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January 17, 2007

So much to discuss and so little time. There’s recruiting in both football and basketball, game analysis and just some media matters on the game. I’ll start out easy – media matters. Especially since it gives me a chance to mention that I’ll be gone for most of the day tomorrow. In a sign of true strangeness, I’ll be on a panel discussion at the City Club in Cleveland talking about journalism and media criticism. The City Club usually has podcasts of these things up a few days later. A local station also airs (and streams) the things the next day. I still shake my head when I think that there are people that actually think I know what I’m doing.

Let’s start with Jim Calhoun. What can I say, I love prickly, acerbic, sarcastic coaches. They provide great quotes. Guys who over time can say anything and people look for the backhanded swipe, and in a press conference can merely arch an eyebrow and people look for the meaning. The Pittsburgh media isn’t used to it. They aren’t used to a guy who seems more critical of his own team at times than complimentary of the winning foe. Most never have and never will forget the “I don’t think they’re the most talented team in the league, but I do think they’re the best team in the league.” comment.

Last night, Calhoun again labeled Pitt the best team in the Big East but added he was sorry the Huskies only play Pitt once during the regular season.

“I wish we’d play them in February and have (7-foot-3 freshman center Hasheem Thabeet) healthy,” Calhoun said.

That left you wondering just how impressed Calhoun was with the performance of Pitt center Aaron Gray, who had 22 points, 19 rebounds and four blocked shots.

See to me, that’s as much about the confidence that Calhoun has in his own team to keep getting better and improve. I don’t take that as much of a slight. Come February, the team will be improved and much better. Plus, it seems Thabeet was never quite right the whole game.

Thabeet took an inadvertent elbow to the nose from Pitt’s Mike Cook while he was trying to grab a rebound just a minute-and-a-half after the opening tip. The freshman big man was stunned and had to be helped into the locker room but returned with 6:48 left in the first half.”That was the third hit he got,” said Calhoun, adding that Thabeet’s eyes wouldn’t stop watering. “I think the idea was to take it right to him. I don’t mean intentionally, but take it right at him and see if he can block shots.”

Jonathan Mandeldove filled in admirably for a time, but the Huskies clearly missed their shot-blocker.

“I got dazed. I couldn’t see. I lost my vision,” said Thabeet, who didn’t attempt a shot in 21 minutes of action. “Even when I came back, a couple times I lost my vision.”

You can always find the disrespect. Calhoun, to the Connecticut media was actually quite willing to praise Pitt.

Jim Calhoun isn’t shy to talk about how good he thinks Pittsburgh is.

The UConn men’s basketball coach seems to embrace this rivalry, which has grown into one of the Big East’s biggest in this decade. The close competition, combined with a commitment to both playing a physical style, has also led to similar interests on the recruiting trail.

He was frustrated more about the performance of his team.

“Every team that loses games finds a reason to be happy,” UConn coach Jim Calhoun said. “I haven’t got one damn reason to be happy, to be honest with you. What should I be happy about?”

Asked what Thabeet might learn from a game like this, the coach offered, “Duck.”

It was fitting of a night that ended with Calhoun finding himself short on explanations or information worth holding onto. He was brief with the media, even briefer with his players and looked to be running low on tolerance.

“I’m not taking anything away,” Calhoun said. “I don’t want to find new ways to lose.”

In the rivalry thing, you could argue that Gray took a swipe at the present UConn players when asked about the UConn players that left.

Pitt center Aaron Gray was asked how it is not seeing those guys anymore.

“It’s kind of a relief,” he said. “They had so many good players go through and so many players that could do so many different things. Obviously, through the draft last year, you saw how good they really were.”

It wasn’t actually a swipe at the present UConn players — especially with their potential — but it could be construed that way. As if they don’t measure up to the talent before them.





As much of a jerk Calhoun is (and he truly is one), what does everyone think of Dixon? If I weren’t a Pitt fan, I might hate him just as much as I do Calhoun. It seems like he’s always in the refs ears and pacing back and forth like a madman. The only difference is that Dixon doesn’t really take many cheap shots in the media at other teams.

Don’t get me wrong – I’m glad he’s our coach. I could easily see, though, how opposing fans could be annoyed with him as we are with Calhoun.

Maybe it’s just my imagination and Dixon isn’t all that bad.

Comment by PittHoops 01.17.07 @ 11:42 am

Dixon doesn’t run out to halfcourt in the middle of play like Calhoun. He must have done it 4 times yesterday. The refs are truly scared of him.

The best part of the game was when Graves blocked a shot after a foul and the ball hit the ref directly in the face. The whole crowd cheered.

Comment by Omar 01.17.07 @ 11:51 am

I think Calhoun’s believes a bit too much in Thabeet. Would he really have been a difference maker? I’m not so sure.

I’ve seen the potential from Dyson, Stanley Robinson, and Price. But honestly, outside of blocking a few shots, I haven’t been impressed with Thabeet all season.

Comment by Donld 01.17.07 @ 11:51 am

That’s funny, for years Dixon was criticized for not showing any emotion, now he is very animated on the bench. I don’t like it, but it’s part of the game. Watch any college BB game and you will see coaches working the refs non-stop.

Comment by Frank 01.17.07 @ 12:28 pm

My one comment on Jamie, other than how great his time out management has been, is how sycophantic Assistant Coach Rice appears to be.

Comment by steve 01.17.07 @ 4:08 pm

Dixon can’t even scare his own players, much less the refs. He can pace up and down and it won’t make a bit of difference because he doesn’t have an intimidating demeanor.

Comment by Chris McNeal 01.17.07 @ 5:51 pm

Dixon is an excellent coach and Pitt is lucky to have him. A lot of people on this board would be happier if we still had Willard and all of the 4 and 5 star recruits he brought in. Nevermind the fact that they were all horrible students and didn’t perform on the court. None of that matters because they were highly rated high school players. Getting the most out of the players you have doesn’t mean you are a good coach. It is more important to recruit highly touted players who don’t like to play as a team and that do nothing when they get to the Big East.

Comment by Omar 01.17.07 @ 10:26 pm

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