Hahaha. That’s amazing. Hope Georgetown remembers this when they have to play SMU while we play Duke.

That was great! Awesome job guys!

Not sure playing the likes of Duke is the best option with this current collection of returning talent. Needs to get turned around fast or we will be mid-bottom of ACC.

Good thing we got the freshmen laden Johnnies in first round, cause I seriously doubt we could have beaten anyone else.
Pathetic performance yesterday. Dixon changed his rotation for what reason?
Pitt’s best player the last 2 weeks or so of regular season was JJ Moore. Then why did he only play 17 minutes against the Johnnies and only have 3 points against G-Town. To give Gibbs & Nas a senior send off at MSG ?

Questions abound !

ACC…ACC…ACC

“Marinatto said the league was now open to discussing an exit arrangement with Pittsburgh and Syracuse.”

One more year..that’s it. One more of the Big Least.

H2P! Hail to the ACC!

Oh…and James Robinson should start immediately.
Woody is better off the bench, keeps his turnovers to a minimum.

Pitt and Cuse can probably bamboozle ol’ Meatball Marinatto into paying them to leave next year.

Dixon has done a poor job of recruiting. The talent level on this team is terrible. This team would have trouble winning the PSAC.

I again agree with Emel Robinson, in my opinion maybe the best guard Pitt has recruit in the Howland Dixon years. Of all the returning guards seeing Robinson on tape and knowing he comes from one of the best coached high school teams I cannot see him sitting behind anyone.

Adams sharing time with anyone is a joke. Adams now is much more gifted than Drummond at Uconn.

Next year I hope Jamie does not revert to his old tricks of running up his record in Nov-Dec., and instead like Calhoun and Boeheim starts, not share time, the players who will be best come Jan-March.

This collection of talent will be getting someone who is regarded as one of the top big men in the country, if not the best best big man.

They will also be getting one of the top guards in Robinson.

As for poor job recruiting??? 10 years in a row in the tournament, BE championships, etc. etc.??

I hope that Adams is more talented than Drummond .. but at this point, how do you really know? This is the trap that we always fall into. We really don’t know for sure what we will get with Adams and Robinson … although I do expect them to be contributors next year, I’m not ready to guarantee that they will be major contributors.

Four Star recruits should get major minutes early and continued. Don’t blame Birch for leaving , he got played like a yoyo. If Dixon continues his way of developing players, you will see a drop off in talent for sure in years to come.

One bad season, and now Dixon can’t develop players? Do I really need to recite the list?

There are no guarantees that anyone will hit the ground running. I certainlly hope that’s the case, but who really knows. I do know this, in past years, in what looked to be rebuilding years, the Panthers have exceeded expectations. They’ve had a terrific run over the last decade. So keeping that in mind, they were bound to have an off year sooner or later. Hopefully it’s only one down year and here’s to the hope that they get back on track next season.

Birch may have been played like a yoyo, but it wasn’t by Dixon. These handlers always have the kid’s best interets in mind … and if you believe this, Michael, I’ll sell you any one of the Burg’s bridges that you want.

One more thing … don’t let Birch’s numbers in the early games sway you .. remmeber that Zanna had a couple double-doubles early in his frosh-elgible year (last season) and I believe Sleepy had one in his very 1st game at Pitt.

I won’t argue that Birch will turn out to be better than either Taylor or Zanna but don’t let the pre-season fool you. (didin’t Pitt win 11 straight this year?)

Just watched this short video on James Robinson..

link to washingtonpost.com

Uh-oh. A shooting on campus at Western Psych (The Post-Gazette reporting… link to post-gazette.com)

Zanna played his best at the 4 last year when he Nas was hurt. He should have never had to play the 5. I am afraid if we do get a NIT bid that both Gibbs and NAS will play 35+ min.instead of leaving the young guys get experience.

Early eason games are not to fool anyone, its for player development. Hell yes Birch will be better. What I’m saying is let the 4 star recruits play, or pay the price when the season becomes important.
PS: Don’t want any bridges, no money for repair!

Back in the day, when high school playoffs were finished they played undergrad tourneys all over the tri-state area. Now if Pitt goes to the NIT, the youngsters should get the most playing time, but I doubt it, Dixon will say the seniors deserved to play.

Shots fired at Western Psych on campus.

it baffles me why JJ Moore continues to have a short leash, get yanked from games and play minimal minutes after he leads your team in the last 4 games.

