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September 28, 2014

Looking For Something Positive

Filed under: Basketball,Injury,Players — Chas @ 9:48 am

Maybe there’s some good news from Pitt basketball.

Senior guard Cameron Wright, Pitt’s leading returning scorer, had surgery Friday after breaking his left foot a week before the team’s first practice, a team source said.

Wright, who broke his foot Thursday, is expected to miss 10 weeks.

The Panthers’ first practice is scheduled for Friday.

/sigh





Maybe the good news is , someone younger will get more practice and game experience until Cam returns and will be more prepared at crunch time. I think Cam may have already reached his ceiling….

Comment by PittPT 09.28.14 @ 10:01 am

Good point about getting others some work while Wright is out. It would be great to see Newkirk just seize this opportunity where it makes it impossible for Jamie to take him off the court. I will add that for guys like Wright, who I agree has probably reached his ceiling, sometimes getting back into the flow of things mid-season is tough and that goes for most players. I would hate to see it be a lost season for him. Trying to get back in game shape, adjusting to your role, getting in a rhythm, getting used to playing with new players, all at the start of conference play will be a challenge for him to say the least.

Comment by WorkinOnMyPittness 09.28.14 @ 10:55 am

Always sorry to hear when a kid gets hurt. This probably insures that the other Cameron WON’T be redshirted this year.

Also might be an opportunity for PITT to actually be better in March than in January.

As this gives several players more PT and that might be very good for Newkirk and some of the others. Which might in the long run be very good for the team as a whole come March and next year.

Comment by Emel 09.28.14 @ 11:16 am

Kansas just fired Weiss.

Comment by Tony77019 09.28.14 @ 11:38 am

there’s your positive – I guess (always thought Weiss was a pretentious snob)

but seriously, maybe Chris Jones will get a chance, or maybe DJ can show what he can do at the 4

Comment by wbb 09.28.14 @ 12:36 pm

Thank god we have depth..pitt will be fine until he comes back…

Comment by Keith 09.28.14 @ 12:55 pm

Bummer about the injury but if they can figure out the 5 i think they have a chance to be pretty good this year. Might be the deepest team in years.

Comment by longsufferingpittfan 09.28.14 @ 4:06 pm

Ah, the dreaded Pitt Optimism! How’s that working out so far in football!

Comment by Dan 72 09.28.14 @ 7:36 pm

We really don’t have any backup at the “2”. In the Bahamas, we had two players start at every other position, but Wright started every game at the “2.”

While Wright is out, Newkirk will probably play 10 minutes at point guard and 20 minutes at the “2”. That still leaves 20 minutes available at the “2”. Who will play those minutes?

My guess is that it will be either Durand Johnson (who is nearing 100%) or Chris Jones. Slim (Cameron Johnson) was being prepared to play the “3”, not the “2”, according to Zeise’s report last week of an interview with Dixon:

link to sportsblogs.post-gazette.com

Comment by Howard 09.29.14 @ 9:00 am

In the spirit of so many Pitt “2” players who stepped it up and had awesome senior seasons, I am hopeful Cam was going to be that person this year. Hopefully still will be.

Comment by DD 09.29.14 @ 12:53 pm

Sporting News has a story on the Wright injury:

link to sportingnews.com

Comment by Howard 09.29.14 @ 6:44 pm

Just gives my (and everyone else’s) pick for breakout star a chance to get some serious PT early in the season.

Josh Newkirk looked better than Robinson for much of the last month of the season and would have been getting good minutes anyway this year. Now he’s almost 100% going to start the first 10 weeks which could be a blessing in disguise.

While this might mean a loss in the Maui and possibly a loss in Indiana if we need a senior to step up, it’ll help the long ACC stretch to have 2 players worth to be starting PG who got legitimate playing time in the non-con.

Comment by Giraffe 09.30.14 @ 11:31 pm

Cameron Wright had a good summer. He is a good defender, he’s good on the break, he’s good at finding open spots in the defense and hitting mid range shots. Combined with his size and athleticism, that’s a skillset that Pitt could use.

But that’s not the skillset of a “go to guy”. Often, good role players at Pitt try to make the leap to being the man in their fifth year. That hasn’t always worked out, Gibbs, Woodall, Gil Brown, Nasir Robinson etc. Patterson made the leap, but could only carry Pitt to one tourney win.

The glass half full view of Cameron Wrigh’s injury is that he will need to work his way into an established offense. Neither he nor Jamie will be tempted to run too much of the offense through him.

Oh and a much more offensively talented Newkirk will get valuable minutes.

Reading the tea leaves, this looks like the rotation to start the season:

5) Haughton, Randall, Uchebo
4) Young, Artis, Jeter, Luther
3) D. Johnson, Jeter, Jones, C. Johnson
2) Newkirk, D. Johnson, Jones, C. Johnson
1) Robinson, Newkirk

Luther will redshirt. Slim should redshirt, he’s still not physically ready to defend 2’s or 3’s at the ACC level. He’s going to be a star when he matures, be patient. The only way Dixon burns the redshirt is if Jones stinks and Pitt needs shooting. Don’t rule that out.

I hope Uchebo is near healthy, but am afraid he is permanently damaged. Even on one leg he can give Pitt 10 minutes/game. But not much more.

Jeter should get starter minutes, but it will be hard with Young and Artis also needing PT. He’ll need to play the 3, but I think he fits better at the 4.

Should be fun!

Comment by Boubacar Aw 10.01.14 @ 2:42 pm

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