I’ve been inspired by Coach Todd Graham’s non-stop reference to High Octane for Pitt this year. He can’t stop using it — just listen to his interview from Friday. As such, I have decided I too need to raise my octane. As such, I’m changing my tailgate choice from Maker’s Mark to Bulleit Rye.
I’ll be getting to some very late, belated thoughts from Big East Media Day. Not to mention more Pitt recruits, the start of camp and plenty other football things. First, I’m clearing some tabs in basketball.
To the surprise of no one, Ashton Gibbs was named to the USA team competing in the World University Games. Versatility is a key word for the squad.
“We do have some interchangeable parts, some guys at the three and four positions that can swing either way. We can play smaller and we can play bigger. It will depend on who we are playing against. I do think we can play a couple of different ways, and that’s always a positive.”
The one true point guard on the roster is Detroit’s Ray McCallum, who averaged 13.5 points and 4.9 assists playing the position for his father, Ray, as a freshman. Pitt’s Ashton Gibbs is nominally the Panthers’ point guard but operates primarily as a scorer; he did play the point for the U.S. squad that won the FIBA U-19 World Championships in 2009.
Painter was one of the assistants to Coach Dixon on the 2009 U-19 squad, so he and Gibbs have a bit of familiarity.
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