Dixon pulled him yesterday after he took a bad three…you could see immediately after that his offensive aggressiveness disappeared as he was afraid to make a mistake and get pulled.

Maybe Jamie needs evaluated at Western Psych,-)

So Michael, if you’re saying Pitt’s problem this year is Jamie didn’t develop players…then….

he must get all the credit the last 8 years for developing the players???

He needs to play his freshmen to get valuable experience, granted some of his latest picks didn’t turn out to well, but he blew the Birch episode. The kid was used to playing a big role not pine attendence! If the new 4 stars sit while watching the others play then it will be another year of bad BB.

I actually agree with you Michael on the playing time.

With what he has done at Pitt, Dixon has a lot credit bankrolled with me. However, one thing that concerns me, and how horrible to say this is a bad thing, but his loyalty to his players.

Thats all well and good, and I’m not an insider, so I don’t know if he really deserves that reputaion or not, but, play the best 5 players you have.

For example, suppose, just suppose for arguments sake, Steven Adams comes in, and is everything people say he is (I know, maybe he won’t be), I’m saying IF he is, he should be on the court, end of story.

If he’s a powerhouse player, I don’t want to hear that he’s “not ready”, or needs “polished”, if the kid is one of your 5 best, put him on the court.

So, I do agree with you.

The Birch thing, I’m not just defending Dixon to defend him, I don’t know, that kid seemed to have a lot of people pulling him different ways and whispering in his ear.

He was starting to get a lot of playing time, out of position or not, he was starting to play a lot of basketball. If he wasn’t happy with that, then there are too many people talking to him.

IMHO

Awesome

James robinson should in no way shape or form start over tra woodall next year. JR should be one of the first guys off the bench though. Woodalls injury no doubt affected his play. Did it cause him to make dumb passes? No, but it hurt his shooting, defense, and rebounding. The 2 is up for grabs next year. Im concerned about that spot. lamar and jj have the 3 covered up. The 4 is my biggest concern. Pitt doesnt have a 4. Dante and talib are just big bodies. They dont have the skills of the 4 or the 5 although i think they would be ok at the 4. The only players at the 5 next year should be gilbert and adams. They are true centers, will have huge effects on defense and rebounding, and in gilberts case at least, dont have the “how can you be that stupid” kind of plays like talib and dante do.

My starters:
Tra
Johnson
Jj
Dante
Adams

Robinson, lamar, and gilbert are the first ones off the bench. I wouldnt be opposed to lamar starting either.

If pitt wants a smaller lineup, put lamar at the 4. Hes a very good rebounder and is physical but id only do that if pitt plans on going up tempo or they need scoring.

Lamar would be a good 4, he can shoot, handle the ball decently and rebound well.Pitt needs to put the two frosh on the floor along with Lamar and Woodall or JJ Moore. The first 10 games will shake things out, but the kids got to play or the future 4 star players will look elsewhere!

Starters next year- Robinson, Woodall, Moore, Patterson, Adams. Those are probably going to be your 5 best players. Now that line-up is small, but you have a lot of talent. They would be very difficult to match-up with on offense. Patterson is a Wanamaker replica, but further along in devlopment. His redshirt year is going to pay huge dividends in the coming years (imagine Wanamaker if he’d have been here for a 5th year). This team should be very good next year. Crazy to think that this is the first time we missed the quarterfinals of BET since 2000, and we had a bye to the quarterfinals in 8 of those years I believe. That’s pretty impressive.

I kind of like:

PG: Woodall/Robinson
SG: Moore
SF: Patterson
PF: Adams – from what I’ve seen, he’s athletic enough and won’t get bullied by the BE Centers.
C: Gilbert

Not gonna happen but I’d like to see it. Adams is a little soft to light up BE Centers – going agains some PF’s may be just what he needs.

Not sure if those criticizing Moore’s lack of playing time yesterday watched the game. He stood around outside the 3 point circle waiting for someone to pass him the ball, then didn’t know what to do next. I had the feeling he didn’t understand how to attack the zone – kept waiting for him to move without the ball, but he didn’t.

I agree with the philosophy of starting the best 5. I won’t guess who that will turn out to be, but I seem to remember Blair starting from game 1 as a frosh, so we know Dixon starts frosh if they earn it. No one gets to see practice, but that apparently seems to dictate who he has confidence to play. I don’t believe anyone just gets to start just because of their high school reputation, and don’t want anyone on the team who expects to.

