Atypical season, linkage, upperclassmen

[QuitCallingMeWanny]

Apologies in advance if this is ragged, many thoughts and about three minutes to write it down...

This has to be the most maddening season ever as a Pitt hoops fan....

Let me be clear major problem right now is the upperclassmen on this team and their will to pull the team through. Dixon's teams have always been about the juniors and seniors not only being the most talented but strong willed to bring up the rest of the team especially when things aren't going their way through the course of a game/season......This just isn't happening....

How do I know? You don't blow out Duke and then turn around throw a stinker like this if your team has even a modicum of intestinal fortitude like years past. Talent is there but, Artis disappears all to often, and Young, despite his showing tonight, doesn't play D or dig down when things are going awry.....

Hey call me a JIG'er, I don't care, I will wear that badge, but if you have watched this team closely all year you can see there is a problem and you can see it in Dixon's frustration whether he wants to admit it or not.

You here coaches say all the time and Narduzzi on the football side preached this since he was hired, I want to show them the way, but eventually the players have to take ownership of the program

Can you honestly say the guys who have been in the program the longest have done that?

Thoughts?

EDIT: I am also not blind to the fact that Dixon needs to recalibrate a little as well concerning some things in the program.....

 

[NCanton Panther]

"You don't blow out Duke and then turn around throw a stinker like this if your team has even a modicum of intestinal fortitude like years past"

It is definitely disappointing to have the above happen but I'd have to counter that it isn't something unique to Pitt, you really do see it happen often with a number of teams, more so with the middle-of-the-road programs but even on more than just an infrequent occasion with the elite programs.

 

[bobfree]

Apologies in advance if this is ragged, many thoughts and about three minutes to write it down...

This has to be the most maddening season ever as a Pitt hoops fan....

Let me be clear major problem right now is the upperclassmen on this team and their will to pull the team through. Dixon's teams have always been about the juniors and seniors not only being the most talented but strong willed to bring up the rest of the team especially when things aren't going their way through the course of a game/season......This just isn't happening....

How do I know? You don't blow out Duke and then turn around throw a stinker like this if your team has even a modicum of intestinal fortitude like years past. Talent is there but, Artis disappears all to often, and Young, despite his showing tonight, doesn't play D or dig down when things are going awry.....

Hey call me a JIG'er, I don't care, I will wear that badge, but if you have watched this team closely all year you can see there is a problem and you can see it in Dixon's frustration whether he wants to admit it or not.

You here coaches say all the time and Narduzzi on the football side preached this since he was hired, I want to show them the way, but eventually the players have to take ownership of the program

Can you honestly say the guys who have been in the program the longest have done that?

Thoughts?

EDIT: I am also not blind to the fact that Dixon needs to recalibrate a little as well concerning some things in the program.....

Here's my thoughts when the team beat Duke, it was "does Dixon get credit for this" and "Dixon didn't forget how to coach" and praise by to Jamie. Now we lose and its on the players. Please.

 

[Delpanther]

Apologies in advance if this is ragged, many thoughts and about three minutes to write it down...

This has to be the most maddening season ever as a Pitt hoops fan....

Let me be clear major problem right now is the upperclassmen on this team and their will to pull the team through. Dixon's teams have always been about the juniors and seniors not only being the most talented but strong willed to bring up the rest of the team especially when things aren't going their way through the course of a game/season......This just isn't happening....

How do I know? You don't blow out Duke and then turn around throw a stinker like this if your team has even a modicum of intestinal fortitude like years past. Talent is there but, Artis disappears all to often, and Young, despite his showing tonight, doesn't play D or dig down when things are going awry.....

Hey call me a JIG'er, I don't care, I will wear that badge, but if you have watched this team closely all year you can see there is a problem and you can see it in Dixon's frustration whether he wants to admit it or not.

You here coaches say all the time and Narduzzi on the football side preached this since he was hired, I want to show them the way, but eventually the players have to take ownership of the program

Can you honestly say the guys who have been in the program the longest have done that?

Thoughts?

EDIT: I am also not blind to the fact that Dixon needs to recalibrate a little as well concerning some things in the program.....

Agree with everything you say but the question I pose to you is at what point do you hold the staff responsible for the problems you cite. Given the collective experience of Young, Artis, Robinson and Jones and the time this staff has spent with this group, you would have expected that by now this staff would have gotten buy in from this group of players or failing which, these guys would have been shown the door or protracted time on the bench. A coach who can't influence his players to take ownership of the program becomes an ex-coach in due time. Effective coaches shape the psyche of their teams. This is a vey experienced seasoned team for the most part and therefore the staff has to bear some responsibility for the inconsistency and just plain lazy, disinterested play we have seen.

 

[iMissTheOldDays]

Agree with everything you say but the question I pose to you is at what point do you hold the staff for the problems you cite. Given the collective experience of Young, Artis, Robinson and Jones and the time this staff has spent with this group, you would have expected that by now this staff would have gotten buy in from this group of players or failing which, these guys would have been shown the door or protracted time on the bench. A coach who can't influence his players to take ownership of the program becomes an ex-coach in due time. Effective coaches shape the psyche of their teams. This is a vey experienced seasoned team for the most part and therefore the staff has to bear some responsibility for the inconsistency and just plain lazy, disinterested play we have seen.

