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January 3, 2015

I’m not emotionally prepared to discuss yesterday at this point. Thankfully there is a basketball game to take my mind off of it (please?).

It’s a nooner on various local cable providers with ACC distribution — looks like a lot of options all over the country. For Pittsburgh, it is on WTAE.

Record-wise, NC State isn’t too different from Pitt. They are 10-4. They have one decent win over a major conference team (Tennessee). They have a horrid non-con loss (Wofford at home). Lost a road game in the state of Indiana (Purdue). Laid an egg of double-digit lossĀ  in the two games against good teams (WVU and Cinci). It’s a superficial comparison, but it works.

This despite some real talent on that team. There are three players that account for more than 1/3 of the available per game minutes. Trevor Lacey, BeeJay Anya and Lennard Freeman. Coincidentally, those are three key players who NC State and Mark Gottfried beat Pitt to get. Gottfried’s recruiting acumen has never been an issue. As you can guess, it has always been about getting production and consistency from said talent.

NC State has a very good offense, mediocre defense and their pace is about average. Pitt’s control of tempo will probably be their biggest issue. It is not a team that passes the ball. As expected with the talent they have, it is heavily reliant on one-on-one match-ups.

 





4 and 5 star players want no part of the JD system. You cannot have shooters afraid to get pulled if they miss a shot. Luther got the message, don’t shoot. He can make 3s but is now too timid and afraid to shoot. Same with Jones, he knows not to shoot. I would like to see what they could do if he takes the reigns off this group.

Comment by Jp 01.03.15 @ 8:10 pm

gc – I’d like to see what the new AD and Gallagher have in mind. I suspect Jaime was also hamstrung by SP. I know his scheduling and assistant pay was. My gut tells me $$ for recruiting was as well. If the new Chancellor and AD are serious about restoring Pitt athletically, the basketball program will most likely see a boost.

I am baffled at his struggles with Centers. He’s put three in the NBA (Blair, Adams and Gray) and a 4th playing professionally overseas – McGee.

Comment by Tossing Thabeets 01.03.15 @ 9:06 pm

TT, money can’t hurt, but still not an explanation for the dearth of powerful big men, even before the NBA guys there were guys like Troutman that could rebound take up space and make layups.

The fact that we have one senior and one junior that started their careers here is not Pitt Basketball.

Comment by gc 01.03.15 @ 9:58 pm

Pulled if they miss a shot? Dudes we shot 31% today. If true then lecack and ko would have started the 2nd half!

Comment by DD 01.03.15 @ 10:04 pm

Pittsburgh sports weekend from hell rolls on, everything that’s happening today is saving the football team.

Comment by andrew92 01.03.15 @ 10:14 pm

I hoped last week that the Steelers would lose to Cincy because I thought that playing at Indianapolis this week was easier than playing Baltimore this week.

But how do you tell a team to lose the Division title.

Comment by Frank MD 01.03.15 @ 10:29 pm

Way off topic but you guys know how much I hate Lafayette Pitts. That said, I would rather have Lafayette starting for the Steelers than the usesleess, incompetent, slow and stupid Mike Mitchell.

What a crappy weekend.

Comment by HTP123 01.03.15 @ 10:51 pm

Pittsburgh sports this weekend…0-5, ouch

Comment by Keith 01.03.15 @ 11:00 pm

The Pitt curse has covered the entire county it is so powerful!!!! Every athlete in the county will be impacted for at least a week.. .please be careful out there!.

Comment by HTP123 01.03.15 @ 11:05 pm

I think NE is a walk to the Super Bowl but what do I know.

Comment by Frank MD 01.03.15 @ 11:14 pm

Funny how both Reggie Mitchell and Mike Mitchell got beat like a drum. Don’t think they are related but sure do stink. With the basketball team being in bad shape looks like it’s going to be a long winter. Save us Narduzzi!!!!!

Comment by andrew92 01.03.15 @ 11:19 pm

I blame Matt House … the loss against Houston set the tone for the Burgh this weekend

Comment by wbb 01.03.15 @ 11:40 pm

if Pitt has someone better than Pitts, then he would be playing .. as far as I know, Pitts is not a legacy

Comment by wbb 01.03.15 @ 11:41 pm

ENough..I will tolerate no more Pitt losses. We pay this coach 2 frickn million a year to recruit And coach basketball. The results of the last 5 years and this year are unacceptable!!