SD Panther–that’s what I kept thinking as I was reading through these posts…Jamie seems to be a coach that starts players based on how they practice. Maybe that’s a lesson that a lot of freshmen don’t get right away: they have to earn their PT through their practices.

And for those who have a sense of humor about being an NIT bubble team instead of an NCAA lock for the first time in over a decade, here’s a funny article about nitology.com:
link to online.wsj.com

Wiat a minute! Robinson is the best point guard recruited in the Howland/Dixon era??? There’s a guy sitting on the bench named Brandin Knight that was a pretty fair PG. Why is that there is always that un-test, over-hyped player that will be the saviour?? What has he done to make us think any different? Are we forgetting Dante Taylor, Epps, Birch? They certainly made a difference!

Good link SD Panther!! “I’ve found my niche”!
LOL

JD BETTER GET A POWER FORWARD/REBOUNDING MACHINE!! HEARD A RUMOR THAT THERE IS ANOTHER RECRUIT PENDING BUT PITT UNABLE TO FULLY TALK ABOUT THE SITUATION? PERHAPS A PLAYER ON THE CURENT ROSTER IS LEAVING? HAIL TO PITT.

Why would we want Lamar to play the 4? He did it some this year and got manhandled on the glass every time. Lamar is a guard and we need to take advantage of our size next year. Woodall, Robinson, Moore, Taylor, Adams. 6th man: Patterson. Backup post: Zanna

Lots of question marks for next year. PG & PF top priority. Woodall or Robinson == Woodall turn-over to assist ratio not good. Pattersons game is tailored more for the 2nd guard .Penatrate,dish,hit the three. Moores’ recent play has been positive & it looks like the light came on & he is playing better team basketball. Moore @ the 3 spot. Adams & Gilbert rotate @ center w/???????? & Taylor backing-up @ power forward. PITT will be much bigger next year. Take care of the ball better & play solid defense 2012/2013 season should be much improved.

Moore definitely looked timid yesterday. Had one or two good looks, one shot he fired up way too early, and then nothing. He was the one guy who could have tried to penetrate the zone and create and he was reluctant.

Off season for Moore needs to focus on ball handling. He also need to learn not to start double clutching and shying away from the contact when he drives before it even occurs.

I am by nature a pessimist. For some reason I thought Pitt basketball this season would be a struugle because of the youth but no less than 23 win season. I did not consider reality: complete lack of size underneath (no legitimate center recruited) and without the crutch of Wannamaker Gibbs is an ordinary and Woodall I never considered D1. But this was Pitt and we find a way to win.

Despite my pessimisum I am very high on football in the future because of who I believe is the perfect coach for this program. Pitt of the 70′ and 80’s had great skilled players but they prospered by the best Offensive lines in college football. Those types of players are still in our recruiting area.

Basketball: Pitt has finally been able to recruit a legitimate guard. Perhaps not Jermy Lamb becuase of his unusal quickness but a complete guard who will eliminate turnovers,reducing 10 points each game, add 8 to 10 points at the position PG.

Adams by the end of the high school season will be the #1 recruit. He is a legitimate 7’0″ far more atheletic than the other top centers with the tempermant of Blair inside. He can shot foul shots, face the basket and make 10ft. shots, if Jamie allows him.

Moore will benefit. Taylor at 6’9″ simply has to rebound and pick up garbage offensive rebounds that he will be able to complete not being contested by taller stronger men.

These 4 should play from the beginning of practice through the non-confernce – lose 3 games if so, but by January they will be ready. It is a difficult argument to rate Woodall over Robinson and anyone over Adams.

Tony, youre imagining things. Patterson did well at the 4. Again, i would only do this if pitt needs more offense.

After reading all these comments, I think some ppl have good points. I think that we have a solid lineup for next year besides the 2 spot. Can lamar patterson play the 2? And honestly after seeing many recruiting videos I wouldnt bank on robinson playing right away, while I do have confidence in Adams. Heres what I see as a lineup:

1. Woodall (Robinson substitutes)
2. Patterson?
3. Moore
4. Taylor (Zana substitutes)
5. Adams (Gilbert substitutes)

That lineup would give us some huge height as well. I just wanted to ask this question though, especially as the offense was struggling, why do we never push the ball? That could at least help get things going. And we are screwed again next year if no one looks to attack the basket. No one on the team wanted to drive to the basket and create shots for others.

