will still be in the best basketball conference in the country. It will just be a different conference that was best the past few seasons. North Carolina and Duke in a conference game? Now that's exciting.

But the real benefit for this move is for the football program. True, the ACC is not a good in football as it should be, but it's still better than the Big East. Games at Heinz Field against Cincinnati, UConn, and Rutgers, or home games against Florida State, Miami, and Virginia Tech. Is there any doubt which is better?

More money means a better football program and this will be more money. I don't know how much, or how little, kudos should go to Pitt's administration. The truth is, they would have to be idiots not to find a better fit in this current state of conference realignment. On the other hand, Pitt made themselves a good fit to go to a better conference by having strong football and basketball programs, both on and off the field, as well as the great academics that the ACC requires.

LATE NOTE: From a source at Pitt (meaning NOT Tom Herrion so you people can stop emailing me that question), who is very close to Dixon, Dixon is NOT happy about this at all. This is not surprising as Jim Boeheim was very much against leaving the Big East a few years ago. For Dixon, it was something that he has mentioned in the past and that's that the NYC market was very important to the Pitt basketball brand, and now that will change. Don't take this as saying that Dixon is going to leave, just that he's not happy about it.

Panthers nab Marshall assistant

2011-04-15T19:06:00.004-04:00

By Chris Dokish

Tom Herrion was an excellent assistant coach for Pitt before leaving to be the head coach of Marshall prior to this past season. Now Herrion keeps giving to the program as his right hand man at Marshall this season, Bill Barton, will be named shortly to Dixon's staff. According to a source close to the situation, "It's a done deal." It is expected to be announced officially on Monday.

Barton, who will be 51 in July, is a Boston native who coached for just one season at Marshall. Prior to that he spent three seasons under Ron Everhart at Duquesne. The Dukes were the first college position for Barton, who previously was the coach at Notre Dame Prep in Fitchburg, MA, which just happens to be one of the most talent rich prep schools in the country. Players at Notre Dame that Barton coached include Michael Beasley, Carl Krauer, Ryan Gomes, Paul Harris, and Lazar Hayward. For the 2011 class, Notre Dame features top prospect Ricky Ledo, who the Panthers have recruited mildly over the past year, as well as Myles Davis, a sharpshooting guard that is the cousin of Brandin Knight, and who the Panthers have recruited for over a year.

Roster continues to be in flux

2011-04-15T18:32:00.002-04:00

By Chris Dokish

Pitt's low post, already a question mark for next season, lost their depth when 6'7" PF/C J.J. Richardson announced he was transferring from the program. I reported recently that the Panthers coaches were looking forward to Richardson providing some minutes in reserve next season, but apparently Richardson has had enough of being a Panther. And make no mistake about it, this was Richardson's decision, not Pitt's decision.

The absence of Richardson now leaves four genuine low post players on the team in Dante Taylor, Talib Zanna, Khem Birch, and Malcolm Gilbert. All four, however, have question marks as of now.

Taylor, a former Parade All-American, will start at center, but he has been considered a bit of a disappointment thus far in his career, averaging 4.6 ppg over his freshman and sophomore seasons. His development next season is arguably the single most important one in the program.

Zanna has very good length and athleticism, but when given the opportunity to wrestle the starting power forward job off of an injured Nasir Robinson early in the season, Zanna disappointed many at Pitt by not taking the job by the reins. This forced the Panthers to continue to play the overmatched Robinson. Zanna did have some very good games early on and the Pitt staff is hoping that he can regain that level, then be more consistent.

Birch and Gilbert are both true freshman with excellent potential, but both also have some potential barriers. Birch is not yet eligible and until he gets his situation settled, the Pitt staff will have many sleepless nights. If he is eligible, he will be a major factor in the season. Without him, Gilbert will be forced to play a lot of minutes. As it is, with the departure of Richardson, the staff will likely have to burn any potential redshirt for the seven footer. That may not necessarily be a bad thing, however. Seven foot shot blockers, not matter how raw offensively, find themselves in the NBA sooner rather than later, and it may be better to get him on the court when they still can.

Even worse, the roster problems are not limited to the big men. On the perimeter, Ashton Gibbs is testing the NBA waters, and while he hasn't hired an agent yet, it's far from a foregone conclusion that Gibbs will return to the school. His chances of being in the NBA, and probably even being drafted, are virtually nil, but there is always the opportunity to play overseas.

If Gibbs leaves, the starting shooting guard will probably be Cameron Wright, a redshirt freshman. Needless to say, the drop off would be huge. To make matters worse, there's a good chance that incoming combo guard John Johnson will not see the floor next season. Johnson's eligibility is a major concern, and a prep school year is very possible, but even if he does somehow make it to Pitt, he is considered too raw to see much, if any, time as a true freshman.

For those counting at home, the Panthers went from two over their scholarship limit, and still recruiting players for 2011, to being back to even, and perhaps still dropping even more. As much as anybody, I know how great Jamie Dixon can coach in the regular season. More than once he has had teams overachieve. But next season could turn into a roster that even he may have problems succeeding with. If the likes of Gibbs and Birch are not with the team, it's hard to imagine that even Dixon can win a lot of games with a potential starting five of Travon Woodall, Cameron Wright, Nasir Robinson, Lamar Patterson, and Dante Taylor, but it's not out of the question that that's exactly the hand he is dealt.

On the other hand, if Gibbs returns, and Birch becomes eligible, the Panthers should have yet another top 15 season with 25+ wins. And the future may be even brighter than that, especially in the spot we started- on the blocks. In 2012, the low post could feature three top 50 prospects in Taylor, Birch, and the incoming Steven Adams, as well as Zanna and Gilbert. The five, potentially, could be the deepest and most talented big man corps that the Panthers ever had. If the Panthers could develop a good point guard, and could land either Omar Calhoun or Amile Jefferson, 2012 could be the year that the Panthers are, for the first time since Paul Evans coached, truly loaded.

Possible assistant coaching candidates

2011-04-06T19:51:00.001-04:00

By Chris Dokish

I've been fortunate enough that when Dave Wannstedt, Todd Graham, Tom Herrion, and Pat Skerry were hired, I had all on my list of potential candidates. The only major Pitt hiring I did not have was Michael Haywood, who I investigated and did not list because I didn't think Pitt would make such a bad hire. Enough said on that one. This time it's a little more difficult because there is no one obvious hire.

The top contenders:

Dave Leitao- Will be 51 next month. Native of Massachusetts. Played for Jim Calhoun at Northeastern, then became an assistant for his former coach at both Northeastern and UConn. Later became the head coach at DePaul and then Virginia. Considered one of the best recruiters in college basketball over the last twenty years and recruited extremely well everywhere he's been, including DePaul where he had one of the top five recruiting classes in the country one season. The downside? Not everybody loves his personality. "Arrogant beyond belief," according to one college basketball insider who prefers to remain anonymous. "Gotta be somebody better. Dixon would regret that one". That may be why he just lost out on the starting job at Fairfield last week, a job that he is more than qualified for. But the fact remains, he was Dixon's first choice before Pat Skerry was hired so you would think he would ask again. Ed Cooley, new head coach at Providence, wants to land Leitao for his first chair, but you would think Pitt would be a better option for him.

Barry Rohrssen- Will be 51 in June. Native of New York City. Recently fired as the head coach of Manhattan after five seasons. "Slice", as everybody in college basketball knows him, was at Pitt from 1999 to 2006, starting as Director of Basketball Operations and ending as the Associate Head Coach. Most prized recruit at Pitt was top 50 prospect Chris Taft, but also landed the likes of Carl Krauser, Ronald Ramon, Keith Benjamin, and Levance Fields. He recruited well at Manhattan, too, but he proved to be overmatched as a head coach. Still, though, many in NYC were upset at his firing because his players graduated and he brought professionalism back to the program that his predecessor, Bobby Gonzalez, sucked away. The downside of hiring him back, however, is that he only recruits the NYC area and the city has been down in talent for a few years. Plus, Brandin Knight is already strong in northern New Jersey and could handle the city, too. At the end of the day, it just may come down to whether or not Dixon wants to go back to a guy he knows or if he wants to get new blood.

Leitao could turn down an offer if made, just like he did last year. Rohrssen probably would not turn down an offer. If the job does not go to either of the above two, then it's because Dixon wanted to go a completely different route. In that case, these are some possibilities:

Jeff Battle- 50 years old. Native of Philadelphia. Currently the top assistant at Wake Forest where he has been for the past ten seasons. Was an assistant at Xavier with Skip Prosser then followed him to Wake Forest. One of the top recruiters and assistant coaches in the country. Was passed over for Dino Gaudio when Prosser suddenly passed away, then was passed over again for current coach Jeff Bzdelik after Gaudio was fired. Bzdelik is currently on the hot seat and Battle may think if he stays around then he will eventually be named the head coach for the Demon Deacons. Was my personal favorite the last time (Skerry was second), but like last time, there may be extenuating circumstances that keeps him from leaving Wake Forest. His wife died of cancer three years ago and Battle didn't want to move his son away to a different place. That son is 17-years old this year. His top notch reputation as one of the best assistants in the country, as well as his ties to Philadelphia, would make him a huge hire.

Dino Gaudio- 54 years old. Native of Ohio. Like Battle, he followed Prosser from Xavier. Has a lot of head coaching experience, with Army, Loyola (MD), and three years at Wake Forest. A great recruiter who brought in the likes of Jeff Teague and Al-Farouq Aminu. He's currently an ESPN analyst and he's in no hurry to get a job. He'll probably wait to see if he can get a head coaching job somewhere but he's definitely worth a phone call. His recruiting skills and vast coaching experience would benefit Dixon greatly.

Sean Kearney- 52 years old. Native of suburban Philadelphia. Longtime right hand man for Mike Brey both at Delaware and Notre Dame, and has been responsible for recruiting and/or developing the likes of Troy Murphy, Ryan Humphrey, Torin Francis, Chris Thomas, and Luke Harangody. Replaced Ralph Willard as head coach of Holy Cross (over Tom Herrion, then at Pitt), but was fired after just one season. While the Crusaders finished 9-22 after being named the Patriot League favorite, many college basketball observers were appalled at the quick firing. Kearney was out of basketball last year, but his great reputation in college basketball, his Philadelphia roots, and the fact that he is a friend of Dixon makes him a viable candidate.

Scott Spinelli- 44 years old. Native of Massachusetts. Current top assistant at Texas A&M under Mark Turgeon. Also was the top assistant at Wichita State, also with Turgeon, and at Nebraska when Steve Pederson was the AD. But that doesn't mean he doesn't have ties to the east. Not only is he from New England, but he also started the program at The Winchendon School in MA, which just happens to be one of the best prep schools in the country for basketball talent. He also was a scout for one year for the Philadelphia 76ers and covered the Big East and northeast high school basketball. He is a well known and highly respected recruiter and assistant who is very close to landing a head coaching job.

Kenya Hunter- 37 years old. Native of Virginia. Former Duquesne guard is currently an assistant at Georgetown where he is quickly developing the reputation as one of the best young recruiters and assistants in the country. Between his first stop at his alma mater and the Hoyas, he was also the Director of Basketball Operations under Herb Sendek at NC State, and an assistant at Xavier, under Sean Miller. His ties to the Washington, DC area would be a great addition.

Matt Langel- 32 years old. Native of southern New Jersey. If Dixon decides that he wants to go for a rising young star instead of a longtime veteran, he may look to this former Penn star. Langel started at his alma mater under Fran Dunphy then followed him to Temple. He showed he was a great recruiter when he went all out to land Owls' star Juan Fernandez all the way in Argentina. With his connections in Philadelphia and by learning the trade from one of the best in the business, his future is extremely bright. He was recently one of the finalists for the Cornell job and being an assistant at a Big East power would be a no brainer for him for his resume. Now he just has to be asked.

If I coached the team next season

2011-04-01T12:37:00.000-04:00

By Chris Dokish

Just for fun, this would be my ideal lineup next season.

Starting PG- Travon Woodall. I was never one who thought he would be excellent at Pitt, and I still don't, but he is the closest thing to a real point guard they have right now. He needs to shoot less and distribute more, and he needs to get more steals because he is capable of getting two steals a game if he has his mind set on it. But most of all, he needs to be more in control. It's time for him to mature as a player.

Starting SG- Ashton Gibbs. Obviously this is a no brainer. Hopefully he realizes that he won't make it in the NBA and that he's going to live 40 more years after he retires from playing overseas, so he should get in as much education as he can.

Starting SF- J.J. Moore. I have heard straight from the staff's mouths that while Moore is the most talented SF in the program, he was not ready to see the floor much as a freshman. With a year under his belt, hopefully he learns the nuances of being a Panther, especially on the defensive front. If he's not ready, then replace him as a starter with Lamar Patterson.

Starting PF- Khem Birch. This is another no brainer. His length, quickness, shot blocking, and rebounding are lottery pick caliber. True, he has no moves on offense, but neither does Nasir Robinson and he can score. Birch will score the same way, by hustling, put backs, and sheer athleticism. He is by far the most talented player on the team and if he sits behind Robinson then Jamie Dixon will get the criticism he deserves.

Starting C- Dante Taylor. The time has come for Taylor to show that he is a good player. Even though Pitt fans wildly overhyped him (despite many warnings), Taylor can be a good player, and should be a big upgrade over Gary McGhee on the offensive end. He is also a better rebounder than McGhee, and he needs to be aggressive in that department. He needs to play at least adequately on defense, however, or the offensive upgrade will be negated.

Top four off the bench:

Nasir Robinson- No way, no how should he be starting, but that doesn't mean he isn't a huge plus for the team. At the three and the four, Robinson can be a huge spark plug with his hustle and enthusiasm. He will get many minutes and on one of his good days, he can stay in the game and help a lot.

Lamar Patterson- The jack-of-all-trades type that Dixon loves. He can do a little bit of everything, and has great potential as an outside shooter. Must improve on defense, though, and keep his weight down. Will definitely see time at the three, and could even start, but it would be ideal if he could be an effective sub at both the three and the two, especially since there is a huge experience void at the latter.

Talib Zanna- He obviously has the potential at the four to be a good player, but it hasn't come together for him yet. Rebounding is his forte and if he is focused on that aspect of his game, he will get minutes.

J.J. Richardson- I know this will surprise many Panthers fans because most have him transferring, but as far as I know he will be back next season. In fact, if you talk to Pitt coaches, they never fail to mention him when talking about the front line next season. Ideally, Birch and Zanna are effective enough at the four to stay primarily there. Birch can see some minutes at the five, but Richardson can also suck up some minutes down low. He's not great, and at 6'8" he's not tall, but for a few minutes a game he can use his big body to be effective enough.

Others:

Cameron Wright- The most likely on this list to see time, but only because of the need for a SG reserve. If Robinson stays at that four, then Patterson will have to stay at the three. When Woodall sits down, Gibbs will probably have to take over the point, and when Gibbs sits down, somebody else has to take his place. Wright is not ready to make a big impact but he's long and athletic so at least he can provide something.

Isaiah Epps- Ideally he would be the back up PG for the Panthers this season but that may be asking a lot for player who was a huge disappointment for most of last season. If he sticks around, then he should get minutes early in the season to see how well he can do.

Durand Johnson- He was brought in for mainly one reason- he can flat out shoot the three. If he proves in practice that he can translate that skill immediately to this level, then he could see time this year. Otherwise, he is a redshirt candidate.

Malcolm Gilbert- Has little offensive game but is a legit 6'11" kid who can rebound. His best attribute, however, is his shot blocking which is at an NBA all-star level. Ideally, he can redshirt, but his shot blocking is so good that he may have to play. Don't count him out. He could be a factor this season.

John Johnson- Maybe the heir apparent to Woodall at the point but grades are a major issue. Even if he does somehow become eligible, he needs to be coached up a lot. No matter how you look at it, he is a major candidate to prep.

Jaylen Bond heading to prep and Birch and Adams update

2011-03-30T09:25:00.005-04:00

By Chris Dokish

As expected, and as I mentioned yesterday, Jaylen Bond is heading to prep school. From what I'm hearing, somebody in Bond's camp does not think he will play at Pitt for a few years (and he's right, I'm told), and that with his NBA aspirations, he may be better off taking a different route. This does not mean that he won't be back at Pitt. If the Panthers feel they need him again they will recruit him again, but do not be surprised if he does not come back.

I'm also hearing that Khem Birch's situation does not involve grades but rather a year that he had to repeat in high school in Canada when he changed from one province to another. It had nothing to do with academics, but rather the different rules in the new province. Sources are telling me that Pitt has a good case to use that year as a way of saying Birch has done all of his high school time.

I'm hearing that things are going well on the Steven Adams front. He will still have to pass his SATS, or equivalent, but he appears to be on track as far as his academics, and this his schoolwork will translate to admittance at Pitt.

While I'm here I may as well thrown in some other info...

Isaiah Epps as of now is returning, as is J.J. Richardson. That could always change but as far as Pitt is concerned both are coming back. Epps came on at the end of this season in practices and the staff thinks he can eventually contribute.

I'm still hearing that John Johnson may prep because of grades. He still has an entire year to make up what he has to, however, and DeJuan Blair and J.J. Moore were long shots at one time, too.

Lastly, I know a lot of fans think Malcolm Gilbert will redshirt, but that may not be the case. While the Panthers staff would love to redshirt him, he is a 7-footer who can block shots, and is the only true center on the team. For that reason they think they may have to play him some. But that's all too early to know. Unlike fans and media, the staff doesn't worry about that until next year.

What it takes to get the Final Four

2011-03-29T15:04:00.008-04:00

By Chris Dokish

For the past few seasons, the Panthers have been one of the most winning teams in the country, and with that comes fans, and sometimes even media, thinking that this could be the year that a Final Four will happen- and maybe even a National Championship. As I'm about to show, getting to the Final Four at Pitt's talent level over Jamie Dixon's eight seasons has been a long shot, and as far as a National Championship, the Panthers are not even in the same universe.

First let's look at what it takes to win it all. Since this season has not concluded yet, we will take the champions for the first seven seasons of Dixon's head coaching career.

In 2004, the champions were the UConn Huskies. Pitt was equal in their regular season that year thanks to their normal group of veteran hard workers. Pitt lost to UConn in Storrs, then beat them at Pitt, then lost the rubber match in the Big East tournament in a close one. But as is often the case, pure talent is what the NCAA tournament is about. And yes, I know the desperate argument that a lot of talented teams have not make the Final Four. All I can say to that is, there are most than four teams yearly that have NBA talent, and some of them underachieve and don't make the Final Four. Bottom line, not all teams with NBA talent win the championship, but every team that wins the championship has NBA talent.

But back to UConn who that season featured a team that played seven future drafted players, including six first rounders and four lottery picks in Emeka Okafor, Ben Gordon, Charlie Villenueva, and Hilton Armstrong. By comparison, the only player from that Pitt squad that played significant minutes that season who eventually got drafted was future second round pick Chris Taft.

The 2005 champion, North Carolina, also featured four lottery picks in Sean May, Marvin Williams, Raymond Felton, and Rashad McCants.

In 2006 and 2007, the champion was Florida who featured three future lottery picks in Joakim Noah, Corey Brewer, and Al Horford, plus future second round pick Taurean Green.

In 2008, the Kansas Jayhawks captured the title behind a team that featured six future NBA drafted players, including lottery picks Brandon Rush and Cole Aldrich.

In 2009, it was North Carolina's turn and they featured six future NBA draft picks, including two lottery picks in Tyler Hansbrough and Ed Davis.

Last year's champion, Duke, is the only winner in the seven years that did not feature a lottery pick, but still had future draftees Nolan Smith, Kyle Singler, and Mason Plumleee, not to mention Second Team All-American Jon Scheyer.

I added up all of this up to see just how much ridiculous talent the seven national champions had. And the numbers are staggering. The seven champions combined for 18 lottery picks, 26 first rounders, and 34 drafted players overall.

That means the average national championship team over the last seven years has 2 or 3 lottery picks, 4 first rounders, and five draft picks. By comparison, over that same time period, Pitt has had zero lottery picks, zero first rounders, and four drafted players total. Now that is an enormous difference.

Why did Pitt lose to the likes of Kent State, Pacific, and Bradley? Because the talent level between Pitt and those programs are not very different. I know very few Pitt fans who will admit that but it's true. In major college basketball, there is elite talent, then everybody else. If you don't have elite talent then you are everybody else. Pitt wins so many games, not because of talent, but because of a consistent focus in the regular season to hustle and toughness. They will themselves to wins over sometimes much more talented teams. Both Dixon and his players deserve enormous credit for that. But in the tournament, when talent reigns, it comes down to a bounce here or a bounce there, and in those situations the bounces haven't gone Pitt's way.

The teams that have lost in the championship game aren't exactly bums either. The average loser has had either none or one lottery pick, one or two first rounders, and three players drafted. Not as dramatic, but still huge.

Overall, including this year since we do know who the four participants are, the average Final Four team has 1-2 lottery picks, 2 first rounders, and 3-4 drafted players.

Look at the 32 teams that made the Final Four in Dixon's eight years and you will see there is a chance for Pitt to get there at their current talent level, but not much of one.

In 2004, the national semifinal losers still had more talent than Pitt ever had. We touched on Oklahoma State previously, but the other loser, Duke, had three future lottery picks. The national champion loser was Georgia Tech, then considered a huge long shot to make the finals, though they still had future No. 1 pick Jarrett Jack. So as you can even the long shot had the talent level Pitt doesn't.

in 2005, the national semifinal losers, Michigan State and Louisville, combined for three first round picks.

In 2006, George Mason was at the time, a once in a lifetime Cinderella, had no future picks, while LSU had two picks, including lottery pick Tyrus Thomas.

In 2007, UCLA featured four draft picks, including three first rounders and a lottery pick. Georgetown featured three draft picks, including lottery pick Jeff Green.

In 2008, North Carolina had four draft picks, including three first rounders and one lottery pick. UCLA had four drafted players, including three first rounders and two lottery picks.

In 2009, Villanova only had second round pick Dante Cunningham, while UConn had four draft picks and two lottery picks.

In 2010, Michigan State had no players drafted yet, though Draymond Green has a chance this year, and West Virginia had two second rounders. The loser of the championship game, Butler, could not be considered a Cinderella, or a fluke, because they had lottery pick Gordon Hayward, as well as future NBA draft pick Shelvin Mack.

All of this is a very detailed way of showing that, including this season, the Panthers had less elite talent than 25 of the 32 teams in the Final Four. And even that number may be too low since that list includes two Michigan State teams that were loaded with top 50 high school prospects. Butler, this year, at least has an experienced team that was in the championship game last season so that somewhat explains their amazing two year run. Villanova, the year they beat Pitt on a Scottie Reynolds last second shot, and West Virginia last year, are the two instances where Pitt can look to as a reason for optimism. The only two truly out of the blue Cinderella teams amongst the 32 are George Mason in 2006 and Virginia Commonwealth this season.

So what does this all mean for Pitt's chances of going to the Final Four? As of now, they're not great. As I've shown, the talent level is not even close in most years to get there. The three best players on this year's team were Ashton Gibbs, Brad Wanamaker, and Gilbert Brown, three players who have an outside chance of getting drafted, and very little chance of making an NBA team. Gibbs was the best player on the team this season and he would be a bench player on an average national championship team.

Next year's returning roster also looks light on future NBA draft picks. Many Pitt fans are high on Talib Zanna and J.J. Moore but I can assure you that there are no NBA scouting departments who are eager to watch them right now. Moore, who you would think is a future lottery pick by some Pitt fans, was not even a consensus top 100 recruit.

That doesn't mean that Zanna or Moore won't be good. I think they will be. But there's a difference between being good and being Final Four good.

The best hope for Pitt to make a Final Four is in the future arrival of Khem Birch and Steven Adams. Both have the potential to be future first round or even lottery pick players. Of course that is a somewhat silly statement considering neither has played a second of college basketball, but just like I'm sure the NBA scouts aren't interested in Zanna and Moore yet, I know for a fact that they already are well aware of Birch and Adams.

In the best case scenario, both will stay long enough to finally take Pitt to where they want to go. Dixon gets criticized for not playing freshman enough but he's only had two- DeJuan Blair and Chris Taft- who were good enough to play as freshman. Birch and Adams must be good immediately so that Dixon plays them.

If your elite talent plays a lot in their freshman year then your chances of making the Final Four goes up. This sounds like the opposite of what most basketball experts say because having seniors is supposed to be so good for your program. But at the highest level, talent trumps experience routinely and talent rarely stays long enough to be seniors. Of the last 28 teams to make the Final Four, there have been 38 who are lottery picks, or like UConn's Jeremy Lamb, project to be a lottery pick, and the class that is most represented is freshman with 15. By comparison, only one is a senior.

So for Pitt to get to the Final Four, they could have things fall for them the right like they did for Villanova and West Virginia recently, or they could have Birch and Adams live up their potential immediately and at the same time. And unlike when Blair and Sam Young were at their peak simultaneously, the supporting cast must be strong. Or they could add another elite talent like Amile Jefferson, who the Panthers are currently recruiting heavily.

But this is the best case scenario. Birch and Adams, as well as good prospect John Johnson, are not even guaranteed to make it to Pitt because of academics, though Johnson probably will eventually, even if it takes an extra year. But Birch and Adams have pro talent and any delay in getting to Pitt may make them skip college ball completely. Of course that's the doomsday scenario, but if this run on talent falls through then Pitt will be dealt a devastating blow as far as making it to the Final Four.

But no matter how you look at it, it is very difficult for Pitt to get there, and despite many who say it's a matter of time, that's not necessarily the case. Examples cited, like Jim Boeheim and Jim Calhoun, are flawed logic because both had elite talent when they broke though. Pitt has still not accumulated that kind of talent and unless they do, they will just have to hope they catch lighting in a bottle.

Postseason thoughts

2011-03-19T21:58:00.006-04:00

by Chris Dokish

Pitt did show up to play. That was not always the case in past tournament losses. But they played a team that was their equal and the result of the game showed just how equal the two teams are. Don't be fooled by which conference each team is in or in the seeds. Butler returned most of the team that went to the championship game last year. In fact, if Gordon Hayward did not leave early for the NBA they were considered by many to project as a top five preseason team.

But the truth is, Jamie Dixon is going to get a lot of criticism for losing this game. If it were just for this game, he probably shouldn't. Butler is an excellent team, Pitt played well, and either team could have won. Losses like this happen to the best of programs. But it's hard to keep making excuses for Dixon when it happens year after year. Eventually you just have to get past a certain point, especially in a season when you are a No. 1 seed.

Butler is a perfect example of a team that makes no excuses, and just goes out and wins when their season is on the line. That's not to suggest that Dixon will make excuses. He's too classy for that. But you have to feel for such a great guy and at the end of the game you could visibly see the pain in his face. It's almost as if he was thinking that he may be cursed.

Nobody knows what the future will hold for Dixon and the program. Could Dixon think he can't come back from this and eventually take another job? He's not the type to run from a challenge so you can forget that. As for the program, there will be a lot of young talent on the roster next year, and the future seems bright, but just like Dixon's future, time will tell how the program as a whole responds. I know many fans assume that Dixon will eventually break though to the promised land but that's far from certain. Many programs were great for ten or fifteen years, then the window closed for whatever reason and they fell back to the pack. Others did move on to become even bigger powers.

To get to the latter, more talent is definitely needed. Khem Birch, Steve Adams, Talib Zanna, and J.J. Moore are a good start but even more is needed. The dilemma is how to convince high level talent that Pitt is a National Championship caliber program when it's past and present is trying to convince them otherwise.

Other notes: I was often hard on Gilbert Brown, and he did miss the free throw that could have iced the game, but he was by far the best player Pitt had on this night. I still feel like he never lived up to his potential at Pitt, but his 24 points showed that he came to play in the game.

Nobody should complain that the refs called the foul on Nasir Robinson with less than a second to go. They also called a foul on Butler with just over a second to go, so they showed they were willing to do. That makes it all the more crazy why Robinson would be anywhere near Howard.

Thoughts on where Pitt is at right now

2011-03-10T15:58:00.004-05:00

By Chris Dokish

I've been away for awhile because of other writing projects, but if anybody is interested (or even if you're not), here are my thoughts on where Pitt is right now, between their Big East tournament loss and the start of the NCAA tournament.

1. The Big East tournament means nothing except for pride. Sorry but it's true. It is exciting, it's thrilling, and it's great for bragging rights, but Pitt is at the stage right now where their main goal should be Sweet 16s at the minimum, with a National Championship as a distinct possibility almost every year. That's what the great programs strive for on a yearly basis. A conference tournament championship, even one as legendary as the Big East tournament, is icing on the cake. But a conference tournament championship means little if followed by an early exit in the NCAA tournament, and an early exit from a conference tournament means nothing if followed by a trip to the Final Four. Anybody who talks of winning the Big East tournament being better than going to the Elite 8 should have their basketball watching privileges permanently revoked.

2. Likewise, a No. 1 seed is mostly just for pride. I have no idea if Pitt will be a No. 1 seed, and quite frankly I couldn't care less. It will either be a No. 1 or a No. 2 seed and either way they will need to win four games, and probably two against excellent teams, just to get to the Final Four. The difference is negligible. You don't hang a banner from the rafters over a No. 1 seed.

3. Almost instantaneously I received emails complaining that Jamie Dixon is a failure as a postseason coach. This is preposterous. I've never said this about any sports figure in any sport ever, but Pitt fans should thank God every day that they have Jamie Dixon leading their team. Not only is a great coach, he is an even better man, and I doubt Pitt would ever find a better representative for their university. EVER. He rarely has great talents, but often has great players. He makes them that way.

4. So why did Pitt lose to UConn? Normally Pitt loses because the other team has one great player and/or have more length and athleticism. UConn had more athleticism than Pitt but that wasn't the reason. They had, by far, the most talented player in the league, Kemba Walker, but really that wasn't the reason, even though Walker won the game at the end. The truth is, Ashton Gibbs was every bit as good as Walker and if he took the last shot instead of Walker, I have little doubt that Pitt would be advancing. No, Pitt lost because UConn hustled. The Panthers hustled and played with heart, but UConn matched them. It usually doesn't happen against Pitt but it did this time. In a game with two equal teams, both playing hard, the team with the ball last wins and that's what happened.

5. Speaking of Gibbs, while one game doesn't mean everything, and Brad Wanamaker also had a good game, I never bought into the notion that Wanamaker is Pitt's best player. In my opinion, Wanamaker is a good, solid player, a player who does everything good. But Gibbs does one thing great, and in my opinion doing that one thing great, while also playing good in other aspects, makes him clearly the best player on the team. Bottom line, with the game on the line, I would rather have Gibbs shooting than anybody else doing anything else on the team to win the game.

6. Sad to say it, but I still don't see anybody on the roster that looks like they will be in the NBA for more than a cup of copy. Gibbs' lack of quickness can be seen on the fast break or when driving, and in the NBA even a great shooter has to either be tall or athletic or they will never get their shot off. Wanamaker has an NBA body but I just don't think he is talented enough. He is a very good college player but the NBA is a huge step up. Gary McGhee is big and Gilbert Brown is long and athletic, but both are missing one thing that the NBA craves, and that's the ability to actually be an excellent basketball player. McGhee is somebody who should go down in Pitt history as somebody who is better than he ever should be. You will rarely, if ever, see another big man play hard every second of every play like McGhee has in his career. Brown, on the other hand, has to be one of the biggest disappointments in the history of the program. He's a decent college player but he should be a much better player than he is.

7. One thing I haven't understood all season is how both fans and the media talk about Pitt's great depth. I don't see it. Yeah, they may have good depth for the regular season, but not for the NCAA tournament. At most there are seven players that Pitt can count on in the NCAA tournament- Ashton Gibbs, Brad Wanamaker, Gilbert Brown, Gary McGhee, Nasir Robinson, Dante Taylor, and Travon Woodall- and every team they meet beyond the first round will have seven decent players. Please tell me how much Lamar Patterson, Talib Zanna, J.J. Richardson, J.J. Moore, Cameron Wright, or Isaiah Epps are going to contribute in a brutally contested game deep into the tournament. Obviously three of them won't even play, and Patterson, Richardson, and Moore will only play in an emergency because they aren't ready either.

8. I said at the beginning of the season that Pitt will win around 30 games and go to the Sweet 16, with a small chance of the Elite 8. I still feel that way and for the same reasons. Pitt will probably lose for the same reasons they usually lose in the NCAA tournament- lack of a truly explosive player and lack of athleticism. In the Sweet 16 or the Elite 8 they will face a team that will have one or both of those, and the Panthers won't be able to overcome that. But, hey, I could always be wrong. At least the country is much weaker than usual and they could always have an easy road due to upsets. There have been a lot worse teams to make it to the Final Four.

9. For next season, the Panthers should be down a little, but maybe not too much. In my opinion, the three keys are Travon Woodall, Dante Taylor, and Khem Birch. I doubt that Woodall will ever be a great point guard, but if he could be a good point guard then he could team with All-American candidate Gibbs to form a really good starting backcourt. Taylor will take over for McGhee and it's about time that he takes the next step into a bonafide Big East starter. I expect Birch to play a lot, and maybe even star as a freshman. I'm not one for hyperbole, but this is not other so-called prize freshman that Pitt's fans overrated over the years. This kid is big time and I expect him to make a MAJOR impact right away. Birch could team with Taylor and Talib Zanna to form a very talented young rotation in the blocks. Move Nasir Robinson to the three to team with J.J. Moore, who I expect to improve a lot, and Lamar Patterson, and you may have something. Another guard will have to be found and that may have to be Cameron Wright since the future of Isaiah Epps is questionable and John Johnson is a prep candidate. True freshman Durand Johnson could be a sleeper here with his great shooting skill. Another sleeper freshman is Malcolm Gilbert. All he can do right now is block shots but it's the most coveted skill in basketball so he could see time just for that reason.

10. Bottom line, the future is bright. Extremely bright. The Panthers have yet to find the right mixture to get to the Final Four. When they had great role players, they didn't have the great players, and when they had great players in DeJuan Blair and Sam Young, they didn't have the great role players they usually do. If Blair had stayed all four seasons, they would have had the superstar with an excellent supporting cast, and the Final Four, if not a National Championship, would have been a real possibility this season. The only fault I can find with Dixon is that he recruits for the regular season rather than to win a National Championship. But thanks to Pat Skerry and Brandin Knight, that may be changing. Skerry brought Birch and continues to force Dixon to aim high. Dixon, to his credit, unearthed Steve Adams himself. Both have NBA lottery pick potential, a talent level that's needed to get to the Final Four. Now if both can just reach their high potential at Pitt at the right time.

LAMAR PATTERSON SPARKS SECOND HALF RUN FOR PITT IN WIN

2011-02-25T11:12:00.001-05:00

p>With Gilbert Brown on the bench because of three first half fouls and Talib Zanna not dressed because of a broken thumb, redshirt freshman Lamar Patterson saw an expanded role for BIG EAST leader Pittsburgh on Thursday night. The Lancaster (PA) native came through with a career-high 11 points and was the catalyst for a second half run that swung the came into the Panthers' favor.

After trailing 31-30 at the half, Patterson scored the first five points of the second half and then assisted on the next three baskets in an 11-2 run over the first 4:10 after intermission, sparking Pitt's 71-58 win over West Virginia at the Peterson Events Center Thursday night.

“He played really well," said Pitt coach Jamie Dixon. "He defended well and didn’t force anything. He made some great passes and did a good job of just making the simple play. He’s been a big part of what we’ve been trying to do and he gave us very good minutes."

In his 22 minutes, Paterson finished with 5 assists, 3 assists, 2 blocks and a steal along with the career-best 11 points on 4 of 6 shooting from the field and 3 of 4 from the line.

“It felt really good," said Patterson. "Like [my teammates] said, I’ve been practicing and playing pretty well. It felt good to go out on the court and finally put something together. By watching these leaders on the court ahead of me I was able to make the process really smooth.”

The Panthers were a virtual clinic on offense, especially in the second hald where they shot 15-23 (65%) from the floor and finished at 57% for the game. Pittsburgh also assisted on 23 of their 27 made field goals, while turning the ball over just 8 times in the game.

"In the second half, we took care of the ball and took good shots," said Dixon. "We had low turnovers and shot 65 percent in the second half. Our offense had better spacing and showed good patience."

The first half was a game of runs, with West Virginia opening the game with a 7-0 run before the Panthers answered back running off 11 of the game's next 13 points. An 8-0 run by the Mountaineers pushed them back up by six and again Pitt surged with a 15-5 run to take a 28-24 lead with 3:38 left following back-to-back three's by Gilbert Brown and Travon Woodall. Bob Huggins' club regrouped after a timeout to finish the first half with a 7-2 run to lead 31-30 at the break.

While the Pitt offense clicked in the second half right from the outset, the Mountaineers struggled at getting anything to go into the basket.

"We just didn’t make any shots," WVU coach Bob Huggins said. "They blocked a few. Brad Wanamaker and Gary McGhee blocked a few. It’s not that we just didn’t get it in there. We just missed.”