Enough..with the Steelers, Pens and Pitt Football. I am tired of being totally embarrassed as a Pitt alum. And Jamie, what deal with the devil did you make to get this clown of an AAU coach as an assistant. A big help he’s been!

Comment by Dan 72 01.04.15 @ 12:06 am

Dan 72 – I agree. It is time for people to realize Dixon makes 2M and is below avg. I don’t want to hear he wins 20 games. 12 are against nobodies.

Comment by Upittbaseball 01.04.15 @ 12:50 am

I’d rather have a blowjob from a piranha than listen to Ron Jaworski. He is the worst. Goes the same for Adam Sheffler.

Comment by Upittbaseball 01.04.15 @ 12:51 am

@Upitt, was too tired to post, just glancing over before my eyes come down.

Then, I see piranha and blow job in the same sentence!!!

Friggin’ howling!!! Good night, thank you!!!

Comment by Dan 01.04.15 @ 1:13 am

Dan – Goodnight Friend!

Let’s hear some good news on some legit coordinators this week. Oh todays weather was gorgeous and 56 degrees and sunny. Fitting!

Comment by Upittbaseball 01.04.15 @ 1:17 am

What will definitely move me off the JD bandwagon would be PSU finishing the season ranked higher that Pitt in hoops. No way should that happen…..EVER.

This could be that year.

Comment by TVax 01.04.15 @ 9:18 am

well, this week will be the hiring of assistants, and the following weeks will be completion of the recruitment process … keeping the commitments and hopefully attracting the remaining gems .. leading up to signing day, a month away. (My guess is that House won’t be retained as DC in a late Feb announcement)

There are still some uncommitted defensive players that have interest in Pitt; we’ll see if we can close.

Comment by wbb 01.04.15 @ 9:21 am

BC won’t be a gimme game. The Eagles are 7-5. I expect Pitt to bounce back though.

Comment by Tony77019 01.04.15 @ 10:14 am

So much for the prediction of Narduzzi having oat of his staff in place by Saturday 1/3/15!
That’s why the guy should have been hiring staff for the last week rather than coaching MSU in their bowl game. I’m glad he was there in person to see that most recent Pitt abortion delivered in person. It would have been even better to have had the newly hired DC there also so that he could see and smell the stink that this house defense puts out up close and personal prior to his first attempts to exorcise those entrenched demons from this current squad.
Never forget Houston!

Comment by Dr. Tom 01.04.15 @ 10:34 am

Got a chance to watch the game late last night… and haven’t had time to read any of the Blather commentary on it either…

Did anyone notice or mention it looks as though we’ve recruited a bunch of old washed up white dudes? Or maybe we’re coaching them to play old washed up white dude style?

Not sure how every team we play has better athletes than us?

Running, dribbling, driving, dunking, shot making, shot blocking athletes.

And we have none.

I’d like to make an excuse that we are young… But that excuse doesn’t fly in basketball… Either you got it, or you don’t.

Comment by Pitt2Cali 01.04.15 @ 10:37 am

Dr. Tom, Narduzzi was quoted on Friday after game that staff should be done by weeks end (1/11). Wanted to speak to Pitt staff before announcing new staff.

Comment by andrew92 01.04.15 @ 10:39 am

JD was quoted as poor shot selection was a problem yesterday. When you run the weave without looking for an opening then have 10 seconds to make a play results in poor shot selection. Until he changes his philosophy no offensive recruit would want to play for him (maybe his style of play is the reason Slice left!).

During the St. Bonnie game you could hear the coach yelling out play numbers, I doubt Pitt has a play book!

Comment by markp 01.04.15 @ 10:51 am

funny how very few people here took exception to PC staying on to coach UW in the Rose Bowl, nearly a whole 2 weeks after he was hired. Probably because we accepted loyalty immediately after the Fraud fiasco.

