At Georgia Tech & Other Dribbles ...
- Thread starter DT_PITT
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I don't think it's a matter of Dixon's coaching acumen - he knows what he's doing....it's more of him not *convincing* the players what they need to do.
Same with his recruiting - they're not buying what he's selling.
I think for whatever reason, this group of players have and continue to just tune him out and....that's on him as well.
You can only cry wolf so many times - players and for that matter refs have heard this constantly from Dixon.
Who's the most animated coach on the sidelines in college BB?
Dixon.
He's always begging for a call and we've all seen him in the huddles during timeouts right?
The players look like...."Yeah whatever blah blah blah."
Pick your spots please and you may be more effective.
Lastly, have a conversation with Coach Narduzzi - pick his brain on recruiting. (Remember, he doesn't beg btw)
God knows he came into a very tough position after the head coaching carnage that was Pitt Football.
Ask *him* how he was able to do it? You certainly have the access right or, are you too proud?
Just a thought.
The dribble is always a good read.
Not today because nothing more than these two lines were needed or appropriate...
Why can't Dixon put a better product on the floor...
Yes very disappointing
Kithcart = Onions.
Just a gut feeling but, this guy is our future.
A more athletic Levance and hopefully more in control than Krauser but in their leadership and ballsy mold.
You think he is most animated? Based on what? People hated Chryst for not being animated, now Jamie for being over animated. I still don't know how to calculate the precise amount of animation required to be a successful HC. Jamie has had good success and mediocre success being who he is. Getting the right players is what he needs. I bet, if he had players who tried harder, he wouldn't be as animated. He wouldn't need to be.
He will NOT ask Narduzzi anything I think. Hey coach, can you give me some tips on my hoops team? Jamie has been a HC for about 12 more years, that just won't happen. What has Narduzzi accomplished that he should be able to help Dixon with?
I don't think your post was bad, but I think those are not the main issues with the team. If you look what Nard has, it is good, dynamic assistants. Not sure Jamie has that. I am on board with some changes there.
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Someone (I think it was ESPN's Scott Van Pelt) - had a poll a while back as to "who's the most animated coach in college BB" - came back Dixon.
Obviously, coach Narduzzi can't help Dixon on the BB X's and O's - I was referring to Narduzzi's recruiting success (in such a short period of time) vs. Dixon's....long term.
Been saying for years that Jamie needs an experienced former head guy next to him on the bench. Still feel that way.
I think getting better assistants is a possible answer. Narduzzi isn't getting those guys by himself. He has hired some dynamic assistants.
As far as being animated goes, ok I won't discount it, but he has had some very good success, so it isn't like it has always hurt him. Unless it is just recently, and really, who could blame him. We all feel like strangling some of these guys sometimes.
Agree - a big part of coaching is knowing when to give your guys a hug and when to give them a kick in the butt. Each guy is different and u need to know how to motivate them. You need a good staff for this to be truly effective since you are dealing with 13 guys. We had our best teams and chemistry when we had guys like Lombardi, Rice, Slice, Herrion, etc. as assistants.
I don't think its a coincidence that the decline of the program coincided with guys like Rice, Lombardi and Slice not being on the bench. Those guys recruit and they also help on game days in seeing what is happening and helping to make adjustments.. Dixon is not a dynamic personality that will attract recruits all by himself. He needs some help both on the recruiting trail and during the games.
Geez, you guys are making this a lot more complicated than it needs to be.
There are two major deficiencies on this team. Their absolute disdain for playing defense, and the lack of shooters.
When you have Jeter shooting jump shots, that says it all. He should never shoot the ball more than 6 feet from the basket. Artis hasn't made a shot for 2 weeks! He's had tons of wide open three's and hasn't hit a one! James Robinson makes about 1 out of 10 shots from the outside. Smith, the recruited sharpshooter, is a total bust.
When we lose, the other team always has a kid who confidentally nails a crucial jump shot, usually a three, that puts the dagger in our hearts. We have NO one who can do this!
Lack of defense is all about effort and desire. Our kids don't take it seriously, or just aren't good at it, or have any desire to get after it.
Like I've said before, this is the hardest Pitt team to like and get behind seemingly forever!
There are two major deficiencies on this team. Their absolute disdain for playing defense, and the lack of shooters.
When you have Jeter shooting jump shots, that says it all. He should never shoot the ball more than 6 feet from the basket. Artis hasn't made a shot for 2 weeks! He's had tons of wide open three's and hasn't hit a one! James Robinson makes about 1 out of 10 shots from the outside. Smith, the recruited sharpshooter, is a total bust.
When we lose, the other team always has a kid who confidentally nails a crucial jump shot, usually a three, that puts the dagger in our hearts. We have NO one who can do this!
Lack of defense is all about effort and desire. Our kids don't take it seriously, or just aren't good at it, or have any desire to get after it.
Like I've said before, this is the hardest Pitt team to like and get behind seemingly forever!
Who recruited these guys, and who has allowed them to play this way for 2 straight years?
They lost by 4, I think Manigault and Ville recruit VJ King were held in check. I love Kithcart though, he's exactly what we need.
Well obviously they weren't recruited KNOWING they would be stiffs. Recruiting is all about potential, no one knows how they will pan out.
Dixon saw promise in these kids, but they haven't turned out.
He used to thrive finding lower level kids who would work their butts off and get better and develop. This group, no so much.
This is not a 1 or 2 year problem it has been an ongoing problem. It is crystal clear that changes must be made to the staff or else you will continue to see the stagnation/decline of Pitt basketball.
Well, moving to the ACC has been pretty much a disaster for the BB program. It tore us away from our best recruiting grounds in NYC and out east.
