The game is ESPN3.com only as far as watching it goes at 7pm. Which of course blows. Since I don’t trust the stream to go cleanly, no liveblog. Feel free to comment below. Try to keep some level of control.
I will be Tweeting during the game if you care to follow.
Two things on Moore. First, feel like every time he does get in, he launches up a shot the first possession. Not saying they are necessarily bad shots, but he doesn’t seem to have grasped the “extra pass” approach that Dixon preaches. Also, on defense, many times he looks very confused and often his man gets wide open looks.
Gil Brown continues to be my biggest disappointment. He showed some flashes of what he could be for a few games, but has trailed off again. I hope he can pick it back up once Gibbs is back.
It reminds me of Woodall last year after he saw his PT reduced when Dixon came back. He was forcing things when he got in there to make his mark instead of playing within the flow of the game. Totally different story this year, and he’s a much better player for it. I’m confident Moore will get there too.
Taylor worries me. He is hugely talented, but he only shows it in flashes. He hasn’t matured much mentally, and that has slowed his development particularly on defense. Maybe he’s one of those guys that needs to start instead of coming off the bench. I guess we’ll see next year as Pitt big men (Gray, McGhee) sometimes make big leaps between their Soph. and Jr. years. Let’s hope so.
Zanna is still very raw. He needs to understand the game better, especially on the defensive end. That happens in practice, not in games. Fortunately, he is talented enough that he can still contribute solid minutes when needed, like he did last night.
I’m with you on Gil too. He’s actually one guy who I’d like to see force things a little more. He seems to sit back too much waiting for Wanny or Gibbs to make the plays. I’d like to see him flash into the middle more and make himself available, like Nas does. He’d probably average 15+ a game if he did that. It might not be his normal role in the 3 spot, but there seem to be opportunities for him to do so during points in every game.
I also think JJ Moore is becoming much more comfortable on the defensive end. His offense is still a bit raw, but his defense has been exponentially better in the last 2 weeks. Another versatile defender with great offensive potential is quite a luxury at this point in the year. I expect a big game from him in the next few weeks.
You are 100% correct about Collier’s column. But hey I hope everyone knows by now he’s a State Pen grad so go figure. He basically mocked Jamie Dixon being named Dapper Dan man of the Year and then even ridiculed him for trying to help someone in distress after a car accident. What a frickin putz, which is basically what that whole frickin PG POS is full of. Why Pitt people even bother reading that near bankrupt ragsheet is beyond me.
Local journalism like Colliers and the PG’s in general is exactly why the National media has a lack of respect for Pitt basketball and why, even after beating two Top 25 teams(one Top 10) ON THE ROAD last week WITHOUT OUR LEADING SCORER, to boot, we didn’t move up one crummy spot in the rankings. Respect all begins at home !