The Panthers methodically extended the lead, to 11 on an offensive putback by Brad Wanamaker, 47-36, with 11:42 left and then two free throws by the senior guard pushed the lead to 14, 55-41, at the 9-minute mark. After Wanamaker grabbed a rebound and fed Nasir Robinson in transition for a lay-up and a 64-47 Pitt lead with 5:14 l3ft and Pitt was well on their way to their 25th win on the season.

"They beat us in transition in the second half," said Huggins. "Our half court defense wasn’t as good. They are good. That’s the reason why they are 25-3. They are good."

Robinson led Pittsburgh with 15 points and Wanamaker added 11 points, 8 assists and 7 rebounds as the Panthers improved to 13-2 in the BIG EAST and have a full two-game lead over Notre Dame with three league games to play. They can clinch at least a tie of the league crown on Sunday at Louisville when they visit the KFC Yum! Center for a nationally televised game.

MYLES DAVIS RECRUITING UPDATE

2011-02-22T11:16:00.000-05:00

Notre Dame Prep guard Myles Davis has been on the recruiting radar of much of the BIG EAST for the past year and that has continued since transferring from St. Peter's Prep in Jersey City (NJ) to Notre Dame Prep in Fitchburg (MA). The change of schools was only one of the major changes to his status of a top recruit, Davis is also firmly planted in the recruiting Class of 2012 and is one of the more highly sought after shooters on the east coast in the class. He has also shown this season with ND Prep he is more than just a lights-out shooter.

Earlier this season at the National Prep Showcase, Davis was one of the more impressive players in the early games of day one. Known as a shooter for much of his career, Davis showed he is expanding his game in a major way. Hewas getting to the rim off the dribble, and has vastly improved court vision and ball-handling ability. Davis has the ability to play the point guard position and find teammates for baskets. Of course, he still has the deep range that made him such a coveted prospect in the first place. The list of schoosl currently involved is impressive.

"It's Pitt, Xavier, Virginia Tech, Rutgers, Oklahoma State, Cincinnati, Villanova, Georgetown and anybody else who wants to recruit me," Davis told NBE's Matt Whitfield this afternoon via text when asked for the latest list of schools recruiting him. "I am really open right now."

Just before the holidays Davis told us that Xavier, Villanova, Georgetown and Pittsburgh were his top four schools, but on Tuesday he indicated that is not really the case anymore.

"Well it's the same now, but I dont' have top schools anymore," Davis said, reaffirming the notion that he is open in his recruitment once again.

One school that is making a return to his list is Rutgers. Early in his recruitment Davis mentioned some of the local schools, but as more and more schools came to be involved it looked like Davis would be headed outside of the Garden State for college, a notion he confirmed in the past. While that still may end up being the case, Mike Rice and his new staff have gotten the attention of Davis, making the Scarlet Knights a viable player in his recruitment.

"I just recently started to like Rutgers more," Davis said today. "Just because of being in prep school and being far away from home that there is no place like it (home). Rutgers is an up-and-coming program [and] I know alot of people that are there."

The new interst in the Scarlet Knights is something to watch, however, Davis made sure to clarify there are no favorites at this point in time.

"They are on the same level as everyone else," said Davis when asked if he was higher on RU than others.

Myles Davis will certainly be a player on the AAU circuit that will receive a lot of attention this spring. We look to see Davis in action once again with the NJ Playaz and helping Jimmy Salmon's squad comepte in the Nike EYBL as well as other AAU events, kicking off with the Playaz own 2011 Spring Fling in early April. Continue to follow NBE Basketball for all the updates...

ST. JOHN'S DEFEATS PITT IN GARDEN ON HARDY'S BUCKET

2011-02-19T11:18:00.000-05:00

Wow!

What else can you say about the Pitt/St John's game that just concluded an hour ago on a Dwight Hardy baseline drive?

Hardy put Pittsburgh's Gil Brown in the spin-cycle on a beautiful hesitation/look back move before finishing at the rim for the 60-59 St. John's win.

What else can you say about Pitt's Travon Woodall, who despite taking on the annual role of "let's bash player x" on this year's team, somehow continues to hit huge shots like the three-pointer he drained to put Pitt up 59-58 with 11 seconds left on the clock?

What else can you say about Pittsburgh not having any timeouts left with 1.8 seconds left and the length of the court staring them in the face down one?

I mean wow, wow, and yeah...freaking wow!

Whenever I exchange text messages with St. John's coach Steve Lavin, his message is always the same regarding his surging basketball team.

It always about making progress in their journey -- and inevitably or is it fittingly? -- includes the words baby steps.

Well, when Dwight Hardy -- he of the seven-game blitz that's put him solidly in discussion for Big East Player of the Year along with UConn's Kemba Walker, Pitt's Ashton Gibbs and Notre Dame's Ben Hansbrough -- baby-stepped his way along the baseline for this incredible win I think it's safe to say that Lavin's crew raced right past puberty, shook hands with adolescence, and were welcomed into adulthood...all by the time the final buzzer sounded.

That journey to adulthood has been a brisk one for the Red Storm, but they've definitely come of age while bringing the city that never sleeps right along with them. Let's take a look at the maturity process and just how it happened.

They Beat Duke 93-78.

Beat UConn 89-72.

Won at Cincinnati and Marquette -- "business trip," said Lavin.

And now beat #4 Pitt 60-59 in a game that had the 1980's Big East glory days written all over it (and Coach Carnesecca at mid-court giving his blessing).

Hardy's gone for 26, 15, 32, 33, 18, 28 and 19 in his last seven games (all wins except for the 32 that happened during a complete hosing at UCLA).

St. John's, with the same team that could never win big games before this season, has now won a slew of them.

Lavin said afterward he believes Hardy is the runaway winner in the Player of the Year competition.

I'm not so sure about that but he's definitely in the first group of names involved in the discussion.

You have to love the way Lavin is pushing for a kid who's helped make his initial season in Queens a dream come true after that kid endured a lot of heartache in the previous ones.

Hardy very well might be the Player of the Year...we'll see how the last few games go.

With a 17-9 record --9-5 in the Big East-- an RPI of 16 before the win over Pitt, plus a phenomenal strength of schedule, I think it's time to declare these Johnnies as all grown up.

Hardy very well might be the Player of the Year (we'll see how the last few games go plus the Big East Tournament before we at NBE hand out any hardware).

However, with the numbers mentioned above in mind I don't think there's any question -- not after today -- about who the 2010-11 Big East Coach of the Year is.

That's Steve Lavin.

Hands down.

And it's not really close.

WANAMAKER & ROBINSON RETURN HOME TO LEAD PITT OVER 'NOVA

2011-02-13T11:19:00.000-05:00

by RAY MERNAGH

Brad Wanamaker's play is classical Philly Soul.

It's as if the 6'4" Pitt guard is a basketball playing Delfonic if you will.

So imagine the feelings inside Wanamaker tonight when he stepped off the bus, headphones on blast, and realized this is my city and this is the last time I'm going to play here in a Pitt uniform.

Wanamaker and his teammates -- especially fellow Philly head Nas Robinson -- had spent all week hearing about what the atmosphere would be like at Villanova's on-campus Pavilion (a cozy gym where Nova had won 46 straight games). They had heard all about the excellence of Corey Fisher and Maalik Wayns, of the highly-rated talent that Villanova would trot out on the floor against their Panthers. Mostly, they had heard all about how they wouldn't beat Jay Wright's Wildcats, due to the reasons covered above.

Yes, Nova had broken their hearts two years ago in Boston.

But that was two years ago.

And to paraphrase Rick Pitino, Scottie Reynolds wasn't walking through that door.

This Pitt team, despite it's shiny record and up to this point a certain #1 seed come March, has been overlooked in a lot of ways. Sure, they're used to being ignored in the Steel City, especially when the Steelers make a deep run as they did this season, getting all the way to the Super Bowl.

But it's more than that. They've pretty much taken on all comers -- save Tennessee and Notre Dame (neither is a bad loss) -- and prevailed. They've won high scoring affairs and defensive struggles alike because they're so efficient offensively. And maybe that's what rubs them the most. This idea that this Pitt team, the one that regularly plays nine guys, averages 77.4 points a game, dishes out 18.4 assists and shoots almost 48% from the field continues to be portrayed as a slow-it-down, bang you around (read not very skilled) unit.

It couldn't be further from the truth. Across the statistical board Pittsburgh is better than Villanova offensively, but you'd never, ever know that from listening to the experts that monopolize the college basketball content out there. In fact, you might get punched in a bar if you try to argue it with the wrong drunk guy.

So, I guess Wanamaker and Robinson figured screw it, if the media is going to continue this false propaganda, let's go back to the good old days and see if we can't get under Jay Bilas' skin a little bit. And that's what the Panthers did tonight in Philadelphia. They went old school.

Already minus their star scorer Ashton Gibbs, Pitt struggled to hit shots. Open shots, contested shots, layups, you name it. But they also guarded the hell out of Villanova. And in the end they relied on Wanamaker (their Philly Bull) -- who got help from Robinson and Travon Woodall -- to make enough plays to hold off Villanova 57-54.

Wanamaker was the best player on the floor. His up-fake that got Maalik Wayns in the air -- before hitting the shot and drawing the foul on his ex-Roman Catholic teammate -- will no doubt earn a text from a guy named Young who now does his thing in Memphis. Wanamaker finished with 21 points and 4 rebounds, plus 2 steals, an assist and a block.

Nasir Robinson finished with 15 points, 7 rebounds, 1 punch to the face and 2 Mouph Yarou blows to the head. I thought they were honoring Rayndy Foye by retiring his jersey, but I think they rescheduled that for a later date and instead went with the first annual "Hit Nas Robinson in the Head Night."

Whatever.

Robinson took it, and to his credit, didn't respond foolishly.

Woodall finished with 8 points, hit two huge shots and most importantly, didn't turn the ball over against Nova's unrelenting pressure.

It was an ugly game.

A Philly-type game, gritty, with bodies flying all over the floor.

And as Jamie Dixon said so eloquently to Erin Andrews afterwards: "Our Philly guys played like Philly guys."

So true. Robinson, at 6'5", was the toughest guy in the paint.

And Wanamaker?

You could excuse him if, as he walked off the court, he didn't break out into a little old school jam.

Didn't I blow your mind this time, didn't I?

JAY WRIGHT FEELS 2011 PANTHERS BEST YET

2011-02-11T11:22:00.000-05:00

The ESPN GameDay crew invades Villanova for a battle between the Wildcats and Pittsburgh at 9 p.m. on ESPN. Pittsburgh will try to break Villanova’s 46-game winning streak at The Pavilion. The Panthers are 22-19 against the Wildcats in BIG EAST regular-season games, including a 70-65 win last year at the Petersen Events Center.

The meeting prior to last season's Pitt win was their instant classic in Boston in March of 2009 with a spot in the Final Four at stake. The game ended famously with Scotty Reynolds going the length of the court in the final seconds to win it for Villanova in a game where both programs were deserving to be in the Final Four according to Jay Wright.

“What’s so impressive about them is the guys in this game learned from the group in 2009 that we played in the final eight," said the Villanova coach during Thursday's media conference call. "We said it back then and we still believe it now, that group was a Final Four team. Either one of us could have won that game."

The Wildcats are currently looking up at the Panthers in the BIG EAST standings. Entering the season as co-favorites in the league, Pitt is 10-1 in conference play and the Wildcats are three games behind at 7-4. Wright believes this version of the Panthers might be better than the group led by Levance Fields, Sam Young and DeJuan Blair in '09, high praise as the 2009 Pitt team might have been the best ever the Pittsburgh program has produced. The 2009 club earned the first No. 1 ranking and NCAA Tournament No. 1 seed in the program's history.

"I think this team might be better just because of the depth. Depth and they have a little bit more skill level overall," said Wright. That’s kind of hard to say because both of them were great teams. They’re just an outstanding team and I definitely think they’re Final Four caliber.”

That depth will certainly be tested as Pitt's leading scorer Ashton Gibbs is doubtful to play because of a MCL injury in his knee. Gibbs missed the Panthers' 71-66 win at West Virginia on Monday night. Sophomore Travon Woodall got the start in his place and scored 12 points and turned the ball over just once in 36 minutes. Woodall will certainly be challenged on Saturday night by Villanova's talented backcourt duo of Corey Fisher and Maalik Wayns.

Fisher finished with 23 points, 10 assists and five steals in Villanova's 77-76 loss at Rutgers Wednesday night. The Wildcats will have to quickly put the memory of that game out of their mind as they let a late 13-point lead slip away in the loss.

“We had a tough loss [Wednesday] night but in the BIG EAST you’ve got to respond quickly,” said Wright Thursday. “The good news is we get to play again and try to get it out of our mind; the bad news is that it’s Pitt.”

Trailing Pittsburgh in the league standings by three games with seven conference games left makes catching the Panthers a tall order. The two teams will also meet on the regular season's last day March 6th in the Peterson Events Center. The Wildcats will likely have to win both games against the Panthers and get some help if they are to capture a BIG EAST regular season championship, a goal very important to the Villanova coach.

“I just really believe what you do in your conference, over 18 games, that really shows where you are as a program and as a team,” Wright said. “The regular season is very important. The team that wins it, I think, really is the best team.”

Even without Gibbs in the line-up, Wright is aware of the talent Pitt will still have on the floor.

"(Brad) Wanamaker is incredible, (Gilbert) Brown’s becoming incredible," said Wright. "I love (Gary) McGhee. You can argue that McGhee is as good as anybody they’ve had in that spot."

Time will tell if this Pitt team is able to eclipse the accomplishments of their 2009 version. One thing is for certain, Saturday night in the Pavilion should be one great college basketball atmosphere and hopefully a game that lives up to it's billing.

NO GIBBS, NO WORRIES AS PITT WINS AT WVU

2011-02-07T11:24:00.000-05:00

ESPN's Rivalry Week kicked off with a Big Monday BIG EAST match-up between No. 4 Pittsburgh and West Virginia at the Coliseum in Morgantown. A crowd of 14,175, however, went home disappointed as the visiting Panthers earned a 71-66 road win to maintain their two-game lead in the BIG EAST standings.

Pitt improved to 10-1 in BIG EAST play and did so without leading scorer Ashton Gibbs, who could miss 10-14 days with a sprained knee. Gibbs injured the knee in Saturday's victory over Cincinnati. The junior guard tied a career-high with 25 points in the 71-59 win, but was unable to go tonight.

Without Gibbs the Panthers got back to being physical and took it right to one of the conferences toghest teams themselves.

“They out-manned us is what happened,” said West Virginia coach Bob Huggins to MSNsportsNET.com. “They beat us to death on the offensive glass and drove it where they wanted to drive it. They just out-manned us.”

Pitt held a 40-28 rebounding edge, with 18 of those boards coming off the offensively glass which led to 16 second-chance points. Pitt also outscored WVU 42-24 in the paint behind Nasir Robinson's 15 points and 8 rebounds and Gary McGhee's 13 points.

West Virginia got out to a fast start, scoring the game's first 6 points and leading 12-4 five minutes in. The Panthers struggled without Gibbs in the first half, scoring a season-low 23 1st half points on 9-31 shooting from the field. Luckily the Mountaineers were barely much better, scoring only 25 points of their own in the opening 20 minutes.

The second half was a different story as Pitt shot 60.7% (17-28) from the field and after Cam Thoroughman scored the first two points of the second half for WVU the Panthers ran off a 16-6 run to take a 39-33 lead with 12:44 left on a Lamar Patterson transition basket.

The Mountaineers did not go away however. Led by Deniz Kilicli and Dalton Pepper, WVU regained the lead at 46-45 on a Pepper three-pointer with 8:41 left.

Travon Woodall, starting in the place of Gibbs, would quiet the Coliseum crowd with a jumper to give Pittsburgh the lead back on the next possession and his three-pointer would cap a 9-2 lead that restored the six-point margin, 54-48, with 6:30 left.

Kilicli would lead another WVU surge as he finished with a career-high 19 points on an array of old-fashioned sweeping hook shots and post-up moves. His traditional three-point play with 4:03 left again brought West Virginia within one, 59-58.

Again the Panthers would answer, this time it was Gilbert Brown converting a tough lay-up as Pitt would clinch the game with an 8-2 run where Brown would score on another lay-up where he was fouled on a nice feed from Brad Wanamaker.

“Ashton wasn’t playing and I think we really got the message across to our guys in the last 24 hours since we found out he wasn’t playing,” said Pitt coach Jamie Dixon. “Everybody else was asking who was going to step up – we didn’t have to have anyone step up. We just had to play the way we have to play and execute.”

After their slow start the Panthers scored 48 points in the second half. An impressive feat considering WVU has allowed an average of 50 points A GAME, total, in their last four outings and just 45 a game in their last two home games.

Besides Robinson (15) and McGhee (13), Woodall also reached double figures by scoring 12, including three clutch second-half jumpers. The sophomore point guard out of St. Anthony's in Jersey City (NJ) also turned the ball over just once while being on the floor a team-high 36 minutes. Wanamaker added 11 points and led Pitt with 9 rebounds.

Without Gibbs Pitt only attempted six threes with only Woodall connecting once.

“They drive it more; Wannamaker and Brown drive it,” said Huggins. “Robinson drives it. They just attack the rim.”

Pittsburgh has now won 10 games in BIG EAST play in 10 consecutive seasons, eight of which have been under Jamie Dixon. The program's strength and depth was on display again tonight in Morgantown and there probably was a no more fitting way to reach the impressive milestone than a victory in those circumstances on the floor of their arch-rival in the 181st meeting between the two programs in the basketball edition of the Backyard Brawl.

PITT'S GIBBS FILLED WITH RIGHT KIND OF PRIDE

2011-02-03T11:25:00.000-05:00

Pride is something often lost in today's world.

Think about it: How many people do you come into contact with that make you say he or she does the best they can all the time, or at least, most of the time?

There's a myriad of reasons those folks are hard to find and, in an ironic twist, one of the primary culprits is the amount of false pride that a lot of us are full of.

Think about how many times you see somebody act like they are above the simplest tasks because of how important they perceive themselves to be. I see it every day.

Two examples from over the last month: A lawyer goes off on the counter help at a deli when he, or his party, forgot to order something. The counter kid responds correctly, asking politely if they'd like to add to the order? His question results in an arm-raising voice piercing fit from the wannabe Grisham-- "you should know I want a dozen latkes by now!"

Really dude?

Then there was the teenager in the mall, who thought it was fine to call her mom a derogatory name out loud, in front of a store-full of people, when her mom asked her for help. I don't condone child abuse in any way, know some folks that went through it and are still struggling with issues because of it, but...maybe that kid would've been better off if she had gotten a smack or two back in the day?

But here's the flip side.

When you observe a person full of the right kind of pride you know it right away.

Quick story about a reunion weekend in Gainesville, Florida, where one of the Gators better teams from back in the 90's was being honored.

I wasn't there but the story was relayed to me by a player from the team being honored that weekend, a guy who had gone into coaching and was an assistant in the D-1 ranks at the time. The honorees were gathering in a conference room and there were boxes taking up one quarter of the room, making it kind of uncomfortable and crowded. A Florida staff member entered the room, observed the problem, and started moving the boxes at a brisk pace. Before long he was sweating noticeably, but the boxes got moved and there was more room for the players and their families to mingle.

That staff member? Billy Donovan.

"This guy just coached his team to an NCAA Title and he's gladly busting his butt moving boxes," the guy told me, "some assistants and DOBO's would throw a fit if someone even asked them to move boxes, yet Billy Donovan is doing it without a word, kind of makes you understand why some programs are so successful."

A few weeks ago I was at the Peterson Events Center and witnessed a similar, albeit smaller example. Pittsburgh assistant Brandin Knight strolled past a group of us waiting to interview Jamie Dixon and some players. Knight was pushing/carrying a huge bucket of liquid and taking it out to the floor, where another team was getting ready to go. Might have been water, might have been Gatorade, but it was heavy and full of ice. Job needed doing, Knight was doing it, with a smile on his face.

That's pride. And maybe more than any other person, Knight has a pride about what it means to be a Pitt Panther. He was there when this all started, but unlike so many of his playing peers, he's also been there on the other side, the coaching side, to help pass that pride on to current players.

Players like Ashton Gibbs, who comes out of the same programs that molded Knight.

Gibbs works tirelessly at his game. He came in as a freshman and was a spot-up shooter in limited but key minutes. As a sophomore he produced more big game-changing/game-winning shots than any other player in the Big East. Now as a junior, he's not content with being one of the best guards/shooters in the country, he's working to develop/improve his game's arsenal every day. Gibbs' work ethic is legendary inside the halls of the Pete. The stories about him are similar to the ones about Sam Young when he was at Pitt -- legend has it that Young used to sometimes sleep in the arena so he could get shots up if he happened to wake up during the night.

Former Pittsburgh video coordinator, and now Xavier assistant coach Rasheen Davis confirms the stories about Gibbs. "Ash lives in the gym," says Davis, "he never rests, in fact we had to ban him from the gym last season." Gibbs says the grind is just a way of life for him, a principle he kind of lives by, one instilled in him by his father Temple and mother Jacqueline.

"It's something I want to do as a livelihood so I take it serious now," says Gibbs. "My father always used to tell me do what you have to do right now so you can do what you want to do later so I take the approach of if I do what I have to do now I'll be fine later on in life." Gibbs says his focus lately, at least basketball-wise, has been on expanding his repertoire offensively -- on top of still making sure his stroke feels right by getting up at minimum 500 shots a day.

"I'm definitely trying to make my game more versatile, trying to do more floaters in the lane and get to the basket more and more ball handling work," says Gibbs. "Just trying to mix everything up and expand my game more to help the team." Helping the team is something Gibbs has done since arriving at Pitt, while also managing his time to make sure he takes care of the academic side too.

Gibbs currently carries a 3.3/3.4 GPA as a Communications major, something he'd like to improve upon (surprise right?). "I'd like to get it up to at least a 3.5," says Gibbs, "it's like having two full time jobs so time management is key, but I definitely want to get the GPA up a little." Gibbs plans on using his degree to go into broadcasting, sports, or something in that area if he doesn't end up coaching.

"I'm real interested in broadcasting or commentating or worse comes to worse I'll be a coach," says Gibbs. "I just want to be around the game of basketball and sports in general so that's why I take pride in my schoolwork and why I just have to keep it up both on and off the court." Gibbs hit a huge jumper against Rutgers, just the latest in a series of big shots he's hit in the last few years that helped Pitt get a tight win.

Gibbs finished with 24 points on 7-14 shooting and former Pittsburgh assistant Mike Rice, now the head coach at Rutgers, was not surprised. "That's why he's a first-team All Big East player," said Rice while bemoaning the fact that he needs someone on his team to hit big shots like Gibbs.

Gibbs was happy to have a big game in front of so many family and friends back in Jersey. But the main thing was the win. "We got the win , that's the most important thing," said Gibbs, "now it's on to the next one." On to the next one.

Next shot.

Next practice.

Next game.

Just the daily life for Gibbs during basketball season.

Next class too.

"Our program is a great one," said Gibbs, "both athletically and academically and that's one of the main reason I chose to come to Pitt...I mean they're giving me a free scholarship, so why not take advantage of it."

Free is debatable. Gibbs, like a lot of D-1 players, is definitely earning his scholarship. But he's also taking advantage of his opportunities off the floor.

And unlike some, he's grateful for it and takes pride in his daily quest to get better both in basketball and in life.

I wrote the following words earlier in this meandering piece -- When you observe a person full of the right kind of pride you know it right away.

Ashton Gibbs is definitely one of those people.

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WALK-ON CHRONICLES: PITT'S ARON NWANKWO

2011-02-02T11:26:00.001-05:00

by Lauren Kirschman

Balance.

It’s a lesson every college student has to learn: keeping an equilibrium between school work, a social life, extracurricular activities and every once and while, a good night’s sleep.

It’s also a lesson that Aron Nwankwo had to master immediately.

Nwankwo, a freshman on the Pittsburgh men’s basketball team, juggles walking-on to one of the nation’s top squads with a full academic scholarship and a major in pre-Med. For Nwankwo, that means a lot of late nights.

“It’s tough, it’s really tough,” he said. “You’ve got to manage your time wisely.”

Now in his second semester at Pitt, Nwankwo said he’s used to the time management required in order to keep up with his school work. His solution to handling what could be an overwhelming load is simple: it’s all about discipline. When he needs to get work done, he gets it done.

But that doesn’t mean Nwankwo doesn’t occasionally fall victim to the slayer of many college students’ good intentions.

“I procrastinate sometimes,” he admitted. “Then I have to punish myself and stay up late.”

For Nwankwo, it’s all worth it. He’s planned to go into the medical field since he was young. He came into college undecided on exactly the direction he wanted to take, but now he’s leaning toward sports medicine.

“I’m not sure if I’m going to be a surgeon or just a regular physician,” he said. “I’m still figuring it out.”

Whatever he decides, there’s little doubt Nwankwo will work toward the goal with the same tenacity he puts forth both in the classroom and on the basketball court. He said his academic focus comes from a combination of his parents’ guidance and his personality.

“Everything I do: education, sports, whatever—I want to be the best,” he said.

Nwankwo had the opportunity to play on scholarship at other universities as Division 1, Division 2 and Division 3 schools, including Johns Hopkins, Penn State, Elon and NJIT, recruited him out of high school. But academics were his first priority.

“I chose here [Pittsburgh] because I liked the school best and I got to play basketball, so I didn’t really pursue the other schools that were recruiting me,” he said.

Nwankwo attended Baltimore City College High School and he said Pitt also appealed to him because it wasn’t too far from home. He graduated with a 4.0 GPA and played for a Black Knights team that won two consecutive Class 2A state titles.

He was the Baltimore Basketball Academy’s 2010 Scholar Athlete and played in the Baltimore City vs. County Senior All-Star Game. Nwankwo said he couldn’t have imagined ending his basketball career after high school and when Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon offered him a walk-on spot after the Pitt JamFest AAU tournament, he didn’t have to.

He’s seen action in eight games this season and played a total of 13 minutes, netting his first collegiate point on a free throw against Delaware State on Dec. 12. Nwankwo said his role as a walk-on is to help the Panthers improve.

“Just bringing it in practice, you know, work hard and get other people better,” he said. “Provide emotional support and all that. When you get the chance to be on the court, just play hard.”

So far, Nwankwo said he’s happy with his college decision, but it hasn’t been easy.

“Everything’s been working,” he said. “It’s challenging me, definitely. I like the challenge. It’ll help me in the future.”

He’s already aced a skill it’ll take some college students four years to acquire.

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Lauren Kirschman is a Senior Staff Writer with the Pitt News. Look for more contributions from Laren in the future with the NBE Basketball Report as we welcome her as our newest contributor.

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GIBBS SHINES IN HOMECOMING AGAINST RUTGERS

2011-01-28T11:29:00.000-05:00

Born and raised in New Jersey, Pittsburgh junior guard Ashton Gibbs returned home to the Garden State on Saturday and disappointed a raucous RAC on the Rutgers’ campus with a career-high 24 points as the Panthers escaped with a 65-62 win over the Scarlet Knights. Over 8,000 fans jammed the venerable venue creating a tremendous environment for a college basketball game.

“It was a great atmosphere, a great place to play,” said Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon. “The student section did a great job and I give them a hand for the energy and atmosphere they brought to the place.”

Much of that crowd was silenced by Gibbs who nearly single-handily kept the Panthers in the game throughout. Rutgers led 28-27 at the half as Gibbs scored 15 points in the opening half as his teammates struggled, shooting 2-15 from the floor.

Pitt seemed to begin to exert their power and strength in the second half, getting the ball inside to Gary McGhee, but the Scarlet Knights kept coming back. The Panthers would ease out to a six-point lead and several times would lead by 5, but Rutgers kept answering and closed within 58-57 with a Mike Coburn free throw.

However it was Gibbs who would hit the night’s biggest shot. With the shot clock winding down he connected on a three-pointer to push Pitt up by four with 55 seconds left.

“They find ways to win games,” said RU senior forward Jonathan Mitchell. “They got it to their best player and he made a big shot.”

Gibbs added a pair of foul shots to push the lead to 5, 63-58, but Coburn would add a pair of foul shots of his own and after forcing a travelling violation on an inbounds, Robert Lumpkins scored on a lay-up with 21 seconds left and once again RU cut the Pitt lead to one, 63-62. Pitt got the ball inbounds to senior Brad Wanamaker who calmly made a pair from the stripe to push the Pitt lead back to three.

The Panthers were 28-35 (80%) from the line in the game and made all eight of their attempts in the last 4:00.

Rutgers had one last chance to tie, but Pitt’s defense limited the Scarlet Knights to an off balance three from Dane Miller and Travon Woodall grabbed the rebound with 6 seconds left and Pitt was able to run out the clock.

“I wanted JB (James Beatty) to come around and shoot a three….They were face-guarding our main three point shooter, that’s very good scouting by them,” RU coach Mike Rice said. “That’s the small winning plays that sometimes people don’t recognize.”

Gibbs’ late three-pointer was Pitt’s only field goal in the game’s last seven minutes, although the Panthers were 12 of 14 from the line in that stretch.

“In a game like this pretty much every shot we make is going to be big for us. It was big and we showed some patience,” Dixon said of Gibbs’ three.

Besides Gibbs’ career-high matching 24, Gary McGhee also matched his career-high of 13 points and added 8 rebounds. Pitt outrebounded RU 39-30 in the game.

The Panthers finish their first half of the BIG EAST schedule at 8-1 and are the only conference team with one league loss. They are off until next Saturday when they host Cincinnati at the Peterson Events Center.

NOTRE DME 'BURNS' PITT

2011-01-24T11:30:00.000-05:00

by RAY MERNAGH

Rebound and control tempo.

That was the plan of the Notre Dame staff to come into the Pete and do the unthinkable — win against a team looking more and more like a national championship contender. It’s the same plan that carries the Fighting Irish to two wins over the Panthers last season, although neither of those wins was accomplished at the Peterson Events Center, where Pittsburgh had won 51 of their last 52 games.

Rebounding and controlling tempo would be the key, while easier said than done was the thought rolling around my brain.

And then a Notre Dame went out and did it, dusting off their ‘Burn’ offense from a year ago and handing Jamie Dixon and his club their first conference loss of the season.

Scott Martin handled the first shift, hitting three three-pointers late in the shot clock in the first half, two of which came on the first two offensive possessions of the game for the Irish.

Carleton Scott took the second and third shifts, making big shots all night long. Scott, an Irish captain who’s absence over the recent road trip by the Irish coincided with their difficulties getting any wins, is back and better than ever. Scott’s three at the 7:12 mark was punctuated by the fact that he was fouled on the make by Pitt’s Brad Wanamaker.

When Scott’s free throw went down to complete the four-point play, Notre Dame had stretched a one point lead to five, 46-41.

Then Ben Hansbrough did what he sometime has been known to do — he went off and there was nothing Pitt could do to stop him in the last five minutes of the game.

Hansbrough raised up on Gary McGhee for a deep two with 4:29 left to make it 49-45 ND.

Hansbrough took turns taking a trio of Pitt defenders to the basket for layups. First he took McGhee when the big man switched out on him — 51-47 ND. Then he took Gibbs off the bounce, spun and laid it in – 53-49 ND.

The final nail in Pitt’s coffin happened with 17 seconds left and Pitt down three, desperately needing a stop. Hansbrough again went to the basket and scored.

Ballgame.

A win on the road in the Big East is huge and there were all kinds of numbers being thrown around by the Irish SID post-game as Mike Brey, Hansbrough and Scott approached the podium. But Brey knew the most important one.

“It’s our sixth Big East win,” said Brey.

Responding to a question of how much easier it is with Scott back in the lineup Brey quipped “I geel better seeing Carleton in the layup line, let alone in the game, but really we need our four captains to be at our best and they all helped us tonight.”

Hansbrough was the man but he was quick to give credit to Scott who scored 16 points (5-6 from deep) and 9 rebounds. “That four point play was huge,” said Hansbrough, “we won by five, if that play doesn’t happen who knows what goes down late.” Pitt will bounce back.

They are 19-2 and 7-1 in the Big East and a serious threat to win a national title.

But tonight was all about the Irish.

Ben Hansbrough and his guys came into the Pete and did the unthinkable.

Mission — and gameplan — accomplished.

Notre Dame 56, Pitt 51

PANTHERS TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS

2011-01-18T11:33:00.000-05:00

Sometimes the actual event doesn’t match the buildup

#4 Syracuse vs #5 Pittsburgh seemed to be heading that way as I drove through Pitt’s campus towards the Petersen Events Center.

Scalpers were on the corners by 4:00 PM, a full three and a half hours before the 7:30 tip.

The students were lined up in front of the building by 4:45 and when they opened the door for them they came sprinting in screaming. The ESPN cameras were there to film them of course but it wasn’t that fake “oh my we’re on ESPN lets act like banshees” type enthusiasm. No, these kids were ready for ball.

By the time DJ Khaled’s “All I Do Is Win” started pounding, with the students rocking like they were at an actual show and following the chorus’ instructions to a tee, I half expected the Oakland Zoo to part down the middle and Ludacris to appear and drop his verse.

It was electric.

Spine tingling.

I purposely looked down my row to my right to see if I could tell whether the rest of the media there were similarly moved.

Some were uneffected, had probably seen it before and were no doubt worrying about their deadlines (feel sorry for them).

Some hid it well.

Some had little smiles on their faces.

Some were in slack-jawed awe.

Yeah, there was no way in hell the game could top this.

Then the game started, and like Rasheed Wallace so eloquently said — ball don’t lie.

And the truth this game provided was that Villanova better bring their A game when they face either of these teams because, quite frankly, I can’t imagine there’s anybody better in the Big East right now.

Both coaches kind of pooh-poohed it afterwards (I wish I’d been able to ask the question as I would’ve phrased it differently to produce a better answer) but the start of this game was unlike any I’ve ever seen.

Pitt hit the Orange with a 19-0 start and what threatened to be the most fascinating first round knockout since Michael Spinks’ people made him step in the ring with an at-his-peak Tyson. I asked the esteemed gentleman to my left if they had a mercy rule in D-1 hoops. Then the damndest thing happened.

Syracuse countered with a 17-0 run of their own.

Game on!

“Things like this happen from time to time but Syracuse is a very good team so we knew it wouldn’t continue and that they’d make a run,” said Jamie Dixon of the 19-0 start.

And from that point on it was a back and forth frenzy for the rest of the first half.

“If you’re going to get behind by 19 it’s better to do it early,” said Jim Boehiem.

Pitt went in up 31-27, knowing it had a battle on its hands.

Syracuse went in knowing freshmen CJ Fair is a baller supreme.

Fittingly, the second half turned on two defensive plays that oozed athleticism. With 13:04 remaining James Sutherland hit a jumper to cut the Pitt lead to 44-43. Talib Zanna was then stripped of the ball at the top of the key and Syracuse jet Dion Waiters headed the other way for the go ahead layup.

Only the Nigerian out of Bishop McNamara high school had other plans. Instead of putting his head down Zanna did what his 6’9″ frame does better than most, he sprinted back and pinned the shot against the backboard. BLOCK!

Travon Woodall retreived the rebound and headed the other way and found Gil Brown for an emphatic dunk.

46-43 Pitt.

The next play also involved Waiters, another fabulous young player for the ‘Cuse, and Brown. The score had been 67-57 for more than a few minutes. There had been some turnovers as Pitt seemed determined to let the Orange — if they could only hit some shots — back in the game. Another turnover resulted in Waiters streaking down the floor with the ball. “I saw his eyes,” Gil Brown told me afterwards, “I knew he was going to try it and I knew I was going to take care of business.”

The 6’3″ Waiters rose up to bang it and he was met by Brown at the square…and denied.

The final was 74-66 Pitt.

The Panthers, with help from their Zoo, definitely took care of business.

Syracuse, without their best player Kris Joseph, probably wouldn’t mind another shot at them on a neutral court.

Maybe there’s a date available in March, say, in New York City?

I can feel the goosebumps already.

GAME NOTES:
- Pittsburgh got a season-high 21 points from junior forward Nasir Robinson. Brad Wanamaker added 15 points and a team-high 6 assists. The Panthers won the battle of the boards with a 44-30 edge and Gary McGhee grabbed a game-high 13 boards.

- The win pushed Jamie Dixon’s career record to 9-2 against the Orange.

- The win was Pitt’s ninth in a row against a top-5 opponent at the Peterson Events Center.

- The 6-0 start in BIG EAST play is the best ever for the Panthers.

- Next up for Pitt is a 4 PM game at DePaul on Saturday

- Syracuse saw their season-starting 18-game win streak stopped. The 1999-2000 Orange team began the season with 19-straight wins, the school record.

- Freshman CJ Fair came off the bench to score 16 points and grab 9 rebounds. Rick Jackson finished with a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds.

- The Orange played without leading scorer Kris Joseph who suffered a head injury in their win over Cincinnati on Saturday. “We’ll see when we get back,” said Boehim of Joseph’s status for Saturday’s contest with Villanova at the Carrier Dome.

- It was the eighth-straight regular season loss to the Panthers for SU.

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PITT THUMPS REELING GEORGETOWN ON THE ROAD

2011-01-13T12:08:00.001-05:00

Pittsburgh issued a statement to the country and remained undefeated in BIG EAST Play by going to Georgetown and defeating the reeling Hoyas 72-57 on their home floor.