The style of play is much different than the BigEast. We're still adapting and learning what it takes there.
Syracuse seems to be having a bit of the same problem.
We had to go because of football, but basketball has suffered greatly.
There you go with your unsubstantiated, uninformed crap that Pitt's moving to the ACC has had anything to do with the decline of the BB team. The slide started when Pitt was in the BE, the recruiting plunge occurred while Pitt was still in the BE. Your theory is pure nonsense. It's the coaching staff pure and simple. Go look at a damn map, the ACC hasn't taken Pitt away from anything in terms of recruiting territory. Last time I looked Pittsburgh hasn't taken up and moved anywhere and the ACC footprint covers the entirety of the area where Pitt traditionally recruited while in the BE. Other ACC teams have no problem pulling players from NY or anywhere else on the eastern seaboard.
Have you watched Virginia play? Pretty much a copy of Pitt's good big east teams.
Exactly and Syracuse and UConn played exactly the way Duke and UNC play and that never negatively impacted Pitt when they played those teams. The suggestion that the ACC has anything to do with Pitt's problems is completely bogus.
When you have players that can't score and can't defend you really have nothing at all except a disaster.
WV is in a far more difficult position than us. Last year they went to the Sweet 16, this year they are Top 10, and they might be better next year. Losers make excuses. Winners adapt.
Because Freeport is a guy(1 of a few on here) who doesn't want to blame Dixon. So because of that he will blame the league, the weather, anything he can think of to deflect from the real problem - COACHING.
No they did not. Lamar and Zanna carried that team. You had Young, Artis, Randall, Newkirk, D. Johnson, etc on that team. They were not good team players. As soon as LP and TZ left the bottom fell out.
With this team....unfortunately, it all comes down to one thing...Shooting.
I mean, 2-32 or whatever it was the last two games from 3?
How the F can that happen? Sterling Smith and Artis - I mean, have you both completely lost your shot? (Yes is the correct answer)
But more importantly, has your horrible shooting carried over to the rest of the team?
I saw the Va. Tech in person at 3 rows up and about 6 inches after the ball leaves the hands of Artis I'm like..."that ball ain't going in."
Our shooting % is worse than a Maia free-throw.
Btw, hey Jamie...just start Luther or Jeter at the 5 would you please?
The transfer experiment didn't work ok?
Further...(the rant continues) and because the team collectively can't (won't) play defense, we chuck it up and hope (pray at this point) that the damn ball goes in.
A good team blows our doors off if we don't shoot well i.e. UNC but OMG, we're a Final Four team after Duke - just ask Artis.
I don't think it's coaching - it's convincing! (on D at least) (Which is coaching I know that).
Dixon knows defense - knows X's and O's - he cannot convince these players to buy in to it.
Is it because they're not athletic enough to guard by the new rules? They've tuned him out long ago?
Virginia doesn't seem to have this problem and they don't seem overly athletic.
Is this team just un-coachable?
I guess that would be a 1st.
Idk - it just kills me with all on the line that we lay two consecutive eggs.
Rant over...carry on.
I mean, 2-32 or whatever it was the last two games from 3?
How the F can that happen? Sterling Smith and Artis - I mean, have you both completely lost your shot? (Yes is the correct answer)
But more importantly, has your horrible shooting carried over to the rest of the team?
I saw the Va. Tech in person at 3 rows up and about 6 inches after the ball leaves the hands of Artis I'm like..."that ball ain't going in."
Our shooting % is worse than a Maia free-throw.
Btw, hey Jamie...just start Luther or Jeter at the 5 would you please?
The transfer experiment didn't work ok?
Further...(the rant continues) and because the team collectively can't (won't) play defense, we chuck it up and hope (pray at this point) that the damn ball goes in.
A good team blows our doors off if we don't shoot well i.e. UNC but OMG, we're a Final Four team after Duke - just ask Artis.
I don't think it's coaching - it's convincing! (on D at least) (Which is coaching I know that).
Dixon knows defense - knows X's and O's - he cannot convince these players to buy in to it.
Is it because they're not athletic enough to guard by the new rules? They've tuned him out long ago?
Virginia doesn't seem to have this problem and they don't seem overly athletic.
Is this team just un-coachable?
I guess that would be a 1st.
Idk - it just kills me with all on the line that we lay two consecutive eggs.
Rant over...carry on.
So, put up the 18 million dollars it would take to buy him out and see how much better you do.
You're a lot of noise.
Del,
Nutting!
Keep spouting your stupidity about the ACC and Nutting....no one's buying it but the brain dead.
Another big noise maker. Keep ranting though, or put up the 18 million it will take to fire Dixon and replace him.
Same as with Nutting, he owns the team you don't. Pretty simple. He can spend his money as he sees fit. Don't like it, buy the team and do it different. Always easy for a noise maker to spend other people's money!
Blah, Blah, Blah....lots of noise....no one's listening but the brain dead!
Can you imagine the players tuning out a Bob Knight, a Coach K, an Izzo, and still playing big minutes ?
Let me answer that for you-not on your life. Any of those guys would start 5 walk-ones before they'd let their players drive the bus.
Jamie may be highly animated, but I can't remember seeing him dress down a player during a game. And these guys need a lot of that.
He seems pretty against it in public.
In private I have little doubt it happens .
Disagree.....The seniors held it together. Those you mentioned were around last year....and the contributed to the problems....some still do. But Lamar & Talib kept things together. Played a lot of really solid, team basketball. The last 2 years had no leadership or toughness. As goofy as he was, Durand had more swagger than this entire squad
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