OT: Anyone paying attention to Pitt basketball this season

[COOL MAN]

Living in Cincinnati, about the only news I get concerning Pitt basketball comes when I dial-up the Post Gazette or Trib Review online......and I admittedly don't spend much time reading those pieces.

Still, for anyone who follows Tri-State basketball even in only a general perspective, it's hard not to notice that Pitt basketball.....by the standards it's previously established......has been comparatively mediocre this season. I know they slapped UNC quite nicely a couple weeks ago.....which I sort-of get the impression locals thought was going to jump-start the season.

But I see they lost last night at home (on Senior night, no less) to Miami. From everything I think I know, Miami plays a reasonably-competitive brand of basketball.....and like most teams, I assume they're tough to beat at home. But nothing out of Oakland the last 15 or so years prepares me for news that Pitt loses to them at home; a loss which I assume could drive the final nail in their NCAA coffin.

Maybe they still squeeze into the Field of 64 with a couple wins in Greensboro. But if I were a Pitt fan, I don't think I'd want to plan on that result coming off losses at Wake (which I understand was a fairly bad loss in it's own right) and home to Miami. I also see they're currently 9th in the ACC; not the kind of position I'd want to be in.

Anyway, can somebody who follows them tell me what's going this year.....and I don't mean that they suck (and that they Eat Shit)......with Pitt ?? Did they lose key players from last year's team.....are they underachieving given the current roster.....or is this simply one of those inevitable down (again, comparatively speaking) years so many programs experience ??

 

[WiiWii]

Pitt sucks...same as always.

All you need to know...
Posted from Rivals Mobile

 

[PittAboveWVU]

It's obviously understandable for someone who doesn't follow the team to not see the full picture, but it's pretty clear for someone who follows the team.

Dixon's style relies on player development moreso than getting elite recruits. Having said that, there are a few contributing factors to Pitt's poor season.

First, two elite recruits -- Khem Birch and Steven Adams -- left after one (or less) season. When Adams was coming in, it was clear the NBA was in his future, but the thought around the program was that he would develop at Pitt for 2-3 seasons. Then after his freshman season, the center class in the draft was considerably weak so he left, as he should have. While this gave Pitt some good exposure through the draft, Pitt did not have his replacement lined up. You could place that blame on Dixon, but again, no one thought that would happen when Adams entered the program.

Second, going back to player development, the 2010, 2011, and 2012 (which would now be RS-Srs down to RS-Sos) classes were poor in terms of players staying in the program for various reasons. Players in bold are ones that contributed to Pitt this season:
2010 - Cam Wright (current senior), Isaiah Epps (forced out), JJ Moore (transfer)
2011 - Durand Johnson (suspended for this season), Khem Birch (mid-season transfer), Malcolm Gilbert (transferred to play with his brother), John Johnson (forced out)
2012 - Steven Adams (left for NBA), James Robinson (starting PG), Chris Jones (bench player)

Third, Pitt just doesn't get the elite level recruits that can come in and make an enormous impact as true freshman.

I'm not sure many on this board are that concerned, but Pitt should be better next year. Artis and Young are going to be an impressive combination for two more years. Pitt is bringing in a more athletic PG, and if they can hold on to Mustapha Heron, will be bringing in a better SG than they've had in years. It's obviously going to be tough to compete with a Duke or UNC on a consistent basis, but Pitt should be solidly in the top 5 of the league provided everyone sticks around, stays healthy, and doesn't get suspended.

Definitely a down year for Pitt, but every program has them. Not to say Pitt is on the same level, but Kentucky (2012), UNC (2010) and Indiana (2009, 2010, 2011, 2014) have all missed the tournament relatively recently.

We'll see how it goes, but there's reason for optimism.

On an unrelated note, while it shouldn't have come down to refs, there were certainly calls in your game against Kansas that were head-scratchers. With your style of play, I don't think your seed is going to matter too much in the tourney. It's true for everybody, but it's especially true for WVU, that matchups are going to be key. Not that it would be easy, but I think given your style of play, that WVU would be one of the biggest threats to taking down Kentucky. They haven't faced a lot of intense pressure and their guys are big, which doesn't necessarily help against the press.

Good luck in the tourney.

 

[COOL MAN]

Interesting to note the attrition of athletes from the Program; something which we Mountaineer fans have become quite familiar.

 

[CatSnipah]

Originally posted by COOL MAN:
Interesting to note the attrition of athletes from the Program; something which we Mountaineer fans have become quite familiar.

Indeed. In both sports, honestly. But getting better.


And thanks for the nice synopsis from the pitt perspective, PaW.