Pitt came out of the gates hot and an early 17-2 run put the Panthers up 24-9 with 8:44 left. Jamie Dixon's club shot 58% in the first half and were led by Ashton Gibb's 16 points in the game's first 20 minutes to take a 41-24 lead at the half.

"They are a very good defensive team, there's no secret about that," Hoya head coach John Thompson III said. "I think they played very well on both ends of the floor. We dug a hole for ourselves in the first half and we missed ten free throws. If you make those it's a whole different ballgame. They're too good of a team to make that kind of mistake."

Georgetown shot 39% in the opening half, but their miserable 4-14 performance from the foul line only deepened their problems.

"I think we got them on a night where they didn't make some shots early, especially some free throw so we were fortunate in the regard," said Jamie Dixon. "I was really happy with how we played, how we stayed with our stuff, how we ran our sets really well especially in the first half and even in the second half."

Things did not get better early in the second as the Pitt lead ballooned to as many as 22 points, 55-33, at the 14:03 mark when Nasir Robinson scored on a transition lay-up from Brad Wanamaker, capping an 8-0 and forcing JTIII to call a timeout.

The Panthers did go more than 7 minutes without a field goal and the Hoyas took advantage to get within 11, 60-49 at the 5:22 mark, but Gibbs hit the dagger three-pointer on the next possession to re-establish control for Pitt and push the lead back to 14.

"It was a big shot," Hoya point guard Chris Wright said. "We stressed that we wanted to keep a high hand in his face and force him to drive him to the basket, but we didn't do that. He can shoot and if you leave him open he's going to knock down his shots."

Gibbs finished with a game-high 22 points, knocking down five of 10 from three-point range. Brad Wanamaker added 14 and Gilbert Brown 12 in the win. Again, Pitt was able to win the battle of the baords and had 15 team assists against just five turnovers. Travon Woodall came off the bench to add 5 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists against no turnovers in his 20 minutes of playing time.

"I am really happy with how unselfish we really played," said Dixon. "Once again our assist to turnover 15 to five [is key to performance]."

Pittsburgh will not return home to face Seton Hall on Saturday evening for a 7 PM tip-off. There will be a big football game being played at roughly the same time (Steelers/Ravens at 4:30 at Heinz Field) which could lessen the crowd for the game. With their BIG MONDAY match-up with Syracuse right around the corner, the Panthers can not afford to look too far ahead. The game will be a homecoming for Herb Pope and the Pirates got a lift on Wednesday as well with the return of Jeremy Hazell to the line-up. Hazell came off the bench to score a game-high 23 points in SHU's 78-67 win at DePaul. Kevin Willard, who played at Pitt under his father Ralph Willard, will bring a much more confidant Pirate team into the Peterson Events Center on Saturday night.

Graham starts with very strong staff

2011-01-11T16:16:00.000-05:00

By Chris Dokish

In what may have been the perfect press conference to excite Pitt fans, new Pitt head coach Todd Graham introduced his first five members of his staff, and they are impressive. They include:

Calvin Magee- Co-Offensive Coordinator- The 47-year old Louisiana native recently was the offensive coordinator at Michigan after following Rich Rodriguez from West Virginia. Will handle the running backs. In 2007 won the Frank Broyles Award given to the best assistant coach in the country. Big time addition.

Mike Norvell- Passing Game Coordinator- Only 29 years old, but is considered one of the fastest rising assistant coaches in the country. A major coup to get him to come along because he would get other major offers. A native of Irving, TX.

Keith Patterson- Defensive Coordinator, LB Coach- Make no mistake about it, the 46-year old Oklahoma native is considered a very good coordinator. Yes, the points and yards numbers were not good but there were reasons. One, Tulsa plays a huge number of high powered spread offenses in that part of the country and in that conference. Two, his offenses run a lot of plays and score often so the defense is on the field a lot. Three, it's very hard to get high quality defensive prospects to Tulsa. He did get interviewed to be the Texas A&M defensive coordinator so he's hardly a bum.

Paul Randolph- Associate Head Coach, Co-Defensive Coordinator, DL Coach- Graham's right hand man came with him from Rice. The 44-year old Georgia native was once named by Rivals.com as one of the top 25 recruiters in the nation.

Tony Gibson- DB Coach and Recruiting Coordinator- The 38-year old West Virginia native both played and coached for Rich Rodriguez and coached for him at West Virginia and Michigan. Will be the main face on the recruiting trail for Pitt.

RED-HOT PITT SHOOTS PAST MARQUETTE

2011-01-08T20:04:00.005-05:00

The Pitt men's basketball team shot a season-best 60% from the field and beat Marquette, 89-81, in a battle of Big East unbeatens this afternoon at the Peterson Events Center.

The Panthers won their 18th consecutive home game on the strength of their offensive prowess. Jamie Dixon's club was 30 of 60 from the field and had 24 assists on those 30 field goals, turning the ball over just 10 times in the game.

"We went 60 percent from the field, only had 10 turnovers, which is below the 12 we want to stay under, and obviously we were right around the number we wanted to be at in a category where we’re one of the best in the country and that is assist-to-turnover ratio. Having an assist-to-turnover ratio at 24-to-10 speaks volumes," said Dixon after the game about his team's offensive efficiency.

Still, Marquette made things interesting. Twice, Pitt stretched it's lead to 16, but each time the Golden Eagles came back quickly.

"Marquette’s good, they kept battling even though we had a good lead," said Dixon. "They never really got too close but they played hard and they are a very good team."

A 22-6 Pitt run over 6:11 in the first half gave the Panthers a 48-32 advantage with 1:15 left in the half. The run was ignited by back-to-back three-pointers by Ashton Gibbs and Brad Wanamaker and an old-fashioned three-point play by Gary McGhee. Pitt was eight of 12 on threes in the first half.

“We never ran them off their routes," said Marquette head coach Buzz Willaims. "They play kind of like the Steelers: they run a play after every dead ball and made basket. Coming into today they were averaging six 3-pointers a game and today they made 10, we never ran them off their lines. It’s hard to beat a team who scores 30 percent of their points from long-range."

Marquette regrouped scoring the last five of the half to cut the lead to 11, 48-37 after the first 20 minutes.

In the second half Pitt came out scorching hot, hitting their first four shots to push the lead to 15 and later in the half consecutive baskets by McGhee, Woodall and Gibbs pushed the lead to 69-53 with 10:53 left. Just as it looked like the game was about to get out of hand, Pitt began to self-implode, turning the ball over on five consecutive possessions and Marquette took advantage by cutting the lead to 8 at the 8:11 mark. After a timeout, Pitt regained their footing and scored on their next four possessions.

“They start three seniors and two juniors and all of them have great poise, said Willaims. "Then they bring players off the bench who change their rotation, but don’t change their great production. So as a team they’re really good, they know what it’s all about and they’re extremely well coached.”

Still, the Golden Eagles hung around and basically matched Pitt point for point, but never cutting back into the lead which stayed between eight and 11 points the rest of the game as they could not come up with enough stops. Pitt was 13 of 20 from the floor in the second half and finished 10 of 18 from three-point range.

"In the second half I don’t think we executed as well but our numbers were good, we shot 65 percent," said Dixon. "They ran a little triangle-and-two and maybe I didn’t call as good of sets as I could have but we shot 65 percent.”

Gibbs led the Panthers with 19 points. Brad Wanamaker added 15 points, 5 rebounds and a team-high 6 assists, Gilbert Brown scored 14 and added a team-high 7 rebounds and Gary McGhee was the fourth Panther in double figures, scoring 12, his third-straight game scoring in double figures since BIG EAST play started.

"The last couple games have given me the confidence to keep working hard, and when I am able to get the ball down low then I can go up strong with it and finish," said McGhee. "Over the past few games this has been my main goal and it has really helped me out.”

Darius Johnson-Odom had a game-high 20 points for Marquette with Dwight Buycks scoring 19 and Jimmy Butler 17 for Buzz Williams' club. The Golden Eagles turned the ball over just two times all game, allowing them to stay relatively close, despite Pitt's hot shooting.

The Panthers held the edge in rebounding with a 38-29 mark, but that might not tell the full story. The Panthers grabbed 11 offensively rebounds and Marquette only had 13 on defense, so Pitt nearly got half their own misses. Marquette did manage to grab 16 offensive boards themselves, but Pitt had 27 on the defensive end.

Pitt, now 3-0 in BIG EAST play, will host Georgetown on Wednesday night. The Hoyas fell to 1-3 in the BIG EAST, losing at home to West Virginia in today's 11 AM contest. Georgetown was the last visitor to win in the Peterson Events Center, beating Pitt 74-62 January 20, 2010. The game is set for a 7 PM tip and will be televised by ESPN.

Bradley vs. Wannstedt in Recruiting

2011-01-07T18:14:00.000-05:00

By Chris Dokish

Dave Wannstedt's first full class was in 2006. The following is how the duo fared against each other when offering the same player in western PA, and only includes players that went to one or the other. And as a recruiting writer I can tell you who really was offered and not who Penn State fans tell you they offered.

2006:

Aaron Berry- Pitt
Nate Byham- Pitt
Dorin Dickerson- Pitt
Elijah Fields- Pitt
Jason Pinkston- Pitt
Aaron Smith- Pitt

2007:

LeSean McCoy- Pitt
Maurice Williams- Pitt

Jon Ditto- Penn State
Derek Moye- Penn State
Nick Sukay- Penn State
Stefen Wisniewski- Penn State

2008:

Shayne Hale- Pitt
Jarred Holley- Pitt

Mike Yancich- Penn State

2009:

Dan Mason- Pitt
Todd Thomas- Pitt

2010:

Anthony Gonzalez- Pitt

Miles Dieffenbach- Penn State
Luke Graham- Penn State
Mike Hull- Penn State
Paul Jones- Penn State
Tom Ricketts- Penn State

Total:

Wannstedt 13
Bradley 10

And that doesn't even include two nationally recruited players, Jonathan Baldwin and Lucas Nix. that Penn State didn't even bother to recruit because they knew they were going to Pitt.

ODDS TRADING - ADVANCED TIPS 2

2011-01-05T08:26:00.000-05:00

Are you ready for advanced odds trading? Odds trading can be a tremendous boost to your online betting success, but only if you know how to take full advantage of it. A good odds trading strategy can turn a break even bettor into a winning one. Read some tips for advanced odds trading here and then go out and start making some winning bets.

Advanced Odds Trading Tip: Shop Around

You may already know exactly the bet you want, but that doesn’t mean you should jump to post it until you’ve seen what’s out there. Someone might already be offering just the bet you are looking for. Better yet, someone may be laying better odds for the same bet than you were going to ask for. You also might discover some other appealing options while you are looking around. Remember that when gambling or if you want to play online blackjack, you want to find every edge you can, and that means exploring all the options that are available to you.

Advanced Odds Trading Tip 2: Make Friends

Remember when you were a kid and there was always one other kid who would take any sucker bet? All those kids grew up and they’re online at the betting exchange site just like you or even playing an online blackjack game. All you have to do is find them. When you do, look to take almost any bet they are offering. If you’re completely unfamiliar with the sport or event, you should probably take some time to get to know it, but people who make bad bets in one area often make bad bets across the board.

Advanced Odds Trading Tip 3: Explore the Exchanges

You may be comfortable with the first betting exchange site you find, but it couldn’t hurt to look around a little. Different betting exchange sites may have more appealing layouts, attractive bonus offers and weaker competition. You have nothing to lose by signing up with a number of betting exchanges before settling on the one you like best. The more bettors that you have access to, the better your chances of finding players who will make bets that are highly in your favor.

MERNAGH: CHARACTER WIN FOR PITT HOOPS

2011-01-04T22:34:00.001-05:00

McGhee and Woodall key 11-3 game-closing run in road win for Panthers

Everything went wrong in tonight's game for No. 5 Pittsburgh at Providence.

A high number of turnovers.

Foul trouble that tested their much talked about depth.

Fouling three-point shooters.

Seeing a double digit lead turn into a deficit in the final minutes.

All that happened...and Pitt still won the game.

read rest of Ray Mernagh's column HERE.

Pitt should fire both Haywood and Pederson

2010-12-31T23:32:00.006-05:00

By Chris Dokish

With the news that new Pitt head coach Michael Haywood has been arrested for allegedly roughing up the mother of his child, Pitt should correct this horrible mistake once and for all.

How do they do that? First of all, they need to immediately fire both Haywood and AD Steve Pederson. Haywood is obviously going to get fired. You simply can't make a big deal about hiring somebody supposedly moral and honorable (instead of talented) then retain him after allegedly beating up a woman. Haywood is done. Finished. Not only at Pitt, but probably elsewhere. Mugshots have a way of killing a college coaching career, unless of course you are an elite talent, which Haywood never was. It was an atrocious, and embarrassing, hire to begin with.

That brings us to Pederson, who arguably is responsible for two of the five worst major college coaching hires in the last ten years. The man, simply put, is incompetent. His hiring of Ben Howland, always thought to be orchestrated by Sonny Vaccaro anyway, is looking more and more like a fluke every day. If Pitt does not fire him also then they will again look like an amateurish and clueless administration.

So what to do then? Personally I would make Frank Cignetti, Jr., or somebody similar, the interim head coach at somewhere in the range of $700,000. Nobody worthwhile is going to work for Pederson now, and if Pederson does get fired, it will take months to hire a new AD. Likewise, nobody worthwhile will work for a university that has no AD. For this reason I make somebody who is desperate the head coach and tell him that it's a one year deal on an interim basis. If he does a great job in that year then you make him your permanent head coach. If he does not succeed then the new AD will hire a competent head coach, hopefully this time somebody with credentials to coach at a BCS program and not somebody like the bargain basement Haywood.

Yes, it would be difficult to hire a competent staff and to get any kids to commit for that one year, but it is the best choice in a horrible situation. There will be no chance that Pitt will be able to hire an excellent coach at this time, pure and simple. What coach would want to join this debacle right now? No one, unless you throw a lot of money at them and we all know Pitt will never do that. They could only hire a journeyman coach before, and now the situation is even worse so it's ludicrous to think anything better than an interim coach will work. And even that may not work, but it's the only reasonable option if Pederson is fired. If he's not fired then it won't matter who they hire because the program is over as we know it.

In conclusion, the firing of Dave Wannstedt was the right thing to do. The hiring of Haywood was a disaster to begin with, and has obviously turned nightmarish. Following my plan seems the best way to try to bring some competence and sanity back into what has quickly become a disastrous program. But Pitt rarely has done the right thing. It could begin to change that by firing Haywood and Pederson. But this time, make the right hiring.

PITT OPENS BIG EAST WITH WIN OVER UCONN

2010-12-28T01:05:00.001-05:00

The 2010-2011 Big East regular season got underway on Monday night in Pittsburgh as No. 4 Connecticut tried to do what seven teams previously ranked in the top-5 failed to do before them - come into the Peterson Events Center and emerge with a victory. Pittsburgh was having none of that as the Panthers, ranked No. 6 in the country themselves, never trailed en route to a 78-63 win over the Huskies.

UConn entered the game as one of just eight unbeatens in the country at 10-0, but their first true road game of the season proved to be too tough against the experienced Pitt squad.

"We allowed a team, a very good team by the way, who plays very good defense to take us out of a lot of things that we did," Jim Calhoun said afterwards. "We lost some of the swagger that we needed to have to win the game.”

The Panthers, energized by a standing-room only crowd of 12,725, came out smoking with a 16-7 lead before the game was five minutes old, highlighted by a Gilbert Brown alley-oop slam off a pass in transition by fellow senior Brad Wanamaker. Six different players scored for Jamie Dixon's team in the opening five minutes and once the game settled down, it was the Pitt defense that took over the contest.

"First thing, I want to compliment Jamie," said Calhoun. "He had his team ready defensively and that’s what started it. I thought they just locked us up defensively. We aren’t a young team, but they made us make young plays."

The Huskies managed to connect on just 31.7% of their shots for the game and suffered through a 7:30 stretch in the second-half without a field goal.

With his young teammates struggling in what was their first Big East contest for many of them, Kemba Walker tried in vain to keep pace with the balanced Panthers. Walker, who entered the contest leading the NCAA in scoring with 26.5 points a game, scored 31 points and his personal 8-0 run over 1:59 cut a 15-point deficit to just seven, 62-55, with 5:29 left.

Walker would not score again and the Panthers answered the challenge with an 11-4 run and a pair of Travon Woodall free throws with 2:16 left capped the run, securing Pitt's 17th straight home victory, improving to 8-0 all-time at the Peterson Events Center against top-5 teams and their fourth win in the last five meetings with UConn.

"I thought we executed very well on both ends of the floor, and I really liked that we took good shots," said Jamie Dixon.

Pitt shot 52% from the field (25-48) and registered 19 assists on their 25 made field goals in the game. Ashton Gibbs led the way with 21 points and 7 assists while Brad Wanamaker added 14. The Panthers' starting frontcourt of Gary McGhee and Nasir Robinson also stood tall against the opposition.

"We moved the ball well and got our big guys some inside touches when they were in good position to really attack the basket," said Dixon. "I thought we were able to take better shots than they did on the interior, which is excellent because UConn has a very good post offense."

McGhee finished with 11 points, 11 rebounds and 3 blocks while Robinson, making his first start of the season, finished with 11 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists.

"He brings energy to the floor and he’s got that motor in him and it helps getting him on the floor early," said Gibbs of Robinson. "He’s real aggressive and he grabs a lot of rebounds."

Despite scoring 31 points, Kemba Walker had to work constantly for his opportunities. Before his individual run made things interesting, the UConn guard was just five of 18 from the field. He finished 10 of 27 in the game and was the only Husky in double figures.

"Kemba Walker is going to score, we just need to make him take tough shots,” said Dixon.

Walker made tough shots, but also forced some too as Pitt gave him some extra attention defensively, possibly a blueprint for other teams to follow ahead on the schedule.

“He made some tough shots and took the ball to the basket," said Wanamaker. "He’s a great player, but I thought we gave a good overall team effort on defense.”

The Panthers now have eight days to bask in the glow of starting conference play with a win over UConn. Pitt returns to action on Jan. 4 with a date at Providence, and they will look to improve upon the impressive showing.

"“It’s great for us," Wanamker said of beating UConn. "They’re a good team that’s playing good basketball and it shows us where we are and how we can improve.”

It's on. The 2010-2011 BIG EAST season is off and running!

*********Follow NBE Sports on Twitter: http://twitter.com/NBESports*****

Haywood to become new Pitt coach

2010-12-15T20:20:00.003-05:00

By Chris Dokish

People see what they want to see so just so there are no future comments directed my way if Haywood wins 9 or 10 games in the upcoming season or any future seasons, let me repeat that I have no idea if Haywood will reach that win total and I hope he does. I would love nothing more than to see Haywood succeed and bring Pitt to the heights I think they have in them.

The Panthers next season will have a veteran team and Haywood runs an offense and a defense similar enough to Dave Wannstedt that he very well could have a 9 or 10 win season next year. And there's no reason to hound me after every win with snide comments about how wrong I was. I will be the first to admit it if Haywood turns Pitt into a power, and I will be happy to do so.

But that's what it comes down to. Getting Pitt to elite status. That's the only reason to fire/let Wannstedt "resign" in the first place. And, in my opinion, that will take a special coach to move Pitt into that top 10 category. Of course Haywood may be able to do that. I just don't see it. That doesn't mean he won't average 8 or 9 wins a year, but the goal has to be a top 10 team if only for a few years. That's what happened at West Virginia and that's what happened at Cincinnati. And if Pitt can't afford such a coach then don't fire Wannstedt. Here's hoping I'm wrong and Pitt will have a couple of elite teams with Haywood because it's about time that Pitt lived up to their potential, at least for a little while.

Haywood- Not an Upgrade

2010-12-15T11:34:00.005-05:00

By Chris Dokish

Sadly it looks like Pitt's athletic director, Steve Pederson, and Chancellor Mark Nordenberg, once again failed in their latest golden opportunity to move the program to a higher level.

That's not to say that Haywood won't win at Pitt. Nobody knows how well he will do, or how awful he will do, until it happens. But he is not a hire that makes sense, and it clearly shows one of two things. One, Pederson and Nordenberg have no idea what they're doing. Or, two, they are cheap. Either way, this hiring should tell fans that winning big is not the goal of the University of Pittsburgh.

Why so down on Haywood? His resume may look good at first glance. He played at Notre Dame, and coached there, as well as Texas and LSU. He was the offensive coordinator at his alma mater under Charlie Weis. But look closer and see that he lost his play calling duties at Notre Dame. In 2007 he applied for the job at Houston but lost the job to Kevin Sumlin. The second choice was reportedly then 71-year Jack Pardee. He was also considered for the Northern Illinois job the same year, but they instead hired Jerry Kill. This season Haywood interviewed for the Minnesota job and lost out to Kill again. He also interviewed in the past for the job at Washington, where Steve Sarkisian was eventually hired, but according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer he was considered "just a peripheral candidate". He was recently mentioned for jobs at Indiana and Vanderbilt, but both schools decided to go elsewhere.

Eventually the soon to be 47-year old got hired by Miami where he started 1-11 then followed it up with a 9-4 record this year. That is obviously an amazing turn around that gets him much deserved applause. But one good year from a lifelong assistant does not make a big time coach. Turner Gill did a similar turnaround at Buffalo yet went 3-9 this season at Kansas.

Even Miami fans are stunned that Pitt would want a guy who has done so little. One look at their message board shows incredulous posts a week ago when their coach was first mentioned as a possible Pitt. A sampling of posts include:

"No university job worth taking (and Pitt is a job worth taking) is going to commit to a coach who has only been a head coach for two years, one of which was an 1-11 season. Haywood just doesn't have the resume yet."

"Haywood seems to be a rising star at this point, but Pitt isn't looking to grab a coach who has 10-15 career record and has finished last in his conference half the years he has been a coach."

"No offense to Haywood, I think he is good on the way to being great, but a big time program hiring him at this point in time would look like an act of desperation. 10-15, two years as a head coach, won a championship (which I don't want to cheapen). But, part of the truth of this season is that we were four or five plays away from under .500 on the year (Akron, Kent, BG. CMU..even Eastern had a lead on us in the 3rd quarter)."

"Think of it the other way and that this was a Pitt board. I would be furious if we hired a guy whose career record was 10-15 and got all his power taken away by Charlie Weis. Honestly, they are better than this (at least right now)."

Not exactly a ringing endorsement and these are from the fans who love him. When they can't even fathom why Pitt would make this hire, how are Pitt fans supposed to take it?

It's no secret that I thought Pitt could do better than Dave Wannstedt. Wannstedt was a great guy and to be honest, he was also a good coach. He just wasn't a great coach. Apparently Pitt thought the same thing. We know the administration did not get rid of Wannstedt because of his personality. They got rid of him because they thought they could do better on the field, which means more money.

So my question is this. Does Haygood mean more success, both on the field and in the bank account? I don't see how any reasonable person could say that. At best he is Wannstedt and if that's the case then they should have just kept Wannstedt.

Bottom line, Haywood may be a good person and may be a good college coach. But while he may look good in a suit and he talks like the educated man he is, West Virginia paid 2 million dollars a year to a crazy offensive genius who will probably lead them to many blowout wins and Big East championships. Once again Pitt had the chance to spend the money to get a great coach, Holgorsen or somebody else. Once again they chose the safe, cheap route. And once again they will probably be asked "why can't you be an elite program?" They will find the answer when they look in the mirror.

Nobody knows anything

2010-12-14T15:47:00.008-05:00

By Chris Dokish

I've been asked why I haven't written anything about the search for Pitt's new football coach and the reason is because I don't know anything. Neither does anybody else. As Pitt often does, they keep very quiet about what they are doing. Why do you think I stopped writing about Pitt football full-time? It's because dealing with them is impossible. In fact, I've had better luck with every other basketball and football program I've ever dealt with.

I continue to get panicked emails from Pitt fans who say Pitt lost out on Al Golden and Dana Holgorsen, and that may very well be true. Or it may not be true. The truth is, there are no facts about who Steve Pederson is looking at. None.

Just using common sense, I assume Golden is somebody that Pederson talked to and I wouldn't be surprised if Pitt offered him the job. If they did, and they lost him to Miami then there is no reason to be ashamed. Miami has higher potential, period, end of story.

Why Pitt would want Golden is something completely different. Not everybody in Miami is enamored with the hiring of Golden, and I'm not sure how well he will do either. He has the rep of a great recruiter, a solid defensive minded coach, and a guy who will lead the program with class. In other words, Randy Shannon, who they just fired.

But at least at Miami Golden can win with his pro style. At Pitt, his chances were much less. Only the truly elite programs can win in a pro style because you need superior talent for that- Alabama, USC, Ohio State, etc. The non-elite programs who have won big over the last few years include WVU with Rich Rodriguez, Cincinnati with Brian Kelly, Oklahoma State, Oregon, TCU, and Boise State. All have run some form of spread offense. Programs like Florida and Auburn had the luxury of having elite talent and a pro style offense, and the result is apparent.

Back to class, that brings us to Dana Holgorsen. There have been published reports that Holgorsen was at one point meeting with Pitt, and maybe even the top choice. Or at least the co-top choice. Then all of a sudden, West Virginia swoops in and steals Holgorsen.

To me this seems obvious. Pitt clearly had problems with something about Holgorsen, a guy who lives in a Residence Inn and never signed a contract at Oklahoma State. Not that West Virginia still may not have gotten him over Pitt. If push came to shove, they may have shoved Bill Stewart right out the door immediately so that Holgorsen becomes head coach right away. But the fact that Holgorsen took the coach in waiting job from West Virginia tells me that he had no other head coaching offers. While West Virginia has proven that they are at least the equal of Pitt as a program, they aren't so scary good that Holgorsen would choose them with a years wait, over becoming the Pitt head coach immediately.

This brings us to one of my criticisms of Pitt over the years. And that's that they care way too much about a figurehead as a coach, instead of just hiring a great head coach. Obviously the ideal situation is to get a great head coach who is also a great person. But how many Jamie Dixons are there in the coaching world?

Of course nobody wants a bad guy to represent them, and truthfully if Holgorsen has some shameful skeletons in his closet, then good for Pitt and shame on West Virginia. But if he just seemed a little too "sleazy" for them then they are missing the boat. Sadly in college athletics today there are a lot more sleazeballs than Dixons. In fact, if you name the top ten most successful college football coaches currently you will see that a majority of them are't people you would want to hold your wallet for you.

The best case scenario is if Pederson lands a great coach who happens to fit their high moral standards, but to do that they have to pay since everybody else wants those guys, too. If you want a Chris Petersen or a Bronco Mendenhall then pay for them. If you can't pay for them then you are going to get a mediocre coach who represents the university well. Quality costs and it's time to decide how bad you want it. If Pitt isn't careful with this hire then it will be just be one more ride on the merry-go-round of mediocrity.

But maybe Pederson has targeted the man who he thinks is Pitt's next Jamie Dixon. And maybe he has had him all along. Bottom line, despite cries from fans that Pederson has failed, he hasn't yet. Maybe Pitt will come up with he money to get the perfect fit both on and off the field. But they better. Firing Dave Wannstedt was the right choice if they wanted to have more success on the field. But if Pitt can't find a better coach, and are more concerned with morals, then it was pointless to get rid of Wannstedt. Tom Bradley? Mike Haywood? Frank Cignetti, Jr.? I fail to see how they are any better than Wannstedt and consequently I don't see how the result could be any better. Right now the job of turning Pitt into a great program is only half done.

Realistic coaching candidates

2010-12-08T13:25:00.005-05:00

By Chris Dokish

After seeing some ridiculous articles from supposedly informed writers (Teryl Austin? Russ Grimm? Chris Pederson? Greg Gattuso? Frank Cignetti, Jr.?), I decided to write an actual informed list of potential candidates. I touched on this in my article last week, but here is a more focused look.

Head Coaching Experience:

John Fox, Head Coach of the Carolina Panthers- It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that he will be fired after the season. His record in his nine years at Carolina is barely above .500, but he went to three NFC championship games and a Super Bowl. He also coached for both Pitt and the Steelers so he is familiar with the city. On the downside, he is 55 and may not want to go from the NFL at that age to college. Yes, Wannstedt did it, but it was his alma mater. Verdict- The last two coaches that Steve Pederson dealt with- Bill Callahan and Wannstedt- failed. Fox had more head coaching success than either but it's doubtful he would go from being a pretty successful NFL head coach to Pitt. He just doesn't need it.

Marvin Lewis, Head Coach of Cincinnati Bengals- Like Fox his firing seems imminent. Unlike fox his NFL career did not have moments of great success. On top of that, the off the field actions of Bengals players were troubling. At 52, he is a native of McDonald, PA, and was a linebacker coach for both Pitt and the Steelers in the 90s. He will easily find an NFL defensive coordinator job if he wanted it. Verdict- Who knows if he would want to be a head coach in college when he can be a defensive coordinator in the NFL? My guess is, he would rather be in the NFL.

Mike Leach, unemployed- The former Texas Tech head coach is a one man quote machine and managed to somehow make Texas Tech a power in a state where they are no better than the fourth option. Highly exciting offensive system loaded with wide receivers and passing. He currently has a bad reputation because he is suing both Texas Tech and ESPN, and got a lot of flak for putting the son of Craig James in a shed. But the truth is, his players didn't get into trouble, and they graduated. He's desperate to get back into coaching to prove himself. Verdict- He would provide instant excitement and filled houses thanks to his personality and high octane offense. But the perception of him is that of a crass country bumpkin(even though he graduated from the Pepperdine Law School), and Pitt has never been known to take somebody with a questionable reputation.

Al Golden, Head Coach of Temple- Former Penn State graduate and player who turned Temple into a winner. Was the Virginia DC previously and was the youngest DC in major college football when hired. He runs a West Coast offense and a defense that goes all out to stop the run first. Has pulled himself out of the running for many jobs over the years.- Verdict- His style is not one that will bring people into the stadium and he will have his eye on the Penn State job once it's open. If he's successful and would leave, that's bad enough, but leaving for Penn State would be even worse. For that reason, expect Pederson to pass.

Kevin Sumlin, Head Coach of Houston- He would be the first major head coach that Pitt has hired that was an African American. An offensive wiz, Sumlin has worked under Bob Stoops, R.C. Slocum, Mike Price, and Dennis Erickson. He runs a high powered run and shoot offense that turned Case Keenum into a bonafide Heisman Trophy candidate. Was 18-9 in his first two seasons at Houston, including 10-4 in his second year, but went 5-7 this year when Keenum and his backup both were lost for the season in the third game of the year. Signed a new 6 year, 6.8 million dollar contract in January. Verdict- Features a high powered offense and has shown that he can be a good head coach. Serious candidate.

Bronco Mendenhall, Head Coach of Brigham Young- At 44, he is one of the best young coaches in the country. His six year record at Provo is 55-21, including an incredible four year span of 43-9. He ended the regular season this year at 6-6 but some in Utah thinks it was his best coaching performance. He replaced his DC with himself early in the year then followed by winning 5 of his last 7 games, including a one point loss to Utah. Verdict- While he doesn't make huge money now, BYU has deep pockets. If Pederson wants him, it may cost. But he is considered a star and it may be worth it.

Todd Graham, Head Coach of Tulsa- First college job was for Rich Rodriguez, where he coached linebackers in his first season and was co-DC and in his second season. He then became the Tulsa DC under Steve Kragthorpe. Got his first head coaching job at Rice where he took them to a 7-6 record after they finished 1-10 the season before. After signing a contract extension he bolted two days later to become the Tulsa head coach. He received a lot of criticism for the move. At Tulsa, he is currently 35-17 in his fourth season. Has a pretty good salary for a mid-major program. Verdict- Interesting candidate but he claims that he's not interested in moving out of Tulsa where he has three children attending the university. Of course they all say that.

Brady Hoke, Head Coach of San Diego State- This name comes up a lot not only with Pitt fans but with the virtually every program that has an opening. He got his buzz because of turning around both Ball State and San Diego State, and while he turned around Ball State with a 12-1 record, it took until his six season and his record at the school was 34-38. He has done a fine job of turning around San Diego State with an 8-4 record this season. Verdict- His overall record is 46-50 and I doubt that Pederson will be impressed enough.

No Head Coaching Experience:

Dana Holgorsen, Offensive Coordinator at Oklahoma State- One of the hottest coordinators in the country right now. A disciple of Hal Mumme and Mike Leach, but he incorporates more running into his offense then they do. Prior to this season, he was Sumlin's OC at Houston and many think that it was he, and not Sumlin, that was responsible for Houston and Keenum's success. Prior to Houston he spent seven seasons at Texas Tech with Leach (when Pederson was in the conference at Nebraska). This season Oklahoma State entered the season with no proven receivers, a starting running back that missed the end of last season with an injury, and a quarterback that hadn't started a game in nine years. All Oklahoma State did was lead the country in total offense. Verdict- Need I say any more? he has all the potential to be an excellent head coach.

Paul Chryst, Offensive Coordinator at Wisconsin- If there's one college assistant who appears to be primed to be a successful head coach it's the 45-year old Chryst. Yes, he was born in Madison and went to Wisconsin, but Bret Bielema is just 40 years old and he's not going anywhere soon. Despite operating a run oriented offense, Wisconsin has led the Big Ten in offense for the past two seasons and this year the Badgers have put up ridiculous offensive numbers in the usually conservative Big Ten. As the OC at Oregon State in 2003 the Beavers became the first team in NCAA history to have a 4,000 yard passer, a 1,500 yard rusher, and two 1,000 yard receivers.

Mark Stoops, Defensive Coordinator at Florida State- The Stoops are the college football equivalent of the Staal brothers in the NHL, but that's only because they keep being successful. Stoops, 43-years old and a Youngstown native, is in his first season as a DC for Florida State, and he improved their scoring defense from 94th to 11th this season. Previous stops have included Arizona where he was the DC from 2004-09.

My choices in order:

1. Mike Leach
2. Bronco Mendenhall
3. Dana Holgorsen

Wannstedt out

2010-12-07T16:17:00.002-05:00

By Chris Dokish

In a bit of surprise, Dave Wannstedt has been fired as the University of Pittsburgh football coach. The surprise was not that it was done but that it was done this season. As I wrote in my last article, the Pitt administration needed to be aggressive, and fire Wannstedt, and they have answered the call. Next is to be just as aggressive in who the replacement is. No word yet on who the possible replacement will be, but my (realistic) pick last week was Dana Holgorsen, and I still stand by that as an option.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpT4esAgfZI

Names that will be mentioned that I wouldn't want or Pitt will never hire:

Al Golden- Will always be looking at Penn State, runs conservative schemes on both offense and defense, performance at Temple a little overrated because Temple moved down to a lower level of competition.

Marvin Lewis- He couldn't even keep professionals out of trouble, how the hell can he keep college kids out of trouble?

Rich Rodriguez and Skip Leach: They may as well be Satan as far as Pitt is concerned.

Russ Grimm: Nice guy, Pitt guy, local guy, NFL experience, boring. Sound familiar?

Chris Pederson: I have a better chance of coaching Pitt next season. He has a better job and makes more money than Pitt will offer.

Gus Malzahn: Auburn OC will get a better job, probably in the SEC, and already makes more money than Wannstedt made this season.

Tom Bradley: The most overrated head coaching candidate in Pitt history. If he was so great he would be coaching somewhere by now.

Brady Hoke: Pitt can do better. And how do you sell a guy with a 38-46 career record?

What's next for Pitt football?

2010-11-29T11:18:00.007-05:00

By Chris Dokish

Let me first say that I've always rooted for Dave Wannstedt as the Pitt football coach. He is a great guy, a Pittsburgher through and through, and he clearly loves the university and the city. However, for the past few years I have written that he will not get the job done at Pitt, and unfortunately the time has come to admit that Wannstedt is not getting it done. Let's look at why Wannstedt failed and what will happen in the near future for the football program.

Why Wannstedt Failed

1. Coaching ability: Quite frankly, Wannstedt is just a mediocre strategist. In an era of spread offenses and highly athletic and fast defenses, Wannstedt is stuck in the 70s. On offense he runs a pro-style offense that requires his talent to go head to head with the opponent. Unfortunately he doesn't have enough talent to win a lot of those battles. Yes, there are some very talented players on offense. Jonathan Baldwin, Dion Lewis, Ray Graham, and Jason Pinkston come to mind. Quarterback Tino Sunseri is not as bad as many fans make him out to be, and he will continue to get better, but he's probably never going to be good enough to take over a game. The offensive line is nothing special and hasn't been since Wannstedt has been there. This despite starting three elite western PA prospects in Pinkston, Lucas Nix, and Chris Jacobson. The depth on the line is atrocious.

On defense Wannstedt has gotten great play from his defensive line, especially in the pass rush, but the back seven are small, unathletic, and not very talented. The linebacking unit, something you would think would be a Wannstedt specialty, has had one high impact player during Wannstedt's tenure (Scott McKillop). Despite the lack of talent at the position, Wannstedt was enamored with playing one possible linebacker, Dom DeCicco, out of position at safety where he was a huge liability in pass coverage.