Exactly .. Great coaches do shape the psyche of their teams ..which Dixon has done before .. This particular group just doesn't fit his style of coaching .. Nor do they have any leaders .. You can kind of watch our games and see it's usually a free for all and you can sense there's no one guy on the team that the players look up to .. Like a Brandin , Carl , Levance .. Artis is a grown man out there .. He should be dominating most games

 

[King Of All Message Boards]

Here's my thoughts when the team beat Duke, it was "does Dixon get credit for this" and "Dixon didn't forget how to coach" and praise by to Jamie. Now we lose and its on the players. Please.

There's a lot of extremes on all sides here so don't kid yourself. The truth, as in most cases, is somewhere nearer the middle win or lose.

 

[KiwiJeff]

Here's my thoughts when the team beat Duke, it was "does Dixon get credit for this" and "Dixon didn't forget how to coach" and praise by to Jamie. Now we lose and its on the players. Please.

Those were two different posters.

 

[bobfree]

There's a lot of extremes on all sides here so don't kid yourself. The truth, as in most cases, is somewhere nearer the middle win or lose.

Who said there wasn't?

When they won my quote was "great job by coach Dixon, staff, and the players."

It's called consistency.

 

[QuitCallingMeWanny]

Here's my thoughts when the team beat Duke, it was "does Dixon get credit for this" and "Dixon didn't forget how to coach" and praise by to Jamie. Now we lose and its on the players. Please.

WTF are you talking about?

 

[QuitCallingMeWanny]

Agree with everything you say but the question I pose to you is at what point do you hold the staff responsible for the problems you cite. Given the collective experience of Young, Artis, Robinson and Jones and the time this staff has spent with this group, you would have expected that by now this staff would have gotten buy in from this group of players or failing which, these guys would have been shown the door or protracted time on the bench. A coach who can't influence his players to take ownership of the program becomes an ex-coach in due time. Effective coaches shape the psyche of their teams. This is a vey experienced seasoned team for the most part and therefore the staff has to bear some responsibility for the inconsistency and just plain lazy, disinterested play we have seen.

Agreed, if it continues to be a problem down the road then we'll be looking for a new coach in a few years

 

[Harve74]

Agreed, if it continues to be a problem down the road then we'll be looking for a new coach in a few years

I hate to point fingers but it's pretty clear much of this problem is directly on two players. There are several other guys in the rotation who are just not talented enough, or experienced enough to be consistent but rarely if ever lack effort. But the two guys we need to carry us just frequently don't show up. Or their hearts don't anyway.

There will be FIVE or 6 different players, counting the two redshirts, on the roster next season and at least 4 more the year after that. If we still have this problem with a new roster, then a change at the top is needed.

But, I'd start with the two guys who ARE the problem. If we quit and lose the last 5 games like last year, one or both of them has to go. As the Buccos told Ralph Kiner, if we can lose with you anyway, we can lose without you.

 

[Pete108K11]

I hate to point fingers but it's pretty clear much of this problem is directly on two players. There are several other guys in the rotation who are just not talented enough, or experienced enough to be consistent but rarely if ever lack effort. But the two guys we need to carry us just frequently don't show up. Or their hearts don't anyway.

There will be FIVE or 6 different players, counting the two redshirts, on the roster next season and at least 4 more the year after that. If we still have this problem with a new roster, then a change at the top is needed.

But, I'd start with the two guys who ARE the problem. If we quit and lose the last 5 games like last year, one or both of them has to go. As the Buccos told Ralph Kiner, if we can lose with you anyway, we can lose without you.

Rollie Massimino sat his starters all or most of the second half at Fitzgerald when Pitt was up by 20 at the half. That Villanova team barely missed a shot when they got to the Championship game. Now admittedly it was easier to do that in Rollie's position (with the game lost and their seeding in hand), but playing time is the only carrot/stick that a college coach has. Dixon has sat Artis, Young, Maia, Smith, ANO and Jones at different times this season.

Dixon has them playing better defense in the last eight games, but what I can't understand is why the offense was not forced to take every shot within six feet of the hoop or drive to the hoop everytime. LeDay is not a presence inside and VT went with a small lineup. The coach is accused of having too tight of a reign on the offense and it is too boring and no skilled players will come here, etc., etc.

Where oh where was Dixon's tight control? Maybe he gives the players more freedom than some thought.

 

[NTOP]

Here's my thoughts when the team beat Duke, it was "does Dixon get credit for this" and "Dixon didn't forget how to coach" and praise by to Jamie. Now we lose and its on the players. Please.

That's how it is in any sport. The coaches get too much praise for wins, too much blame for losses.
I think our game plan for VTwas OK...LOTS of open shots we clanked. Make 3-4 of those and we win.
My concern is the same I've had all year....no toughness. Jrob is a good player, but not a vociferous leader. No Knight, Krauser or Fields on this team. Even Woodall was better at that...Gibbs not so much.
I'm hoping Kithcart TAKES the reins next fall. Meanwhile, we still have some bullets left to fire.

 

[NTOP]

Agreed, if it continues to be a problem down the road then we'll be looking for a new coach in a few years

No argument, there. Hoping it doesn't come to that.