** “We built this city … we built this city on rock and roll!”
** Let’s talk about this afternoon’s game by harking back to this time 30 years ago, when the above mentioned inane ditty by Starship could be found hovering near the top of charts.
** Back in December of '85, instead of returning home to spout on about the game via the internet, that fun was left to me and a bunch of roommates in our McKee Place Estates habitat.
** On non-basketball days, sometimes we'd head to the Civic Arena to watch the budding magic of a young Mario, more often than not in a losing effort. But we always enjoyed the chant of “Chilli! Chilli! Chilli!” once the Pens tallied for the sixth time. After all, “the 7th goal was the Chilli goal,” and we all loved it when we received this free Wendy’s feast.
** Back at the Fitzgerald Field House, we watched as Coach Roy trotted out his four Top 50 recruits to score plenty of points, but not always win plenty of games.
** In the student section of Hoops games, there were times when those at the game would chant “WE WANT 100!” in the final minutes of a cupcake encounter.
** Three decades ago, almost 1,000 miles away, a young man named Scottie was building his resume to become a pro prospect from a Division II school.
** Much has changed in 30 years.
** The top spots on the charts are now held by Beiber and Adele, and 7 goals no longer gets anyone chilli following a Pens game. Truth be told, 7 goals are almost never even scored at Pens games anymore. The Civic Arena is a parking lot.
** But today, when the score built into the 90’s, none of the handful of students attending the game in the section at the Pete now known as the Zoo, started the “We want 100!” chant.
** And now, the Central Arkansas Bears, despite having moved up to Division I, sport no one near the ability of the aforementioned Mr. Pippen.
** In fact, I don’t think all of the Central Arkansas players combined would equal one Scottie Pippen. The Bears don’t really look to be Division I either, maybe more like Division III. Or NAIA. Maybe even high school.
** However, as recently as just last year, the idea of scoring 100 points in game, even against a team as unable as Central Arkansas, would have seemed like ancient history for Panther Hoops fans.
** And when Damon Wilson’s three fell through the net, the Panthers hit the century mark after already scoring in the 90’s three times previously in just 6 games.
** What’s important to realize however, is that this team isn’t necessarily better offensively that some of Dixon’s team in the past. This is yet to be shown, I would suggest. But they are playing faster, and today’s game featured 76 Panther possessions. In the past, even against cupcakes, Dixon teams consistently played games at 60-65 possessions.
** I remember the days of Smith, Lane, Gore and Aiken, and recall all too well the 1985-1986 season when that blue chip foursome limped to an NIT loss against a team that was then called Southwest Missouri State (they’ve since dropped the “Southwest”).
** Perhaps it’s the Panthers new found ability to score that keeps my faith strong that the fate of these Panthers will exceed the NIT berth of 30 years ago.
** We all know that not one Top 50 pedigree can be found within our current group of Panthers. Regardless, after a pair of games where we averaged scoring 98 points and a smidge under 10 threes, our rotation is coming into focus.
** It’s my hope that Sterling Smith and Rafeal Maia are truly beginning to find their form and their place. There’s some good evidence to think this could be the case.
** Before Sterling Smith signed with the Panthers, Dixon showed some real interest in Drexel’s 5th Year transfer Damion Lee, until he choose Louisville instead. I’m not going to try to make a case that Smith is the better player, but with guns such as Young and Artis, perhaps Smith is the better fit.
** The Panthers also wanted Charlotte 5th year Transfer Mike Thorne, but had to settle for Rafael Maia after Thorne chose Illinois. You’ll have a hard time convincing anyone the Maia is close to the player that Thorne is (despite Thorne now being out with a torn meniscus). However, it’s nice to see Rafael starting to string together productive games.
** Perhaps Maia is rounding into shape. Or maybe he’s finding his role. Regardless, the Panthers have certainly looked like a better team with him in the middle. But like I’ve said, it remains to be seen how good of a team that is.
** Smith and Raf notwithstanding, the big story of this game was Damon Wilson, our bluest of chips, who scored one fifth of the Panther's Benjamin today.
** By to my eye, there’s a noticeable drop off in the overall effectiveness of the Panther offense when Damon runs the point. I believe this was the case today as well -- that is -- until Damon decided to start taking over much of the scoring himself.
** And Damon surely can score, which understandably makes this Pitt fan wonder if a backcourt of Damon with James at times isn’t worth a look.
** This would especially seem to be the case with neither Chris Jones nor Cam Johnson yet finding their particularly consistent form. These two seem to be the only two pieces of the rotation that aren’t yet completely clear.
** On a personal note, I forgot to mention I’m about 40 pounds heavier than when I watched the Panthers during the 1985-1986. But one thing hasn’t changed, and that is how much I love Pitt Hoops.
** Another thing that hasn’t changed is that our Panthers still haven’t been able to sing a Final Four song in my lifetime. I certainly can’t say that I think this group offers a better chance at this goal than some of our other top teams. But it is fun watching the Panthers score all these points. And if I’m not mistaken, the team that scores the most wins. We’ll see.