Game day decisions have also been something that Wannstedt was never very good at, and this was established before he even arrived at Pitt. His conservatism drives Panther fans crazy, who would like to see him go for the jugular rather than continually play to keep the game close. Wannstedt's method makes even less sense when you realize that eight of the last ten losses have been within seven points, showing that shows that Pitt is not adept at winning close games.

2. Failure to win the big game: The two losses in the past ten games that were more than seven points were even more devastating, and even more telling. In the third game of the season, in front of national television audience, important alumni, and hundreds of potential recruits, the Panthers failed to show up and lost 31-3 to Miami, a team that ended the regular season at 7-5, bad enough to get their coach fired. Worse yet, and on national television again, Pitt got trounced by rival West Virginia 35-10.

If only those two games were an aberration. They are not. In 2005, Wannstedt's first season, the Panthers were ranked in the preseason and returned a veteran quarterback in Tyler Palko. Wannstedt took the opportunity to start the season 0-3, including an embarrassing nationally televised 42-21 home loss to Notre Dame and a loss on ESPN to MAC school Ohio. A 42-20 loss to Louisville and 45-13 to West Virginia came later in the season. In 2006, Pitt lost their last five games, including to a UConn team that started ten freshman and ended the season 1-6 in the conference. In 2007, Wannstedt moved his career mark at Pitt to 16-19 after a 5-7 season, his third without a winning record. In 2008, Wannstedt finally achieved a respectable 9-4 record, but even then the losses were disturbing. An opening 27-17 loss to Bowling Green was bad, but just as awful was a 54-34 home loss to Rutgers in which pedestrian quarterback Mike Teel threw for six touchdowns on just 14 completions. The worst, however, may have been a 3-0 loss to Oregon State in the Sun Bowl. In that one, with the Panthers on their next of many opportunities to take the next major step as a program, proceeded to set the game of football back decades with just ten first downs and 2.7 yards per play. In 2009, Wannstedt managed a 10-3 record and a bowl victory, but still managed to end to season on a down note with losses to West Virginia and Cincinnati to end the season, and with the BCS bid right in front of them. In 2010, with the BCS bid once again in front of them, the Panthers again failed to show up, losing to UConn before getting demolished at home by West Virginia.

3. Lack of recruiting: This one will surprise many, but take it from somebody who is paid to follow recruiting; Pitt does not recruit nearly as well as they get credit for. Yes, there are some stars, among them Jonathan Baldwin, LeSean McCoy, Dion Lewis, Jason Pinkston, Lucas Nix, Greg Romeus, and Jabaal Sheard. The problem, however, is that most of the best prospects are at the same positions. Wannstedt has had little trouble recruiting running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, and defensive linemen. However, at quarterback, offensive line, linebacker, and defensive backs his track record has been very poor. The rankings of national recruiting websites don't tell the whole story in that they have a mathematical formula to show how many top prospects you get. What they don't tell you is how these players actually fit into your program. For instance, in a single class Pitt may get a lot of wide receivers or defensive linemen with high rankings, and that will get them a high team ranking. But what it doesn't take into account is that Pitt also is lacking in many positions. For instance, on the offensive line, Pitt gets kudos for landing Pinkston, Nix, Jacobson, Jeff Otah, John Malecki, and Joe Thomas. Six quality linemen may sound impressive until you realize that number is over six recruiting classes. The vast majority of the linemen recruited by Wannstedt were reaches. In fact, two on the second unit- Greg Gaskins and Jordan Gibbs- did not finish in my top 40 prospects in the state the year they came out. Neither did other reserves Ryan Turnley and John Fieger. Couple that with the fact that the top two centers are a walk-on and a converted linebacker and you can see that the future offensive line may be a real sore spot.

The quarterback recruiting has especially been hurtful since it's hard to win at any level without an excellent quarterback. The closest Wannstedt ever came to such a quarterback was when he was left Palko for his first season. Since then, he has gone to battle with Bill Stull, Pat Bostick, Kevan Smith, and Tino Sunseri.

On defense, the linebacking unit and the secondary has also had a dearth of talent. Other than Scott McKillop, the Panthers have started linebackers such as Mike Jamison, Adam Gunn, Max Gruder, Steve Dell, and Shane Murray, none of whom are linebackers you will find on an elite team. The secondary has seen the likes of Ricky Gary, Antwuan Reed, Aaron Berry, Jovani Chappel, and Jason Hendricks. Again, not a world beater among them.

4. It was all an illusion: Maybe the most amazing thing about Wannstedt's tenure is how he fooled so many for so long. As if the game decisions, the lack of recruiting at several positions, and big game blowout defeats weren't bad enough, his record should be. As of this writing, Wannstedt has an overall record of 41-31 at Pitt. That's an average of 7-5 a season. His supporters would say that over the last three seasons he is 25-12, an average of 8-4 a season. One more win this season and that average goes to 9-4. While that may not sound bad, consider this. Wannstedt's Big East record, and don't forget that this is arguably the worst major conference in the history of modern college football, is 23-18. Also, in six years, despite having what should be the best program in the Big East, he has yet to win the conference. He's also lost twice to MAC schools, once at home, is 14-18 away from Heinz Field (including bowl games), and is an incredibly inept 5-10 against non-Big East BCS schools. All of this tells me one thing. And that's that a lot of Pitt's problems were masked by playing in the pathetic Big East.

What's Next for Wannstedt?

The big question is, will Pitt fire Wannstedt after this season? It's impossible to say what's going on behind closed doors. Wannstedt flat out quit on the Miami Dolphins years ago so he does have that in him. While it's unlikely he would ever do the same with Pitt, maybe the administration, if they wanted, could put enough pressure on him to step down. That's a big "if", though. The administration loves Wannstedt as a person and as a representative of the university, this is obvious. He says "yinz", and talks about steel mills, and all of the other things that supposedly makes Pittsburghers squeel with delight. But Pittsburghers also knows when a coach is no longer going to take them to where they want to be, and anybody with sense can see that in Wannstedt now. The fact that Wannstedt was so embarrassingly giddy in the closing moments of Pitt's win over South Florida, despite another painfully mediocre performance by his team, appears to show that Wannstedt still wants to prove he's a winner, and he knows this will be his last chance. It appears that he will not go willingly.

Can Pitt Win Big?

In an word, yes. A common cry among Pittsburgh media is that Pitt only had about a decade of greatness in the 70s and early 80s, and that people are fooling themselves if they think that Pitt can reach those levels again. I say hogwash to that. Yes, there has only been one great decade, but the university had to practically go out of their way to make Pitt an also ran on the national scene. They did so with poor coaching hires and a lack of a desire to be a national power. And those two things go hand in hand.

Great programs are great for one reason- they strive to be great. They do that by staying focused, primarily by getting a great coach and keeping him. Even the so-called great programs, the programs that so many say Pitt can never be, were not so great with bad coaches. How good was Oklahoma with John Blake? USC with Paul Hackett? Georgia with Ray Goff? Nebraska will Bill Callahan? Florida with Ron Zook? You get the picture. Without a great head coach even the great programs can't win. Likewise, look at Chris Pederson at Boise State, Rich Rodriguez at West Virginia, Frank Beamer at Virginia Tech, Gary Patterson at TCU, Mike Leach at Texas Tech, Brian Kelly at Cincinnati, and Jim Harbaugh at Stanford. All turned programs that had less going for them then Pitt does into national powers. Does anybody seriously think that Pitt wouldn't be at least a top 10 team in the Big East with one of those coaches? Of course the cry here is usually, "but Pitt can't get any of those coaches!!!". To that I will answer, "can't, or won't?".

The Next Coach?

Of course even if Pitt wanted one of the coaches mentioned in the previous paragraph, they still would have a tough time. Even Notre Dame and Michigan had a tough time getting somebody to take their offers recently. It's not easy finding a coach who is already established as a winner to come to your school. To do that, you must write some very big numbers in your checkbook. Pitt has never shown such aggressiveness before so it may be a pipe dream to think they will now. But for the sake of argument let's look at that as one of the options.

1. Pay top dollar for an established winner- To me, this is the least likely option but there's always hope that Pitt suddenly stops being so cheap. You have to spend money to make money in college football, and Pitt fans can always hope that day will come now. Fans have mentioned Pederson, Leach, and Rodriguez, but all are a 0% chance of coming to Pitt. Pederson already is at a much better program and makes more money so dream on with him. Unlike most of college football, the university is all about moral and ethics, so forget about Leach and Rodriguez. If Harbaugh leaves, he will be able to choose wherever he wants to go and common sense says that won't be Pitt. Northwestern's Pat Fitzgerald and Mississippi State's Dan Mullen are two other head coaches that I've had people email me and both are also impossible. Northwestern is Fitzgerald's alma mater so it's unlikely he would go unless you make the offer impossible to pass up. Mullen is already in the SEC and he's not about to leave there for the Big East. Sure, both could be had for 2-3 million a year, but Pitt won't be doing that in our lifetime.

Two coaches who had down years this season would be intriguing possibilities, however. Kevin Sumlin at Houston is 5-7 this season, his third, but was 18-9 in his first two seasons. Sumlin, 46, is from Indianapolis and played at Purdue. He was the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma for two seasons before going to Houston. His last season there the Sooners averaged 43.2 ppg. At Houston, he turned quarterback Case Keenum into a Heisman Trophy candidate while leading the most explosive offense in the country. Last season Houston led the nation in passing yards, total yards, and points per game. This season, Houston lost both Keenum and his backup for the season in their third game of the year. He would be the Panthers first ever African American head football coach.

The other interesting candidate is Bronco Mendenhall of Brigham Young. BYU ended the regular season at 6-6 but in the four seasons prior Mendenhall led the Cougars to a combined 43-9 record. He has never had a losing season and is 55-21 overall. Mendenhall, 44, is a Utah native and played at Oregon State.

A candidate from a non-major school that would have to be a possibility is Temple's Al Golden. At 41, the New Jersey native and Penn State alum, has done the seemingly impossible and turned Temple into a winner. Of course a lot of that may be because Temple moved down to the MAC, but Golden is still somebody who will get mentioned a lot this offseason, as he has the last three offseasons. UCLA, Cincinnati, East Carolina, and Tennessee are just four schools who have considered Golden in the past. The catch here is that Golden continually pulls himself out of the running for jobs and many speculate that he has his eyes on the Penn State job. He may or may not get that job, but you have to wonder if Pitt would take the chance of losing their head coach to Penn State.

2. An NFL coach: It's no secret that AD Steve Pederson loves to have his coach have NFL experience. He inexplicably hired Bill Callahan at Nebraska, and it was reported that he considered Wannstedt, too. But what NFL head coach would come to Pitt? The only one that I can possibly think of, though it's a huge long shot, would be John Fox. Fox coached at both the Pitt and the Steelers so he's familiar with the city, and should he be let go at Carolina (a distinct possibility) he won't have many other options at age 55. Of course he could always get on with his life's work, too.

3. NFL assistant coach: It's been a growing trend for NFL assistants to take head coaching jobs, but Pederson is not the type to take somebody who has never been a head coach. That would leave out Russ Grimm, and that's probably a good thing since his name doesn't have the cache that will bring in top talent.

4. College coordinator: Should the Panthers not land an established college head coach, this may be the way to go. The college game is loaded with top assistants just looking to the be "the next guy" who hits the ground running and becomes a star immediately. Pederson must not forget that every great coach was at one time just an assistant. Here are some that Pitt needs to consider:

Dana Holgorsen- The Oklahoma State offensive coordinator is, at 39, one of the best offensive minds in college football. The Iowa native and Iowa Wesleyan graduate is in his first season in Stillwater and he is already breaking records, just like he did the previous two seasons at Houston with Case Keenum, and under Kevin Sumlin. If you want Mike Leach (his mentor and friend) without the trouble, this is your man.

Tyrone Nix- At 38, Nix is considered one of the best young defensive coordinators in the country. An Alabama native and former star linebacker at Southern Mississippi, he made his bones at his alma mater before turning in great coaching performances for Steve Spurrier at South Carolina and Houston Nutt at Ole Miss, where he is also the assistant head coach.

Manny Diaz- It may be too early for the 36-year old Florida State grad since he's only spent one year as the Mississippi State defensive coordinator after four years at the same position at Middle Tennessee State, but he is a star in the making. His last Middle Tennessee State team was sixth in the nation in sacks and second in tackles for loss. This season the Bulldogs are third in the SEC in rushing defense and fourth in scoring defense. In just one season, he has become the biggest new coaching name in the SEC.

Bryan Harsin- Boise State offensive coordinator is only 34 and is a Boise State alum who appears to be next in line when and if Pederson leaves. For both those reasons, he is a long shot.

Jim McElwain- Alabama Offensive Coordinator for the past three seasons. Hiring the 48-year old coordinator of a National Championship team is the obvious selling point.

Paul Chryst- Wisconsin offensive coordinator has led an offense this season that has put up staggering numbers in the rugged Big 10. He has been the Badgers OC for five seasons and prior to this season he was the OC at Oregon State for two years.

Pat Narduzzi- Michigan State defensive coordinator for the past four years. Followed Mark Dantonio from Cincinnati where he was also the defensive coordinator. He was up for the Cincinnati job but didn't get it. The 44-years old is a native of Youngstown, OH.

Meet the New Boss, Same as the Old Boss:

You'll know that Pitt will continue to go down the same path if they hire any of the following- Russ Grimm, Teryl Austin, or Tom Bradley.

My Pick:

If it were up to me I would hire Mike Leach. I know he has baggage but it's not like he killed somebody. He is rough around the edges like when he sends concussed kids into games or puts Craig James' son in a tool shed, but the truth is, Leach is well liked in the coaching community and he had a good graduation rate at Texas Tech. Bottom line, he would make Pitt a power, he would sell out Heinz Field, and he would graduate his players. We'll deal with him putting Andrew Taglianetti in a tool shed when and if it happens.

That won't happen of course. The top programs flat out cheat and people don't really care. But Pitt wouldn't hire a quality coach who didn't cheat simply because he is uncouth. That's just the way they are and you can't really complain much about somebody being too moral.

So that would lead me to my second choice. And that would be the next Mike Leach, Dana Holgorsen. Can be an elite head coach? Who knows? But he's worth the gamble. Recruiting would be a snap with that offensive system and who wouldn't want come to Heinz Field to see a Pitt offense average 40+ points a game?

In Conclusion:

I am going back to something I said before and that's that Pitt CAN win big again. If Rodriguez and Brian Kelly can do it in the same conference, with less going for them then Pitt has (recruiting base, history, world class university, world class city), then it's absurd to say that it can't be done at Pitt. If Boise State, Virginia Tech, Texas Tech, Wisconsin, Stanford, Utah, and TCU can be turned into powers because of a groundbreaking coach, then you must find a groundbreaking coach, come high or hell water. The hirings of Johnny Majors a second time, Walt Harris, and Wannstedt were either the hirings of the incompetent or the unoriginal. It's time for Pitt to fire Wannstedt and for once show the aggressiveness and foresight to find the head coach that will return Pitt to national prominence for the first time in nearly thirty years. But right now this is one of the most underachieving programs in the country. In the last thirty years the program has produced current or future Hall of Famers Dan Marino, Curtis Martin, Larry Fitzgerald, Chris Doleman, Ricky Jackson, Russ Grimm, and Darrelle Revis. You can get great players to Pitt. It has happened long after the Panthers stopped being a power. The difference is that the head coaching has ranged from awful to mediocre. The time has come to change that trend.

Recruiting update Oct. 12

2010-10-12T22:11:00.005-04:00

By Chris Dokish

A recent internet article reported that top 20 6'5" wing Ricardo Ledo named his top seven and Pitt did not make the list. That is true, however Pitt was never recruiting Ledo as hard as many thought. In fact, the recruitment of Ledo was such that Pitt never wanted to be heavily involved. The only reason that Pitt was mentioned at all with him is because he is close with recent verbal commit Khem Birch. As I mentioned in my last post, if Pitt could have risen above all that's surrounding Ledo then they would have, but they never really felt comfortable in this particular situation. Because of that, they kind of hung around for awhile just in case things changed, but then eventually decided that they were right to stay out of it.

That doesn't mean that Pitt has stopped recruiting, of course. Omar Calhoun is still a possibility (and for those who have asked, no, the Ledo flirtation had nothing to do with pressuring Calhoun to commit). And Myles Davis is still an outside possibility, though they may not want to go two over their scholarship limit for him.

The biggest news with Pitt, however, is not Ledo, Calhoun, or Davis. The best prospect that Pitt is still recruiting is Andre Drummond, the 6'10" 260 pound big man who just happens to be the consensus No.1 prospect in the nation. Drummond, a Connecticut native, has been rumored to be going to UConn for a long time, but my sources tell me that it's not the slam dunk that many think. In fact, now with UConn facing potential serious penalties, there may be even more of a chance that he goes elsewhere. And one of those schools heavily pursuing him is Pittsburgh. Assistant coach Pat Skerry is very close to Drummond and his mother, and has been for a long time. My sources also tell me that Skerry has made it his personal mission to add Drummond. This despite the fact that Pitt already appears to be very strong in the low post in the near future. Bottom line, you don't pass up a chance at the top prospect in the nation, especially one who is 6'10 and 260 pounds. And with the low post already highly fortified, the Panthers have no pressure to add Drummond.

Will Pitt eventually land Drummond? It's obviously a long shot for now, but Skerry's fearlessness and recruiting skills should never be discounted. UConn is still going to be hard to beat, and West Virginia is coming on strong. But if things fall the right way, and Pitt can hang around long enough, anything is possible.

Pitt Basketball Notes for October 5

2010-10-05T15:17:00.008-04:00

By Chris Dokish

Is Khem Birch the best recruit that Pitt ever landed? As far as talent entering college then yes, he is. Brian Shorter and Charles Smith were the only other two players that even approached the same rarified air. Of course, that doesn't mean he will end up the best player Pitt player ever once he's in college. The reason for that is that he won't be at Pitt for long. Even though observers think he may need two seasons of seasoning before entering the NBA, Pitt expects him to only play for one season. He has ridiculous natural ability, more so than Charles Smith, more so than DeJuan Blair. Will he be as good of a player as those two in his limited time? That remains to be seen, but know this. He will start from day one and will likely dazzle often. His athleticism is not only topnotch, but his effort in his rebounding and shot blocking alone should make him an immediate force. My guess for his freshman season? I will play it safe and go with 12 ppg, 8 rpg, and 2 bpg, but even if he doesn't reach those numbers, he will make a huge difference for the team.

Many wonder if Steve Adams may prove to be an even better talent than Birch. Personally, I don't think he will be, but he won't be far off. He may share the center duties with Taylor during his freshman season, then I can see him being a potential star in his sophomore season. Like Birch, however, I don't see him being at Pitt for long, and hopefully he at least comes back for that sophomore season. Bottom line, he is being groomed to play in the NBA and with a true center with NBA potential, it's always best for them to enter the NBA before the NBA can see that they may may not be as good as their potential.

Many Pitt fans are upset that Pitt's future players are dropping in the recruiting rankings, and unfortunately I hear that is the correct call. According to those that have seen them, both John Johnson and Jaylen Bond have not progressed as expected, and Durand Johnson slumped at the end of the summer. My personal opinion? Screw the rankings, I think they will all be very good players at Pitt. J. Johnson is an athletic little player, Bond is an athletic big player, and D. Johnson can flat out shoot from anywhere on the court. I wouldn't be surprised if at least one of them ended up an all-conference player some day.

One player that Pat Skerry supposedly checked out recently was 6'11" center Malcolm Gilbert. According to sources close to the situation, Skerry came away highly impressed and thought that Gilbert will be a four year player who could be very good by the time he leaves Pitt. Reportedly, Skerry is also telling people that if Pitt ever gets Adams and Birch on the floor at the same time, then "look the hell out".

Speaking of Skerry, he is quickly becoming the BMOC at Pitt because of his recruitment of Birch. It couldn't have happened to a greater guy. A great recruiter because of his immense likability, Skerry is nonetheless the most humble coach in college basketball, and he doesn't understand what the big fuss is about. I've been lucky enough to talk to him a few times in the past and it's like talking to an extra from "The Departed" thanks to his colorful language and thick New England accent.

I'm sure many Pitt fans are hesitant about how well Birch will play immediately because of Dante Taylor's slow start, but while I still think Taylor will end up with around 12-15 ppg and 8-9 rpg by the time he leaves Pitt, he is not in the same league as Birch. Unfortunately, despite my many protestations last year, many fans still expect too much from Taylor. He has the potential to be an excellent rebounder and should be a pretty good player in his career. But talks of leaving for the NBA after one season was always insane. In fact, I'm not sure if he has the athletic ability to ever be drafted, period, let alone after one season. That's not to say he's not athletic enough to be successful in the Big East, but to be drafted as a power forward in the NBA you pretty much have to have something special about you athletically and I'm not sure that Taylor does.

As for Ashton Gibbs being drafted, I have similar doubts. For those who think he definitely will be (and amazingly some fans even tell me he will be a first rounder), then answer me this. Did Gerry McNamara get drafted? They are the same size, have similar productivity, and play almost exactly the same game, yet McNamara never even came close to hearing his name called on draft day.

Can Brad Wanamaker or Gary McGhee get drafted? I would be surprised if Wanamaker got drafted, but he could always have a big time year that catapults him into the draft. As for McGhee, he is 6'11", strong as an ox, can play defense, and is a surprisingly good athlete. On the downside, he has yet to be very productive offensively. In fact, here's a stat for those who think McGhee is a slam dunk draft pick. In the Big East tournament loss to Notre Dame and the NCAA tournament loss to Xavier, McGhee played a total of 40 minutes and did not score a single point. In 19 games against Big East opponents he averaged 6.6 ppg and 6.5 rpg. He would have to improve those stats a lot for NBA GMs to think he was worth taking a chance on.

I get a lot of questions asking me whether Adams or Birch are guaranteed to be at Pitt. Of course they aren't guaranteed, but I would be very surprised of Adams did not end up at Pitt. Jamie Dixon is just too entrenched there. As for Birch, well that could be a different story. The reason why Dixon stays away from top 10 prospects is because you often find some unscrupulous shenanigans surrounding them. Dixon, to his everlasting credit, just doesn't go down the road. And he didn't this time. The same could be said for Birch and his prep school head coach Ryan Hurd. Not everybody can say the same. I will stop there, but let's just say that it's not over until Birch puts his signature on that LOI, and Pitt will have many sleepless nights until then. And let me be clear that if he doesn't end up at Pitt, it won't be because of Birch himself, who is a superb kid.

My updated list for the Top 50 Big East basketball players will be on the NBE site within a few weeks, and I think Pitt fans will be surprised just high Dejuan Blair will be on that list. And before you doubt his place on the list, know this. The only other sophomores in league history to be named a consensus First Team All-American as a sophomore were Patrick Ewing, Allen Iverson, and Troy Murphy. Not Chris Mullin, Ray Allen, Richard Hamilton, Alonzo Mourning, Kerry Kittles, or any other legendary Big East player. And Blair did this when the Big East had arguably it's most difficult season ever, thanks to three top 5 teams and a 16 team league. Also, if Blair matched his rebound totals of his sophomore season in his junior and senior seasons, and there's no reason to think he wouldn't have, then he would have had over 1,600 rebounds, which would pass Tim Duncan for the best all-time in modern NCAA history. Chew on those facts for awhile.

Another thing I keep hearing repeated as fact by many Pitt fans is that this is the deepest Pitt team ever. That may prove to be true but that's certainly not the case yet. Even Dixon says he has his doubts about that. Let's look at it rationally. We know Gibbs, Wanamaker, McGhee, Taylor, Gilbert Brown, and Nasir Robinson range anywhere from "solid" to "very good". But the jury is still out right now on Talib Zanna, Lamar Patterson, J.J. Richardson, Travon Woodall, J.J. Moore, Isaiah Epps, and Cameron Wright. Knowing Pitt's record of getting the most out their players, they will all at least be solid in their careers, and some may even be excellent. But many may not reach their potential this year, and the number of how many of them do will no doubt determine the success of the team this season. And even from the first group, we could see a wide disparity. Will McGhee average 12 and 8 or 7 and 7? Will Brown average 15 or 8? What about Taylor? He could go for 12 and 8 or 5 and 5. There's still too many questions, not about whether Pitt will be excellent or not, because we know they will be, but we all have to let it play until we really know just how excellent they are. Bottom line, at the beginning of the season sports fans always think of the best case scenario with every player, and that's natural, but reality says that not every player will turn out to be the best case scenario.

Omar Calhoun or Ricardo Ledo? That's the question. Ledo is better but I already established that with players of his ilk, there are potential problems. If Pitt can rise above the fray then he would be an excellent addition. A lot is made of Calhoun having Pitt as his leader, and while that may be the case, I think it's more likely that Pitt is one of a few leaders. Oh, and a word to the wise. Calhoun's dad is running the show in his recruitment and he loves to make sure every school knows that they are involved. So take what he says with a grain of salt. There's no doubt that Pitt has a really legit shot of landing Calhoun, but it's still cloudy as to how close Pitt is to landing him.

Q&A for August 5th

2010-08-05T04:20:00.012-04:00

By Chris Dokish

Q: I know you aren't high on Sim Bhullar but Pitt apparently is. If they should get him, that would give them two big projects at center. Isn't that one project too many?

A: The more I talk to people about Steve Adams, the more I realize that he's not as big of a project as people think. In fact, the college coaches who have seen him play tell me that if he was from the U.S. he would be a top 50 player.

To me, that makes wanting Bhullar even more confusing. Yes, he is giant, and that kind of size is the single most coveted trait in basketball. But you can only play one of these kids at a time, and quite frankly, Adams is considered a much better prospect.

Pitt was not even interested in him just a few months ago, but once Pat Skerry came on the scene, that interest level changed. Plus, to his credit, Bhullar did improve recently. I think Bhullar will end up at West Virginia, but if he does come to Pitt? Well, again, I think one big, true center is enough and it makes more sense to stock up other positions.

Q: I see that a lot of Pitt fans are doubting whether or not Adams will ever get to Pitt. Have you heard anything about that?

A: No. There is no reason why he won't end up at Pitt. He's not ready enough to go straight to the NBA, there is no way he's going to play professionally in New Zealand when he has NBA potential, and his only connection to a U.S. college is Pitt. You never know what may happen, but in all honesty, I see nothing right now stopping him from coming to Pitt.

Q: Do you think Adams could really play in the NBA?

A: Well, Gary McGhee is mentioned a possible NBA player and Adams is light years ahead of him at the same stage, and has much more physical gifts. If he works as hard as McGhee then the sky is the limit. Working as hard as McGhee is no easy task, but Adams is also a well known workout warrior so he has that going for him, too.

Q: Do you see any player on this roster who will be drafted in the NBA?

A: I have no idea on the freshman because it's too early. As for the others, I don't really see it. I know a lot of Pitt fans think somebody like Ashton Gibbs will get drafted, but I would be very, very surprised. The amount of athleticism you need to get drafted in the NBA is pretty sick. Scottie Reynolds and Gerry McNamara didn't get drafted either and they are two of the better guards to ever play in the Big East. I guess McGhee can because of his size, but he will really have to improve. I don't see Wanamaker making it either. But, hey, that doesn't mean they aren't good college players and that they won't play professionally somewhere.

Q: Do you have any names that Pitt is recruiting that many of us may not know they are recruiting?

A: Well, I see Ryan Arciacondo is one of them that was recently reported. Pitt has been interested in him since Pat Skerry came on the scene over a month ago. Others that aren't mentioned a lot, but that they are interested in, are Willy Kouassi and Greg Lewis in 2011, and Amile Jefferson, Kaleb Tarczewski, Alex Murphy, and Anthony Bennett in 2012.

Q: Are we still recruiting Savon Goodman?

A: Yes.

Q: I think this team is loaded with great athleticism. Do you agree?

A: Not really, no. Good athleticism, yes. Teams with great athletic ability are in a different league. But there is such an influx of great athletes coming in that you are about to see what a really athletic team looks like very soon.

Q: One of the reports out of the summer league was that Cameron Wright could play point guard for us. Is that what you're hearing?

A: He's a good passer and has a nice handle, but he is not a point guard.

Q: Who do you think the starters will be this season?

A: I have no idea. The coaches don't even know. I know Ashton Gibbs, Brad Wanamaker, and Gary McGhee will start, but who else starts, and who gets how many minutes, really doesn't matter right now because nobody knows how each player will advance, or not advance.

Q: Do you think Talib Zanna is going to get quality minutes this season?

A: To be honest, the people at Pitt were assuming he would still be a little raw this season to get quality minutes, but there is one thing he can do already, and it's everything at Pitt, and that's rebound. For that reason, I can see him getting decent minutes this season, especially early. If he proves himself, he may continue to get decent minutes.

Q: Do you think Gary McGhee will get drafted?

A: I guess it's possible. Right now, I'm told he won't be. But if Darren Morningstar can improve enough in his senior season to get drafted then I guess McGhee can. His offensive game is severely limited, though, and he would have to improve a lot in that area. Don't forget that he scored in double figures in only three Big East games and went scoreless in Pitt's Big East tournament and NCAA tournament losses. That's not going to cut it.

Q: With Adams now in the fold, is center still the position the staff is trying to land for the last '11 scholarship?

A: From my understanding, they are mostly looking at big guys Desmond Hubert, Malcolm Gilbert, Mikael Hopkins, and Amir Williams, and perimeter players Durand Johnson and Myles Davis.

Q: I see that Darnell Dodson was thrown out at Kentucky. Was that you that said Pitt was better off with Lamar Patterson?

A: Not only did I say it, I said it about fifty times. Patterson is almost as good of a shooter as Dodson, plus he's better at everything else. Throw in the fact that he has much better character and more eligibility and you can see why some people at Pitt told me they weren't heartbroken about his departure.

Q: Are the chances of landing Myles Davis better if he decides to go to the 2012 class?

A: Probably, though his grades are pretty bad. He's a great shooter, but the truth is, there are more complete shooting guards that Pitt has a chance with. No need trying to land him until they see if they could land an Omar Calhoun or a Ricky Ledo. Ledo may be a reach, but Calhoun is a possibility.

Q: Do you think Pitt has a legit chance of landing Calhoun?

A: Yes. If North Carolina doesn't offer then I think Pitt has a legit chance.

Q: Do you think Pitt has a chance to land Jason Boswell?

A: He's in the class of 2013. Way too early.

Q: Did Pitt ever seriously recruit TJ McConnell?

A: No. But he should be a very good player for Duquesne.

Q: Do the coaches at Pitt think they will get Khem Birch?

A: I think one of the most common misconceptions in the world of basketball recruiting is how much coaches know what's going on with the players they are pursuing, and the truth is, they often know less than a good recruiting writer. Don't forget that the writer can talk to a kid any time he wants while the coach has very few times he can talk to them. Especially now that they can't text them as much as they want. A lot of times the coaches read the recruiting articles to see what's going on, and as far as I know, that's how Pitt found out that they were leading for Birch. So they are basically doing a lot of praying.

Q: Are we still recruiting Mike Taylor and Kadeem Jack?

A: No on Taylor, yes on Jack.

Q: Sounds like the Scottie Reynolds clone, John Johnson, is coming on. Is he the point guard of the future?

A: He's the same size as Reynolds and he's from the same area, but he is much more athletic than Reynolds, and Reynolds is a much better shooter. And either Epps or Johnson will be the PG of the future. If they both start, then Epps will probably be the PG and Johnson will be the SG from what I'm told, but Johnson can definitely play PG if need be.

Q: Could you rank all of these players in order, as prospects: J.J. Moore, Isaiah Epps, Cameron Wright, Steven Adams, Jaylen Bond, John Johnson, Sim Bhullar, Myles Davis, Omar Calhoun, Desmond Hubert, Khem Birch, and Durand Johnson?

A: I'll do it, but only to show you where each are perceived as prospects. And this is from the coaches I talk to so if the last person on the list ends up being the best player, don't come back and complain to me. This is simply how they are seen as prospects:

1. Khem Birch- Raw, but great natural skills. To say getting him would be great for the program is a huge understatement.

2. Omar Calhoun- Complete guard and the type of SG that National Campionship caliber programs must have.

3. JJ Moore- Excellent 6'6" athlete who can score. What more could you want?

4. Steve Adams*- Asterisk is because he just could be the best of the bunch when it's all said and done, but with big guys you never know. His natural size, athleticism, and tenacity are All-American level. He just needs to live up to that.

5. John Johnson- Some Scottie Reynolds comparisons, but Reynolds couldn't dream to have this kind of athleticism. On the side, Johnson is not the shooter Reynolds was. If he gets more consistent with his outside shoot then look out.

6. Desmond Hubert- Pretty much just a skinny shot blocker right now, but shot blocking is a highly coveted skill. And he is superb at it.

7. Jaylen Bond- Intriguing prospect with sick athleticism and an improving all around game.

8. Isaiah Epps- The forgotten man since he prepped this past season, but he is an excellent athlete who can defend, shoot the three with consistency, and pass with the best of them.

9. Myles Davis- One of the better three point shooters prospects in the country, but the rest of his game is not at that same level. Still it will be tough to pass on that kind of shooter.

10. Durand Johnson- Lanky athlete who has a very good all around game.

11. Cameron Wright- Very long athlete who can jump out of the gym. The rest of his game needs improvement but the athleticism means he will be a productive cog in Pitt's future.

12. Sim Bhullar- Can't teach 7'3" and if it wasn't for Adams, he would be worth a shot. Still, a lot of college coaches insist he can't play at a high college level so that has to be worrisome.

Just for the record, all of these players are very good, and it wouldn't surprise me if any of them turned out to be the best one in college.

Even more on Adams

2010-07-13T13:05:00.003-04:00

This is nothing major, but this is an email I received from Sue Pene, the Player Development Officer for Team New Zealand. I thought I would share the info she has provided.

He from my home town of Rotorua, here is some background. We have tried to get Steven to play for our Junior Tall Blacks this year, who have a FIBA Qualifying Tournament in September, unfortunately we believe Kenny has instructed Steven not to play for the JTBs - possibly due to wishing to get him into a college in the USA.

Background Information for Steven Adams
Born: 20/7/1993
Height: 6' 11"
Sister is Valerie Vili - World & Olympic Shot Put Champion
Family live in Rotorua, New Zealand (moved to Wellington to play for Kenny McFadden)
Father passed away in 2007, mother lives in Rotorua, with two sisters. His sister Gabby (born 1992) is a member of the New Zealand Junior Tall Ferns. Family is from low socio economic background
Currently attending Scotts College, Wellington, New Zealand (not a basketball college - but has been good for him academically)

Was named MVP at National U17(2009) & U19(2010) Tournaments.
Member of Emerging Junior Tall Blacks (U17) in 2009 who lost to Australia 2 - 1 for FIBA Oceania Qualifiers

Started playing representative basketball for Rotorua in 2007.
Athletic, generally plays inside the paint.

Steve Adams

2010-07-03T11:13:00.004-04:00

by Chris Dokish

When I said Pitt's future center would be somebody the fans haven't heard of, I wasn't kidding. Of course, I didn't know he would come from New Zealand either, though I did know that Jamie Dixon knew the players down there very well.

From what I know, the kid is 6'11" and according to my source, he is a "big dude, a monster". And he's only 16. Dixon knew of him through his contacts there. I know that Tom Herrion also knew of the kid when he went there to recruit Rob Low.

True centers are hard to find and with Adams now in the mix, this helps Pitt with players such as Andre Drummond (6'9" 250), Khem Birch (6'8" 190), DaJuan Coleman (6'8" 280), Daniel Ochefu (6'10" 215), and Kaleb Tarczewski (7'0" 220), who can now be recruited as power forwards. This could potentially give the Panthers amazing front court size in the future and it benefits the prospect by letting him not play out of position. And from what I'm hearing, this is exactly what the Panthers staff is trying to do.

Q&A for May 31st

2010-05-30T23:42:00.008-04:00

By Chris Dokish
doke88@yahoo.com

Q: I assume Dave Letaio was the assistant coach that you were referring to a few weeks ago that Jamie Dixon wanted. Was Pat Skerry a big drop off?

A: Letaio was the coach I mentioned, but as my boss at NBE can attest to, Skerry was who I thought Pitt should hire. He has all it takes to be an absolute dynamo at Pitt and he will be an excellent head coach in the near future. It was another major statement by Pitt that they are in the big time. Not just anybody can hire a superstar assistant from a rival school. Bottom line, Skerry will make a big splash at Pitt.

Q: There was a big story about the two giants at Kiski being in Pitt's sites. One of them even got an offer from West Virginia. How good are these kids?

A: Well, put it this way. I have a better chance of getting a scholarship to play at Pitt and I'm 42 and out of shape. I told one Big East assistant that it was reported that WVU offered the kid, and he literally laughed and said, "There's no way in hell, but I wish they did". In other words, don't believe the hype. Even if one of these kids did somehow get a major offer, they would never see the floor. And Pitt will definitely not be that team.

Q: It was reported in the Post-Gazette that J.J. Moore is eligible because he can play in the Pro-Am at Greentree. Can you verify that?

