I don’t know if Jamie Dixon ever forgave Keno Davis for the upset at Providence when the team was #1 in 2009. Dixon seems to have made it a mission to make Davis’ life miserable since. In 2010, Pitt beat Providence’s road upset shot with a half-court 3-pointer at the buzzer by Ashton Gibbs. In 2011, Providence gave Pitt its best shot yet again, but lost. 2012 saw Davis forced to call the 4 straight Pitt games in the CBI — downright cruel.
Then Davis lands the Central Michigan job, and the best player transfers to Pitt. Sure, everyone knew Zeigler was going to transfer, but to go to Pitt? That’s like an extra knife twist into Keno Davis’ gut.
Here’s a radio interview with Coach Dixon from last week — don’t buy the title use of “redemption.” Dixon refused to call the CBI that. It’s not particularly in depth. He talks positively about what the team got through. He talks about needing to play defense, stay healthy and cut down on turnovers for next year. He does admit to being disappointed in the season.
He also talks about Steven Adams and James Robinson coming to Pitt. For those trying to read tealeaves as to why he didn’t mention Cris Jones, don’t. Dixon can’t talk about Jones yet, because Jones hasn’t signed his National Letter of Intent (the late signing period starts on Wednesday, April 11).
Speaking of recruiting, from last week’s McDonald’s All-American Game, outside of Shabazz Muhammad, it wasn’t that impressive gathering of talent. As Dave Telep explains (Insider subs.)
The McDonald’s game is our best showcase of talent and I think the Super Bowl for high school kids. Fans watching at home should exercise patience and not rush to judgment on what they saw. They should understand that this is an average class with one superior talent in the game. A great number of these kids will be three- and four-year college players and expectations have to be tempered. I also saw nervous 18-year olds last night.
Overall, this class as a whole is average. It was missing Nerlens Noel (Everett, Mass./Tilton School), Kaleb Tarczewski (Claremont, N.H./St. Mark’s), Ricardo Ledo (Providence, R.I./South Kent), Sam Dekker (Sheboygan, Wis./Sheboygan Lutheran) and Mitch McGary (Chesterton, Ind./Brewster Academy) last night. Put them in the mix and it may have been a more exciting roster, but for differing reasons they weren’t there.
Sounds like a few fanbases might be using McDonald’s All-American pejoratively in a year or so to describe some of their own.
Before K-State hired recently fired Illinois Coach Bruce Weber to replace Frank Martin (who left for South Carolina), ESPN’s resident college basketball troll, Doug Gottlieb made statements of his interest in the job. This despite no coaching experience, and being nothing but a media creature for the last 8 years. It was apparent from the get-go that this was an attention-getting ploy. Raise his profile and stir crap up.
The stunning thing, was how much attention this self-promoting performance received.
“I’m pretty self aware and I understand that the idea is not necessarily out of left field, but it would not technically be the norm for an athletic director,” Gottlieb told The Mercury in a phone interview on Thursday. “But I do believe if given the chance I would do it pretty well.”
There’s a fair amount of arrogance from Gottlieb about how well he would actually do — that you would expect. It’s almost comical. The one nugget, though, is that Gottlieb admits his obvious bias (No, not that he hates the Big East and all of the schools.) — that he is a Big 12 homer.
“It feels very much like Stillwater. It’s a league that I love. I love the competiveness of it and I love the home-court advantage Bramlage now provides. Heck, it’s one of the best home-court advantages in the country. I think it’s a heck of a job.”
That is one of two reasons he goes after the Big East and most other conferences and schools (seriously, I don’t think there is a non-Big 12 program that doesn’t believe Gottlieb hates them). He tears down others to try and make the Big 12 look bigger. The other reason is much simpler: he’s a troll. He makes his living by being the college basketball version of Skip Bayless. The more people he gets angry, the more they pay attention to the crap he spews.
It will be interesting to see what kind of media deal the Big East can get itself. On the one hand, they are much weaker with the loss of WVU and pending losses of Pitt and Cuse, and still unstable with the threat of further Big 12 expansion claiming Louisville and maybe Cinci. On the other hand, the numbers keep rising and the Big 12 helped raise the bar as ESPN and Fox teamed up again to squeeze out NBC/Comcast.
I’m not sure there will be another partnership, though, since Fox is looking to compete more directly with ESPN by taking their Speed channel and making it into a multi-sport platform. Not to mention making Saturday nights on Fox all sports. That means it could be more of a 3-way battle between ESPN, Fox and NBC. I’d also think that CBS might finally be getting ready to get serious with their obscure CBS College Sports Channel — with the hiring of Jim Rome. So, look for your cable/satellite bill to go up once more.
That’s still good news for Pitt, since it also means the ACC may get a nice boost when Pitt and Cuse join, since the change in membership should reopen the ACC’s media rights deal with ESPN.
Readers of the PG, especially Ron Cook, are used to this kind of journalism
Also, not trying to be completely pessimistic here but it’s worth noting that the 5th anniversary of the Virginia Tech shootings falls on April 16th. Apparently, that started as a bunch of bomb threats too. Hopefully history does not repeat itself. I know these are some pretty rough things to be blogging about, but the Pitt community needs to support the university as much as possible right now. Hopefully they catch this ignorant bastard.
$10 says the Pitt bomber is an angry Penn State alum/hillbillie from Monroeville.
i bet he is a kid and he needs his ass beat
attenton dont give it to him what a ass.
will he count as a 4 star or 5 star or not at all.
A coaching job would get him off the air . . . at least until he gets fired for losing. Hopefully someone will hire him just so we don’t have to listen to him.
There’s much more chance that Adams will leave, Moore will remain a space cadet, Patterson stays a good role player, Robinson is just OK and Zanna finishes school still a project.
