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February 15, 2007

I missed this on Monday, and that was probably for the best, but Gray got some love at SI.com.

The most attention Pitt 7-footer Aaron Gray gets comes from opposing coaches. So why isn’t the Big East preseason Player of the Year, who averages 15 points and 10 rebounds, getting the attention of other centers like, say, Greg Oden? Gray’s game may not be aesthetically pleasing, but there’s no denying he’s consistent. And so much of what he does doesn’t translate to the stat sheet. His drawing of double teams allows Ronald Ramon, Levance Fields, Antonio Graves and Sam Young to get open for threes and he gives the Panthers unparalleled experience in the paint. The knock against Gray is he can’t hit free throws (58.5 percent on the season) and he hasn’t improved to the level many expected when he turned down NBA riches to return to Pittsburgh for one final season. But on Saturday against Providence he showed the heady and dependable play that makes him so dangerous. With the Panthers trailing, Gray picked up his third foul with 16:01 to play, but coach Jamie Dixon kept Gray in the game. Gray responded with one of his most effective halves of the season. He played all but three minutes and scored 13 of his 22 points to put Pitt ahead before leaving after a hard fall with 2:37 remaining. The problem with Gray is everyone expects more and his dependable play has gone underappreciated.

Interesting observation about Dixon taking Gray out of the game with foul trouble.

Q: How much is a star player actually worth to his team?

A: To be revealed later this week. But based on the data I have, I found it interesting when Jamie Dixon went to the coaches playbook and pulled Aaron Gray after he picked up his 4th foul against Louisville last night. Sure, Pitt was down by 15 to Louisville, and the game was slipping away anyway. But there was just over 14 minutes remaining, and at that moment, Jamie Dixon conceded a loss.

Mixed feelings. I get what Pomeroy is saying. It was a conservative, safe move. But since Pitt needed him to get to the point where he would matter, there was just as much support to leave him in the game.

This is about as close as Jamie Dixon has ever come to questioning his players performance publicly.

Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said he still doesn’t understand why his team acted as if they hadn’t seen a zone before when Louisville zoned the Panthers in beating them Monday night at the Petersen Center. Pitt played well against Syracuse’s zone but was befuddled by Louisville. As expected, Dixon said when Derrick Caracter plays well for Louisville that changes their dynamic inside because of his ability to take away some attention from David Padgett.

I know this has been hashed, and re-hashed, but it is a good question. Maybe it was the higher level of athleticism, but Pitt really struggled to create the spacing on the court. Zones haven’t really been a big problem most of the year for Pitt.

Seth Davis at SI.com had a listing of seeds and still had Pitt as a #2 seed.

Elsewhere, I might have bumped Pitt down to a No. 3 after getting shellacked at home by a surging Louisville squad, but the teams on my three line still haven’t done enough to move up. (Marquette, which won at Pitt, would have been an easy choice if it hasn’t lost badly at Georgetown.)

And that was before Tuesday night’s activities. Not to mention on Wednesday with Marquette losing to DePaul.

For whatever it’s worth (and it is of questionable value), Dick Vitale lists some of the future great coaches of college basketball and includes Jamie Dixon in the list along with John Thompson III, Tony Bennett, Sean Sutton and Billy Gillispie.

Dixon, in his own style, has created something special with his players. His Panthers understand how to play on both ends. The only gap on the résumé is the team’s inability to get past the Sweet 16.

Something tells me this squad is ready to make a serious run this year. Pitt has a terrific combination in Levance Fields, a real creator, and the big guy in the middle in 7-foot Aaron Gray. I suspect this team will bring a smile to the Pitt cheering section known as the “Oakland Zoo.”

That would be nice.

Now when WVU comes to the Pete, no gay slurs. Get creative with the insults, but keep it classy.
I have to admit, that I was wondering what exactly the Hoopies were screaming at Aaron Gray. No one wanted to actually say it. I suppose I was expecting something relating a little more to Deliverance. You know, something about making him squeal like a pig or such. Nope not even that original apparently.

On Wednesday night, while the Mountaineers were losing to Pitt, students chanted ”Gray’s a faggot” at Aaron Gray.

Yeah, that’s effective.





Off topic:

Everyone should read Shelly Anderson’s column this morning comparing Pitt’s, PSU, Ohio State, and WVU home football schedules. Ohio State is acutally playing Youngstown, Akron, Kent State, Northwestern, Michigan State, Wisconsin, and Illinois.

Ours doesn’t look nearly as bad now. Not up to Pitt standards, but not too bad. At least the congference games should be entertaining.
link to post-gazette.com

Comment by Kevin 02.15.07 @ 7:27 am

I don’t know about that. If her point is that you should support your team no matter what, then fine. But if her point is that the other schedules stink, too……well then her evidence didn’t back up her case, because the only one she cited that stinks anywhere near as bad as Pitt’s is Ohio State’s.