A: He is still not eligible and being on the roster means nothing. From what I was told, it's still too early to say if he will eventually be eligible.

Q: With Skerry now the assistant there is a lot of chatter about Pitt landing Khem Birch, Andre Drummond, and Omar Calhoun. What do you think the chances are of the Panthers landing all three?

A: I don't know, maybe 1%. And that's being optimistic. I know some fans want to get all excited and I love the hiring of Skerry, but if some of the fans are going around talking about landing all three then I would be remiss not to say something. Better to have your hopes crushed now before you believe it too much.

The most likely possibility is Birch. It will be interesting to see how that one plays out. I could definitely see that as a possibility, but it's too early to say yet. Skerry was never heavily involved with Calhoun so he can't help much there. The person who is close with Calhoun is Rasheen Davis but he will likely be gone before Calhoun would ever step foot in college so I don't see how that will help either. Do the Panthers have a chance at Calhoun? Yes. Do I think they will get him? No. The competition will be too tough. Because of his great academics he will be able to pick his school. As for Drummond, forget it. He will be in even higher demand than Calhoun. But even if Pitt only gets Birch, that would be an excellent pickup. And if they get none of the three, they will still get somebody good. They usually do.

Q: Where were you at during the hiring of Skerry? Usually you are right on it.

A: I was in the middle of moving to Moon Township from New York City. I got the word but I was on the road at the time and really couldn't do anything about it. But I was very happy for the Pitt program when I heard.

Q: If the Pro-Am has no value, then why did you say that you will be there for all the games this summer?

A: I didn't say it didn't have value. It's a great thing. I just don't think there's a coach in the country that thinks that such leagues have any bearing on how a player will play in the upcoming season. In fact, every coach I've talked to on the subject has told me that exact thing. You have high school players, college players, and graduated college players playing, then even amongst the college players you have players from high major schools down to very small colleges. The disparity among all of these levels is great. In other words, if Lamar Patterson lights up a kid from Geneva for 40 points this summer, what exactly does that prove? It means he could average 40 ppg in Geneva's league probably but that doesn't mean he could average even 5 ppg in the Big East this season.

Plus, you have different levels of intensity. As an example, let's say that somebody like Keith Benjamin was playing in the league this year and he came up against Isaiah Epps in a game. Epps could be playing like a madman to prove himself and Benjamin may be just trying to stay in shape. The result would be that Epps would outplay him and everybody would assume he was better than Benjamin, when in reality Benjamin could school him at any time due to his experience and physical maturity. So what you would get is a skewed result. But that doesn't take away from the fact that it was fun to watch and that it was beneficial to Epps. It just doesn't mean that Epps is better than Benjamin right now and I think that's how a lot of fans would see it.

The benefits of the league, on the other hand, are many. It keeps the players in shape, keeps them out of trouble on some boring summer nights, and helps the newcomers assimilate to the increased speed of the game. In addition, it's great for the fans to see the players up close and personal, not to mention show their love of basketball by, in at least one case, pay for a team to exist. And that latter fact may be the most impressive thing about the entire league. Bottom line, I will be there and I'll be enjoying it just like it did in the past when I caught some games.

Q: Your cohort at NBE, Ray Mernagh, said that John Johnson will be a top 35 player soon. Is he crazy?

A: No, I've been saying for months that he is a top 50 talent. The kid is the deal real, trust me. And if you don't want to trust me, then trust Ray.

Q&A for May 3rd

2010-05-02T22:42:00.011-04:00

By Chris Dokish

doke88@yahoo.com

And like I said before, I have rewritten the questions for the sake of clarity. If not there would be too many incoherent questions that are written phonetically or in shorthand. And I also felt it was best to combine and edit questions, again for the sake of clarity.

Q: Any word on the replacement for Tom Herrion? What's taking so long?

A: Jamie Dixon is busy recruiting and he has been taking his time looking for an assistant. There's really no hurry. But if the replacement is who I'm hearing it will be, the fans will be doing cartwheels. I can't say any more than that because, well, you have to just trust me that I can't, but the fans will be very happy if it is indeed him. At least they should be. You can't please everybody.

Q: Why doesn't Dixon just promote Rasheen Davis?

A: Davis has a very bright future and, in fact, I wouldn't be surprised if he is on a staff next season (with Mike Rice at Rutgers?). If Brandin Knight wasn't the other assistant, I think it would be a done deal. But Knight has only two years experience as an assistant and Davis has none. That's just not going to cut it in the Big East. I said from the beginning that it will probably be a veteran who can be an associate head coach, and if what I'm hearing is true, that's exactly what it will be.

Q: How do you feel about Jaylen Bond? I hear he is another Nasir Robinson, in that he's a small forward who can't shoot.

A: I love the commitment of Bond, and if I thought he would actually be a three then I would also be a little dismayed about another three that doesn't have a great outside shot. Hey, down the road, he may be a three, but from what I'm told, he will definitely be a four for the Panthers. He is a solid 6'7", plays good defense, can rebound, is bull strong, and is athletic as hell. A forward combo of Bond and J.J. Moore in a few years (with Talib Zanna thrown in as well), could be one hell of a tandem.

Q: Is it just me or are the Panthers really recruiting at a higher level next season? That's unless you look at the current top 150 list from Rivals.

A: It's not just you. The last five of Moore, Cameron Wright, Isaiah Epps, John Johnson, and Bond are pretty special, in my opinion. A lot of that may have to do with the fact that none are big men who need developing, so it's pretty obvious the talent that each has (except to the Rivals national recruiting writer, I guess). Bottom line, the last five recruits the Panthers have landed may be the best five player stretch in their history as far as a combining athleticism, basketball talent, and Panthers-style mental strength. Every one should make Pitt fans ecstatic.

When DeJuan Blair was rarely in anybody's top 100, I told you guys over and over again that I talked to actual coaches who said he was a top 50 player. And I'll tell you this time that in my opinion, Moore is around 50, Epps, Johnson, and Bond are in the 50-75 range, and Wright about 100. But better yet, they all have very high ceilings. Somebody like Robinson was in the 75-100 range, but he was just a scrapper who everybody knew was never really going to be a star because of his weaknesses. Not to bash him because I never bash anybody with heart but it is what it is.

But any one of these five could really take off into something special. If more than one turns into something special, and the rest merely live up to their potential, then Pitt should go further in the NCAA tournament than they ever have. And of course this isn't even including some guy named Dante Taylor, who just happens to be a McDonald's All-American, a deadly shooting guard who was all-conference as a sophomore, a couple of promising redshirt freshmen, and the normal group of hard nosed role players. I get some fans all fired up because I say Dixon doesn't recruit at a Final Four level (which somehow gets turned into me saying he can't recruit), but he has definitely turned up the recruiting in the past few years thanks to Herrion and Knight (thank Herrion for the parting gift of Bond, by the way). If any Pitt fans aren't excited about the future of this program, then they simply aren't paying attention, because if I had to guess I would say that the future may be even brighter than the past.

Q: I saw that NBE had a power poll already. Did you vote, and if so, what did your vote look like?

A: I did vote and this is how I voted:

1. Pittsburgh- Scariest sentence in the conference- "Jamie Dixon has an experienced team".
2. Villanova- Most pure talent than anybody else in the league and it's not even close.
3. Syracuse- Even without Johnson, Rautins, and Onuaku they may actually have more talented players this season.
4. Georgetown- Wright and Freeman both have Player of the Year potential.
5. West Virginia- Some devastating losses in Ebanks and Butler, but Bob Huggins can never be counted out.
6. Marquette- Butler and Johnson-Odom return, plus some high impact newcomers.
7. Notre Dame- Harangody is gone, but the Irish may now excel by not always relying on him.
8. Providence- Some seriously good offensive talent, with even more coming, makes the Friars a potential sleeper.
9. UConn- Kemba Walker will have to do a lot because the rest of the team is young and untested.
10. Louisville- You can never count out Rick Pitino, but this is a team of unproven players at this time.
11. St. John's- A lot of experience and a new coach, but they are lacking the top level talent.
12. Cincinnati- He had his issues, but Lance Stephenson leaving still hurts a lot.
13. South Florida- Gilchrist and Famous are good enough to keep the Bulls competitive.
14. DePaul- This is where it starts to get ugly, but at least Oliver Purnell is a solid coach.
15. Seton Hall- The Bobby Gonzalez experiment was a disaster and now it's time to pay.
16. Rutgers- Dane Miller and nobody else, including a coach at this time.

And remember, that we were asked to vote with the thought that every player who is currently in the NBA draft will continue to stay there. We will do another one after the deadline.

Q: Any word on whether or not J.J. Moore will qualify?

A: The last I heard, I was told that for the first time that the chances were "realistic". That was the exact word that was used by a source who would know. From what I understand, Moore had to really work hard, then get the grades, and so far he has really worked hard. That's half the battle. It's going to be touch and go all the way but there is definitely a chance.

Q: What do you think the Panthers will do with their last 2011 scholarship?

A: Well, it's pretty obvious that they need a center and I know for a fact that they really want to land one. So it would be a good guess. As for which center, I'm guessing it's probably somebody most Pitt fans have never heard before.

Q: Do you see Pitt getting Desmond Hubert or Kadeem Jack to play center?

A: Hubert isn't even a center, he's a power forward. Jack may be able to play center. As for getting either, I would doubt it. Pitt has never recruited Jack hard. If he preps, could Pitt then go hard after him? Quite possibly. But if the likes of UConn and Arizona want him again in 2011, they will have a big leg up because they have been recruiting him much longer. As for Hubert, he is skinny and very raw offensively so he is very much a project. But there is one thing he does extremely well, and that's block shots. That's like being a left tackle in football or a left handed reliever in baseball in that it's a special skill that makes you very coveted. My guess is that he will wait to commit which will make him very much in demand.

Q: Do you see Pitt landing Mike Taylor or Myles Davis in 2011?

A: There's no doubt that they would love either but like I said before, they really feel that they need a center and that's the position they would love to land in '11.

Q: Could Ryan Rhoomes be a sleeper for the last scholarship in 2011?

A: He is a solid prospect, but from what I was told, he is not near the top of the list.

Q: Do you think Tom Herrion will bring his Marshall players to the Pro-Am in Greentree this summer?

A: I actually ran into Herrion and jokingly said that to him and he said he would love to and wishes it was closer. Of course, it's four and a half hours away, so that's not going to happen.

Q: Have you ever been to the Pro-Am in Greetree and are you going to be there this summer?

A: I have seen some games and I will probably be there for every game this summer since I'm moving back to Pittsburgh at the end of May.

Q: What does it say about the state of college basketball that a good guy like Jamie Dixon can't make a Final Four, but a jerk like Bob Huggins can?

A: You can dislike Huggins all you want, but the truth is, he is very well liked in basketball circles.

Q: Any word on whether or not Pitt will join the Big 10?

A: I have no idea. I would think if they went to 16 then Pitt would get in. I know a lot of people mention Notre Dame and Nebraska, but I'm told Notre Dame won't join. Nebraska may join because of the money the Big 10 provides. Missouri seems like a done deal practically. Rutgers seems like a sure bet, too, if they go to 16. That would leave two more and you would think Pitt and Syracuse would be in above UConn or perhaps Kansas. How about:

Big "10" East:

Pittsburgh
Penn State
Ohio State
Rutgers
Syracuse
Wisconsin
Illinois
Northwestern

Football strong teams for the most part (Pitt, Penn State, Ohio State, Wisconsin), basketball strong teams for the most part (Pitt, Ohio State, Syracuse, Wisconsin, Illinois)

Big "10" West:

Michigan
Michigan State
Missouri
Nebraska
Iowa
Indiana
Purdue
Minnesota

Football strong teams for the most part (Michigan, Michigan State, Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa) and basketball strong teams for the most part (Michigan State, Missouri, Indiana, Purdue, and Minnesota as long as Tubby Smith is there).

Possible assistants

2010-04-10T21:10:00.012-04:00

By Chris Dokish

With Tom Herrion being named the new head coach of Marshall this weekend, a very valuable coaching position is suddenly available on Jamie Dixon's staff. With only 28-year old Brandon Knight, who has only two years of experience, the other top assistant, look for Dixon to hire an established veteran with a good pedigree. With that in mind, here are some names to think about it.

Jeff Battle, Wake Forest assistant- The 48-year old Battle nearly got the Wake Forest job over Dino Gaudio, but he had to take himself out of the running because his wife had cancer. Sadly, Battle's wife eventually lost her battle and now he is raising his son alone. For that reason, he does not want to uproot his family, but with a new coach coming in, he may be forced out. That would be foolish of the new coach since the Philadelphia native is one of the best recruiters, and assistants, in the country. Battle is credited with developing stars Josh Howard, Chris Paul, and Jeff Teague, as well as James Posey at Xavier, where Battle also coached under Skip Prosser. If he becomes a free agent, many top programs will be interested. As of now, he is still on the staff waiting to see what happens.

Tracy Dildy, Illinois-Chicago assistant- Don't be fooled by where he's at now. The 42-year old is currently at his alma mater, but he is considered one of the better young assistants in the country. He has also made stops at Ball State, where he recruited Bonzi Wells, and DePaul where he orchestrated the top recruiting class in the country in 2001 and the second ranked class in 1999. He also had stints at Auburn, Ole Miss, and UAB.

Mike Dunlap, Oregon assistant- Best known as the guy who turned down the interim job at Arizona after Lute Olson left because he wanted a long term contract. He did stay at Arizona that season and was the associate head coach for the man who did get the interim job (and then was dumped for Sean Miller), Russ Pennell. Dunlap eventually ended up coaching for the Ducks and is currently manning the fort until a replacement is found for fired Ernie Kent. Dunlap has interviewed for the job, but appears to be a fallback option, even though he is considered to be a great X's and O's coach who will eventually be a major head coach somewhere. It's also been reported that Steve Lavin has hired him to be his top assistant at St. John's, but Dunlap has been quoted as saying that is not official. Apparently he wants to wait to see if he gets the Oregon job, so if he desires, Dixon has a chance to scoop him up before Lavin gets him.

Pat Duquette, Boston College assistant- The 39-year old Boston native was Al Skinner's right hand man this past season, and has spent the last 13 years with him. Now with Skinner fired, Duquette is still at BC until a new coach is named. If Skinner gets a new job, he may call on Duquette, but as of now, he would be available. His forte is recruiting since he was basically the only one in the program who did it.

Dino Gaudio, former Wake Forest head coach- Despite an excellent overall record at Wake Forest, including being No.1 at one point last season, the 53-year old Ohio native was fired recently due to a poor postseason record. But if he doesn't get a head coaching job this season, it won't be long before he gets another, even if it's not at a major program. For that reason, Dixon may not want to take a chance on him.

Sean Kearney, former Holy Cross head coach- The 50-year old Kearney was a longtime assistant for Mike Brey at Delaware and Notre Dame, and finally got his chance to be a head coach last season. Inexplicably, he got fired after just one season. A friend of Dixon as well as a native of the Philadelphia area. Responsible for recruiting Luke Harangody, Chris Quinn, and Rob Kurz.

Billy Garret, Sr., DePaul assistant- Oliver Purnell has replaced Jerry Wainwright as coach, and he has not yet decided if he wants to keep Garrett. He would be wise to do so. The Indianapolis native started out as a Chicago high school coach and is still very well thought of in the area. So much so that some local AAU coaches have said that if Garrett is not retained, they are shutting off DePaul from their players. Before coming back to Chicago, Garrett was the top assistant at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, and previously assisted Steve Alford at Iowa and Louis Orr at Siena and Seton Hall. As an added bonus, his son, Billy, Jr., is considered a top 2013 prospect.

Dave Leitao, former Virginia head coach- The 50-year old Massachusetts native was recently fired by Virginia after four seasons. Before that, he was a success as a head coach at DePaul, as well as a top assistant for Jim Calhoun at UConn. He has been out of basketball for a year, but has been mentioned often for both head coaching and assistant jobs. For that reason, like Gaudio, Dixon may feel he won't be around for long.

Rob Moxley, Charlotte assistant- The 41-year old native of Maryland has been an assistant for the recently fired Bobby Lutz for 12 of the last the 13 seasons, with the one year absence spent with Gary Williams at Maryland. One of the top up and comers in the country, he is considered an excellent recruiter and was responsible for recruiting former National Freshman of the Year, and lottery pick, Roddy White. He has recently interviewed for the head coaching job at Gardner-Webb, where he once coached, and also expressed interest in the head coaching job at The Citadel.

Fred Quartlebaum, St. John's assistant- A native of the Bronx, the 42-year old has much experience, not only with Norm Roberts at St. John's, but also with Matt Doherty at Notre Dame, where he helped recruit Chris Thomas, at North Carolina, where he helped recruit Sean May, Raymond Felton, and Rashad McCants, and Iowa State where he recruited Big 12 Freshman of the Year, Curtis Stinson.

Book Richardson, Arizona assistant- A Pitt-Johnstown alum, the 37-year old is one of the fastest risers in the country. A former Director of Basketball for the vaunted New York Gauchos AAU program, he has spent three years as an assistant under Sean Miller, the first two at Xavier. Was offered a position by Steve Lavin to coach at St. John's, but his loyalty kept him with Miller. On the negative side, Brandin Knight is not nearly ready to be the associate head coach and neither is Richardson so it doesn't look like a good fit. All you will have are two young recruiters with little big time game experience.

Scott Rigot, Duquesne assistant- A Duquesne assistant doesn't sound like a sexy pick, but the 47-year old is a Pittsburgh native who was an assistant at Kentucky under Tubby Smith, as well as former Hawaii head coach Riley Wallace, a great friend of Dixon. His best recruit was Boston Celtics star Rajon Rondo.

Norm Roberts, former St. John's head coach- The 44-year old from Queens did a solid job at St. John's but was recently fired. Impressively, he also coached at Tulsa, Illinois, and Kansas, all under Bill Self. Like some others on this list, he will not be an unemployed head coach for long and that may work against him.

Pat Skerry, Providence assistant- A native of Massachusetts with strong New England ties, the 40-year old just completed his second year under Keno Davis. Previously, he coached at the College of Charleston (under Tom Herrion) and Rhode Island. One of the rising stars in the business.

Pete Strickland, NC State assistant- Former Pitt player, class of 1979, the 52-year old is a Washington, DC native, who was the head coach of Coastal Carolina for seven years, and also served as an assistant at Old Dominion and Dayton under Oliver Purnell.

Tracy Webster, DePaul assistant- Like the other DePaul coach on the list, Billy Garrett, Sr., the 37-year old Webster was brought in by Jerry Wainright to recruit Chicago prior to the season. After Wainright was fired, Webster took over as interim coach. Like Garrett, the AAU coaches want Webster at DePaul, but if Purnell decides to hire others, Webster will be free. He has also coached at Purdue, Illinois, and Kentucky.

Gauging Jamie Dixon's Postseason Success

2010-04-08T12:36:00.003-04:00

By Chris Dokish

Much has been made about the apparent underachieving that Jamie Dixon is doing in the postseason tournament, though some of us see it as more of the fact that he is doing a great job of overachieving in the regular season. But however you want to see it, I decided to look at how Dixon stacked up in his seven years of postseasons.

In this study, I gave 2 points for making it to the NCAA tournament, 5 points for making it to the Sweet 16, 8 points for making it to the Elite 8, 10 points for making it to the Final Four, 12 points for making it to the championship game, and 15 points for winning it all. Here are the results, first in the Big East, then nationally.

Big East:

UConn 37

Louisville 32

Villanova 32

West Virginia 30

Pittsburgh 26

Syracuse 19

Georgetown 19

Marquette 8

Notre Dame 6

Cincinnati 6

Seton Hall 4

Providence 2

DePaul 2

St. John's 0

Rutgers 0

USF 0

Nationally:

North Carolina 52

Duke 44

Michigan State 43

Kansas 42

UCLA 39

UConn 37

Florida 36

Memphis 35

Louisville 32

Villanova 32

West Virginia 30

Xavier 30

Texas 29

Kentucky 26

Pittsburgh 26

Arizona 23

Wisconsin 23

Illinois 23

Tennessee 22

Ohio State 21

Butler 21

Gonzaga 20

Syracuse 19

Georgetown 19

Oklahoma State 19

Washington 19

In my opinion, there are primarily three reasons why Pitt fans think Dixon has underachieved in the postseason. One, because Pitt's record in the regular season is so extraordinary, it seems like a let down when they don't back it up with a huge run in the tournament. But the truth is, as I've stated before, the program overachieves in the regular season and can't do it in the postseason because they can no longer simply out hustle other teams, since those other teams are hustling just as much now. Talent rises to the top in the tournament, not hustle. Even Butler was very talented.

Two, with UConn, Louisville, Villanova, and now West Virginia as powers in the Big East, it seems like the Panthers are underachieving because Pitt has beaten those teams over the years, only to see them be more successful in the tournament. The familiarity of them to Pitt fans makes them seem so beatable, even though they are all amongst the ten best postseason teams in the country over the last seven seasons.

Thirdly, there is Xavier, a program that many fans no doubt look down as inferior, especially since the Panthers beat them last season. But the cold, hard fact is that this program from the Atlantic 10 has proven to be better than the Panthers over the last seven seasons. When you look at a program as inferior, and they do better than you, it's only natural for a person to think their own team is underachieving rather than simply being the inferior one themselves.

But the good news is that the Panthers are tied with Kentucky as the fourteenth most successful postseason program in the country during Dixon's tenure. When you consider that there are 347 Division 1 basketball teams, that puts Dixon in the 96.4 percentile. Not too shabby for an underachiever, especially when much more talent is on the way.

Thoughts on Jamie Dixon's Extension

2010-03-31T16:30:00.004-04:00

By Chris Dokish

I've had a few people email me already, talking about how Pitt will be paying Jamie Dixon between 2.2 and 2.3 million dollars, and asking me if I am amazed that Pitt paid that much. I think people are misunderstanding when Dixon is getting that money. It's unheard of that Dixon would get a raise from 1.6 million to 2.3 million in one shot. That money, if that report is accurate, is what Dixon will get in the extended years, which will be seven or eight years down the road. By that time, if Dixon is still here, he will be due much more than that since by then that would not be a lot of money. In other words, the salary numbers are not nearly as exorbitant as it sounds. But there is good news, and that's for at least the tenth time now, Dixon has told another school that he was not interested in leaving Pitt, and Oregon was at least the third school that I know of that would have offered Dixon more than he gets at Pitt. He may have talked to Oregon, in fact I could almost guarantee it, but he would be crazy not to. A coach would be foolish not to listen because you never know when some really stupid money gets thrown at you.

Progression and Regression

2010-03-30T04:43:00.011-04:00

By Chris Dokish

Here is a look at how each individual player performed over the last twenty games of the season, split into two ten game sections, and only including top competition. That means the twenty games includes all 18 Big East conference games, as well as their first round Big East tournament loss and their NCAA tournament loss to Xavier. Excluded were wins against Robert Morris and Oakland because, while both are very good teams, they are not at the level of Big East competition. In the first ten games, the Panthers had a 6-4 record, while in the second ten games, the Panthers had a 7-3 record.

Ashton Gibbs

First 10:

37.4 minutes, 17.0 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2.1 apg, 0.9 spg, 40.7% FG, 42.3% 3FG, 91.4% FT, 1.2 TO, 1.0 fouls

Last 10:

34.2 minutes, 14.2 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.2 apg, 0.6 spg, 40.0% FG, 42.6% 3FG, 82.1% FT, 1.2 TO, 1.6 fouls

Conclusion: Some big drops in every category, except steals and FG%, neither of which were good in the first place. The excellent three point shooting was amazingly consistent however.

Brad Wanamaker

First 10:

32.6 minutes, 11.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 4.6 apg, 1.0 spg, 36.3% FG, 31.3% 3FG,73.6% FT, 2.3 TO, 3.0 fouls

Last 10:

32.7 minutes, 12.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 6.0 apg, 1.2 spg, 46.7% FG, 40% 3FG, 75.0% FT, 2.8 TO, 2.6 fouls

Conclusion: The amount of minutes are virtually the same, the rebounds are down, but everything else is up, sometimes way up. The assist total in the last ten games are the level of an All-American point guard, so it's amazing that it's coming from a small forward. Turnovers are still very high, however, and even increased.

Gilbert Brown

First 10:

24.6 minutes, 10.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.4 apg, 0.5 spg, 57.4% FG, 42.1% 3FG, 68.4% FT, 1.8 TO, 2.6 fouls

Last 10:

23.7 minutes, 11.2 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 2.0 apg, 0.6 spg, 46.2% FG, 36.7% 3FG, 75.6% FT, 1.3 TO, 2.3 fouls

Conclusion: The points went up some and the FT shooting was better. The FG% and three point FG% dropped a lot, but it's still in the good range. Clearly Brown's shooting percentage in the first ten games was too exorbitant to sustain. However, for a 6'6" athletic forward who averages over 20 minutes a game, the rebounds, assists, and steals totals were below average throughout the season.

Jermaine Dixon

First 10 (only played in 9):

32.1 minutes, 11.6 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.3 spg, 36.6% FG, 23.3% 3FG, 71.9% FT, 1.1 TO, 2.0 fouls

Last 10:

29.2 minutes, 10.3 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.1 spg, 40.0% FG, 15.4% 3FG, 65.2% FT, 1.6 TO, 2.5 fouls

Conclusion: It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this one out. Dixon's shooting was bad, but you may have to invent a new word to describe how truly awful his three point shooting was.

Nasir Robinson

First 10:

22.7 minutes, 6.0 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 1.4 apg, 0.2 spg, 49.1% FG, 56.3% FT, 1.3 TO, 2.7 fouls

22.3 minutes, 5.4 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 1.2 apg, 0.2 spg, 46.0% FG, 58.3% FT, 0.6 TO, 2.2 fouls

Conclusion: Clearly it wasn't the best season for Robinson. He has a lot of heart, but he's a scrapper who may lack enough skills to ever really do it successfully.

Gary McGhee

First 10:

24.2 minutes, 6.0 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 0.6 apg, 0.1 spg, 1.2 bpg, 56.0% FG, 57.1% FT, 0.7 TO, 2.6 fouls

Last 10:

26.6 minutes, 5.9 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 0.6 apg, 0.4 spg, 2.0 bpg, 52.3% FG, 61.9% FT, 1.1 TO, 1.9 fouls

Conclusion: McGhee was awful in Pitt's last two losses of the season, not scoring in either game, but that overshadows the fact that he improved his rebounding and blocked shots to an all-conference level. The problem is, the rest of his game is nowhere near as close.

Dante Taylor

First 10:

12.9 minutes, 3.0 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 0.0 apg, 0.7 spg, 0.6 bpg, 64.7% FG, 57.1% FT, 1.1 TO, 1.5 fouls

Last 10:

12.0 minutes, 4.2 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 0.2 apg, 0.3 spg, 0.4 bpg, 66.7% FG, 40.0% FT, 0.1 TO, 2.1 fouls

Conclusion: Obviously not a great year for the freshman, but he was a freshman so all is not lost.

Travon Woodall

First 10:

13.4 minutes, 2.3 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 1.5 apg, 0.2 spg, 38.1% FG, 20.0% 3FG, 71.4% FT, 1.4 TO, 1.5 fouls

Last 10:

19.1 minutes, 5.0 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 3.1 apg, 0.6 spg, 43.9% FG, 25.0% 3FG, 71.4% FT, 0.8 TO, 2.2 fouls

Conclusion: Obviously, Woodall came around some in the last ten games, but he must improve his three point shooting an awful lot if he wants to be the starting point guard next season.

Overall Conclusion:

It's interesting that only one player made a significant jump at the end of the season and that was Wanamaker. Woodall progressed some, but still has a significant weakness in his three point shooting, plus he should have more steals even in the amount of minutes he has, and he fouls way too much. In what will probably surprise many, McGhee also improved, especially in his rebounding and shot blocking. However his lack of an offensive game will probably prevent him from taking his game much further. Wanamaker, on the other hand, has clearly moved his play to a higher level, though his turnovers are still a problem.

On the downside, Gibbs sharply declined at the end of the season perhaps proving that he would be more efficient if he was not the focus of the team. It's important to not, however, that he was still good at the end, just not as good as he was before. Dixon did not have a bad season, except for his three point shooting, but it was awful, especially for a shooting guard, that it counteracted a lot of the good things he did.

Brown improved some over the season, but his lack of rebounding, assists, and steals makes one continue to wonder if he's more of an athlete than an actual basketball player. He still has one season to disprove that theory, however. Also, this statistic analysis does not show Brown's inconsistency, which is clearly one of the biggest weaknesses on the team.

Robinson, like McGhee may not be able to do too much more. Clearly, as a 6'4" forward with very limited shooting ability hurts his effectiveness, and while he is a great scrapper, there's only so much he's going to be able to do.

Lastly, Taylor did not have a good year. That's obvious, and while it may not show up statistically, I still think he will improve a good deal over his career, perhaps as early as next season.

Q&A for March 26 (Updated at bottom)

2010-03-26T01:51:00.006-04:00

By Chris Dokish
doke88@yahoo.com

Q: Maurice Walker was quoted yesterday as saying that Pitt now has a scholarship available. How did that happen and what does this mean?

A: As of now, I don't think it's as dramatic as it sounds. But, like I said, that's as of now. If I get info stating otherwise, I'll let people know, but as of now, the article was making it sound like somebody is leaving Pitt and Walker is coming in.

I look at it this in various ways. One, Walker may have misunderstood what the Pitt coach told him. That's definitely possible. Look at how many kids claim offers that they don't have. Usually they're not lying. They honestly believe they have an offer when in reality it was a coach using carefully worded language to keep the kid thinking they are interested, until the time comes when the team really has to make a decision on him.

In this case, that means that the Pitt coach may have led Walker to believe there would be opening. Why do that? Because, let's say for example, that Dwight Miller decides to transfer on his own. That leaves the spot open for J.J. Moore, right? Well, Moore is far from a sure thing as far as eligibility so he may not be there next year. But you won't know this until maybe two months or so down the road. But, assuming Moore is not eligible, and Miller has already left, suddenly you have a spot open. Hello, Mr. Walker.

Now, obviously this is not easy because Pitt would have to try to get Walker to hold off a month or two until they know for sure that Miller is gone and Moore is ineligible. But they don't lose anything by trying it.

The alternative theory may be too risky. And that's that they expect Miller to leave and sign Walker immediately. In this theory, Moore again has no scholarship available to him, and yet another player has to leave if he were to become eligible. Admittedly, it's probably less than a 50% that Moore will be eligible, but it's definitely not impossible that he does make it. And as far as I know, nobody is looking to leave, including Gilbert Brown (except for the obvious one that must leave if Moore is eligible). That's what I was told by a coach about two weeks ago. The only way this theory could work is if Moore is doing so badly in school that Pitt has given up on him being eligible this season, and I have not heard that either.

And, by the way, I'm not saying Miller is going to transfer. The fact that he has played little in his first two seasons would make him a good guess. On the other hand, he has already redshirted so unless he plans on going to a smaller classification, he may not want to leave. That doesn't mean he still won't leave. It just makes things much more difficult.

I guess what I'm saying in all of this is that it could go many ways and right now we just have to wait and see which way it goes because I have no idea what they are planning right now. The last I heard, Walker was probably not an option because there was no room. Then last night Walker confused everybody with his statement.

Q: You sparked some controversy this week by saying the Panthers won't improve much next season. Do you really feel that way?

A: I'm glad to know I got people riled up, and I didn't know that, but, yes, that's what I said and that's what I meant to say. But you make it sound like I said it about a poor team. They won 25 games this year. Next year, I said I would guess 28 wins and a Sweet 16. That's an amazing season. Could they make it to a Final Four? Of course. Any team that wins 28 games could go to the Final Four. But it's very unlikely, and I think anybody who thinks Pitt is destined for a Final Four next season doesn't understand what it takes to get there. Pitt has two bonafide college stars last season, not to mention one of the better point guards in the nation, and they didn't even get to the Final Four. That's how hard it is.

I wrote something a few months ago to show what it takes to get to the Final Four, and it was something like five top 50 players on average. You could have two or three also, but you need a superstar in there, too. Now this year, either Kansas State or Butler will be in the Final Four and neither have many top 50 prospects. Kansas State has two and Butler has none. But amazingly nobody had a lot of top 50 prospects in that region. Kansas State could actually get to the Final Four without playing a single team in the top six conferences. Pitt has one top 50 player and no superstar so it may be just wishful thinking. And that's what fans do and that's great, but the problem is, if Pitt doesn't go to the Final Four next year, the fans will complain that they underachieved. In reality, they wouldn't have underachieved, it was the fans who overvalued them. My advice, be happy with what will probably be a team that could hover around the top 10 all season, and should go to the Sweet 16. And then you can be ecstatic if it gets better than that. But don't expect so much and you won't be disappointed. Be pleasantly surprised. No matter how you look at it, it's going to be a great year with maybe even better years to come.

Q: Do you really think none of the players will improve?

A: Now, I know I definitely didn't say that. I'm sure every one of them will improve. The question is, will they improve enough to be a Final Four contender? It seems unlikely. Ashton Gibbs averaged 15+ ppg this season. Does anybody see him scoring 20 ppg next season? I don't. Brown may go from 10 to 14. I could see that. But that still doesn't make him DeJuan Blair or Sam Young, and that's the type of talent you need. Pitt has nobody at that level. Not even close.

One thing I get a lot in emails is how much potential and depth Pitt will have next year. You don't know that. Who do we know for sure are good players? Gibbs, Brown, Brad Wanamaker, and I'll even give you Gary McGhee. Then who? Don't say Travon Woodall. He is not good yet. Yes, he has potential and yes he could be good next, maybe even very good, but then again he may not. The truth is, while he has shown flashes and is cat quick, he is not a sure thing. Same goes with Dante Taylor. I stand my prediction that Taylor will eventually average 14 ppg and 8 rpg, but it may not be this year. Nasir Robinson is never going to grow or shoot at a high level so I think it's safe to say he isn't going to suddenly be a star. I hear fans tell me how great Talib Zanna may be, but guess what? He couldn't even see time at the beginning of this season when they badly needed help. That doesn't mean he won't be good. In fact, I think he will be good. He's just not going to be a star next year. He's pretty raw from what they tell me. The freshman are all going to be good, too, but I think there's a decent chance that Cameron Wright will redshirt and Moore won't be eligible. That leaves Isiah Epps, but he's not going to be an all-conference player as a true freshman either.

Q: How do you think the freshman will fit in next year?

A: I just touched on this, but Wright is long and athletic, and he has a bright future, but I could see him getting redshirted with all of the perimeter players the Panthers will have next season. He's a little raw still and could use a year. Even if he doesn't get redshirted, I don't think you will see much of him next season. Moore, I think has the ability to be a star, and could see significant time perhaps, but again, there's the eligibility thing. As for Epps, you guys don't ask too much about him, but I'm telling you this kid is going to be a really good player. He won't be redshirted as some have suggested to me. He has NBA talent and is already a little older so a redshirt won't be in the cards. But that wouldn't matter anyway because he should be ready to contribute right away. I think you will see him playing the point a lot early in the season because they want to give him every opportunity to shine. I'm guessing that Woodall will actually start, but if he doesn't take the bull by the horns, Epps could carve out some time. The kid is very quick, very fast, has great passing skills, and when he wants to, he can shoot the lights out. Possible big time player.

Q: Do you think the Panthers have a good shot at Omar Calhoun?

A: A shot? Yes. But I wouldn't fall in love with him too much. He is a big time prospect and a straight A student. He's going to have all of the biggies coming after him so it would be Pitt's biggest coup in a very, very long time.

Q: Is there really any way you could see Jamie Dixon end up at DePaul or Oregon? And do you see him staying here for his entire career?

A: The DePaul thing was ridiculous so I'm not even going to comment on that one. Oregon would be a possibility if they offered A LOT of money and from what I understand, that won't happen. Arizona had a lot to offer Dixon, including more money, and he still didn't think too long about it.

As for will he ever leave, I think it's probable that he eventually will. It's not like the old days when a coach didn't have many options and just settled in at one spot. The coaches these days have great agents, and they have NBA options, and more money, and all of that. It's something that the old school coaches never had. They both share the love of a challenge, but present day coaches can actually act on it. Not that I'm saying Dixon will leave soon. It could be another ten years for all anybody knows. The fact that he hasn't broken through in the tournament has stopped the elite programs going after him, and if he ever does break through, then it may be harder to keep him. But that would be a good problem to have.

Q: Do you see Tom Herrion or Brandin Knight getting a head coaching job and not coming back next season? What about Knight to Robert Morris?

A: Herrion has his name bandied about after every season and I'm sure it will happen again. Hofstra could be one possibility. Knight is just 28 and has only been an assistant for two seasons so he isn't even close to being ready. That doesn't mean Robert Morris wouldn't try to get him, but it seems like a stretch. I could see Rice asking Knight to join him at Seton Hall should he get the job. Knight will probably eventually leave, even if it's just as an assistant, because it's good for your resume to work with different coaches. Seton Hall would be the prefect opportunity for him since he knows Rice and he knows New Jersey. I'm not saying that will happen, but it does make sense.

Q: Have you heard anything about Nkereuwem Okoro or Cleveland Melvin?

