A New Thread, Common Ground, Dixon's Mojo, Defense & Other Dribbles ...

[Sean Miller Fan]

all you've ever done in the past is yap about Pitt having to play in NYC, get the ACC tourney there, etc Do you realize the NCAA as to approve "tournaments"???. Goofy.

What's goofy about it. Teams play, what I call, "fake tournaments," all the time. Pitt has played in a few. Ohio State did last year. As far as the NCAA approving it, well, they approve any exempt tournament it seems. They're approving so many exempt tournaments (even ones that arent even tournaments like this year's Gotham Classic), that it makes me wish they could just have a 31 game schedule for every team without providing exemptions for everything so we can get more games on campus where people will actually watch them.

 

[thebadby2]

While, yes, there's no Steven Adams-type defender walking through that door, I do believe that we have greatly upgraded our defense at the 4/5 positions with Young at the 4 and the committee at the 5. And as bad a defender as Artis is, he's honestly no worse than Jeter and Jones were at the 3. So, we've improved 2 positions while keeping the defense at the 3 poor. The hope is that Artis can improve enough to be a "net positive" player at the 3. If that's the case, I think we can be pretty good.

If there was an advanced stat that shows the number of layups Pitt conceded last year, I would guess they would have ranked as one of the worst in the nation in that stat. All year, it seemed like teams were running layup lines against us. And its not hard to figure out why that was. We had nobody who could stop dribble penetration and no enforcer inside. I cant speak for Maia but ANO seems to be one of the better shot blockers in the nation. Nix's presence also could deter folks from testing the paint. Last year, there was nothing even close to this.

If the rest of the front court D is much improved and able to master the switch we can live with Artis getting beat of the dribble now and then. He should be able to defend the jump shot just fine.

Hopefully Smith and Wilson prove to be solid backcourt defenders who can hold their own defensively at the 2. Jrob is what he is but he's our 35 minute primary ball handler no matter what. He will struggle to defend opposing PGs but hopefully the help will be there this year. Will be interesting to see where Newkirk fits in this year, could just as easily be a pleasant surprise as he could a total non-factor.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

If the rest of the front court D is much improved and able to master the switch we can live with Artis getting beat of the dribble now and then. He should be able to defend the jump shot just fine.

Hopefully Smith and Wilson prove to be solid backcourt defenders who can hold their own defensively at the 2. Jrob is what he is but he's our 35 minute primary ball handler no matter what. He will struggle to defend opposing PGs but hopefully the help will be there this year. Will be interesting to see where Newkirk fits in this year, could just as easily be a pleasant surprise as he could a total non-factor.

The big wild-card is Damon Wilson. In my opinion, he could be a total surprise, All-Frosh ACC type of player or a guy who isn't good enough to play so he redshirts. I'm sure he'll probably be somewhere in between but if he can defend just a little bit and can give us just a little offense, he could play major minutes. Robinson isn't quick enough laterally to defend the Cat's or Rozier's of the world but perhaps Wilson is? I dont know but if Wilson can come in and surprise everybody with his D, it'll be hard to take him off the court. I remember Wilson tweeting something during the Cat Barber Basketball Skill Exhibition last season in Greensboro about can't waiting to get to Pitt to help this team. Maybe he thought there's no way Cat would have lit him up like that.

 

[Zaratoughda]

The big wild-card is Damon Wilson. In my opinion, he could be a total surprise, All-Frosh ACC type of player or a guy who isn't good enough to play so he redshirts. I'm sure he'll probably be somewhere in between but if he can defend just a little bit and can give us just a little offense, he could play major minutes. Robinson isn't quick enough laterally to defend the Cat's or Rozier's of the world but perhaps Wilson is? I dont know but if Wilson can come in and surprise everybody with his D, it'll be hard to take him off the court. I remember Wilson tweeting something during the Cat Barber Basketball Skill Exhibition last season in Greensboro about can't waiting to get to Pitt to help this team. Maybe he thought there's no way Cat would have lit him up like that.

If you read the interview with Young he was raving about Wilson... this on seeing him in the once a week (or whatever it is) workouts that Dixon is allowed. OK, so all of our other guards (Robinson, Smith, Jones, Newkirk) were not available due to recovering from surgeries, but still. So, maybe he will indeed be able to come in and do a good job spelling Robinson.... both D and O.

Of course, if this happens then you won't be seeing Sterling Smith playing any PG, and that leaves only normal bench minutes at SG for Jones.... so that means Jones plays more at SF..... which leaves Jeter will little time left unless... Dixon starts Artis at SF but plays him mostly at PF... which would mean Young is playing more at C again.

Then there is the situation where either Wilson or Newkirk is playing well enough that... Dixon spells Smith with one of those two... and that leaves no time at all for Jones at SG.

So, we are just gonna have to see when we get to those exhibition games as to how it all is falling out. Could mean that one player or another is just not gonna see the floor much.

Besides Wilson... Newkirk is a big wild card as well. Don't know if he is gonna bounce back from the hideous season he had last year.... as well as the surgery.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

If you read the interview with Young he was raving about Wilson... this on seeing him in the once a week (or whatever it is) workouts that Dixon is allowed. OK, so all of our other guards (Robinson, Smith, Jones, Newkirk) were not available due to recovering from surgeries, but still. So, maybe he will indeed be able to come in and do a good job spelling Robinson.... both D and O.

Of course, if this happens then you won't be seeing Sterling Smith playing any PG, and that leaves only normal bench minutes at SG for Jones.... so that means Jones plays more at SF..... which leaves Jeter will little time left unless... Dixon starts Artis at SF but plays him mostly at PF... which would mean Young is playing more at C again.