Plus, it’s pretty disingenuous to write an article like that and manage to skip the main factor. Pitt doesn’t get to be the only game in town like the Buckeyes, Mountaineers or Nittany Lions do. If us Pittsburghers were as hurting for entertainment as the citizens of Columbus (I know, I’ve lived there), State College and Morgantown……well, you get the point.

Comment by andre aldridge 02.15.07 @ 8:25 am

More than anything, I think the column works as a sad commentary of the state of college football, and Pitt suffers like you said, andre, being in a pro town. WVU always has a cake non-con. We’re spoiled by usually pulling in some marquee teams, but this year, when we’re similar to other teams, the schedule is getting blasted.

Comment by Kevin 02.15.07 @ 11:39 am

I agree with it being a sad commentary on college football. She managed to write the column and skip all the important context. The whole system stinks and us fans get stuck being fans of teams that are scared to schedule anybody.

Comment by andre aldridge 02.15.07 @ 12:09 pm

For the first time ever, I agree with Shelly Anderson! The last sentence is right on the money. The fact is PSU will have 100,000 plus for it’s games against Fla Int’l and Buffalo. While PSU was having losing seasons, they still had over 100,000 per game show up. Fans have a role to play in the success of their teams. That role is to show up, win or lose…cheer, boo, or do whatever the teams play merits, but show up. I live in the Harrisburg area (have season tickets and make it to almost all of the home FB games), and the #1 bash I hear from PSU fans about Pitt FB is all of the empty seats at Heinz field. If you don’t think recruiters from other schools are also pointing it out, your not dealing with reality. I realize winning and big name opponents are the best way to sell tickets, but when I hear Pitt “fans” bailing on this team before the season ever starts, then I have to say all those PSU fans you love to hate are far better fans than you will ever be. Maybe the PSU fans should start at chant at their home FB games: P – I – T – T P – I – T – T PITT FANS SUCK! You get my point.

Comment by HbgFrank 02.15.07 @ 12:27 pm

Pitt has far less alumni. Pitt is located in a major city with many things to do besides college football. Due to this, Pitt will never have the following that the aforementioned schools have.

Comment by Chris 02.15.07 @ 1:13 pm

I always loved this argument. When psu was sucking it up their fans would always say at least we have 100k in the stands. Of course they do, what the hell else are you going to do in State College on a Saturday? sit around the silo and watch the grass grow??? Ask psu fans how many are going to their basketball games??? So this works both ways. Not to mention psu has a larger student body that is primarily campus based – not the case with Pitt. Its an entirely different school with entirely different circumstances. I guarantee if you put psu through the 10 year stretch that Pitt went on in the 90’s you would see the attendance start dwindling. It just hasnt happened yet, even during their recent skid attendance was down especially when they were playing teams like Indiana.

Comment by Rex 02.15.07 @ 1:16 pm

Chris is exactly right.

There simply is more for people to do in Pittsburgh than out in State College.

For PSU students, it’s either go to the football game or hang out with the Amish in Lock Haven.

Comment by Ryan M 02.15.07 @ 1:19 pm

tim haradaway hates aaron gray from the mountaineers fans perspective…..

Comment by Schoe 02.15.07 @ 1:27 pm

The Pittsburgh metropolitan area (the seven counties immediately around Pittsburgh) has a population of over 2.3 million. The state college metropolitan area (Centre County)has a population of 135,000. A lot of the people who go to PSU FB games don’t live in State College. They are coming from far and wide. Places where there is plenty to do. In fact, I would bet that a good many of them are coming from the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. Having other things to do does not change the fact that good fans support their teams with their presence when they are able to do so, win or lose. PSU has a very good fan base. There is no sense in trying to dimmish that fact by saying thinks like “they don’t have anything else to do”. The bottom line is, if you want Pitt FB to be taken seriously by the national media, then the team has to win games, and you have to show up to watch them do it.

Comment by HbgFrank 02.15.07 @ 5:15 pm

Ryan – Why drive all the way to Lock Haven? There are Amish living much closer.

Is there any school that has good attendance at football games and is near an NFL team? The closest I can think of is Michigan and that is still ~45 miles away from Detroit. After that it probably falls to UGa or UF. Teams like Maryland, Washington, Miami, Pitt, etc just don’t draw well and the NFL teams play a factor in that.

Comment by Cris 02.15.07 @ 5:25 pm

HbgFrank… That’s still 135,000 people who every Saturday have few entertainment choices. I’m not saying PSU fans aren’t dedicated. They are very dedicated. But there are many more choices for the people within a decent driving distance of Pittsburgh and limited dollars among those people for entertainment. PSU has a huge captive audience AND a huge alumni base that lives within driving distance that has one one sport it can be fanatical about and spend all its money on.