I will guarantee contacts have been made by HCPN this past week, and it was also a dead period in recruiting these past 2 weeks … only 1 contact (non-personal) per commit was allowed. If Pitt loses some commits immediately in the next few days, chances will be they weren’t coming here anyway.

Comment by wbb 01.04.15 @ 11:48 am

to clarify .. if Pitt loses some ‘recruits’ these next few days, then chances are they weren’t coming here anyway

Comment by wbb 01.04.15 @ 11:50 am

Yeah, I got that andrew92. I’m realistic in that it will probably be a couple more weeks until the major cogs in this new staff are in place. I’m not happy with it but that’s the reality of the situation. Others have dreamed otherwise, but that ship has sailed already. That’s what I was referencing in my post above.

The key is the DC getting on board ASAP, since there are so many uncommitted defensive recruits still left out there that Pitt could so dearly use on this team. It will take time for the new guy to meet and recruit these targets and of course the clock is ticking, the deadline being 2/4/15.

There are plenty of opportunities on this team for talented true Freshmen to compete for early playing time on Pitt’s defensive unit because we stink and the strengths of that smelly unit are all graduating. There is a lot of heavy lifting to be done with this defense come Spring. God help us!

BTW, Nard Dog’s discussion with the remaining coaching staff sure shouldn’t take very long. The first question I would ask of each coach, “did you find the need to throw up immediately after Friday’s bowl game”? Anyone that admits that they were physically sickened by such a pathetic Pitt finish to that game, could signify that they just may have enough self dignity left in the tank to be retained as a Pitt coach going forward. I still like the S & C coach. However a response to such a debacle by Coach Rudolph that it could be used as a motivational tool was such a poor analysis of the situation that he should never be retained. The appropriate response would have been admitting to a total coaching/team breakdown and making a personal public apology to the Pitt fan base for producing such a travesty in the first place. After that, he could embellish that abortion however he cared to.
Never forget Houstin!

Comment by Dr. Tom 01.04.15 @ 12:04 pm

This is the first time in my recollection that Jamie has blamed poor shooting for the poor defense. I guess bad shot selection does lead to all the blocked shots.

I think we are in for a very long season.

Just taking a wait and see on the football front. Get staff in place, Get off-season S&C organized, Finalize recruiting.

Comment by gc 01.04.15 @ 12:31 pm

This team cannot create their own shots. They need to run and shoot quickly other than passing around on the perimeter for 30 seconds and throwing up a prayer.

Comment by Jp 01.04.15 @ 12:39 pm

the team can also not rebound … too undersized unless you put in the 5s who can’t play.

Comment by wbb 01.04.15 @ 1:32 pm

The shooting yesterday was atrocious. They had good looks from the outside and missed most, particularly Wright, and the “big” men could not finish with somebody in their face. Simple shot fakes at the very least would have resulted in more fouls and FT attempts. And I have to wonder if they could play any worse with Uchebo or Randall getting more minutes. Just SOME type of interior presence might be helpful, pull Young away from the hoop a little where he can maybe create a bit more, hit some short-range jumpers, maybe post up Wright if he’s got a smaller guard on him. This methodical offense, with this particular squad, is NOT going to work. If Dixon is the great coach many people believe he is, then he’s going to have to really prove it this season.

Comment by Carmen 01.04.15 @ 2:08 pm

On the football topic, I have seen several post that they would not mind keeping the current S7 C coach but I have questions about that.

Many (including myself) have read how the players love him and that there have been fewer injuries and that the players just look stronger. HOWEVER…

We have all noticed ho this team has faded in the 4th quarter in many games as well.

That could be mental(the young players haven’t learned how to win or how to play with a lead) or schematic (our coaches can’t make adjustments) or it’s just SOP (we have a culture of finding a way to lose).

But the 2 games I saw in person this year were Iowa & Akron. In both games our players just looked physically exhausted by the end of the 3rd quarter. I have never seen a team look as tired as we did coming off the field at the end of 3rd against Akron. While some of that can be attributed to spirit or confidence, we just looked dead tired.

Did anybody else see the same thing?

I am also surprised by the current coaches that some posters on here seem to want to keep.