A: Way too early on Okoro. He's a '12 prospect that will get monitored over the summer. Melvin they would have taken for sure if they had room, but they don't. I know there were some articles with him talking about Pitt, but just because he's talking about Pitt, that doesn't mean Pitt is talking to him. And they're not.

UPDATE: After spending much of the day investigating the Walker situation, it appears that my theory was right. What I discovered is that Walker did misunderstand what was said by the Pitt coach but that the Pitt coaches would still love to add him if there is a transfer and if Moore is ineligible. However, I was also told by those close to the situation that Walker would probably not wait and will probably end up at Minnesota. However, Tubby Smith could easily move on and maybe Walker will find that it's worth it to wait for Pitt. But no matter how you look at it, there will not be more than one player leaving, and it won't be a major contributor.

Postseason Thoughts

2010-03-22T13:54:00.004-04:00

By Chris Dokish

For the fourth time in Jamie Dixon's seven years as Pitt coach, the Panthers did not make it to the Sweet 16. For almost every other program in the country, a coach who goes seven for seven in getting into the tournament, with an Elite 8 and two Sweet 16s, would have their fans dancing in the streets. And just a decade ago, the same could be said for Pitt fans. But because of Jamie Dixon's ridiculously successful regular seasons, his relative lack of similar success in the postseason has many Pitt fans frustrated. Such is life in the highly competitive Big East.

Compare Dixon's seven seasons with the last seven seasons of Syracuse's Jim Boeheim, UConn's Jim Calhoun, and Louisville's Rick Pitino, Big East coaches who have won a National Championship (or two) before. In the seven seasons in question, Boeheim made two Sweet 16s, had two first round losses, and two NIT appearances. Pitino went to one NIT,lost in the first round twice, and the second round once. The difference is, he also has two Elite 8 appearances and a Final Four. For Calhoun, he didn't make the tournament twice, and lost both in the first and second round once. The difference is, the other three times were an Elite 8, a Final Four, and a National Championship. Even Villanova's Jay Wright, who has never won a National Championship, has had a better seven season stretch in the postseason. Wright has an NIT appearance, a first round loss, a second round loss, two Sweet 16s, an Elite 8, and a Final Four. Only Boeheim has not had a better run, but the Orange are looking like a Final Four team, at least, this season.

With the knowledge that the Panthers have the best Big East record in the conference in that time, it doesn't take a genius to see that this disconnect between regular season success and a perceived lack of postseason success would have people scratching their heads.

Truthfully, my theory that Pitt's lack of postseason success is because of a lack of great talent only partially makes sense. That explains losses to UCLA, Oklahoma State, and maybe Michigan State. It doesn't explain losses to Pacific and Bradley, who had less talent, and Villanova and Xavier, who had equal talent. Bottom line, Pitt is clearly underachieving in the postseason. So the question then becomes, can that disconnect change, and if so, when?

I know many fans are highly optimistic for next season at the moment because, quite frankly, it's a better alternative than to think the same thing will happen next season. However, I do see the same thing happening next season, but maybe not beyond that.

My prediction for next year's team is that they will be slightly more accomplished, though any talk of them being a power, or a Final Four contender, seems foolish. And before the optimists go ballistic, a slightly more accomplished team next year means something like 27 or 28 wins and a Sweet 16. Not too shabby, to say the least.

The problem is that the players with the highest ceilings will still not be ready yet, and the upperclassmen simply don't have high ceilings. Ashton Gibbs, a very good player, averaged 15.7 ppg by being mostly a jump shooter. It's not realistic that he will score much more than that. The same could be said for Brad Wanamaker, a good player who can score some, is a good rebounder, and a nice assist man. But he also has limitations that will prevent him from being a star. Is he going to suddenly score 16 ppg next season? Probably not, but even if he does, that doesn't make him an elite player who can carry the team on his back to greatness. Gilbert Brown? I think it's obvious that, while a good player, he also is not going to be that elite all-star caliber player. As for Gary McGhee, what you see is clearly what you get, whether you like it or not.

Players like Travon Woodall and Dante Taylor should improve, but they aren't the types to turn into stars next year either. Neither may even start. Redshirts Lamar Patterson and Talib Zanna are going to be good, and should provide help, but stardom isn't in the cards for them next year either. The freshman are also going to be excellent, but don't expect it to happen as freshmen. There were nine freshman in the Big East this year that were consensus Top 50 prospects. Only one, Lance Stephenson, averaged in double figures, and he was a top 10 prospect that still had a lot of faults. Isaiah Epps, Cameron Wright, and J.J. Moore, if he's even eligible, will provide much needed athleticism and talent, but probably not in huge measures. Especially since they will all have veterans ahead of them.

In summary, Dixon has underachieved in the postseason, but an Elite 8 and two Sweet 16s in seven years is not bad for underachieving. Any fans who look at the totality of Dixon's postseason relative lack of success could understandably question him at that time of the year. But, this season was different. Should Pitt have beat Xavier? Perhaps. But on the other hand, I had sportswriters email me from all over the country when I picked Pitt to win 20 games, because they thought I was insane. Around the country, people look at this team and can't understand how they won as many as they did. Even the Big East coaches didn't see enough to pick them above ninth in the preseason poll. They had one all-conference player, no stars, no future NBA players, nobody on the All-Rookie Team, and just one top 50 prospect, and he was mostly a non-factor as a freshman. Yet Dixon, his staff, and these hardworking players showed amazing resiliency and toughness. This team scored 17 points against New Hampshire at one point, then came within one shot of going to the Sweet 16. New Hampshire!!

This program has a lot of excellent supporting parts. The problem is, there was no star. With DeJuan Blair on this team, suddenly Gibbs gets open, Wanamaker doesn't have to waste energy rebounding over his head, McGhee comes off the bench, etc. But without that star player, everybody was forced to play over their head. Much to their everlasting credit, they did do more than they should have been asked to for much of the season. But you can only stretch so much before you break.

The same will probably happen next season, though as many as five new players enter the mix. And it's those five that will be the center of this team in two years. If Moore is eligible next season, he has the ability to be a star as a sophomore. Epps and Wright will at least be good as sophs, and maybe even better. Gibbs and Robinson will be seniors, Richardson, Taylor, Woodall, Patterson, and Zanna will be juniors, and John Johnson will arrive as a freshman, along with one or two others yet to be named.

Bottom line, this year was a rebuilding year and almost ended in the Sweet 16. Next year should be better and a Sweet 16 is a good possibility. Not bad for a team with no stars. The good news is, the stars may be on the way. What then? Will Dixon finally break through with more talent throughout the roster than he's ever had? Well, if he doesn't two, three, four years down the road, then he may never. But at least we will know. Because for the first time, both the talent and depth will be there.

Postseason awards

2010-03-04T08:24:00.004-05:00

By Chris Dokish

I have been asked if I get to vote for any postseason awards, and if so, who did I vote for, and through the USBWA I do get to vote for All-American, as well as other awards. Here are my picks:

Player of the Year (Oscar Robertson Award): Evan Turner, Ohio State- The best all-around player in the country, in my opinion. As of now, he is currently averaging 19.5 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 5.8 apg, and 1.8 spg, all while also shooting a highly efficient 53.8% from the field. It's not often that you see somebody average both 9 rebounds and 6 assists a game, especially when you throw in nearly 20 points, too.

Coach of the Year (Hank Iba Award): Jim Boeheim, Syracuse- About a week ago I decided on Jamie Dixon, but I've since changed my mind. Boeheim has a team filled with a lot of role players yet still is the current No. 1 team in the country. If I had to vote for a top three, Dixon would be my second choice.

Freshman of the Year: John Wall, Kentucky- It doesn't take a genius on this one.

All-American (pick ten):

Evan Turner, Ohio State

Wesley Johnson, Syracuse- Another excellent all-around player and one of the best transfers in Big East history. Currently at 15.6 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 1.7 spg, 1.9 bpg, 37.9% from three, and 78.3% from the line.

Scottie Reynolds, Villanova- The probable Big East Player of the Year and one of the better guards in Big East history. Currently averaging 18.9 ppg, 3.4 apg, 1.6 spg, 41.6% from three, and 83.1% from the line.

John Wall, Kentucky- One of the better freshman in college history and the future No.1 pick in the NBA draft. Averaging 17.0 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 6.2 apg, and 1.9 bpg.

DeMarco Cousins, Kentucky- Another freshman who some think was better this season than his teammate, Wall. Averaging 15.9 ppg, 10.1 rpg, and 1.8 bpg. And all of that was in just 23 minutes a game.

Sherron Collins, Kansas- Physical and emotional leader of the team that's the favorite to win it all. Averaging 15.4 ppg, 4.3 apg, 36.8% from three, and 85.1% from the line.

Jon Scheyer, Duke- Co-favorite to win ACC Player of the Year because of his excellent all-around skills. Averaging 18.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 5.2 apg, 1.7 spg, 40.4% from three, and 88.3% from the line.

James Alexander, Oklahoma State- The current favorite to win Big 12 Player of the Year, he is fourth in the nation in scoring at 22.8 ppg, while also adding 6.0 rpg, 1.3 spg, 36.2% from three, and 80.9% from the line.

Devan Downey, South Carolina- One of the best little known players in the country, the Cincinnati transfer single handedly beat Kentucky with 30 points earlier in the season, then came back and scored 26 more in Lexington. He is the fifth best scorer in the country at 22.5 ppg, while also averaging 3.2 rpg, 3.6 apg, and 2.8 spg (sixth in the nation), while making 83.1% from the line.

Jimmer Fredette, Brigham Young- One of the best pure shooters in the country, he became well known after going off for 49 points at Arizona. On the season, he is averaging 20.7 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 4.7 apg, and 1.2 spg. Proof of his great shooting can be seen in his 47.8% from three and 88.2% from the line.

I also vote for regional awards, in my case players that play in New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Washington DC, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania.

Top player in the region: Reynolds, Villanova

Top coach in the region: Boeheim, Syracuse

All-District (10 players):

Scottie Reynolds, Villanova
Wesley Johnson, Syracuse
Greg Monroe, Georgetown
Austin Freeman, Georgetown
Da'Sean Butler, West Virginia
Jeremy Hazell, Seton Hall
Ashton Gibbs, Pittsburgh
Andy Rautins, Syracuse
Ryan Wittman, Cornell
Charles Jenkins, Hofstra

While I'm here, I may as well also predict how I think the Big East awards will go, not necessarily how I would vote. This is always a crap shoot, of course, because you never know actually what people are thinking.

Player of the Year- Scottie Reynolds, Villanova

Coach of the Year- Jim Boeheim, Syracuse

Rookie of the Year- Lance Stephenson, Cincinnati

Defensive Player of the Year- Hamady Ndiaye, Rutgers

Most Improved Player- Tim Abromaitis, Notre Dame

Sixth Man Award- Kris Joseph, Syracuse

Scholar Athlete Award- Tim Abromaitis, Notre Dame

First Team (not including Reynolds):

Wesley Johnson, Syracuse
Greg Monroe, Georgetown
Da'Sean Butler, West Virginia
Luke Harangody, Notre Dame
Dominique Jones, South Florida

Second Team:

Austin Freeman, Georgetown
Lazar Hayward, Marquette
Jeremy Hazell, Seton Hall
Jerome Dyson, UConn
Andy Rautins, Syracuse (don't be surprised if he's First Team)

Third Team:

Ashton Gibbs, Pittsburgh
Tim Abromaitis, Notre Dame
Kemba Walker, UConn
Jamine Peterson, Providence
Samardo Samuels, Louisville

All-Rookie Team:

Dane Miller, Rutgers
Brandon Triche, Syracuse
Maalik Wayns, Villanova
Vincent Council, Providence
Alex Oriakhi, UConn

Q&A for February 23

2010-02-23T15:58:00.011-05:00

By Chris Dokish
doke88@yahoo.com

Q: How shocked are you that this team is now a top 15 team?

A: I'm very shocked, of course. Anybody who says they aren't are either delusional or biased. I had many people think I was crazy for saying before the season started that they would win 20 games and could slip into the tournament. Now they will end up closer to 30 wins than 20 wins which is unbelievable, amazing, insane, and any other adjective you want to throw in there.

Q: Do you and the other media now realize that Pitt has talent?

A: Nobody ever said Pitt didn't have talent. Of course they have talent. Every team in the Big East has talent. What I, or any other rational person said, was that they didn't have elite talent. And they don't. They have one player on the roster that was highly recruited coming out of high school, they have no All-Americans, no future pros, just one all-conference player, and no players on the All-Freshman Team. That means they don't have elite individual talent. Anybody who thinks they have great talent needs to take off the blue and gold glasses because only then can you truly appreciate what is happening in this program.

Q: How is Pitt doing this and will it carry over into the NCAA tournament?

A: I see them the same way they have been every year, both in the regular season and in the tournament. And that's that Jamie Dixon amazingly gets every ounce of ability out of his players, and he gets them to play hard and smart at all times. It seems so easy, yet nobody in the country does it as consistently as Dixon's teams, so obviously it's an amazing accomplishment. Thank God he is a nice guy because he has the kills of a cult leader in that he can convince his players of anything.

On the other hand, like other years, elite talent rises to the top in the tournament and plays just as hard as Pitt does in the regular season, and that's where Pitt's lack of elite talent will prevent them from getting past the Sweet 16 again. On the bright side, college basketball is not great this year and you never know if this team can keep surprising. May as well hope that the Cinderella season keeps going, right?

Q: How amazing is Jamie Dixon? Do you really think he hasn't had great talent all these years?

A: The answer to your first question is, pretty damn amazing. The answer to the second is that I think it's obvious. Put it this way, we all agree that Dixon is a great coach. That can't be stressed enough and even though that word is highly overused, if Dixon is not a great coach then I don't know who is. So let's look at it like this. If Dixon is a great coach and has great talent, he would have done better than one Elite 8 appearance in his six completed seasons. Isn't this common sense? You can't have a legitimately great coach with legitimately great talent and not do better in the tournament. He had two excellent players once and that was the one year he made it to the Elite 8. He just didn't have much behind those two. If Gibbs was as good last season as he was this season, the Panthers would have at least made it to the Final Four. But of course he was only a freshman then. It's always just one player away for Dixon and his lack of great recruiting always leaves him a bit short. That doesn't mean he isn't great at getting awesome kids who are tough, smart, give their best, and have good talent. It just means they don't have the elite talent that's needed to win national championships. But on the bright side, two seasons from now could be a national championship contender if things fall the right way. The young guys will be veterans then, Gibbs will be a senior, Taylor should be a lot better, and J.J. Moore, John Johnson, Isaiah Epps, and Cameron Wright will be very talented additions.

Bottom line, I understand that some fans get others fired up by twisting what I say so that they can use the "it's us against the world" thing (10 bucks says I get at least five emails saying some message board has a thread that reads "Doke says we have no talent"), but I think the Pitt program is nothing short of amazing and it's an honor to cover them. Just because I point out the fact that they don't have elite talent shouldn't get fans angry. What they should concentrate on is the fact that they have an amazing coach and amazing kids who win huge despite that. And that eventually I do believe the stars will align and Pitt will get to the Final Four- at least.

Q: Do you agree with Bob Smizik that Gary McGhee should not only win the Most Improved Player Award, but that the award should be called the Gary McGhee Award?

A: I don't even think McGhee will win the award, though he should. I think Tim Abromaitis will win it. I never even consider Gibbs for the award because he was already good last year. He was just a true freshman on a veteran team. McGhee and Abromaitis were actually awful for their first two seasons. McGhee actually had three fouls in one second one time and literally couldn't catch a basketball without it bouncing off his face. Now he has gone from awful, to passable, to a genuinely good player. His only real weakness is that he has no offensive game. But he is smart enough to know that and he doesn't try to do what he can't do. His rebounding is excellent, he can pass, and he is a very underrated shot blocker. He is also a sneaky good athlete who can run, and does so hard at all times. But the thing that impresses me the most is his stamina for his size. I never see the kid tired. I've said many times before that he was the nicest kid I ever interviewed, so I'm just very happy for him.

Q: You said in the past that you thought Maurice Walker would move on and not wait for Pitt, and now it's looking like that may happen. Do you still think that?

A: I know many Pitt fans aren't that enamored with Walker, but all you need to do is look at McGhee this year to see the benefit of having a big kid in the middle with some ability. One of the main reasons why the Panthers just beat West Virginia and Villanova was because those teams had nobody who could control a giant like McGhee.

But I never had high hopes they would get Walker. They definitely want to add him but I don't see how they can, especially if Moore is eligible. From what I'm hearing now, it's probably not going to happen with Walker.

Q: If the Panthers don't add Walker, what are they going to do for a future center? Leave Taylor there or add Desmond Hubert?

A: Finding a center is the main goal for the staff right now, but it's never easy. Adding Walker will settle it, but as I previously stated, that's more doubtful as time goes by. They would prefer to eventually move Taylor to the four, but they can only do that if they find a center. They see Hubert as a four so he isn't the answer, and he is a very long shot anyway. After that, there isn't much in the pipeline yet. They really like Jaylen Bond and Mikael Hopkins, but they are also fours.

Q: Outside of center, where else is Pitt looking for 2011? Any chance that Durand Johnson is still in the mix?

A: They would love to add Johnson but once again they are hurting for scholarships. I could throw out a bunch of other names they are interested in but since they may not have room for any of them, it's pointless right now.

Q: Do you think Pitt has a real chance at Omar Calhoun?

A: He's a 2012 kid, and quite the player, but it's way too early on him. For all we know, Tom Herrion and Brandin Knight may be head coaches somewhere by that time.

Q: Do you think Gibbs will make First Team All-Big East?

A: I think he will make Third Team.

And while I'm talking about Gibbs, let me say what I like most about him. Yes, he is best known for his shooting, but it's his all-around steadiness that I marvel at. Even in the games when his shooting is off, he doesn't compound the problem, like many do, by pressing in other areas. When the shooting isn't there he is still as solid in every other facet of his game as he always was. He doesn't press by continuing to shoot just for the sake of it (I'm looking at you Jeremy Hazell), and he doesn't let it effect his defense or floor game. He realizes that defense, hustle, and brains doesn't slump like shooting does, so there is no reason why you can't be consistent with that at all times. It's a great asset in a player, and very rare.

Q: What are your thoughts on Pitt going to the Big 10 and do you think they will be asked?

A: I addressed this before on here, but I think it will hurt the basketball and football programs competitively. And I'm not even sure that Dixon would stick around if the change was made. In fact, if I had to guess, from what I hear, he probably wouldn't. On the other hand, it's highly beneficial to the university as a whole.

As for being asked, I have no idea. I know Texas was the sexy rumor at one point, but I don't see how that helps them and I have since heard that they aren't even among the 16 universities under consideration. Notre Dame will never do it. That leaves Missouri as a real possibility and they are actively begging.

Bottom line, it's all going to come down to what others are doing. The Pac 10 wants to expand, then that will change things in the Big 12, which will then effect the Big 10, which will then effect the Big East. Pitt has to make sure they have a chair when the music stops. The Big East may not be able to sustain another body blow and if it means staying in a weakened conference, then they may have to try to get into the Big 10. But in a perfect world, I would preferably stay in the Big East, if the conference has no changes, because I think for competitive reasons it is best for the football and basketball programs.

Some dubious conference statistics

2010-02-14T18:34:00.006-05:00

Statistics like points and rebounds get most of the attention, but it's interesting to sometimes look further and see more negative stats like turnovers and fouls committed. Going into Sunday's games, here are listed the worst combined offenders in the league of these two dubious stats.

Player- Minutes- Turnovers/Game- Fouls/Game - Total/Game

Jerome Dyson, UConn 33.8 - 3.6 - 2.9 - 6.5

Herb Pope, Seton Hall 30.2 - 2.5 - 3.3 - 5.8

Dominique Jones, USF 36.8 - 2.8 - 3.0 - 5.8

Brad Wanamaker, Pitt 33.0 - 2.7 - 3.0 - 5.7

Greg Monroe, Georgetown 33.8- 3.2 - 2.5 - 5.7

Mac Koshwal, DePaul 33.1- 3.2 - 2.3 - 5.5

Edgar Sosa, Louisville 27.0- 2.9 - 2.5 - 5.4

Lazar Hayward, Marquette 31.0- 2.0- 3.3 - 5.3

A total of 49 players had at least a 4.0 combined turnovers and fouls per game. Of those, the players with the least minutes needed to accumulate that total were:

Preston Knowles, Louisville 20.0 minutes 4.5 total

Travon Woodall, Pittsburgh 20.8 - 4.2

Malik Boothe, St. John's 21.7 - 4.0

Wellington Smith, WVU 21.9 - 4.3

Sean Evans, St. John's 22.0 - 4.0

Mike Coburn, Rutgers, 22.1 - 4.0

Arinze Onuaku, Syracuse 22.5 - 4.2

Toarlyn Fitzpatrick, USF 22.6 - 4.1

BACKYARD BRAWL, HOOPS EDITION: PART II

2010-02-12T11:54:00.003-05:00

Despite their recent 70-51 loss on the road to the rival Mountaineers just nine days ago, sports betting houses have made the host Panthers just a three-point underdog when they host rival West Virginia tonight at 9 PM at the Peterson Events Center on the Pittsburgh campus.

The game is part of ESPN's 'Rivalry Week' theme and will be broadcast live nationally by the sports network.

In the previous meeting the rivalry showed to be very much alive and well as a mini scrum between players on the court and an unruly crowd was more of the story than the game itself. Bob Huggins had to take the microphone to ask the crowd to refrain from throwing objects onto the court and following the mini scrum on the court Pitt associate head coach Tom Herrion was hit just below the eye by a quarter thrown from the crowd. After the previous warning, this resulted in a Technical foul being assessed against the home team.

This time it is WVU Entering Hostile Territory (Register Herald) and the Oakland Zoo, the nickname of the Pitt student section, will be ready for action. The Mountaineers will look to rebound from a loss earlier this week when Villanova beat them on Monday night at the Coliseum.

Pittsburgh knocked off local rival Robert Morris on Monday night and Pitt Returns to the Pressure Cooker (Pittsburgh Post Gazette) of the Big East tonight in a contest that will greatly enhance the March Madness odds of the winning team earning a higher tournament seed next month.

Pitt has won two in a row since their loss at WVU, which was their fourth in five games. WVU looks to avoid a two-game losing streak heading into the conference stretch run.

Tune in to ESPN tonight at 9PM for the action!!

Panthers game against Seton Hall expected to go on

2010-02-06T09:46:00.003-05:00

By Chris Dokish

According to a source on the Pitt staff, the game between Pittsburgh and Seton Hall, scheduled at the Petersen Events Center for 6 PM, is not expected to be canceled at this time since the Seton Hall basketball team is already in Pittsburgh. "We are playing today," according to Greg Hotchkiss, Director of Media Relations.

Just got an email from Pitt asking to pass this on:

Statement from the University of Pittsburgh Athletic Department:

The basketball game between the University of Pittsburgh and Seton Hall will tip off as regularly scheduled. Pitt encourages those who can walk to the game, including students, to attend the game as they normally would. For those others, we encourage them to stay home and watch the game on television for their safety and to allow the city and county crews to complete their work.

Q&A for 2/4

2010-02-04T15:37:00.005-05:00

By Chris Dokish

Q: Okay, what's the problem with the Panthers? Why are the wheels falling off after it was looking like we were going to have a magical season?

A: The problem is the same as I've said all along. Their talent level is not very high right now. I knew when they got hot at the beginning of the conference schedule that people would eventually get disappointed and therefore get angry. All of the talk about this team getting to the Sweet 16 and beyond was ludicrous. There was not one one knowledgeable college basketball observer who thought the Panthers would continue at that pace because the talent level just isn't there. They only have decent talent. It's the excellent coaching that fools some fans into thinking the talent level is higher than it is.

At the beginning of the season I said that Dixon would be a miracle worker if this team won 20 games and he is going to win more than that. So the fans need to be rational and realize that this is their level and it's not this program's destiny to always be excellent. Your team is going to win 20+ games in a down year. Consider yourself fortunate because more historically successful programs than Pitt has had worse down years over the past decade.

Q: Okay, I admit it. You were right. The recruiting did us in. How did that happen?

A: Because Jamie Dixon is not God? I know it's hard for some fans to comprehend but the guy is not perfect. He is an excellent coach and you can't find a better ambassador for the program. But everybody makes mistakes. He took some iffy prospects and now he's paying for it. But he will have this program great again soon so don't lose hope.

Q: What did you think of Tom Herrion getting hit at the WVU game and what was it? I heard a quarter but it looked white. An ice cube?

A: Like everybody else I thought it was a disgrace. I actually had a chance to ask Herrion today what it was and he said it was a quarter so that really had to hurt. He's a man who is really tough as nails as you could tell from that incident.

Q: Is Dante Taylor the biggest waste of a recruit ever?

A: That's ridiculous and that's exactly the kind of talk that makes kids transfer. It's no secret that I give a lot of constructive criticism to players, but I at least wait until their second year in the program before I start expecting anything, and it's not until their third year that I expect them to a be a good player. Taylor is just a 19-year old kid in his first year of college. Give him a year to make the transition. If he is still showing nothing next year then you can start to doubt his ability. But from what I hear Taylor is taking the criticism hard and it's not helping the situation by calling him names. Trust me, this kid has a lot of pressure with all of the McDonald's All-American talk about him and if he should decide to leave and be a good player somewhere else then Pitt fans will kick themselves. I'm not saying he will leave, but high profile kids who get trashed by the fans because they aren't living up to expectations are often the kids that do go elsewhere to get a fresh start. Lastly, let me say this about Taylor. He is simply overmatched physically at this point and that has hurt his confidence. But, I can tell you that the people at Pitt consider him "a great kid" and "the best teammate we have", and those are direct quotes.

Q: You took a lot of heat for saying Ashton Gibbs would suffer if he was playing point guard, but now you've been proven right. So why can't the coaches see that?

A: They can see that. They're not stupid. But there is nobody else to play there. Brad Wanamaker and Jermaine Dixon aren't point guards, and Chase Adams and Travon Woodall aren't very good.

Q: It seems like you thought Adams was going to be a better player. Clearly he wasn't worth bringing in, right?

A: Of course he was worth bringing in. It was either add him or nobody and at least adding him helps in practice. At best, he could have been a decent player. He did have some big games against top competition in the past so I think they were expecting to get a little more out of him, but it just didn't happen. At the end of the day, it was no harm, no foul.

Q: How can Pitt be underachieving with the talent they have?

A: They aren't underachieving. They were overachieving before. They don't have great talent. I don't know why some Pitt fans continue to put their heads in the sand over this. At various times the fans have pointed to Gibbs, Wanamaker, or Gilbert Brown as the best player on the team and what some fans seem to be blind to is that they have taken turns being awful. Sorry to be so blunt, but too many people still are delusional. If there was a draft in which every Big East team could draft from all of the players in the conference, only Gibbs would go in the first 30 picks. Anybody who thinks that Wanamaker and Brown are among the top 30 players in the league needs to do their homework because they're not. See, what happens is Brown scores 20 against Georgetown and 25 against USF, and the fans proclaim him to be the best player on the team. What they fail to mention is the fact that he went scoreless against WVU and Louisville, and has failed to reach double figures in the majority of his games. Or that Wanamaker leads the team in turnovers and fouls. I'm not suggesting that Gibbs, Wanamaker, and Brown aren't good players. The problem is, in the Big East almost everybody is good. You need to have players that are better than good. The fans were embarrassed that Pitt lost to USF, but I have news for you. If Augustus Gilchrist were playing in that game, USF would have had the two best players on the floor. So think about that the next time you think Pitt is so much better than USF this year because it's just not true. If the fact that USF has two better players than anybody on Pitt's team doesn't wake you up then you must be in a coma.

Q: We need to get Taylor out of the center position. Why don't they want Maurice Walker now?

A: They do want to sign Walker. That's 100% fact. They desperately want a true center and they are few and far between. The problem is that they don't have any scholarships available and are very hesitant to push somebody out. Personally, I would push somebody out, though I don't know if it would be for Walker, who quite frankly is yet another project. I have said this before, but sometimes this level of basketball is not for everybody and I would sit a kid or two down and tell them that they just aren't going to play much here so it's in their best interest to go elsewhere. Dixon has always hated doing that because he believes so much that he can make everybody a productive part of the team and he doesn't want to give up on anybody. Plus, the last time he did it, with Cassin Diggs, it ended in disaster when Diggs didn't want to leave and made a big stink about it. But, like I said, even if they did get Walker, he probably would not make a huge impact next season. They love his natural size, and great hands and feet, but he needs to lose a good 50 pounds before he could play at this level.

Q: Any word on if they still want to add Durand Johnson, and what about Jaylen Bond and Desmond Hubert for 2011?

A: They would love to add Johnson, but where would they find a scholarship? As for Bond and Hubert, they would love both for the PF spot. Bond is an ideal four in the Panthers system in that he is both physically strong, and skilled. Hubert, who gets mentioned by some as a center, is considered a four by Pitt, and he is very slight and not physically strong right now. However, he has a ton of upside. Both would be very difficult to land if they went that way, but first they must decide if they do want to go that way. Like I said before, they are really trying hard to add a true center and if it's not Walker than they will have to make center a top priority again in 2011. The problem, however, is that they see the 2011 center class as very weak. Personally, I would try to add two highly talented fours instead of a project five, if I could, because I know they like a lot of fours for 2011. While I know the line would be small would it be so bad to have, as an example, 6'6" J.J. Moore, 6'7" Bond, and 6'8" Hubert along the front line? That's if they could land that caliber. If not, then go for a true center. But, hey, that's me, and Dixon has a lot more coaching wins then I do.

Taking a look at future rosters

2010-01-11T17:05:00.004-05:00

By Chris Dokish

While nobody can predict the future, it is something that the staff must do to see potential weaknesses they need to strengthen. With that in mind, let's look at the near future to see where things stand with the program. All class designations are for the particular season being analyzed.

2010-11 Season

Guard- Jamie Dixon and his staff desperately wanted Travon Woodall to take the PG job this season so that Ashton Gibbs wouldn't have to. Unfortunately Woodall failed to hold on to the job and the staff was finally forced to abruptly make the change to Gibbs. Much to their surprise, Gibbs has handled the point in excellent fashion while not only holding on to his offensive production, but also exceeding it thus far. Still, though, it's hard on Gibbs to be both the orchestrator and the main offensive threat. For that reason, they hope that Gibbs (Jr.) can play more off the ball next season. For that to happen, Woodall (So.) and/or Isaiah Epps (Fr.) will need to be able to play significant minutes at the position next season. I've been told that all three are expected to see minutes at the point, but whether Woodall or Epps can play well enough to let Gibbs spend a lot of time at SG will be one of the major questions of the season. Woodall has elite speed and has had some nice moments, but some nice moments are not enough in the Big East. He will have to make major improvement if he wants to continue to see the floor because Epps is a talented player who the staff expects will be at least a solid contributor as a freshman.

At the other guard spot, if Gibbs is not playing the point, he will obviously be positioned here. The fact that he has made such huge strides so quickly is a huge event for the program. Don't forget that he was almost an afterthought as a recruit, and the staff actually had to get Woodall's blessing to bring Gibbs in. It was Woodall who they thought was going to be making a major contribution by this point. To Gibbs' credit he has turned himself into a legitimate all-conference player in just his second season. To say he is a pleasant surprise is an understatement, especially since he has proven that he is more than just a standstill shooter.

When Gibbs is at the point, look for Brad Wanamaker (Sr.) to play the two. A stat stuffer who lacks consistency, Wanamaker will be asked to get himself under control on a regular basis and end his career with a good season. Gibbs, Wanamaker, and Epps will definitely see time, as will Woodall if he comes around. If he doesn't, look for Gibbs and Epps to man the point with Wanamaker and Cameron Wright (Fr.) manning the SG position. More likely, however, Wright will not see many minutes in his freshman season, though with his great length and athleticism, his future looks good.

Small Forward- This is a position that has endless possibilities with Gilbert Brown (Sr.), Nasir Robinson (Jr.), Lamar Patterson (redshirt Fr. or So.), and possibly elite prospect J.J. Moore (Fr.) Ideally, Brown would be the best option, but that depends on whether, one, he finally reaches his potential, and, two, he doesn't have to play at PF again. Even if he does play some, or a lot, at the four, the battle for the minutes at three should be interesting. Moore is by far the most talented of the candidates, but even if he is eligible (a big if), he is still raw enough, especially on the defensive side, to prevent Dixon from starting him. And Robinson has proven what most always knew about him, and that was that while he is somebody that can help, the more minutes he gets, the more his weaknesses are exposed. That would leave Patterson who may be able to get redshirted in the off season. He doesn't do anything great, but he has the potential to do everything good. For that reason, he may end up being the starter if Brown isn't, or if Brown fails or doesn't come back for a fifth season.

Power Forward- This position was obviously a problem this year with Brown currently getting the most minutes there. He may be forced to start again next season as Dante Taylor will again spend most of his time at center, Robinson being wildly over matched at times, and with Talib Zanna (redshirt Fr.) and Dwight Miller (So.) being long shots to be able to play a lot of effective minutes at this stage. Zanna is looked at exclusively as a four for the program, and they think he will be good, but he is raw enough that expecting a lot next season is considered a long shot. And Miller has progressed so little in two years that he may not even find himself in the program next season. So it looks like there is no choice but to have Brown the starter again at the four and I'm not even 100% sure he will be back next season. Don't forget that as a redshirt, Pitt does not have to ask him to come back, so the rest of this season could be seen as a test. It does help, of course, that there may be no better options at the four.

Center- The reason Brown will have to start at PF and Taylor (So.)stays at center, much to the fan's chagrin, is that Taylor will still be needed at the five. Gary McGhee (Sr.) and J.J. Richardson (So.) are the only other centers in the program but even combined they will not provide enough production. But I also got word that Taylor will probably see time at the four next season so that he could possibly someday move to that position. But he won't be doing that until a better center is found and that player is not even on the horizon yet. Even if the program adds Maurice Walker he will not be able to provide enough to let Taylor play more than a few minutes at four.

Summary: Best guess as of now, and this is only a current guess that could change wildly by next November, is that Gibbs will start at the point, Wanamaker at the two, Patterson at the three, Brown at the four, and Taylor at the five. The top five reserves would be Epps, Woodall, McGhee, Robinson, and Moore, if he is eligible, and either Richardson or Zanna if he is not.

2011-2012

It's way too early to go into as much detail for this season, but by this time I see Epps (So.) starting at the point, Gibbs (Sr.) at the two, Moore (Fr. or So.) if he is a soph, Patterson (redshirt So. or Jr.) otherwise , at the three, Zanna (So.) at the four, and Taylor (Jr.) at the five.

In this scenario, the perimeter looks strong, especially since at least Wright (So.) and John Johnson (Fr.) will be very talent reserves. In the low post, the key will be Zanna who would be in his third season in the program and will be expected to finally make a strong contribution. The only difference in the low post would be if the program finds a player such as Maurice Walker who could be ready as a So. to take over the five, or if they find a true freshman or JC star to take over the five immediately in this season. Both of those seems like long shots at the time, at least until it's known if Walker actually signs this year. If he does, and gets in shape, then he could start at the five with Taylor moving to four if Zanna is not ready.

Yet to be seen is what other players will be added to this analysis. If Moore is eligible for 2010, then somebody will have to leave to make room for him. In that scenario, the Panthers will then add two more players to the 2011 class. If he is not eligible then the Panthers will have just one more player to add with Moore moving to the 2011 class.

Q&A for December 17th

2009-12-16T23:11:00.008-05:00

By Chris Dokish

Q: Do the Panthers have a chance with the big center from New Zealand, and do you think we will get a visit?

A: The big center, for the uninitiated, is 6'11" Rob Loe, and he already visited Pitt last weekend. Tom Herrion is the point man on this one and Pitt has a chance, but it may be an uphill battle. He is looking at St. Louis where he sees Rick Majerus as somebody who can get him to the NBA, and where he is friends with a few Aussie players on the team, Colorado, where head coach Jeff Bzdelik has been recruiting him for three years and was also a longtime assistant in the NBA, and Arizona, where his brother goes to school. So obviously it won't be easy.

Q: Chris, you riled some feathers by saying the team doesn't have talent this season. Care to explain why you think that?

A: First of all, I don't know of anybody who had their feathers riled. Nobody emailed me about it and nobody commented on here about it, so I don't know who disagreed. If people are disagreeing in public I would assume that they at least would have the courage and maturity to discuss it with me rather than take shots from afar, but that seems to be the case with a lot of people on the internet. I guess a lot of people talk big when their name doesn't accompany their thoughts. Secondly, I didn't say Pitt didn't have talent. I explicitly said ELITE talent. I even put it in italics so people couldn't misunderstand. Lastly, I already explained and it was there in black and white. Anybody who thinks this team has elite talent is delusional. I know fans automatically assume the best case scenario, but here's the thing. While some of these kids will improve, there is nothing to say, for example, that Travon Woodall will be an excellent point guard, or that Talib Zanna will turn into a low post star. Could they? Of course, but just wanting it to happen doesn't mean it will. The only player in this program right now who I think for sure has a high ceiling is Dante Taylor. The younger guys may get there, too, but then again they may not. Players like Zanna, Woodall, and J.J. Richardson are far from sure things, and the veterans simply don't have a high ceiling. And by high ceiling, I mean All-American potential or the ability to play at the next level. Does anybody really believe that any sophomores, juniors, or seniors on this team are going to be All-Americans or play in the NBA? I can't believe that. There's a fine line between optimism and delusion.