Pitt has two major mens sports teams of national prominence that must compete not only against pro sports teams, but, also, sadly, high school sports. Shit, instead of showing one of Pitt’s early season hoops games on FSN-Pittsburgh, they showed a freakin’ high school football playoff game.

I would love for Pitt to win more football games, but even if they had two or three fantastic seasons in a row, I still would wager that there would be empty seats at home games against smaller schools/weaker competition.

Comment by Carmen 02.15.07 @ 6:09 pm

We had 6 years as an elite program in the past 100 years. Meanwhile, programs like Michigan, OSU and usually PSU are top 25 programs EVERY SINGLE YEAR. The urban school thing has an effect, but that is it right there.

Comment by geeman2001 02.15.07 @ 8:23 pm

Whoops, sorry about the above, I did forget the elite years in the 30’s (Marshall Goldberg “not pleased”), but you know what I mean. One 6 year stretch of elite status since the ‘modern’ era. You need to be elite, or at least the impression of it, EVERY year to draw fanatical crowds.

Comment by geeman2001 02.15.07 @ 8:26 pm

WIN GAMES = SEATS FULL

I guarantee that if we go 13-0, the next year, the stadium will be full. No one wants to see a loser. Everyone is waiting for the team to be rebuilt. I know i quit going to football games, its far too cold to sit there and watch the beating. As soon as we begin to compete at the elite levels of football, there will be more fans in the seats.

See how much more popular basketball games are now? I remember watching Willard fail in the fieldhouse – and i never had to get into a student “lottery” for season tickets.

Stuart

Comment by Stuart 02.16.07 @ 3:28 am

Stuart, it’s fans like you that I am talking to. You just admitted that you would miss out on a 13-0 season! Even for the best programs, they are rare. If you want to be a part of something awesome like a 13-0 season, then you have to show up. If everyone thought the same way you did, there would be no people in the seats for that 13-0 season. For the record, one of things that makes watching your team win a game on a freezing cold day in Pittsburgh is knowing that you sat and watched them lose games on freezing cold days in Pittsburgh. You can’t just ride the roller coaster down hill and through the loops. If you want the full experience, you have to sit through the slow uphill climbs and the bumpy flat sections!

Comment by HbgFrank 02.16.07 @ 10:20 am

Someone posted Pitt will never draw crowds like Penn State & Ohio State. Maybe not now or in the future since Pittsburgh is a Pro Sportstown now. But it wasn’t always the case.
Pitt was king in Pittsburgh pre WW2.
Pitt Stadium was filled all the time, actually overflowing in the days of the Dream BackField and Jock Sutherland regularly drawing crowds at Pitt Stadium in excess of 80,000.
The Pitt vs Carnegie Tech or Duquesne games were the hottest tickets in town and at that time Pitt was the place to be for the In-Crowd.
Several Pitt players graced the cover of Time Magazine in the 1930’s something you’ll never see again, as College Football dominated the sportsworld back then. Not Pro-Football. That era in Pitt Football was highlited with 4 Trips to the Rose Bowl to play for the National Championship. Ah to be a Panther fan back then.

Comment by CarolinaPanther 02.25.07 @ 5:19 pm

geeman

You also forgot about the elite teams Pitt had under college football’s most famous coach,
Glenn “Pop” Warner. Voted National Champions several years under Pop Warner. As far as not counting championships pre-Modern Era. In 70 years, in the year 2084, do you what them to discount anything from
pre-2000 years. Which they’ll say was too far back to count, as the game has advanced to much.
Cause that is in-effect what your saying by saying only Modern Era counts now.
College Football Data Warehouse which I consider the most authoritative site out there, Has Pitt listed for 6 National Championships. Penn State with 2 and our dear hoopie friends with 0. And the Bucknuts with only 5. So sorry Woody Hayes.

Comment by CarolinaPanther 02.25.07 @ 5:37 pm

Oh, here’s the address for College Football Data Warehouse
http://cfbdatawarehouse.com

Comment by CarolinaPanther 02.25.07 @ 5:44 pm

“Modern Era” Elite Pitt Teams

1) 1956 Sugar Bowl
2) 1957 Sugar Bowl
3) #3 ranked team 9-1 “Famous No Bowl Team”
4) 1976 Sugar Bowl Undefeated National Champs
5) 1977 Gator Bowl #7
6) 1979 Fiesta Bowl #6 11-1
7) 1980 Gator Bowl #2 11-1
8) 1981 Sugar Bowl #2 11-1
9) 1982 Cotton Bowl #9
10) 1983 Fiesta Bowl
11) 2004 Fiesta Bowl
12) 2008 ???????

Comment by CarolinaPanther 02.25.07 @ 6:09 pm

#3) 1963 #3 ranked team 9-1 “Famous No Bowl Team”

Comment by CarolinaPanther 02.25.07 @ 6:12 pm

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