As far as I’m concerned (and nobody really cares), I look at our current coaches like this:

On defense, get rid of them all. No need to even interview Palermo, Brekterfield, Haering or House. Although I like his attitude & credentials so far I’ve seen nothing from Douglass in the way of recruiting or improved play.

On offense:

Settle’s running backs had great production behind a great line but other than Hall has he recruited anybody?

Heuber lines have improved and he has shown he can recruit but he is ready to retire also.

Rudolph is the best of the lot. I would have no problem keeping him as OC but then you need to hire a qb coach.

Several have mentioned Lewis but what has he done? Boyd was still Boyd and no one else even showed a hint of developing this year.

Comment by Bowling Green Panther 01.04.15 @ 3:20 pm

Worst I’ve seen Pitt Basketball in a long time. Plus I don’t see an improvement in the future. I don’t see any big name recruits in the wings.

How we ended up with Chris Jones as a starter is beyond me. The young man is trying, but I don’t feel he can play at the ACC level needed.

We have lost the NYC area kids. I believe they want to play in front of their friends and family. Look at the Big East teams.

Dixon get a big name NYC area recruiter now!

Nordenberg can’t be held responsible the the BB mess. All his time was spent screwing up football.

I’m thinking the next few years will be know as the “PITT Dark Ages of Sports”. As you can see I’ve already titled the book.

Comment by Old Pitt Grad 01.04.15 @ 3:26 pm

Dixon ha 3 centers on this team none of whom can play. Next year we have a 350 pound center who averages less than 5 points a game in JC. Dixon is recruiting out of respiration because neither he nor anyone on his staff can recruit. Get prepared for several more years with no tournament appearances

Comment by Chick 01.04.15 @ 3:58 pm

I’ve had a lot of time off over the past couple weeks, but unfortunately it has rained just about every day. My kids are driving me crazy and I was hoping for a good bowl game and a good start to ACC play. We all know how that went. Old Pitt Grad…you are not helping…lol. I have some optimism for the football team, but the basketball team has gone from a powerhouse to a joke. Getting blown out by NC State is bad. Like others have said, I don’t see this changing anytime soon. I hope I’m wrong. Someone talk me back from the ledge.

As Duzz would say, H2P…right?

Comment by panther94 01.04.15 @ 4:07 pm

The only thing I can say about Pitt basketball is that I have ESPN3 on my computer speed dial including replay.

Comment by Frank MD 01.04.15 @ 4:14 pm

They could of really used Durand Johnson this year. He provides instant offense and with his height and good outside shot he would have created match up problems.

Comment by Justinian 01.04.15 @ 4:33 pm

1) PITT is a FB school…. or a BB school depending how shitty the other sport is doing at the time.

2) Has anyone considered that none of the current ass’t staff coaches even want to stay at PITT? As we have read and talked about PITT is NOT a destination football program and that rings true for not just HCs but staff coaches also.

Staff coaches go somewhere because they want to work under a certain person not the particular school.

3) I’ll bet a dollar Narduzzi hasn’t hired his whole staff this week. If he has then I’m very wary he’s not getting the best he can for the money. There is absolutely no need to rush into position coaches at this point. After LOI Day they pretty much sit on their ass for eight weeks.

Comment by Reed 01.04.15 @ 4:50 pm

Anyone watching this UNLV Kansas gam? So much more fun to watch! LETS GO UNLV!

Comment by ShorePitt 01.04.15 @ 5:02 pm

The NFL talent difference between the best and worst is 10%. The rest is coaching and desire. Dallas is finding that out now.

Comment by Frank MD 01.04.15 @ 5:21 pm

does Dixon just ignore the AAU circuit?

Reading all the comments makes it appear as though AAU coaches tell players to stay away fron Dixon.

Comment by Tony77019 01.04.15 @ 5:22 pm

Reed… think right now Pitt is pretty much a Volleyball School.

Comment by PittofDreams 01.04.15 @ 5:26 pm

Anyone see Wake Forest take Louisville to the wire this evening? Yeesh .500 in the conference is going to be a challenge. And I just booked travel to visit fam in Winston-Salem for the game in March.

Comment by CNorwoodAZ 01.04.15 @ 10:16 pm

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