** “Marconi plays the mamba, listen to the radio, don't you remember …”
** Let’s talk about this afternoon’s game by harking back to this time 30 years ago, when the above mentioned inane ditty by Starship could be found hovering near the top of charts.
** Back in December of '85, instead of returning home to spout on about the game via the internet, that fun was left to me and a bunch of roommates in our McKee Place Estates habitat.
** On non-basketball days, sometimes we'd head to the Civic Arena to watch the budding magic of a young Mario, more often than not in a losing effort. But we always enjoyed the chant of “Chilli! Chilli! Chilli!” once the Pens tallied for the sixth time. After all, “the 7th goal was the Chilli goal,” and we all loved it when we received this free Wendy’s feast.
** Back at the Fitzgerald Field House, we watched as Coach Roy trotted out his four Top 50 recruits to score plenty of points, but not always win plenty of games.
** In the student section of Hoops games, there were times when those at the game would chant “WE WANT 100!” in the final minutes of a cupcake encounter.
** Three decades ago, almost 1,000 miles away, a young man named Scottie was building his resume to become a pro prospect from a Division II school.
** Much has changed in 30 years.
** The top spots on the charts are now held by Beiber and Adele, and 7 goals no longer gets anyone chilli following a Pens game. Truth be told, 7 goals are almost never even scored at Pens games anymore. The Civic Arena is a parking lot.
** But today, when the score built into the 90’s, none of the handful of students attending the game in the section at the Pete now known as the Zoo, started the “We want 100!” chant.
** And now, the Central Arkansas Bears, despite having moved up to Division I, sport no one near the ability of the aforementioned Mr. Pippen.
** In fact, I don’t think all of the Central Arkansas players combined would equal one Scottie Pippen. The Bears don’t really look to be Division I either, maybe more like Division III. Or NAIA. Maybe even high school.
** However, as recently as just last year, the idea of scoring 100 points in game, even against a team as unable as Central Arkansas, would have seemed like ancient history for Panther Hoops fans.
** And when Damon Wilson’s three fell through the net, the Panthers hit the century mark after already scoring in the 90’s three times previously in just 6 games.
** What’s important to realize however, is that this team isn’t necessarily better offensively that some of Dixon’s team in the past. This is yet to be shown, I would suggest. But they are playing faster, and today’s game featured 76 Panther possessions. In the past, even against cupcakes, Dixon teams consistently played games at 60-65 possessions.
** I remember the days of Smith, Lane, Gore and Aiken, and recall all too well the 1985-1986 season when that blue chip foursome limped to an NIT loss against a team that was then called Southwest Missouri State (they’ve since dropped the “Southwest”).
** Perhaps it’s the Panthers new found ability to score that keeps my faith strong that the fate of these Panthers will exceed the NIT berth of 30 years ago.
** We all know that not one Top 50 pedigree can be found within our current group of Panthers. Regardless, after a pair of games where we averaged scoring 98 points and a smidge under 10 threes, our rotation is coming into focus.
** It’s my hope that Sterling Smith and Rafeal Maia are truly beginning to find their form and their place. There’s some good evidence to think this could be the case.
** Before Sterling Smith signed with the Panthers, Dixon showed some real interest in Drexel’s 5th Year transfer Damion Lee, until he choose Louisville instead. I’m not going to try to make a case that Smith is the better player, but with guns such as Young and Artis, perhaps Smith is the better fit.
** The Panthers also wanted Charlotte 5th year Transfer Mike Thorne, but had to settle for Rafael Maia after Thorne chose Illinois. You’ll have a hard time convincing anyone the Maia is close to the player that Thorne is (despite Thorne now being out with a torn meniscus). However, it’s nice to see Rafael starting to string together productive games.
** Perhaps Maia is rounding into shape. Or maybe he’s finding his role. Regardless, the Panthers have certainly looked like a better team with him in the middle. But like I’ve said, it remains to be seen how good of a team that is.
** Smith and Raf notwithstanding, the big story of this game was Damon Wilson, our bluest of chips, who scored one fifth of the Panther's Benjamin today.
** By to my eye, there’s a noticeable drop off in the overall effectiveness of the Panther offense when Damon runs the point. I believe this was the case today as well -- that is -- until Damon decided to start taking over much of the scoring himself.
** And Damon surely can score, which understandably makes this Pitt fan wonder if a backcourt of Damon with James at times isn’t worth a look.
** This would especially seem to be the case with neither Chris Jones nor Cam Johnson yet finding their particularly consistent form. These two seem to be the only two pieces of the rotation that aren’t yet completely clear.
** On a personal note, I forgot to mention I’m about 40 pounds heavier than when I watched the Panthers during the 1985-1986. But one thing hasn’t changed, and that is how much I love Pitt Hoops.
** Another thing that hasn’t changed is that our Panthers still haven’t been able to sing a Final Four song in my lifetime. I certainly can’t say that I think this group offers a better chance at this goal than some of our other top teams. But it is fun watching the Panthers score all these points. And if I’m not mistaken, the team that scores the most wins. We’ll see.
** “Marconi plays the mamba, listen to the radio, don't you remember …”
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