Then there is the situation where either Wilson or Newkirk is playing well enough that... Dixon spells Smith with one of those two... and that leaves no time at all for Jones at SG.

So, we are just gonna have to see when we get to those exhibition games as to how it all is falling out. Could mean that one player or another is just not gonna see the floor much.

Besides Wilson... Newkirk is a big wild card as well. Don't know if he is gonna bounce back from the hideous season he had last year.... as well as the surgery.

I'm not looking for Wilson to just spell Robinson. I'm hoping he wins the 2G starting job and plays a lot, maybe as a defensive stopper????? Why not?

 

[Zaratoughda]

I'm not looking for Wilson to just spell Robinson. I'm hoping he wins the 2G starting job and plays a lot, maybe as a defensive stopper????? Why not?

There isn't any way that Wilson can bring the experience that Sterling Smith, or even Chris Jones, can bring.

Also, I am hoping he does good enough that Dixon can cut down on Robinson's minutes. If you look at the games from last year, when we got an extended rest, say 5 days or so, Robinson's game improved significantly. If he had been playing at that level the entire year then nobody would be questioning his game. But, the spurt from the rest usually lasted 1-3 games and then it was the 2-9 shooting performances and the like.

Hmmm... yeah... it is difficult to discuss from hypotheticals. Hopefully the exhibition games will be on ESPN3 or the like. Otherwise, will again be difficult drawing conclusions from box scores and the play-by-play lists. The game against Gonzaga will be on ESPN but it will be difficult to draw anything from that (other than an L or a W) as the Zags game is so exaggerated in favor of their bigs .

In any case, we are still talking 3 months from now.

 

[bobfree]

Quick note.

Longboard LAGER is made by kona brewing in Hawaii.

Maui brewing makes a big swell ipa.

Kona makes a castaway ipa.

I don't believe there is such a thing as Maui longboard ipa.

 

[DT_PITT]

Quick note.

Longboard LAGER is made by kona brewing in Hawaii.

Maui brewing makes a big swell ipa.

Kona makes a castaway ipa.

I don't believe there is such a thing as Maui longboard ipa.

Yep ... my bad.

I was at a six pack shop the other day and realized my error!

I deserve to be corrected -- well done!

It was a Maui Big Swell, FWIW.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

There isn't any way that Wilson can bring the experience that Sterling Smith, or even Chris Jones, can bring.

Experience???? Great, but those players aren't very good. They're all role players. What happens if Wilson is better at basketball than those players? Experience wont mean a whole lot then. I think Jamie is going to play the best player regardless of experience. Maybe it'll be Wilson, maybe not but I wont be shocked to see him win a starting job mostly because the competition is pretty light.

 

[Zaratoughda]

Experience???? Great, but those players aren't very good. They're all role players. What happens if Wilson is better at basketball than those players? Experience wont mean a whole lot then. I think Jamie is going to play the best player regardless of experience. Maybe it'll be Wilson, maybe not but I wont be shocked to see him win a starting job mostly because the competition is pretty light.

Well, Dixon DID start Robinson his freshman year (IMO, a bad decision) so, you never know.

But, a player can look good early but then when the competition gets tougher... they ain't up to that much of a challenge.

What's more important is how many minutes a player gets. So, if Ryan Luther is really bringing it in practice he not only won't get RSed but would end up taking time away from SOMEONE that is not playing as well as he is.

But, we are getting way into the realm of 'what if'.... and it is really difficult at this time of the year to speculate on how well this player or that will look come November.

So, we will just have to wait and see.

 

[vinniep33]

I hate to say this but.... things may be worse than we think.

The problem that I see, is with the move to the ACC, our basketball program, may have become irrelevant.

With the OBE, we had great visibility along the east coast. Georgetown, Villanova, Rutgers, The Hall, St Johns, UConn and Providence. Of course, only two of these teams played football so not much visibility there for our football program, but for our basketball program it was great. If we did good, there was significant visibility to what we were doing.

But, with the ACC... you got Wake Forrest, Clemson, NCS, FSU, etc. Some visibility there playing the Dukies, UNC, etc, but it is in no way comparable to what we had in the OBE.

What Barnes/Dixon need to do... for recruiting.... re-establish our presence in the NYC metro area. Playing one game a year at MSG against the likes of Davidson, does not do it. Try to have us come off as a NE team that just so happens to play in the ACC. Playing Cuse at MSG one game yearly, would go a long way to getting this. UConn home and home would sure help as well. Then, another game, tournament or otherwise, along the east coast would then probably be enough.

The OTHER thing Dixon needs to do... is take a more national approach to visibility. If we get competitive along those lines, then games against the Dukies, UNC, Virginia and the like become more significant and thus visibility at the national level.

But, if our east coast pipeline for recruits continues to have dried up, we are not gonna get the players we need to compete at the national level.

So, IMO, Dixon and Barnes have their work cut out for them... and the first thing is realizing what the problem is, and then doing something about it.

Otherwise, the slow slip into irrelevancy.

a la BC

 

[Jpripper88]

IMO, the fact that Dixon was able to convince Smith, Maia and then ANO, to come here shows that he has not lost his Mojo at all.

The fact that that one C recruit from East Carolina (or someplace down there) went to Illinois instead of coming here, was probably due to the fact that the Illini had a bigger hole at C than we did. So he went there, with greater assurance that he would start.

With Smith, Louisville took Lee, the higher touted recruit, but if you look at the stats Smith is almost as good as Lee (Smith the better 3ball shooter, Lee the better overall scorer), and for what we need, Smith is probably the better choice.

So, IMO the problem is with the NYC metro pipeline having dried up due to the change to the ACC, not anything with Dixon's Mojo.

Those are the Mojo gets? Going to be a really rough go of it.