For whatever it is worth, ESPN.com recently updated their basketball recruiting rankings and Pitt is now ranked 14th.
Jamie Dixon is one of the best coaches in the country at recruiting to his personality and style of play. Originally, we didn’t think Malcolm Gilbert (Philadelphia/Academy of New Church) had the right makeup to play for Dixon, but as his game and personality evolved we’ve come full circle. Gilbert is now an ESPNU 100 prospect and a big reason for the Panthers ascent in the rankings. This class is highlighted by five-star PF Khem Birch (Montreal/Notre Dame Prep), who reclassified to the 2011 class and signed with Dixon a year early. Birch is an off-the-charts athlete who can change the game on the defensive end of the floor with his ability to block shots and rebound. He is a big-time, clear-path finisher, and when his offense catches up to his defense his game will go to the next level. Gilbert is a rare player who can change a game without having to score a point, and he has all the physical tools needed to play the game at the highest levels. Jaylen Bond (Plymouth Meeting, Pa./Plymouth-Whitemarsh Sr.) is a blossoming frontcourt player with good athleticism, while SGs John Johnson (Philadelphia/Life Center Academy) and Durand Johnson (Baltimore/Brewster Academy) round out this class.
What should speak volumes about how tough it is in the Big East. Pitt’s recruiting class is only 4th best in the Big East. St. John’s (#2), Syracuse (#8) and Louisville (#9) are ahead of Pitt.
The rest of their top-25 recruiting class includes Rutgers (#15), Cinci (#22) and Villanova (#23). UConn, WVU and Georgetown didn’t make it. Tough conference in so many areas.
Jaylen Bond keeps getting people to take notice of him, even if he doesn’t make the list of top recruits. This time at the Pennsylvania Prime Time Shootout (Insider subs.).
Bond is a high-energy combination forward with a non-stop motor. He ran the floor like a gazelle and a caught a one-handed lob that brought the crowd to their feet. The future Pitt Panther displayed the ability to rebound and push the ball off the defensive glass and tip-dunk on the offensive end. He struggled at times from behind the arc and the free throw line, but his shooting form is not bad and we think he is a better shooter than he displayed. Bond’s turnaround jumpers in the low post from either side of the lane were deadly. He elevated over defenders with ease and attacked defenders from the high post area with strong straight-line drives to the rim. Bond also has the size and athletic ability to defend both forward positions as well. He dropped 26 points in the 53-50 Plymouth-Whitemarsh win over Sanford (Del.). Bond will eventually develop into a fulltime small forward and he simply wins you over with his consistent effort.
There’s a nice puff-piece on Coach Dixon from Sunday, with some details on his early days of getting into coaching.
Hmm. A preseason favorite with a 2 game lead on the closest competitor, about halfway through the conference slate. No one thinking they can be caught at this point. What with the conference so even and lots of beating each other up. Why does this seem familiar? Why?
No. It’s not the same. It’s not. How dare a moment of doubt creep into the brain.
That being said, I think it’s good for the Big East if St John’s is good. All the more exposure in the big city.
And bench minutes have decreased significantly against BE teams.
This bothers me. Patterson, Sleepy, Zanna, Woodall, Richardson and Moore must see more minutes in order to be tourney ready.
Bonus: We can much more aggressive defensively with more warm bodies on the floor. Passivity is what beat us in our only two losses.
BTW, if Jamie blows the BE lead, shares the title with 2 others, and the AD forces him to resign, I think we should go after Sean Miller (who will no doubt restore a good dose of discipline into the program)
Come on man! Give it a rest. Please.
Seems like it can be broken down both from a player’s and a team’s point of view. The player, depending on how good they are, probably wants to play for a school that has a reputation as a b-ball school, under the current coaching staff, a place where they can play soon after arriving, and presumably, some players want to go to a school where they can develop their game enough to take it to the next level.
The school; i.e., the coach and team, want an individual who will come in and work hard, someone who is coachable, and who the coach thinks can add to their team. Presumably, they want someone who can keep their academic standings high enough, and in this day and age, want a player who can keep their nose clean for the time they’re repreresenting the school.
What else is involved?
Whether or not that school offers courses in Basket Weaving and/or Urban Studies.
Speaking of…this may be BIG news for Pitt (link below) — Ricardo Ledo just decommitted from Providence. Its relevant because i) He’s a 5-star recruit from the Boston area which is Skerry’s domain; ii) he had Pitt on his list of possible schools (though maybe not too high) a while back; iii) he’s apparantly friends with Birch (I mistakenly mentioned on an earlier post that Birch and Omar Calhoun were close, which may be true, but I remembered an interview w Birch wrong. In that interview he was calling up Ledo not Calhoun to come play here. trying to find that interview to post it here).
Only issue may be whether there is any room for him. Only 5 guys are graduating over the next 2yrs (Srs – Wanny, Gary, Gil, Jrs – Nas and Gibbs), but we already have 6 guys coming in over the next 2yrs (five 2011 recruits, one 2012 so far). Already, something has to give. But man its tantalizing to think Ledo’s back on the market and Pitt may have an in (however long a shot it may be).
Don’t most D-I schools offer those courses? I know some even offer them as undergrad majors, maybe even graduate programs!
I’ll spoil it for you: 2 of the 8 teams, Pitt beat, and one soundly. One on the list beat Pitt soundly. Pitt is left off the list, with a justification by Winn. Feel free to read more.