A seven foot player with the athletic abilty of of a swingman, and ranked #4 in the nation, only because he is only building his reputation since summer should not sit behind anyone.
His upside compare to Drummond is overwhelming. Drummond cannot put the ball on the floor or hit a 3 point shoot. On a tape I saw Adams make a steal at half court, start his dribble with his right hand cross-over and slam the ball with his left since he was approaching the hoop from the left.
Against the now rated #1 center who he outscored by 11, Nolen left him alone 10 ft. from the basket and he drained a jump shot. In the video he shot 2 foul shots with excellent mechanics.

If he was a American high school and AAU player he would not be playing at Pitt and he also would have a game limited to 5 ft. from the rim.

As for Robinson is the 4th ranked PG after playing SG the previous 3 years. Like most DeMatha coached players (fundamentals) he is ready for the big time.
Sorry to be repetative but I sincerly believe after watching videos of these two play against the best talent in America that thsi is by far Dixon’s best class. He needed it and he better use it and not overcoach it.
He has never had a talent like Adams or a guard as skilled as Robinson.

We shall see what happens when Pitt opens up in the fall!

I thought you Jamie Dixon haters might like this:

link to youtube.com

Not a Dixon hater, but I did enjoy that clip of Sean miller He’s impressive.

Does spring fb start this week or next? It would also be nice to see a recruit or two. I see Mich. has 15 commitments, PSU 5 with 4 4 stars and a 5 star. On its way to a top 10 class. So much for a new coaching staff having to establish relationships. All the big time schools are starting to pull in recruits. Where is Pitt! It would be nice to see something positive for a change!

Who gives a shit about sean miller?

yeesh

I think Jamie takes Pitt big in 12/13. Look, Pitt struggled to score 50 points in a basketball game because they had too many short guys. Try this lineup.

Gilbert, Adams and Zanna down low, with Taylor first big off bench. * Off-season these guys work primarily on ball handling (catching, dribbling and passing)

Woodall and Patterson start at guards, with Robinson and Johnsons/Moore the first three in. Going big and aggressively, would favor Pitt. Who can defend them going 6’11”, 6’11” 6’9″ 6″5 5’11”. Would look like Baylor as far as length. Matchup nightmares, keeps Adams out of more physical game to start.

Finally, get Gilbert and Zanna to play in the NIT all day. Keep them in. Experience trumps wins for the tourney and they should be able to get both just based on talent for the first two rounds. Pitt will not be able to compete for titles in the ACC with 3 or 4 guys at 6’6″ or less. They need players that can handle the ball, pass, catch and finish within 5 feet of the tin. Just a quick glimpse of the competition shows…

NC – 7’0″ zellers, 6’10″Henson, 6’8″ Barnes. First sub in rotation 6’9.5″

Duke – 6’11”; 6’10”, 6’8″…first sub 6’10”

FSU – 6’11”, 6’10”,

Like to see us get a beefy power forward, great,job recruiting this yr Jamie Hail To Pitt

This i is what th I see it. Adam looks pretty good, but I am concerned how he’ll hold up against BE and ACC big men since he’s so thin. Robinson is a typical WCAC (DC Area Catholic Basketball League) PG, which means that he’ll play disaplined floor leader ball. He’s not quick and isn’t a great shooter but he’ll run the offense. He’ll probably be more like a Levance Fields than any other PG Pitt has had, but a little better scorer off the Dribble than Levance was. Looking at the 2013 class, the kid from Chester is intriguing to say the least. He’s 6’6″ but gets to the hole like nobody’s business, if Pitt can land him and the SG they are recruiting, you might be looking at a final four team in 2013 when Moore and Patterson are seniors and hopefully Adams and Robinson are still here. Pitt will have a really good team (imagine how Sick defensively Pitt would have been if Birch was inside with Adams? Both guys blocking almost everything that comes through, nasty just nasty, but Jamie f’ed that up). 2012 can be something but 2013 can be a dream season if Adams returns.

I prefer to wait until practices are held before naming a starting 5.

One bad year and everyone is freaking out about Dixon. And Dixon will play a freshman if hes ready. Does anyone remember that one kid DeJuan Blair? The best player to come through Pitt in 20 years? He earned his way on to the court his freshman year, and Dixon played him. Dixon will play the players he thinks will give the team the best chance to win. Period.

And some of the “starting fives” Im seeing on here are ridicoulous. Patterson playing the 4? Adams not playing Center even though that is his natural position? I dont see why Taylor wouldnt get moved back to PF as thats what he played through high school and was forced to move to Center when he got to Pitt.