Q: Don't you think you were hard on Jamie Dixon in that Top 50 article?

A: Which part? The part where I wrote that Dixon has done a remarkable job or was it the part where I said he has proven himself to be such a great coach that if he ever had three elite players he could win it all? Sorry to offend anybody who thinks Pitt has gotten elite talent over the years but they haven't. Prior to his season they had mostly good players but great coaching. This season the talent level is lower and the coaching is still great. In the near future, the talent level will be great and the coaching will still be great. I don't see how anybody can find fault with that.

Q: Do you think the youth of Pitt is a major problem?

A: While I wouldn't say that this team is full of grizzled veterans, I don't understand how people think they are unbelievably young either. Jermaine Dixon and Chase Adams are seniors, Gilbert Brown, Gary McGhee, and Brad Wanamaker are juniors, and Ashton Gibbs and Woodall are sophomores. When Brown comes back, Taylor will be the only true freshman in the top nine. Dixon, Brown, Wanamaker, and Gibbs aren't exactly neophytes and Adams is a senior who has played in some very big venues in his career. DeJuan Blair was a sophomore last year and he was pretty good. Kemba Walker is a sophomore and is averaging around 15 ppg. Samardo Samuels is a sophomore and he is averaging over 15 ppg, too. Is Woodall going to be Walker next season? Doubtful. Samuels is already better than McGhee, who is a junior. Now you see what I'm saying. Pitt's problem is more because of a lack of talent than anything. The good news is, those veterans were recruited before Herrion and Brandin Knight. The talent level is about to change drastically with what they have coming in and you will see again that talent rises to the top even when it's young.

Q: Are the recruits coming in as good as advertised, and will J.J. Moore be eligible next season?

A: Yes, they are as good as advertised. Moore, Cameron Wright, Isaiah Epps, and John Johnson should team with Taylor to give the program five players who should range from very good to excellent in college. And if they can find one more big man, then look out. As for Moore's eligibility, it will be under 50% until I hear otherwise. It was always considered a long shot, but he is determined to make it. We won't know for awhile, though.

Q: Why did the Panthers not take Herb Pope as a transfer or take Lance Stephenson?

A: That's just not Dixon's style. Pope never asked. Of course, he knew the answer would be no. Pitt wanted him for a long time but finally gave up on him and Pope knew it. As for Stephenson, he wanted Pitt to recruit him, and the Panthers investigated the situation before deciding to pass. With them, Pitt would be a 25 win team this season but you always have to ask at what cost. Both seem to be doing great now, but hindsight is 20/20. Both were potential disasters and Dixon didn't think it was worth the risk.

Q: I see that Darnell Dodson is out of the doghouse at Kentucky. Do you still think Pitt was better without him? They could use him this season and last season he could have been the missing piece to get into the Final Four.

A: He's a three so he wouldn't even have started this season. And if he did, then you're sitting Wanamaker, your second leading scorer, and that's a wash. As for last year, he wasn't eligible to play for any college last season, including Pitt, so he couldn't have helped. Plus, and here's the kicker, you wouldn't have J.J. Moore and Lamar Patterson. So tell me this. Would you rather have Dodson for this season and for three total, or Patterson and Moore for four seasons? It's no contest. Moore, himself, is better than Dodson, and Patterson is going to be a solid player, too.

Q: Do you see Ashton Gibbs moving to the point and Dante Taylor moving to power forward?

A; No and no. Gibbs shoots a ton because there is no other choice, and if he is busy running the point, the team may not average 60 points. And Jamie Dixon won't move Taylor to the four until he proves he can play the five. That's just the way it is.

Q: Do you still see the team going 20-11 in the regular season?

A: Well, it's going to be tough. It looks like they will need to go 8-10 in the league. The good news is that, compared to last season, I don't see the league being as tough.

Q: Would going to the Big 10 be good for Pitt?

A: I discussed this with Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writer Bob Smizik the other day. He thinks it will be good for Pitt and I don't. I think the football team could sneak into a National Championship game in the Big East, but you can forget about that in the Big 10. In basketball, Pitt recruits the urban areas in New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC, and they can kiss that goodbye in the Big 10. Kids from those cities will not want to play for Pitt if they aren't in the Big East and without a local recruiting area, they need those spots desperately. Where are they going to recruit- Iowa?

As for the minor sports, Pitt doesn't even field teams in some of the sports that the Big 10 plays in, and in the ones they do, they usually don't even have a dedicated field to play on.

For the university outside of on the field performance, it would be great, however, and if the alternative is for Syracuse or Rutgers to bolt the Big East, then that changes thing and Pitt needs to be proactive and try to bolt instead. I was all for staying with the Big East and not going to the ACC a few years back, but they can't afford another raid. There are no more good candidates to join. Bottom line, I hope they just take somebody like Missouri and that Pitt stays status quo.

doke88@yahoo.com

PITT OFFENSIVE WOES CONTINUE, DEFENSE ALSO RESTS IN LOSS TO IU

2009-12-09T09:44:00.000-05:00

The offensive woes of Pittsburgh continued Tuesday night as Indiana Knocks off Pitt in Jimmy V Classic, 74-64, last night in Madison Square Garden. The Panthers shot just 31% from the field and time and time again failed to finish opportunities as IU's Tom Crean Picks Up 200th Career Victory (Indianapolis Star). It was his 10th win at Indiana following 190 as coach of Marquette previously.

Pitt trailed by as many as 17 points in the second half, before rallying down the stretch, including a nine-point spurt in 19 seconds as Freshman Dante Taylor's put-back got the Panthers to within 70-64 with 58 seconds to play. Indiana was able to hold on to hand Pitt only its fourth loss in its past 15 games at Madison Square Garden.

"We got what we really deserved," Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said afterwards in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "We didn't play well. Indiana did."

Indiana shot 44% against Pitt, but found it easy inside as they scored 40 points in the paint and 25 from the foul line. The Hoosiers had to make just four perimeter shots (one three) to score 74 points and beat Pitt. Not a typical performance on the defensive end of the court by a Dixon coached team.

Senior Jermaine Dixon played 13 minutes for Pittsburgh in his first action of the season recovering from a broken foot. Dixon was noticeably a step behind as he works his way back into game shape.

Sophomore Ashton Gibbs had a career high 25 points and junior Brad Wanamaker added 18 for Pitt. The Panthers return home Saturday to host Kent and they know where they need to improve.

"I'm not concerned about the offense," freshman Dante Taylor, who scored 12 points in the loss said to the Post-Gazette following the game. "I'm more concerned about the defense. We're letting teams score too easily. We're not taking pride in defense. We need to put our foot down, stand up and play defense."

The talent level needed

2009-12-07T11:24:00.018-05:00

By Chris Dokish

I've been try to convey to Pitt fans recently how Pitt's talent is not comparable to the truly elite programs, and by that I mean the programs that could bring in the talent that keeps them in the national championship race for most years. I know very optimistic Pitt fans like to think the talent level is high and they point out top 100 prospects as proof. The truth is, however, that top 100 prospects are far from rare and a lot of teams lesser than Pitt have them. What the truly talented teams have are top 50 prospects. That's where you separate the men from the boys, and that's where you can see Pitt's lack of elite overall talent. That doesn't mean that Pitt still doesn't do a great job or have good players over the years. In fact, Jamie Dixon and his staffs over the years have done a remarkable job getting everything out of the talent they do get. They have beaten the likes of UConn and Duke over the years, two programs with much more individual talent, and have won a ton of games and dominated the Big East, especially in the conference tournament. But the program, as it recruits now, is still a notch below the elite programs.

And I'm no even talking about this season, in which less than stellar recruiting has put the team in a bad spot for the first time in many years. But that was bound to happen eventually when a program such as Pitt needs a high level of their prospects to live up to their potential to have a winning team, and do not have the high number of elite recruits to cover for any misses. In other words, a DeJuan Blair can cover for taking five projects on the front court, as Pitt has done. Without a player of Blair's ability, those projects are exposed. In the programs that recruit at a higher level, if a player of Blair's ability leaves early, they usually have at least one, if not more, elite prospects to take his place. The truth is, it's remarkable that without the elite recruiting that the Panthers have gone this long without it happening already, but that's what happened when Blair left early. Blair proved to be a double edged sword. His individual excellence helped Pitt be the most successful they've ever been, but it also led him to leave early, thus exposing the program's recent recruiting misses as well as the huge gap between what Blair and Young was, and what was left after they were gone. Yes, the current Pitt team is too young to be highly successful this season, but lack of talent is an even bigger problem. it's highly unlikely that anybody on the current team will ever come close to being Blair or Young. But that doesn't mean some, like Taylor, Ashton Gibbs, and Lamar Patterson can't still be good players and help the next group try to reclaim Pitt's previous standards.

Let's look at the talent needed to both get to the Final Four and to win the national championship over the last seven seasons. The average number of top 50 recruits on the roster for an average Final Four team is FOUR. The average number of top 50 prospects on the roster for the winner of the national championship is an incredible 5.6!! To put that in perspective, in the entire seven year span Pitt has had only TWO such players, DeJuan Blair and Dante Taylor, and never more than one at a time. Sam Young was ranked in the 50s, so for the sake of argument let's say that Pitt had one and a half last season. The result was that Pitt came closer then they ever have to reaching the Final Four, losing to Villanova on a last second shot. Incidentally, Villanova had three top 50 prospects, including Scottie Reynolds, who just happened to be the player who made that last second shot. Pitt was the best they ever were, especially with one of the top Big East players ever in Blair, and the Panthers were still one elite player short. The gap between Blair and Young, and the rest of the team was huge. One more player of their ability would almost assuredly get them to the Final Four, and maybe beyond. That's the good news in all of this. And that's that Dixon nearly went to the Final Four with just two elite talents and not much else. This should tell any reasonable person that if Dixon can ever get three elite talents, he is a great enough of a coach to not only go to the Final Four, but maybe beyond. But that's only if the recruiting gets better, which just may be happening

The best case scenario for the near future is that Taylor lives up to his potential, and Isaiah Epps, J.J. Moore, and John Johnson live up to their potentials. Of the latter three, Moore and Johnson have a chance to be consensus top 50 prospects, and I've been told that Epps has NBA potential. That could be enough elite talent in a few years to get Pitt back to Final Four potential. But even if they don't all reach their potential, they should still get back to winning a lot of games and getting into the Sweet 16 with this group.

Of course when Pitt's lack of Final Four talent comes up, somebody will always bring up George Mason. But that's simply citing the exception as the rule. In the seven year span Georgia Tech also would be considered a Cinderella team, though not as much as George Mason. But even including those two, that means there have been two Cinderella teams out of 28 teams total. That means less than 10% of Final Four teams are Cinderella teams. In other words, Pitt has a better chance of getting three top 50 players and having them perform great. I did not include Marquette as a CInderella team, despite having just one top 50 prospect because they also had Dwayne Wade, one of the best basketball players ever and a future NBA Hall of Famer. The chances of having such a player is even less than 10% and is not even worth discussing because it's such a long shot.

Here is the list of top 50 prospects on the last 28 Final Four teams. The list is taken from rscihoops.com, which takes various top 100 lists and combines them into one. I chose this list because it is the most fair and likely the most accurate.

* Winner

2009:

*North Carolina 10 (Ed Davis, Tyler Zeller, Larry Drew, Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington, Deon Thompson, Tyler Hansborough, Danny Green, Marcus Ginyard, Bobby Frasor,)

Michigan State 7 (Delvon Roe, Durrell Summers, Kalin Lucas, Chris Allen, Raymar Morgan, Tom Herzog, Marquise Gray)

UConn 5 (Kemba Walker, Stanley Robinson, Jerome Dyson, A.J. Price, Jeff Adrien)

Villanova 3 (Scottie Reynolds, Corey Fisher, Corey Stokes)

2008:

North Carolina 8 (Tyson Lawson, Wayne Ellington, Alex Stephenson, Deon Thompson, Tyler Hansborough, Danny Green, Marcus Ginyard, Bobby Frasor)

*Kansas 7 (Cole Aldrich, Darrell Arthur, Sherron Collins, Mario Chalmers, Brandon Rush, Russell Robinson, Sasha Kaun)

Memphis 3 (Derrick Rose, Willie Kemp, Chris Douglas-Roberts,)

UCLA 2 (Kevin Love, James Keefe)

2007:

Ohio State 5 (Greg Oden, Daequan Cook, Mike Conley, David Lighty, Ivan Harris)

*Florida 3 (Corey Brewer, Al Horford, Chris Richard)

UCLA 3 (James Keefe, Ryan Wright, Aaron Afflalo)

Georgetown 2 (Vernon Macklin, DaJuan Summers)

2006:

LSU 4 (Tasmin Mitchell, Magnum Rolle, Glen Davis, Taurean Minor)

UCLA 3 (Jordan Farmar, Aaron Afflalo, Ryan Wright)

*Florida 3 (Corey Brewer, Al Horford, Chris Richard)

George Mason 0

2005:

*North Carolina 7 (Marvin Williams, Raymond Felton, Rashad McCants, Sean May, Jawad Williams, Jackie Manuel, Melvin Scott)

Michigan State 4 (Shannon Brown, Paul Davis, Kelvin Torbert, Alan Anderson) 3 others ranked in 50s

Illinois 3 (Richard McBride, Dee Brown, Deron Williams)

Louisville 3 (Juan Diego Palacios, Brian Johnson, Brandon Jenkins)

2004:

Duke 8 (Luol Deng, Sheldon Williams, J.J. Redick, Shavlick Randolph, Sean Dockery, Michael Thompson, Daniel Ewing, Chris Duhon)

*UConn 6 (Charlie Villanueva, Marcus Williams, Rashad Anderson, Denham Brown, Ben Gordon, Taliek Brown)

Oklahoma State 2 (Ivan McFarlin, Terrance Crawford)

Georgia Tech 1 (Jarrett Jack) 9 losses

2003:

Texas 4 (Brad Buckman, T.J. Ford, Brian Boddicker, Brandon Mouton)

*Syracuse 3 (Carmelo Anthony, Gerry McNamara, Billy Edelin)

Kansas 3 (Aaron Miles, Wayne Simien, Nick Collison)

Marquette 2 (Travis Diener, Robert Jackson)

PITT RALIES FOR WIN IN MELLON ARENA FINALE

2009-12-03T14:42:00.001-05:00

Pittsburgh found themselves down 33-20 at the half and 40-24 early in the second half, but Jamie Dixon changed defenses, scrapping his trademark man-to-man for a 2-3 zone and Pitt Rallies Past Duquense to Win Epic City Game (Tribune-Review), as Mellon Arena Says Goodbye to Basketball (Tribune-Review), 67-58 in double overtime.

Ashton Gibbs shook off a poor shooting night with two three-pointers in the second overtime and finished with a team high 15 points. Gibbs was just 3-12 fromnt he field and his first field goal of the game did not come until 2:06 was left in regulation when his three tied the score at 53, which was how regulation ended.

Brad Wanamaker added 14 points and 10 rebounds while Nasir Robinson (11 points and 9 rebounds) and Gary McGhee (11 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks) also reached double figures for the Panthers who continue to be without the serives of senior Jermaine Dixon (foot injury) and Gilbert Brown (academic suspension). With the win Pittsburgh is now 6-1 on the season.

Bill Clark had a game-high 23 points for Duquesne, but star forward Damian Saunders was limited to six points and eight rebounds in 32 minutes before fouling out late in regulation as a Chance for 'Big' Win Slips from Duquesne's Grasp (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette).

Top 50 players on Big East rosters

2009-11-25T14:07:00.007-05:00

This includes transfers and players out for the year because of injury, and it is from the website rscihoops.com which uses a composite of all of the top 100 rankings.

Villanova 6
UConn 5
Louisville 3
Georgetown 3
West Virginia 2
Cincinnati 2
Pittsburgh 1
Syracuse 1
Notre Dame 1
DePaul 1
Marquette 1
Seton Hall 1
Providence 0
St. John's 0
South Florida 0

This shows how important it usually is to have top 50 players. Every team that has more than one is a top 25 team, or in the case of Cincinnati, about to be one. The only two Top 25 teams that has just one top 50 player also has a superstar. That would be Wesley Johnson at Syracuse and Luke Harangody at Notre Dame.

To show you how this translates to Pitt, last year you could say that they had two such players. DeJuan Blair was one and Sam Young was ranked No. 58 officially, but one of the rankings used did not count fifth year high school seniors which Young was. Without being unranked there, he would have been top 50. So two top 50 players, in their prime, and Pitt has their best chance ever for the Final Four. It's not a coincidence.

Analysis after the first five games

2009-11-25T08:04:00.009-05:00

By Chris Dokish

To quote former Arizona Cardinals head coach Dennis Green, "they are who we thought they were". After five games, the Panthers stand 4-1 beating four low-major teams and losing to No.3 Texas. None of the five results were a surprise, though many of the individual performances were. Let's take a look at those first and see how each player was perceived entering the season, how they played in the first five games, and how they project this season and beyond.

Ashton Gibbs- My scouting report in the preseason was that Gibbs was best as a great shooting sixth man off the bench because he was not exceptional at anything but shooting with his feet set. After five games I see no difference. Gibbs will not be a sixth man this season, but only because the lack of offensive talent around him prevents him from ever leaving the floor for long.

Not surprisingly, Gibbs averaged 17.0 ppg against the four inferior opponents and had little trouble getting open to score. However, just as unsurprising is how difficult it was for him to get loose against a high-major team like Texas. The result was a 2 for 10 shooting night.

Unfortunately for Gibbs, the Big East has more teams closer to Texas than the inferior opponents that they began the season with, so he will probably continue to have trouble consistently getting open shots once the Big East season starts. That's not to say that Gibbs is ineffective because he is not. In the right circumstance, he could excel despite his lack of elite athleticism. Past Panthers players like Ronald Ramon, who had a nice career, and Jason Matthews, who ended his career with 1,840 points, are similar. Like Gibbs, neither were elite athletes at the two. The difference is that neither Ramon nor Matthews had to be the main offensive threat on the team.

Because Gibbs has that hindrance, he may struggle in games this season, but he will have his big games, too. He's too good of a shooter not to. He should be a lot better in two years when he won't be asked to shoulder most of the offensive load.

Travon Woodall- In the preseason, I think I may have been the only writer, locally or nationally, who said that Woodall would probably be the point guard. Woodall did grab the reigns and has been light years ahead of where many thought he would be. That's not too hard since many thought he was going to be a bust, and leave the program either voluntarily or involuntarily.

But Woodall still does have a long way to go. He is averaging a solid 9.8 ppg and an excellent 6.6 apg. Those numbers are "Fields-esque", if you will. He has shown with his quickness and his moxie that he is far from a bust, and that he will be a good player for four years. On the other hand, he has been a little sloppy with the ball and has been out of control too often. But that is something that comes with a young freshman point guard. A little more concerning is his 33.3% shooting from the field and 26.1% from three. His lack of a consistent outside shot hurts both Gibbs and an already undermanned front line because opponents do not have to account for him.

Bottom line, Woodall has made huge strides, but he still has a long way to go if he wants to hold off incoming recruit Isaiah Epps, who many believe has the ability to perhaps someday play in the NBA. As for the immediate future, improving his outside shot is a must.

Brad Wanamaker- Prior to the season, I saw Wanamaker as a player with more of a physical game then a mental game, and unfortunately nothing in the first five games makes me think otherwise. He is a big, strong 6'4" player with physical toughness and athleticism. A player with his physical ability should be better than he has been so far. That may be harsh for a junior who is averaging 10.6 ppg and 4.6 rpg, but his lack of focus is preventing him from being better.

Too often Wanamaker uses his body for evil instead of good, and he still hasn't lost his "bull in a china shop" style. That style has it's benefits at times, and Wanamaker can make elite plays from time to time because of it. But just as often, if not more, he plays out of control, often looking like he is playing in the local gym with his friends instead of focusing his physical traits into a more concentrated game. His lack of focus and mental toughness was apparent in the Elite 8 match up with Villanova, when I had more than one basketball writer who attended tell me that the look in Wanamaker's eyes in the pregame shoot around was all they had to see to know that he was not going to have a good game. They were right. He fouled out with 5 points.

Ultimately, that's Wanamaker's biggest problem. He doesn't understand that playing hard without focus is just chaos. His second biggest problem is that he is shooting 1 for 9 from three and 55.2% from the line.

Gary McGhee- In the preseason, I saw McGhee as a borderline high-major player and said I would admit I was wrong if he ever turned into a player. Now I admit that I was wrong. Last season McGhee could not even catch a pass let alone make any nice plays. His hands were awful, he was clueless as to what to do, and he became a fouling machine with his chicken with his head cut off defense that made Wanamaker look like a cream puff.

McGhee still will never be an excellent player. He just isn't good enough at any facet of the game. But he does have some good things going for him. He has great size, he is sneakily athletic for that size, he plays hard (and now focused), and most of all, he plays within himself. His stamina for such a big man is also amazing and he plays hard and runs the floor with all out gusto the entire time he is on the floor. He doesn't try to be an All-American and just takes what comes to him. The result is that he is scoring at an 8.2 ppg pace to go with 7.0 rpg. And to show just how much he has been playing within himself, he has made 88.9% of his FGs, few more than two feet from the basket, and a huge number of them dunks.

Bottom line, I still had my doubts of how well McGhee could do against a major opponent, but his 11 point and 10 rebound performance against Texas' huge front line is all you need top know about whether or not the first four games were a fluke. It's no secret that if the Panthers landed a big man in the off season, which they tried to do, McGhee probably would not be on the roster this season. Well, McGhee had the last laugh and it couldn't have happened to a better guy. He quickly went from goat to fan favorite, and he deserves every bit of it.

Nasir Robinson- In the off season, I saw Robinson as a tweener, not big enough for the four and not a good enough shooter for the three. I also said that the Panthers staff was adamant that it would not be a good sign if Robinson was starting at the four, and he would only do so if there was no other choice.

Well, clearly there was no other choice because Robinson has started at the four all season. Not surprisingly he has been a mixed bag. His toughness and high energy style has led him to 9.2 ppg and he has had a 10 rebound game. On the other hand, it is obvious that he is out of position and is just too small to be a four, especially against big high-major teams. In fact, against the two biggest teams opponents so far, Robinson has had a grand total of 5 rebounds and has only been to the line twice, missing both.

Bottom line, Robinson is playing out of position and is way too small for the position (both in height and mass), so it's hard to criticize him. He is the kind of player you need on your team, but he's best coming off the bench. The lack of a true four has hurt the Panthers immensely this season and there are no signs that it will get much better this season. Unfortunately for Robinson, he is the one that will have to suffer for it.

Dante Taylor- In the preseason I saw Taylor as a potential 10 points and 7 rebounds a game player who flashed brilliance at times and showed great promise. I also did not share the stance of many fans that because Taylor was a McDonald's All-American he would be an immediate star and show that he would not be at Pitt for long.

It is apparent to many now what I was saying before was correct- DeJuan Blair was special so don't expect the same from other top prospects. Taylor's stats on the season are not bad thus far with 5.6 ppg and 5.6 rpg, but he could, and should, do better. The fact that against the two biggest opponents, Wichita State and Texas, Taylor had a total of 4 points and 3 rebounds, does not bode well.

Taylor is averaging just 16.4 minutes a game, seventh on a team that desperately needs a low post player with his talent. But Taylor has not made it easier for Jamie Dixon to put him in more. His defense has been lax and has just four blocks on the season, all in one game. He is also shooting 50% from the line and has just one assist.

Taylor is the cornerstone of the future of this program. Too much may have been expected from him, and he does flash every now and then, but he needs to get better fast for the Panthers to have a fighting chance this season.

Chase Adams- In the preseason, I saw Adams as a quick, little experienced guard with great hands on defense and an excellent three point shooter. Now I think Adams is underachieving and it seems mostly it's because he is being too hesitant. He may be deferring to others because he is new to the program and he doesn't want to cause friction, but he is only doing a disservice to his teammates if he doesn't play as well as he can.

Adams is averaging 4 ppg while shooting 40% from three and 46.7% from the field overall, a respectable number for a guard. He also has displayed his quick hands with five steals in five games, but he could do even better in that department.

Adams is fourth in minutes and it's clear that the staff wants him on the floor when the game is tight because they trust his experience and calm. But he needs to assert himself and use his sweet stroke and quick hands to contribute more.

Lamar Patterson- In the preseason, I said that Patterson had the potential to be a lights out shooter and has a solid all-around game. I also said that he would make Pitt fans forget about Darnell Dodson.

Whether or not I will be right about Dodson (who has been benched at Kentucky), time will tell, but Patterson has shown early that he is going to be a good four year player for the Panthers.

Like Robinson, he has sometimes been forced to play the four, but Patterson has shown brightly in limited action thus far. Despite playing just 12 minutes a game, Patterson is averaging 4 ppg and has made 5 out of 10 threes. He has also shown good below the rim athleticism, toughness, and brains.

Patterson looks to be a player who will contribute nicely in the next four seasons, but he will have to continue to improve because perimeter players with an even better pedigree are on the way.

Dwight Miller- In the preseason, I picked him to start at the four if only because somebody had to. It was imperative that he surprised and won the spot because there was no acceptable Plan B. Unfortunately, Miller is averaging only 5.8 minutes a game and has yet to score. Even worse, he played just 2 minutes against Wichita State and did not play at all against Texas.

Bottom line, Miller's progression was badly needed this season and it simply did not happen. That can not bode well for his future at a program that may go over the scholarship limit next season.

J.J. Richardson- In the preseason, I saw him as a high energy, tough low post player who could get some minutes at the four and five if he showed he could make the transition to this level. Well, he clearly hasn't shown that he could play at this level yet, and he hasn't played in two of the five games, but against Texas he did play 10 minutes and came up with 2 points and 2 rebounds (along with 3 fouls).

Time will tell with Richardson. Talib Zanna will almost assuredly be redshirted and it seems unlikely the Panthers would also redshirt Richardson. But that doesn't mean he is safe in the future, necessarily. If the Panthers do go two over the scholarship limit and have to jettison two players from the program, it would be easier to do with a player who had a chance and didn't show that he has progressed over the season- so he better progress.

Talib Zanna- In the preseason I saw him as a raw prospect who would likely redshirt. The fact that he has played in only one game shows that a redshirt is practically guaranteed now. He must make big strides next season, however, as the front court still doesn't look to be a strength next season unless Taylor makes major improvement.

The Team- Before the season, I predicted the Panthers to be 20-11, going into the Big East tournament. After seeing the Panthers play five games, I see pretty much what I expected. The talent, while good, is simply not exceptional and it's doubtful that there is an all-star caliber player on the team this season. I know a lot of Pitt fans don't want to believe the team doesn't have excellent talent this season, and of course many expect the best case scenario for each player. That's what fans do and that's why it's a great thing to be. But this team is filled with role players, a least now. Over the years that has been Pitt's specialty, but you can only be a successful role player if you support a star. This team has no such thing. Every player has a major flaw, be it physical, mental, or youth.

Jamie Dixon had a plan that he will always have a star so that the rest of his satellites can orbit around. However, the plan showed a major flaw when DeJuan Blair left early. The Panthers staff never expected Blair's monster sophomore season would propel him to the NBA. With Blair, this team could, and probably would, be a top 25 team because suddenly all of the role players can play their roles instead of having to be something more. He was that great. But without him, major weaknesses become apparent. Dixon has landed tough, hard nosed players during his stint. In fact, they made up a large majority of the players he landed. But he never landed enough star players. He usually had one true star. When he had two last season he came within a second of going to the Final Four. That's how much star players are needed. But now Dixon is paying for recruiting at a lesser pace than other successful programs, especially in the front court where McGhee, Miller, Zanna, and Richardson were all projects.

In other elite programs, a superstar recruit was landed, left early, and was replaced by another superstar recruit. The result was feast or famine, or least lesser feast. When their young stars performed well, they had a very strong season. But sometimes the attrition led to a down year. Simply put, the high level couldn't always be sustained because there was just too much to replace that season. Now Dixon knows how they feel. He lost a superstar and there just wasn't enough to replace it. The veterans don't have all-star ability and the younger players are just too raw.

In the first five games, the team only played two players, Wanamaker and Gibbs, that played any significant minutes last season. Jermaine Dixon and Gilbert Brown are scheduled to return, but they aren't miracle workers. Like the rest of the team, neither are all-stars, not to mention that neither will be in playing shape for awhile. Brown hasn't even practiced with most of the players on the team. To think he will make a major difference this season may be naive, especially since his career has been a disappointment thus far.

To think that a team with such problems could win 20 games is foolish. Nationally, and in the Big East, nobody expects much from Pitt this season, and truthfully, on paper, this team shouldn't even be in the top half of the league.

But there is more than just talent and experience. Pitt also had other things in their bag. They have a great coach who has a great staff. They have toughness. They have brains. They have determination. These things don't slump. Yes, they have inferior and young talent this year, but because of their strengths, the intangibles that don't show up on paper, this team will always be poised to win any game that the opponent is not playing their best, and that's bound to happen.

The out of conference schedule is not particularly difficult this season, but unfortunately after an opener at home against Depaul, the conference schedule gets brutal with the next six games against Syracuse, Cincinnati, UConn, and Seton Hall on the road, and Louisville and Georgetown at home. The Panthers may be underdog in all and it's not crazy to think that they could start the Big East season at 1-6. But this team will not give up because Dixon won't let it happen and the players themselves wont let it happen. And because they are Pitt, and because I can't imagine it otherwise, I still say that Pitt enters the conference tournament at 20-11.

If so, then what Dixon and his staff would have accomplished is nothing short of miraculous. To end the season in this brutal league with 20 wins, with less than great talent, is nearly unfathomable. But that's how good Dixon is and that's how many intangibles he has instilled in every player that comes through the program.

It would be a pretty successful season for a down year and it may be the last one the program has for awhile. The future holds many more years with the likes of Dante Taylor, Travon Woodall, Lamar Patterson, Ashton Gibbs, Nasir Robinson, Isaiah Epps, Cameron Wright, J.J. Moore, and John Johnson. The talent is better and deeper for the future, and the program may not find themselves in this position again. So memo to the Big East: you better get Pitt now, because this may be your last chance.

The situation now

2009-11-11T16:47:00.004-05:00

By Chris Dokish

I've been working the Blackberry all afternoon to answer the questions that fans have been asking me so let me try to clear the situation up.

First of all, the job the entire Pitt staff did to get J.J. Moore was very impressive. And I do mean the entire staff. Despite Moore almost certainly heading to Louisville, Jamie Dixon, Tom Herrion, and Brandin Knight all put on an all out assault to get the 6'6" small forward. According to one source with knowledge of the situation, "it was as complete an effort" as they've ever seen to recruit a player. Bottom line, chalk this coup up to a great joint effort of all of the coaches.

As for Louisville backing off because of Moore's grades, the same source tells me, "that Louisville theory is complete B.S". This is common sense, of course, because Louisville knew completely for many months that Moore's eligibility was in question. In fact, his situation was even worse when Louisville offered him, so it makes no sense that suddenly they saw a problem with his eligibility.

The biggest questions now are what does Pitt do from here. That's a good question and the situation is cloudy. First of all, Moore and the Panthers both want him eligible for 2010. In fact, for months Moore has been very determined to become eligible and once he signs with Pitt, he will have them giving all the help they can. If Moore does become eligible in 2010, then the Panthers will be one over the scholarship limit. The Panthers may still be over the limit if they sign Maurice Walker. Walker is a badly needed true center, but the staff may be unwilling to possibly go two over the limit. For that reason, not signing Walker becomes an option, despite the need. The problem is that it will be quite some time until Moore's eligibility is determined. In the meantime, Walker may not want to wait. or he may wait until spring and have a top program like Kansas offer him.

As for pursuing prospects like Durand Johnson and Mike Taylor, that will not be determined until it's known when Moore will arrive, which again will not be for some time perhaps. A top 2011 big man like Desmond Hubert would likely be taken right away, but Hubert, one of the top big men in the east, is highly coveted and would be considered a very difficult prospect for the Panthers to sign.

Panthers land Moore

2009-11-11T13:18:00.003-05:00

By Chris Dokish

Pitt pulled a major coup by landing 6'6" SF J.J. Moore of South Kent Prep in Connecticut. Most insiders considered Louisville the favorite, but in the end the Panthers prevailed. Moore, an excellent shooter and great athlete, is considered the big time wing that the program has been missing for a decade. Moore is still trying to be eligible for 2010, but may have to be reclassified to the 2011 class.

Added notes: I have been getting questions about whether Moore is ineligible for 2010 and if Louisville pulled off of him because of grades. One, Moore has always been considered a long shot to be eligible for 2010, but both Moore and Pitt are trying as hard as possible to have him eligible for 2010. That's is the preference for both. Two, I reported months ago that Moore's eligibility was a long shot so it's ludicrous to think that Louisville also didn't know. Bottom line, Moore was all but certain to go to Louisville, but Pitt did a great job and stole him away.

PANTHERS 'ROLL' IN FINAL EXHIBITION OVER COKER COLLEGE

2009-11-09T09:50:00.002-05:00

Courtesy of the NBE Basketball Report

I am still trying to digest the halftime score of last night's exhibition game between Pittsburgh and Division II Coker College: 41-6. Coker went over 16 and a half minutes of the game before they made a field goal. While the competition was something to be desired, Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon was please with how much Pitt Improves in Easy 83-40 Win over Coker (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) over their first exhibition game a week earlier over Slippery Rock.

The Panthers open the regular season Friday night at home versus Wofford.

On Sunday, redshirt freshman Travon Woodall may have taken another step forward in his quest to earn the starting point guard position in replace of Levance Fields who graduated after last season. Woodall Makes a Nice Impression in the Win (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review) scoring a game-high 21 points in 22 minutes. Woodall was eight of 10 from the field and added three assists. Junior Gary McGhee added 13 points for Pitt, which led 50-6 four minutes in the second half.

With Jermaine Dixon already out with injury and Gilbert Brown on suspension from the University until mid-December, the last thing Pittsburgh would need is an injury. The Panthers received a mild scare when starting forward Nasir Robinson left the game in the 1st half with a painful looking left finger injury. Robinson's Injury is No Reason for concern (Tribune-Review), however, as the dislocated finger was put back into place and coach Dixon believed the sophomore could have came back into the game, but was held out as a precaution.

Q&A for November 3rd

2009-11-03T11:58:00.004-05:00

By Chris Dokish

This will be kind of a short Q&A because I have been on the road for the last month and I haven't had time to read all the questions, but I just got back yesterday and wanted to give any readers at least something to read. And, don't worry, I have been keeping constant contact with all of my sources throughout and I have missed nothing.

Q: What's the status with J.J. Moore, Mo Walker, and Durand Johnson?

A: Louisville has been the favorite for Moore for a long time and I haven't seen anything that would change that right now, though Moore is in today and that could always change things. The reason you see such a push for Johnson recently was because they knew getting Moore was far from a sure thing. But they love Johnson, too. He is a great shooter, plus he is Pitt tough. He just needs to add some size. From what I hear, I think the staff thinks they could get Johnson, but are waiting to see what Moore does first. Something may happen with Moore today that will make Pitt make a move. Either he says he wants to come to Pitt or Pitt will move on to Johnson. As for Walker, he is still waiting things out.

Q: You said before that the staff wanted Nasir Robinson as a SF and not a PF, but it seems like he played more PF at the beginning. What gives?

A: Well, for now they want Taylor at center and Dwight Miller has been ill. But Miller has been cleared to play again and will get more of a look on Sunday. The staff still prefers Robinson play at the three, but the four position is hurting a bit right now so they have to make do with what they have.

Q: Is it safe to assume that Talib Zanna will redshirt?

A: Not necessarily. He has been banged up, but they plan on getting him some time on Sunday to see where he's at in his development.

Q: Travon Woodall and Ashton Gibbs played the point mostly against Slippery Rock. Where does that leave Chase Adams? Is Woodall going to be the starting point guard at the beginning of the season?

A: Adams is still very much in the point guard race from what I was told and people shouldn't read too much into the early season. Woodall is a player that they want to see where he stands so he is basically getting a tryout.

Q: A few months ago you had Adams or Woodall starting at the point, Jermaine Dixon at SG, Taylor at center, Miller at PF, and Brad Wanamaker at SF. Do you still see that?

A: There is way too much emphasis on the starting lineup this year because it will change often, but I still think those players will get the most minutes at those positions, with Gibbs obviously getting a ton of minutes also.

Q: Is there reason to worry about the team struggling against Slippery Rock?

A: It makes me laugh how so many fans were raving for months about the job that Jamie Dixon will do with this team, then after one preseason game they are already talking about NIT. There will be growing pains with this team. They will surprise with huge wins and they will surprise with a few bad losses. But as the season progresses, they fully expect to find a few pretty good players develop along the way and battle for an NCAA spot.