 

[TIREPUNK]

I see on their board that the believe Levi Cook is coming their way and he is the cure that ails them.

 

[xWVU2010x]

I feel like after Pat Skerry left for a HC gig at Towson their recruiting fell off big time along with their remarkable level of consistency. Since Skerry left for Towson Pitt will now miss the tournament for the 2nd time in 4 years, has one NCAAT win, and has never been seeded above 8. A highly notable dropoff if you look over the entire Howland/Dixon era.

Personally I think Dixon missed his window. The program won't completely fall off but it doesn't seem likely they regain the consistent high level of play they had through 2010
This post was edited on 3/5 2:54 PM by xWVU2010x

 

[PittAboveWVU]

Originally posted by xWVU2010x:
I feel like after Pat Skerry left for a HC gig at Towson their recruiting fell off big time along with their remarkable level of consistency. Since Skerry left for Towson Pitt will not miss the tournament for the 2nd time in 4 years, has one NCAAT win, and has never been seeded above 8. A highly notable dropoff if you look over the entire Howland/Dixon era.

Personally I think Dixon missed his window. The program won't completely fall off but it doesn't seem likely they regain the consistent high level of play they had through 2010

Skerry was solely responsible for Khem Birch's commitment to Pitt (and months after enrolling and Skerry leaving, his departure). There's no doubt about that. Skerry was brought in because of his preexisting relationship with Birch and brought Birch with him to Pitt. However, Skerry was only at Pitt for one season. Admittedly he brought in a great recruit in that year, but that recruit ended up having no positive impact during any games. So it's tough to attribute much of Pitt's success or stability to Skerry. "Slice" Rohrssen was an infinitely bigger loss for Pitt as an assistant coach than Skerry. I also believe "Smoke" Williamson is a better recruiter than Skerry.

To each their own, but I don't see them completely falling off. The window is certainly closed for this year, but next year Pitt should have a starting 5 that will get them solidly in to the NCAA tournament field.

PG - James Robinson, Damon Wilson, Josh Newkirk
SG - Durand Johnson, Sheldon Jeter, Chris Jones
SF - Jamel Artis, Cam Johnson
PF - Mike Young, Ryan Luther
C - Rozelle Nix, Tyrone Haughton

I think the bold names are on "transfer watch" after the season ends. Newkirk just hasn't progressed as was hoped and there just may not be enough minutes for Jones. As for Haughton, he was a JUCO recruit who hasn't logged a single minute this year and is sitting on the wrong side of the walk-ons on the bench, so he may be forced out.

As for Levi Cook, he's definitely an option. I know he was committed to WVU but when Huggs transitioned to the press, he was no longer a fit. His body and style of play will be a decent fit at Pitt. He's certainly not elite, but he's a solid piece. He would be a bonus for Pitt, because Pitt needs size. He's a better prospect than Aaron Gray or Gary McGhee were when they enrolled at Pitt and they both had solid college careers and Gray had a respectable 7 years in the NBA.

Adding size in Nix and someone like Cook will enable Mike Young to go back to being a stretch 4, which is where he should be. All Pitt needs in a center to be successful is size to clog up the lane on defense and a guy to pull down offensive rebounds. They're not asked to do much, but size is the key, which Pitt doesn't currently have. That tells you how bad Houghton must be.

 

[xWVU2010x]

I would be surprised if Pitt missed the tournament next year, but I don't think they come in any higher than a 6 seed. I don't know how many more of those perennial 1 seed teams Dixon has left up his sleeve, or even 2 or 3 seed teams. I don't follow the program close enough to know if there is realistic expectations for those type of teams to return, but from an outsider it seems like he has lost the "it" factor that once made him one of the most sought after coaches in the country.

That said, many here including myself were having serious doubts about Huggins as early as 4 months ago, now he has a team solidly in the NCAA field, with predicted upside for next year. The unexpected departure of Birch and Adams could indeed just have been temporary hiccups that have slowed the program in the short term, so I wont discount the possibility that you're right.
This post was edited on 3/5 2:53 PM by xWVU2010x

 

[WiiWii]

Personally, I think that sPitt sucks and so does anyone who would adopt the name "PittaboveWVU". Eat shit and die, yinzer!
Posted from Rivals Mobile

 

[PittAboveWVU]

Originally posted by WiiWii:
Personally, I think that sPitt sucks and so does anyone who would adopt the name "PittaboveWVU". Eat shit and die, yinzer!

Posted from Rivals Mobile

I've identified where you went wrong, and have bolded that above.

 

[old buzzard]

I used to care about Pitt.......and I used to care about St. Bonaventure.........and at one time I used to be interested in Rhode Island........and UMASS.....

Thank God we have moved on.