Too much is unpredictable in this world of pseudo-professional “college” athletics to dream about a couple years from now.
Let’s worry about this coming year and getting Zeigler eligible to strengthen the backcourt. I actually think it’s possible he gets the OK and wonder how Pitt is involved in petitioning the NCAA about it.
Why do we have to look at the glass as half-empty? Why is there “…much more chance” of your scenario playing out?
When’s the last time you saw a 7 ft center with skills turn down the money? Especially one who doesn’t come from privileged background…..
When’s the last time you saw an all-athlete, no brains player (Moore) develop an understanding of the game? Correct me if I’m wrong, but he was still hoisting up bad shots pretty recently, wasn’t he?
Patterson’s limitations are mostly physical. He’s a smart player, and would be a nice complement on a great team, but he’s not the guy you build around or the first guy you talk about on a potential Top 5 team. “Better all around players in the ACC, if not the country”? Come on, I was surprised when he dunked this year. I love having him, but let’s be reasonable about his upside.
Zanna’s making “slow progress”. Holy crap it’s slow. Let’s just face facts: he’s a project that didn’t pan out and they desperately need an upgrade at the 4.
Robinson’s a complete unknown quantity. I don’t want to hear about DeMatha. Sure, it’s good high school ball. It’s also different than Siva and Russ Smith chasing you around. I just don’t want to assume that this untested kid will be the primary ballhandler on a Top 5 team until we all see him play. Is that reasonable?
It’s exactly the same as when everyone started crowing about how tough Birch and Adams were going to be together.
Better to live with your feet on the ground……
That said, its really unlikely Adams stays, in my mind. Mostly because he’s said in an interview his drive is to play in the NBA and send money back home. Same reason a lot of guys go pro earlier than later.
But what Dokish and Hugh arent really accounting for is whether Gilbert plays well. The kid was a 4-star recruit, is huge, is more developed now than Aaron Grey or McGhee were and Pitt has a history of developing true big men (ie not Dante Taylor).
Also, i’m surprised the write up wasn’t about what to expect in 2013, when we KNOW Adams will still be here. Our only weak spots are at the PF and who will be our outside/3pt shooter. I don’t see anyone on the team as a 3pt assassin. I maybe remembering them too fondly but we have no on like a Ramon or Gibbs. That said, our best year in the last decade we didn’t have someone like that in the starting line-up (ie the 2008-2009 Fields, Dixon, Young, Biggs, Blair year). We just a had a few guys that were pretty solid from outside (Young, Fields) and a relatively long, talented and athletic line-up.
As always, I’m much more optimistic about Moore too. Less so about Patterson (agree Hugh, i don’t think he’ll be one of the best in the ACC/country). That said, we’re young and have that going for us. I presume at least some of these guys will make a step forward, esp Patterson and Moore. Hopefully Woodall (particularly w ball control) and Zanna (just understanding the game better). And, dare I say there is a outside chance Taylor makes at least a modest step forward.
Oh, and re guys staying longer than 1yr. Fab Melo. He may be the best reference point being a very hyped international player. He stayed (like Monroe) another year because he wasn’t quite good enough having to adjust to US b-ball. Suspect Adams may have to as well. In this case, 2014 would be a very good year:
C- Adams/Gilbert,
PF – Zanna / ??
G – Moore / Zeigler
G – Patterson / ??
PG – Robinson / ??
?? = unrecruited guys or whomever of Cam Wright JJ, Jones or D. Johnson makes the cut.
Maybe not nat’l contenders but we should be in pretty good shape for the next two years in any case.
Good list of players that stayed. You just left out the 99% that didn’t.
The whole Florida team came back to win another na’tl championship. Different motivation there and they were mostly juniors, I think. Hard to compare…..
I agree, PantherP, with the concern about outside shooting in 2013. Could be rough.
I’m hopeful for Gilbert. Can’t believe they wasted his redshirt this year.
99%? give me a break.
As his coach said and others pointed out Robinson could score 20 a game if he did not agree to move to PG. I think this shows not only his character but his versatility and courtmastery to paly one year at PG and be ranked number 5 at the position.
For Pitt to make the leap we hope for to compliment Adams Robinson has to take the PG job by conference play and Zeigler becomes eligible immediately. If both these things occur I think 2011-2012 will be be a mad memory. Beyond that it depends on what Adams does and Gilberts progression.
I agree with what somewhat else said that if Dixon only recruited a McGhee (should of been easy) in the three intervening years Pitt would have won 8 more games.
The point is, the NBA salivates over 7 foot guys and they draft them in the first round on potential and VERY few players turn the cabbage down.
What will matter is how much $ his family can get.
He came into Syracuse as a highly regarded, athletic 7 footer. He was expected to be a “one and done” lottery pick.
Boeheim gave him every opportunity to start last year and yet he couldn’t contribute. It was the game at the Pete last year that sealed his fate. Gary and Nas ate him up, he never got back on the court. He was lost on defense and contributed very little on offense.
His family needed the money, but he likely wouldn’t have been drafted until the second round last year. He waited a year, along with others had his team in contention for a final four, until he became ineligible. Now he is looking at being a late first rounder by most accounts.
Certainly not the dream scenario for Adams and maybe Adams is better, we just don’t know yet.
Hmmmmm……that seems slightly inconsistent.
Sure, maybe Adams’ family wanted one year of acclimation to the US for him before pro ball, which is wise.
first round = NBA
Melo is a good example. All he had to do was show a flash of potential this year and the first round comes into play again. If he’d shown even a flash his freshman season, he’d have been ineligible by Feb 2011 and drafted first round soon afterward.
Great write up by doke