Q: Is Dante Taylor going to play at power forward or center, and do you think he will start?

A: He will start at center, or at the very least come in the game early and get the majority of the minutes there. If he eventually proves he can play at the more demanding four, and they have nobody else there that can handle that spot, you could also see him go there and start Gary McGhee at center. But Taylor will be seeing more minutes than McGhee this year. He's a McDonald's All-American that just scored 27 points in his first game. I find it astounding that there are fans who doubt him.

doke88@yahoo.com

Q&A for September 18th

2009-09-18T14:18:00.006-04:00

By Chris Dokish

Q: Jermaine Dixon was the only really experienced player on the team. How badly will the loss of him hurt?

A: Maybe very little since the staff thinks there is a good chance he won't miss a single game. He is in great shape and heals quickly, according to people I've talked to at Pitt, and they think a quick and full recovery looks good. And even if it takes him some time to get back into shape, he can shake the rust off early in the season before things get too serious.

Q: You seem very high on John Johnson. Why did the Panthers take another point guard when they already have Isaiah Epps coming in?

A: Two reasons. One, he was too good to pass up. Two, while he has point guard skills and can play the point, they think he will combine nicely in the back court with Epps in a few years.

Q: Is is a sure thing that Epps will be a PG and Johnson will be a SG?

A: Not all. There is a long way to go yet and nobody knows what will happen. I can tell you that if some day Epps and Johnson starts in the same back court, they expect Epps to run the point. That doesn't mean they both will start, though. And Johnson is a combo guard who will no doubt get minutes at the point in his career.

Q: With Gilbert Brown and Jermaine Dixon out for awhile, what do you expect the starting lineup to be?

A: I have no idea and the Pitt staff has no idea. They will wait to see who wins the jobs when preseason practices get underway.

I think it's obvious that Chase Adams and Travon Woodall will get first crack at the point and if both fail, then Ashton Gibbs will take over. At SG, that's Dixon's spot. No matter what happens, though, Gibbs will play a lot. The favorite at SF should be Brad Wanamaker with Nasir Robinson and Lamar Patterson getting minutes, too. When Brown comes back, they will have to see where they are there. By that time, he may find it difficult to get minutes from any of the three because all three are hustlers who will not give up minutes easy. Dante Taylor will probably start at the four or five. If he proves he can play at the four, then Gary McGhee will probably start at the five. If Taylor can't learn the tough four position yet, then I suspect Dwight Miller or J.J. Richardson will start there.

Ideally, I guess it would be Adams or Woodall at the one (since they are both pretty even going in it's pointless to pick one), Dixon at the two, Wanamaker at the three, Miller at the four, and Taylor at the five. That would leave Richardson and McGhee as the back up big men, Gibbs with a ton of minutes at guard, either Adams or Woodall at the back up point, and Robinson and Patterson getting minutes on the wing. And Brown will see if he can carve out minutes when he comes back, but I would not assume that he will. But that's only ideally, as in if everybody played up to their potential, that would be the best lineup. That never happens, though, so any starting lineup is possible, and I suspect it will actually change quite a bit this season.

Q: With Gary McGhee doing so well in the summer league this year do you think he could start at center over Dante Taylor?

A: Well, if McGhee starts this year and Taylor doesn't, then Pitt will not be making the NCAA tournament, because that will mean that Taylor either flopped or got injured. I like McGhee as a person and I hope like hell he proves me wrong, but he was a Kyryl Natyazhko signing away from playing somewhere else this year so I don't see how playing in a summer league filled with players from small colleges should suddenly fill people with confidence. Let's be realistic here. And before anybody asks, yes, I will admit I'm wrong if McGhee becomes a quality Big East player this season. And you never know, it could happen. Nobody expected much out of players like Darren Morningstar, Andre Alridge, or Jaime Petersen either.

Q: You mentioned that Pitt wanted a big SG before signing John Johnson but didn't they already get that with Cameron Wright?

A: I was coming home from the airport in the taxi when I wrote that and I didn't explain exactly what I meant. What I meant was that Pitt was looking to get a big shooting guard who can really shoot well from the outside. That's not Wright, because he isn't a great outside shooter, and that's not Johnson, because he's only 6'1". But that's okay because both are very good players, especially Johnson, who I think could be a star. I'm not one for hyperbole, but the thoughts of a possible future back court of Epps and Johnson is very exciting and I can tell you that people at Pitt are ecstatic over getting these two. And Wright is a fine player, too. The future back court is loaded.

Q: There have been some rumblings that Johnson may have trouble academically. Any truth to that?

A: No truth at all. He is a good student and he goes to a tough school. The staff has no worries at all about him academically.

Q: Does the signing of Johnson mean they won't go after Mike Taylor now?

A: They didn't sign Johnson, he's only a verbal commitment, but I can assure you they won't stop talking to Taylor. I don't know if he would be as interested in Pitt now, though. He really likes Pitt and the Panthers had, and maybe still have, a legit shot at him, but Johnson was just too good to pass up. If they left Johnson out there longer, he would be even tougher to get because he is expected to blow up even more. Then if they lost Taylor, they would have been left with neither. They just couldn't risk it. Not that Johnson is inferior. He may prove to be every bit as good.

Q: You wrote that small forward and post player are the two positions Pitt wants to add still. Does this mean J.J. Moore and Maurice Walker? And since both are 2010 kids, does that mean if they sign both that two players will be forced off the team?

A: That's obviously the two they have coveted the most, but both are far from sure things. Walker and his dad keep their thoughts close to the vest, even to the coaches recruiting them. The fact that he is a true center, and a big one with some athletic ability at that, makes him highly coveted. That will be a tough get. Many at Pitt are also thinking that Moore is becoming increasingly difficult to get also. Louisville wants him very much and Florida is entering the picture hard. I'd say both are under 50% at this moment, but that could always go way up very quickly.

As for who would leave, I don't want to get into that, but Moore has a lot of work to do academically and will probably be a 2011 kid.

Q: With Gilbert Brown being out for the first half of the season does that mean Nasir Robinson will stay at SF instead of moving to PF?

A: While things can always change, the staff has never wanted Robinson to have a lot of minutes at the four, and very much want him to stay mostly at the three. If he ends up starting at the four it's only because others failed there. They do expect him to get some minutes there, though.

Q: Where do you expect the team to finish in the Big East this year?

A: I started off having them seventh, but then was slowly moving them up. Now I am slowly moving them back down somewhat. I'd say seventh or eight. That seems very low for a Jamie Dixon team, but on paper, they probably aren't even that high. And by that, I don't mean they don't have talent, because they do. It's just that the Big East is not kind to inexperienced teams and this is a pretty inexperienced team. But the players and coaches are acting very slighted by how little prognosticators are thinking of them so that may give them the drive to do even better.

Q: You seem especially high of Pitt's recruiting classes recently. Does this mean that the program is moving to a higher level?

A: Time will tell, but with potentially elite players like Epps, Johnson, and Taylor to go along with potentially very good players like Gibbs, Patterson, Zanna, and Wright, the future is as bright as it's ever been. All of those players are either underclassmen or not even on the team yet. And there's still probably another wing and another post player on the way. If Pitt can continue their hot streak with those two yet to be named players then it's even more obvious that the train is just going to keep on rolling.

Panthers land top combo guard

2009-09-17T18:35:00.002-04:00

By Chris Dokish

The Pitt basketball staff has struck gold again, this time landing 6'1" combo guard John Johnson of Girard HS in Philadelphia. Johnson, who is the Panthers first recruit for 2011, plays in a small classification, but has proven in all-star games and in AAU competition that he has excellent potential. One college assistant who was recruiting Johnson told us off the record that, "with more exposure he will be considered a top 50 prospect".

Johnson, who according to some is reminiscent of Villanova's Scottie Reynolds, is actually more athletic and faster than Reynolds, while also adding excellent offensive potential.

Johnson has point guard skills, but according to sources close to the situation, the Panther staff is dreaming of playing Johnson alongside 6'2" PG Isaiah Epps, a 2010 recruit that will play this season at Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia. The potential pairing of two top 50 talents could potentially make for the most explosive and electrifying back court tandem in Pitt basketball history.

Johnson was only recently coveted by the Panthers who were looking instead for a big shooting guard, but according to a source close to the situation, Johnson "was just too good to pass up". The Panthers now will look to add a small forward and a post player with their two remaining scholarships.

Johnson was offered by Villanova, Georgia Tech, Notre Dame, Penn State, and Virginia Tech, among others.

Panthers get visit from familiar name

2009-08-29T22:39:00.005-04:00

By Chris Dokish

The Pitt staff have been very active lately and this weekend hosted 6'0" PG Sterling Gibbs of Seton Hall Prep in West Orange, NJ on an unofficial visit. Gibbs, a 2011 prospect, is the younger brother of Panthers sophomore guard Ashton Gibbs. The Panthers have offered him a scholarship, as have Seton Hall, Rutgers, and Indiana.

Panthers hosting big center

2009-08-25T16:52:00.003-04:00

By Chris Dokish

Toronto native Maurice Walker, who will play this season at Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, NH, is currently taking a visit at the Pitt campus. The 6'10" 270 pound Walker is a true center, a position that the Panthers are looking for immediately. Walker needs to work on getting in better shape, but thanks to his excellent hands and quick feet, he is considered an excellent developmental prospect.

Walker's other offers include Marquette, Georgetown, Texas A&M, Boston College, and Virginia Tech. Walker is a 2010 recruit, even though the Panthers currently have no scholarships available in that class.

Pitt prepares for important visit

2009-08-17T19:44:00.008-04:00

By Chris Dokish

One of the fastest rising players in the nation this summer is 6'6" SF J.J. Moore of Brentwood (NY) HS on Long Island, who will be visiting the Pitt campus on Tuesday, August 18th. Moore, an excellent outside shooter with very good athleticism, has also been offered by UConn, Louisville, Marquette, Seton Hall, St. John's, Oklahoma, Providence, and Rutgers. He recently stated that his top five are Pittsburgh, Louisville, Marquette, UConn, and St. John's.

According to insiders, the Panthers are considered one of the favorites to land Moore, even though the Panthers are currently out of scholarships for 2010. The staff is looking to add a true center, a wing who can shoot, and a quality big man for 2011, but if they can fill one of those positions with a quality player for 2010, then they will. True center Maurice Walker is a possibility for 2010, but true centers are hard to find and consequently, his recruitment is getting more competitive. If either Walker or Moore commit, and are eligible, the Panthers will be one player over the scholarship limit. There is also a chance that whoever commits to the Panthers this season could spend a year in prep school, which will give the program a start on filling their quota for the 2011 class.

Basketball Notes

2009-08-10T07:48:00.004-04:00

By Chris Dokish

Pitt's goal during this recruiting class was to add a big SG and a true center. Despite having no more scholarships currently, the staff will still try to add the big center. Few true centers were available this season, but the staff is concentrating mostly on Toronto native Maurice Walker, who will play at Brewster Academy in New Hampshire this season. Walker, who incidentally was first recruited by former Panthers assistant Orlando Antigua a few years ago, is 6'10" and 270 pounds. According to sources, the Pitt staff thinks Walker has a chance to be a good player down the road with his great hands and quick feet. But, they also say that despite Walker recently losing weight, he still has to get in much better shape. Who would leave if Walker, or another center, is signed, is unknown even to the staff, but like all programs they have a policy that you recruit first and ask questions later.

Speaking of Brewster Academy, Walker will be teammates with SG Will Barton, a former teammate of Dante Taylor, and Pitt's first choice at the position. But Barton chose to commit to Memphis. The Panthers were also heavily monitoring Doron Lamb, who Pitt assistant coach Tom Herrion has followed all summer, and Trey Zeigler, son of former Pitt coach Ernie Zeigler, now the head coach at Central Michigan. But insiders see Lamb headed to Kansas or Kentucky, and Zeigler was expected to wait until much later to make a decision, mostly because he wanted to see if his father keeps his job at CMU. Also, Pitt saw him more as a SF than SG. That left the Panthers with 6'4" Cameron Wright of Benedictine HS in Cleveland. Wright is currently not considered to be at the same talent level of Barton, Lamb, or Zeigler, but the Panthers staff will not be crying about that. Word is, Herrion, who was the assistant who landed Wright, was absolutely in love with his new addition. Not only does Wright have the excellent size, he is also a big time athlete. The biggest difference between Wright and the three higher ranked players is that Wright is not in their league as a shooter. But with Ashton Gibbs and Isaiah Epps in the future backcourt, and with Lamar Patterson at SF, it isn't as essential for the program that Wright be an excellent outside shooter. His size, defense, athleticism and driving ability should still make him an effective guard at the Big East level.

Speaking of Epps, do not believe any reports downgrading him. When DeJuan Blair was ranked outside of the Top 100 on some national recruiting sites, I told you that big time NCAA coaches and assistant coaches laughed at that, and told me he was a Top 50 player. Well, the same can be said for Epps. An excellent athlete on both offense and defense, an excellent passer, and a big time shooter makes him a possible NBA player in the future. A lot of recruiting services did not see him light it up this summer, but that's only because he was refining his true point skills, rather than shooting a lot. But make no mistake about it, the kid can fill it up when he wants to, and his combination of shooting, passing, athleticism, and defense makes him a future star. If everybody plays up to their abilities, I will be very surprised if he wasn't the starting PG next season. If Travon Woodall beats him out next season then he will have turned into a damn good player.

Speaking of PG, do not underestimate possible late transfer Chase Adams. The 5'10" Baltimore native, who played the last three seasons at Centenary, can play, and was only brought in because the staff thought he could start. Woodall could hold him off, but the redshirt freshman is very inexperienced due to injuries, and no program wants to play in the Big East with an inexperienced starting PG, unless he is a big time talent (ex. Epps). Another scenario is that Gibbs starts at the point, but that's the last option. Yes, he started in the U19 World Championships, but his shooting ability was wasted there, just as it would be at least lessened this season as a full-time PG. In Pitt's system the PG passes first and shoots second. You want Gibbs taking passes, not passing to others. Also, Gibbs, while a good athlete, is not the elite athlete that other Big East PGs are, and that's something that will be exposed in the brutal Big East. If Gibbs has to use all of his energy to keep the ball away from a Kemba Walker or a Scottie Reynolds, when exactly is he going to be shooting? As one national college basketball insider told me yesterday, "Ashton does give off that vibe- the perfect third guard". Also with Adams, don't worry about chemistry because the Pitt staff doesn't. The reason they did not pursue Lance Stephenson was not because they were afraid of him messing up team chemistry. As one member of the Pitt staff told me recently, "we never worry about a player coming in and hurting what we have". Bottom line, Herrion would not go all the way to Shreveport, LA in the middle of very important summer evaluations just to bring in fodder for practice. If Adams commits, and the chances are that will happen, then he has a very legitimate chance of winning the starting job.

Q&A for 7/7

2009-07-08T21:41:00.001-04:00

By Chris Dokish
doke88@yahoo.com

Q: Chris, just out of curiosity, what percentage of your answers are from your contacts and what percentage are your own thoughts?

A: At least 95% come straight from contacts and for the 5% that doesn't, I make a point to say that it is my own opinion.

Q: How much does the Pitt staff take from the Greentree Summer League as far as the performances of the players?

A: Absolutely nothing. They don't even know that much about what goes on there, as far as how their players are performing. Especially this year when the Pitt players are the only high major players in the league. The league was simply designed to give the players a single place to get together and play in the off season. It's good to get in shape before the season and for the younger guys to get used to playing in front of more demanding fans. But it's great for the fans and I understand that one Pitt website actually had fans get together and sponsor a team. That's the kind of thing that the program needs as it helps in the grassroots movement to help turn Pittsburgh into a basketball city. It takes time but eventually kids may grow up wanting to play college basketball in the area as much as they want to play college football. And of course it's a great thing for the fans. I've been there a few times each year and I already stopped in already this year when I was in the city. It's a good thing to have. Just don't try to make too much out of the performances.

Q: Is it safe to say that Ashton Gibbs will be the starting PG this year?

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A: Not at all. Preseason practices haven't even started this season and the staff makes no judgments until then obviously. There is nobody guaranteed a starting spot at this time of year, this season especially. The staff still prefers that Woodall ends up being the starter and it's pretty important that he is. Simply put, he is the only true PG on the roster this season. Yes, Gibbs is a good player, but he isn't a true PG. From the emails I get I know Pitt fans want to convince themselves that he is, but he isn't. Woodall is much faster, much quicker, a much better penetrator, and much better defensively. His type of skills, if honed, is much better for Pitt. Look what happened at WVU and Cincinnati last year when they lost their PGs. They had SGs playing PG and it hurt them both.

If Gibbs was the starter, it would have the same effect as when Ronald Ramon took over for Levance Fields two years ago. Is Ramon a good player? Yes. Can Ramon start at PG for short periods of time? Yes. But can you win big with Ramon at PG full-time? No. Again, especially this season when things are so up in the air. Just like what will likely happen with Gibbs, Ramon's lack of PG skills were exposed against highly talented teams or highly talented PGs. Not to mention that if Gibbs is the starting PG, then that moves others out of their more ideal position, including Gibbs, who would be ideal as somebody who plays a lot of minutes backing up both guard spots. Bottom line, Gibbs could do well for the majority of the schedule, but if Pitt wants to have a really big season, it would be ideal if Woodall wins the job. And the staff thinks he definitely can. But they won't just hand it to him. If he doesn't win it fair and square, then they will take their chances with Gibbs.

Q: Is there a chance that Jermaine Dixon or Brad Wanamaker will start at PG this year?

A: Not unless there is some kind of serious injury and/or Woodall or Gibbs flops in a big way. I was told Dixon is third in line should something unforeseen happen. Despite the opinions of some fans, Wanamaker is not considered a serious contender at PG and he never was.

Q: How many scholarships does Pitt have for 2010, what position or positions are they looking at, and is there a commitment imminent?

A: They have one opening, but are looking at two different positions- "a true center" and "a big shooting guard". Whether they get both of those or just one, I don't know and I don't want to start that whole "is somebody going to leave?" thing all over again. Let's just say that as a rule the staff will never turn down an excellent player no matter how many openings they have.

Finding a true center will be hard, as it often is. And the staff is discouraged by the lack of talented true centers in the East this year. But if there is a sleeper out there, I'm sure they will find him. As for the big SG, I have had people tell me that I shouldn't be surprised if Will Barton eventually ended up at somewhere other than Memphis, but I doubt Pitt would be his choice if he did change. And Doron Lamb is a long shot, too.

One player they would like is 6'5" Trey Zeigler of Mount Pleasant (MI) HS. Jamie Dixon obviously has an in with Trey's father, Ernie, who coached with Dixon under Ben Howland at Pitt. He's a big-time player and since his father is the head coach at Central Michigan, he may pass on playing for him. But Pitt thinks Zeigler could wait for a long time before committing and if that's the case, they may find somebody else first.

As for how close they are to a commitment, they aren't close and never have been close this recruiting season. However, I would think with the AAU season in high gear, they will make a strong move on somebody sooner rather than later.

Q: Can the coaching staff be blamed for not having a center to replace DeJuan Blair?

A: Not really. They never thought in a million years that Blair would be gone after his sophomore season. Hell, they even thought it was less than a 50% chance up until the season was over this year.

Q: Will Gary McGhee start at center this season?

A: I have no idea, but I would be surprised if he got significant minutes this season. The three players who will play center this season are McGhee, Dante Taylor, and J.J. Richardson. McGhee is the only true center of the bunch, but Taylor is much more talented, and Richardson is a high energy tough guy with good athleticism. And that's not a typo. Richardson will primarily be a center this season. I get a lot of emails saying he will be at PF, and he will play there, but the plan is to have him play a a lot, and perhaps primarily, at center. As with Taylor, Pitt thinks it's easier to start off as a center because the PF position at Pitt is asked to do a ton. But they will try to see if either Taylor or Richardson has the ability to also play the four sometimes. If they can, that would be very beneficial.

Q: Could Nasir Robinson start at PF this year?

A: No, while he may play some four, they want him mostly at the three. And why not? His body, style, positives, and even negatives are exactly the same as Jaron Brown, another pretty good three from the past.

Q: Will Gilbert Brown play at the four and did he play at the four last year?

A: This is a pretty specific question to be asked by three different people, so I assume this was discussed publicly somewhere. So for that reason, I made a special point to ask. I was told he will not play at the four this season and if he was at the four at all last season it was because of a DQ at the end of a game.

Q: What are the five things that Pitt needs to happen this season to win 25 games?

A: Good question.

1. Woodall needs to legitimately win the PG job and perform well.

2. Taylor needs to be a Rookie of the Year contender in the league.

3. Gibbs needs to be an excellent three point shooter, especially in the clutch.

4. Brown needs to live up to his potential.

5. Wanamaker needs to improve even more.

Q: With him not playing well in the summer league, is the staff worried that Taylor will live up to his potential?

A: Of course not. The poor kid hasn't even had one college practice yet and you are already questioning him because of how well he plays in a pickup league? This is something that not only Pitt fans, but all college fans need to understand. And that's that a freshman progresses more in his first year of preseason practices than he did in his entire career up until that point. The Taylor you see in November will not be the Taylor you see now.

Q: Do you think Taylor will be as good of a freshman as DeJuan Blair was?

A: That's highly unlikely for any freshman. I picked Blair to win Rookie of the Year and the reason was not only because of his talent, but also because of the kind of talent he was. In other words, his game was mostly brute strength and that translates right away. That's why I always said that Richardson would make an impact as a freshman, unlike many fans who thought he was destined to redshirt. Now, J.J. is no Blair, but he is a strong kid with a lot of energy, plus he does the little things. In other words, he also is the kind of player that will have an easier time transitioning. Both of their games are not based on skill, but rather aggressiveness. Taylor is a tough kid, but he's not just going to carve out space like Blair did. He's going to have to use his skill set more and with that comes a few bumps in the road early on.

Q: Do you think DeJuan Blair made a mistake by leaving Pitt early?

A: No, I don't. His way to get money in life is to play basketball. He will probably do that in the NBA, but worse case scenario, he can always go to Europe and make millions. Plus, with his knees, you never know how long he can play. One more year at Pitt meant one less year making money before his knees gave out.

Q: I was at the summer league and Lamar Patterson impressed me. You nailed that one. He shot well, too. Do you think he could be a good three point shooter in college?

A: Well, like I've said before, Tom Herrion thinks he can be a "lights out shooter"- his words. With Gibbs, Patterson, and Epps in the future, the Panthers may have three excellent shooters at the one, two, and three. There have been some reports that Epps is not a great shooter, but those are flat out wrong. In fact, Pitt thinks it's his best trait. The kid can fill it up so don't worry about him. But, back to Patterson, like I said before, he will be a better player at Pitt than Darnell Dodson would have been at Pitt. Whether or not he would be better than Dodson at Kentucky, or anywhere else, I don't know, but that doesn't matter because he's at Pitt.

Q: Is Dwight Miller going to start this season?

A: Well, with Taylor and Richardson playing primarily at the five, and Robinson playing primarily at the three, that leaves Miller to grab the spot at the four. But like I said, nothing is written in stone, and in fact, nothing is even written on paper. It's way too early to know who will start. I can only tell you where the staff prefers to have everybody. But Miller has an excellent shot if he plays well in the preseason. If he doesn't, then you could see Richardson there or you could see Taylor there if McGhee surprises and can handle the center position. And there is always Talib Zanna, but he is still raw, so that would take a helluva preseason from him.

Q: Can you run down each position and tell us who the contenders are?

A: I can do that, but remember that nothing is settled until the official practices start. I can only tell you what positions the staff wants the players, but I can't foresee if those players seize those positions.

PG- Woodall earning the job would be ideal, but Gibbs could win it over him. Dixon is the emergency option. Wanamaker is not considered a PG by the staff.

SG- Dixon is obviously the favorite to start here. If Gibbs doesn't start at the point, he will backup here, as well as the point. Wanamaker will also get major minutes here, especially if Woodall doesn't pan out.

SF- Brown is probably the favorite here, though Wanamaker could figure in there, too. Robinson should see his minutes increase. Patterson will have to have an excellent preseason to get significant minutes this year, but he has a bright future.

PF- It's Miller's job to lose, but Taylor and Richardson should see minutes there, too. If they can't handle it, Robinson could see some time there. Zanna will have to have a big preseason to see time.

C- Taylor will probably get most of the minutes unless McGhee makes huge strides. Richardson will also see time here, especially if McGhee doesn't progress.

Dante Taylor apparently growing by the day

2009-06-19T18:42:00.004-04:00

By Chris Dokish

Even though his game is ideally suited for the power forward position, Dante Taylor may end up as the starting center this season for the Panthers, and he definitely now has the size for the position. I was told by the Pitt staff today that at the U.S. tryouts Taylor checked in at 6'8 1/2" and 251 pounds. If that wasn't impressive enough, he also had a 7'1" wingspan.

Added note: Apparently there has been some confusion as to whether that 251 pounds is good or bad regarding Taylor's conditioning, especially since there was a recent internet report from Draft Express that Taylor did not perform well at the U.S. tryouts. So let me clarify. The ideal weight for Taylor is around 245 so the 251 pounds was not a huge difference. However, Taylor was in poor condition at the tryouts and it showed in his play. To be blunt, it cost him a spot on the team. But the staff is not worried. For players at Taylor's level, there is virtually no offseason and sometimes they don't work as hard as they should to stay in shape twelve months out of the year. That's what happened to Taylor and it cost him. The Pitt staff does not expect it to be an ongoing problem, and certainly don't see him as a Chris Taft-like bad apple, as was mentioned in the Draft Express article. In fact, the staff notes that Taylor has previously kept himself well-conditioned. As one person at Pitt told me, at least it will temporarily quiet the talk of how quickly Taylor will bolt for the NBA.

Pitt Football under Dave Wannstedt

2009-06-08T11:33:00.002-04:00

By Chris Dokish

Comparing the conference records among all Big East schools in the four seasons that Dave Wannstedt has been Pitt's head coach.

West Virginia 22-6
Rutgers 17-11
Cincinnati 16-12
Louisville 15-13
South Florida 14-14
Pittsburgh 14-14
UConn 11-17
Syracuse 3-25

Pitt's Big East record in Walt Harris's final four seasons at Pitt: 18-9

Record against out of conference BCS programs:

West Virginia 10-2
Louisville 9-3
South Florida 5-5
Rutgers 4-4
UConn 4-5
Pittsburgh 3-6
Cincinnati 1-5
Syracuse 1-10

Total record against all BCS programs, Big East and non-conference, over the last four seasons:

West Virginia 32-8
Louisville 24-16
Rutgers 21-15
South Florida 19-19
Cincinnati 17-17
Pittsburgh 17-20
UConn 15-22
Syracuse 4-35

ISAIAH EPPS: FOLLOWING IN THE FOOTSTEPS

2009-05-18T11:15:00.004-04:00

By Anthony Jaskulski

Bucket off the beautiful assist…

It’s a line you may hear often as a Pittsburgh Panther/Big East fan in the near future, and it won’t be replays from the Levance Fields era either.

Instead, you’ll be seeing one of the more prolific passers in the country follow the footsteps of the pass-happy Fields, and that assist man waiting in the wings is Isaiah Epps.

At a slight 6-foot-2, 170 pounds, Epps may not strike you as the most impressive shooter on the floor, and he certainly isn’t a rebounding monger. But with a string on the ball, a quick, agile style and a passing game that would make a quarterback envious, Epps, has emerged on the scene as one of the top recruits in the country thanks to his smooth facet of the game.

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“When you work on your game as much as I have and put a lot of time into it, it starts to get a little easier,” said Epps. “There is always more room to improve though, and that’s what keeps me hungry everyday.”

A 2010 verbal commitment for the Pittsburgh Panthers, Epps, who was recruited by former Panther star and now assistant coach Brandin Knight, also a native of New Jersey, will more than likely be operating from the same position Knight dominated from 1999-2003, the point guard spot.

“Coach Knight definitely brought me towards the Pitt program, and my cousin (Travon) Woodall also made me feel more at home,” Epps said. “(Pitt) is a place where some of the best guards in the country go, and it’s a big honor to be a guard on a team like that.”

Woodall, a redshirt freshman next year for the Panthers, also operates from the point guard position.

But Epps, who is currently ranked 35th on the Rivals Top150 for the class of 2010 list, and part of the ESPNU Super-60 list, makes much more of an uncanny resemblance to a more current Panthers point guard, Levance Fields.

“I relate to Levance a lot more then any other Pitt player, because he’s more of a passer then a scorer like me,” Epps said. “He also was the guy the team could depend on to hit the game-winning shot, and I will definitely do that. I have a lot of confidence in me being that guy.”

From his high school in Plainfield, New Jersey to his AAU team: The New Jersey Playaz, Epps has wooed many scouts and crowds alike with his unique passing ability, solid ball-handling skills and spot-up shooting in clutch situations.

Recently, at the Pittsburgh Jam Fest, a weekend tournament held on April 17-19 at the Petersen Events Center, the talented Epps showed many what his game was all about, leading his AAU squad to the 17-U Gold championship game, in which they lost in the final seconds, but not before Epps showed off an impressive nine point, eight assist performance, including a hair-raising, half court, ally-oop pass that threaded through two defenders.

But for Epps, making plays like that is just secondary, when the passing category is your primacy.

“I like getting my own team involved first, no matter if it’s a pickup game or a championship game.” said Epps. “I’ll score when I need to score, but it’s not the top priority.”

With his Fields-esque style in full swing and his leadership-first, veteran attitude, you can expect Epps to make an immediate impact at Pittsburgh, and follow in the footsteps of one of the best point guards—Fields—to ever wear a Panther uniform.

PARROM OPTS FOR 'ZONA OVER PITT

2009-05-04T15:16:00.001-04:00

BY JEFF BORZELLO

Fresh off his visit to Arizona, Kevin Parrom made it official: he will play for the Wildcats next season.

“I committed today,” Parrom said in a text message Sunday evening.

Parrom, a 6-6 swingman from New York who played at South Kent Prep (Conn.) this past year, was released from his letter of intent to Xavier in April after Musketeers’ head coach Sean Miller accepted the job at Arizona.

However, he decided to follow Miller across the country to Tucson and suit up in the Pac-10. He chose Arizona over Pittsburgh.

“The people there,” Parrom said when asked why he signed with the Wildcats. “The surroundings. The coaching staff. Great academic support. And the campus is wonderful.”

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After his visit to Pittsburgh last week, Parrom said he would go see Arizona and then likely choose by the end of the upcoming week. However, he was so impressed by his trip to UA that he committed on the spot.

“My trip was great,” Parrom said. “Just getting out there in Arizona and being myself at all times with the people and the players on campus.”

Over the summer, I had a chance to watch Parrom at the Reebok All-American camp in Philadelphis. He was one of the best all-around players at the camp, and showed the ability to do nearly everything on the court. Parrom has good shooting form, which enables him to knock down outside shots, meaning defenders can’t leave him open for jumpshots. As a result, Parrom also drives to the basket well and finishes creatively at the rim.

He also has an effective back-to-the-basket game and posted up smaller defenders on several occasions. He is an extremely difficult match-up for most defenders. Parrom is also a very good passer with good vision who looks for his teammates as soon as he touches the ball. He can shoot the ball either in transition or in the half-court, and also runs the floor well. Parrom rebounds well at both ends of the court due to his athleticism, and is a very good defender, both on-and-off the ball.

Parrom transferred to South Kent after an off-the-court problem at St. Raymond’s (N.Y.), in which he allegedly hit a coach. He originally chose Xavier in September, picking the Musketeers over St. John’s, where high school teammate and close friend Omari Lawrence will attend next season.

However, once Miller left Xavier to replace interim head coach Russ Pennell at Arizona, Parrom wanted to re-evaluate his recruitment. Miller brought two of his assistants with him to Arizona, including Emmanuel “Book” Richardson, who was the former head of the New York Gauchos AAU program and with whom Parrom has a close relationship.

Parrom is the third recruit of Miller’s tenure at Arizona, following Kyryl Natyazhko and Solomon Hill.

May 3rd Q&A

2009-05-03T17:57:00.010-04:00

By Chris Dokish
doke88@yahoo.com

Q: You wrote in the last Q&A that Dixon is not a great closer and he isn't as aggressive as some other top coaches. In your opinion, what does it take to be a great closer? I’m sure a lot of kids/families are different and want to hear different things, so how do these other guys close the deal? I read message board fodder about AAU and coaching connections, promises made, skirting the rules, etc.... How much do these things play into closing? And one last thing, will Jamie ever be a great closer? If so, what does he need to work on?

A: It's like any sales job. The great ones can sell ice to an Eskimo. Is it just one thing that all the best real estate agents or the best car dealers have? It's just that some people are born closers. It's a great skill. Do the great ones probably skirt the rules a little? No doubt. I'm not saying Dixon should do that, but some of the great closers know every trick in the book, and some of those tricks are a little shadier than others. Dixon has chosen to stay away from that stuff. Some may say he's taking a moral stand and some say he is making a mistake by not using the same tactics as everybody else. I guess it's just a matter of opinion.

But, also Dixon just isn't aggressive enough. Tom Herrion wanted Dante Taylor and Dixon helped close, but it was mostly Herrion who was responsible. Brandin Knight went hard after Isaiah Epps and Dixon helped close, but this time it was Knight who deserves the kudos. When a Rick Pitino, a Jim Calhoun, or a John Calipari closes on a kid you know it because the kid can't stop talking about. When was the last time a kid was gaga over Dixon? They like him, and they respect him, but there isn't fireworks. In Herrion and Knight, Pitt has two guys who can go toe to toe with some big time recruiters, but at the end of the day, they need Dixon to come in and put the hammer down. That's what the head coach does. The assistants set them up for the kill, but the head coach comes in and seals the deal. Bottom line, kids like Dixon, but then a Pitino or a Calipari walks into his house and the kid sees rainbows and puppies.

If you look at the low numbers of elite prospects that Pitt gets compared to other top programs, it's quite startling. Pitt lags behind quite a bit. But thankfully for Pitt fans, what Dixon gets out of his players is pretty remarkable when you realize how the talent level of his team often can't approach programs that are equally as successful on the court.

Q: What does is say that Dixon couldn't close out on Kyryl Natyazhko and Kevin Parrom, and that Pitt will now probably end up with an obscure undersized junior college player?

A: Well, first of all, the undersized junior college player is pretty good. But Pitt may not end up with him either because his academics are highly questionable. If they weren't, he would have signed somewhere already.

As for Natyazkho and Parrom, Sean Miller was all over those kids long before Pitt was. For the Panthers, they were back up plans that they suddenly wanted after DeJuan Blair left. Miller has been courting them heavily for a year. That's a big difference. Both are good players in the 75-100 range, and they would have helped this year, but I don't think the loss will go beyond this upcoming season. Pitt is the masters of getting players in the 75-100 range.

Q: Why isn't Pitt going after Lance Stephenson? It seems so obvious that they could use him and he seems desperate at this point to join a great program.

A: You're right. He is desperate. And there's a reason why. As one college coach told me when discussing Stephenson, "He's going to get some coach fired". Enough said.

Q: Did Darnell Dodson officially sign with Kentucky?

A: Yes. Thankfully. Now maybe the Pitt fans can move on. He's a good player that has taken on mythical proportions. But not everybody at Pitt thought highly of his skills, and that's a fact. And I was told that the new regime at Memphis had no desire to keep him. The only reason Kentucky wanted him was because they need players for this season. But one assistant coach told me last week that Dodson will hardly see the floor at Kentucky because he will quickly get recruited over. Bottom line, he is a good, solid prospect, but he isn't a future star.

Q: With Natyazhko and Parrom out of play, is it Kavon Lytch or nobody?

A: Lytch has academic problems, so from what I hear, Pitt is going to keep looking into the summer. If they still can't find somebody then they will carry it over to next year.

Q: You say you want a center and shooting guard for next year. Any names?

A: Well, they don't feel the center crop in the East is strong for 2010, so I'm not holding my breath on that one. You never know who they may unearth, though. As for guards, there are a lot of excellent ones out there and none have Pitt in their sights as of yet.

Q: For 2010, what do you think Pitt's chances are for these players- Adreian Payne, Will Barton, Doron Lamb, Kyrie Irving, Trae Golden, Victor Oladipo, Shane Southwell?

A: Payne- very slim
Barton- very slim
Lamb- very slim
Irving- very slim
Golden- very slim
Oladipo- too early
Southwell- too early

Q: One of the national networks just reshuffled their top 75 and Epps was not in it. What does that mean?

A: I can only assume that it means they are clueless. That kid will be a star at Pitt and he will be in the NBA.

Q: Mike DeCourcy ranked Pitt No. 11 in his preseason rankings and Andy Katz ranked them No.24. Are you just being pessimistic?

A: Pitt could very well end up No. 24 at the end of the year, and I would not bet against a Jamie Dixon team, but no way are they No. 24 in the preseason. As for DeCourcy, he wrote his preseason Top 25 when he thought Blair was returning, and then it was released and edited by editors after Blair left. So it looked like he had them No. 11 without Blair, but he actually had them No.11 with Blair, which I would have agreed with.