and the lack of toughness I believe the other problem with this team is lack of a team leader. None of the starters on this team including the point guard who's started nearly every game that Pitt's played the last 4 years seem to have any leadership qualities or the ability to kick this team in the butt during the game to get them going. No fire in these guys except for Young who occasionally shows some emotion. This team seemed to have lousy chemistry last year and it may be the case again this year.
Beyond the lack of defense
- Thread starter Delpanther
- Start date
Jamel Artis should be a team leader
He has point-forward skills, and he could be as good as or better than Lamar Patterson was his senior year here, but he simply doesn't have the focus and desire all the time. He doesn't have that unbreakable will to win that he should have.
Mike Young should also be a team leader. And he often is. But many times he tries to do TOO much, the opposite problem of Artis. Artis sometimes just disappears. Mike NEVER disappears, he might play poorly for a stretch, but he always is trying to put the team on his back when they're struggling.
James Robinson is a smart player and a tactician. But he doesn't fire up his teammates. James will make a decent assistant coach someday. But he is not a natural leader.
Krauser, as much as people on this board hated him when he was here, was a natural LEADER. Levance Fields and Brandin Knight had the fire necessary to be a leader and demand more from their teammates.
It's a personality type.... and our "Big Three", while they have decent skill sets and experience... do not have leadership personalities. Our PG is too quiet and unassuming. You need him to get in the faces of players that aren't playing up to their potential, but that's not his personality. Our point-forward could be that leader, but he takes too many nights off (like he did tonight). Our power-forward has the personality to be that leader, but it is hard to be a team leader from that position on the floor.
Hopefully Kithcart has that fire in his belly that Knight, Krauser, and Fields had.
Del, I don't know if "fiery leadership" is what is needed, but there certainly looked like there was a void of leadership tonight.
