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Eastern Kentucky Game & Other Dribbles ...

DT_PITT

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Jul 17, 2001
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** One of the nice things about Capel’s Coaching as compared to the Days of Dixon is how he lets players stay in games to pursue personal game milestones.

** So tonight when Beebah’s 3’s kept falling and his total reached 26, we all started searching the record books to recall the Pitt record for points in a game by a freshman.

** A few minutes and two Cummings layups later, his tally reached 30 and the matching the record with a three pointer was within reach.

** This time however, with under 2 minutes to go, Capel rightfully inserted Marlon Barnes in Beebah’s place. Even without the record, his day was done, and he was offered his well deserved exit.

** But more than that, at that moment, Jeff was able to pull Cummings to him and whisper private words of wisdom to his talented freshman.

** Everyone in Pitt Hoops land knows that #3 is a true talent. But often this year, he’s also looked like a true freshman. With that, it’s safe to assume Jeff mentioned to Beebah that he grew up a little this night, and hopefully he’ll use this as a springboard to much needed greater contributions as this season progresses.

** Or maybe Jeff explained to Cummings that his 30 points aside, his greatest moment was on the other end as a defender when he knocked the ball loose at halfcourt and then made a headlong dive to corral the rock resulting in a Colonels foul.

** On most nights, we won’t need Beebah to score 30. But on every night going forward, we’ll need plays like this.

** Interestingly enough however, we actually did need Beebah’s 17 first half points to be leading our foe at the break, largely because of Jaland’s foul trouble goose egg.

** I don’t think it’s accurate to portray the Panthers’ play in the first half as poor. But it was lackluster, and combined with some hot Colonels three point shooting (including one that banked in), the difference at the break was indeed too close for comfort. In fact, I even needed to reminded some that our opponent was actually leading Clemson at Littlejohn by four midway through the second half.

** But in the second half, the Panther’s tightened up their defensive switches and Eastern Kentucky went cold. They scored their 44th point at 13:57. Their 46th point didn’t fall until well past the under 8 timeout.

** By that time, this once close contest was a 29 point difference and the Beebah record watch was on,

** This was truly a “needed” kind of second half, both for the team’s fans and the player’s confidence. This was the first time in a few weeks when both could just relax and enjoy the play.

** It was also most likely our best half of the season on both ends of the court, and resulted in a difference that will most notably improve our standings with the laptops.

** I’ll offer something of a lament that this is what a College Basketball OOC season has come to, but so it is.

** But the big second half also gave Papa Kante a few more solid minutes which should help his progression.

** I was also hopeful the big second half would give Amsal a few more opportunities to put his game on full display. I believe we are seeing a bit of improvement and added confidence. But I can’t say I’m particularly pleased with what looks like a little looser than we’d like handle on the basketball. But there’s still time for his time to come. And this night was Beebah’s anyway.

** The only downside of the evening is the continued slump of GDiaz. Whether one believes that he’s a ACC starter level player, he already demonstrated that he’s a much better player than he’s been as of late, regardless of his position or his role. In his last 6, he’s averaging under 4 PPG, while shooting 2-25 from three. Ouch.

** Here’s hoping Jeff can coax him back to the level where he played last year, as the Panthers need this from him to become the best team they can be.

** And while GDG is slumping, Zach is starting to soar. In his last 6 games, he’s close to 12 PPG while shooting 13-27 from three. He’s picked up for GDG and then some. While we were busy counting buckets with our youngster, we may not have noticed senior Zach’s best all around game as a Panther, including his buzzer beating outing in Columbus.

** I’m sure our Panthers are glad to be home , even if they have to hit the books in the next ten days. In that time, I hope they hit the practice floor and the film room too, not to mention the weight room.

** Second halves like this one should remind them how good they can be. However, first halves like this one, along with both halves in Mississippi, should keep them focused on the notion they still have much to improve.
 
** One of the nice things about Capel’s Coaching as compared to the Days of Dixon is how he lets players stay in games to pursue personal game milestones.

** So tonight when Beebah’s 3’s kept falling and his total reached 26, we all started searching the record books to recall the Pitt record for points in a game by a freshman.

** A few minutes and two Cummings layups later, his tally reached 30 and the matching the record with a three pointer was within reach.

** This time however, with under 2 minutes to go, Capel rightfully inserted Marlon Barnes in Beebah’s place. Even without the record, his day was done, and he was offered his well deserved exit.

** But more than that, at that moment, Jeff was able to pull Cummings to him and whisper private words of wisdom to his talented freshman.

** Everyone in Pitt Hoops land knows that #3 is a true talent. But often this year, he’s also looked like a true freshman. With that, it’s safe to assume Jeff mentioned to Beebah that he grew up a little this night, and hopefully he’ll use this as a springboard to much needed greater contributions as this season progresses.

** Or maybe Jeff explained to Cummings that his 30 points aside, his greatest moment was on the other end as a defender when he knocked the ball loose at halfcourt and then made a headlong dive to corral the rock resulting in a Colonels foul.

** On most nights, we won’t need Beebah to score 30. But on every night going forward, we’ll need plays like this.

** Interestingly enough however, we actually did need Beebah 17 first half points to be leading our foe at the break, largely because of Jaland’s foul trouble goose egg.

** I don’t think it’s accurate to portray the Panthers’ play in the first half as poor. But it was lackluster, and combined with some hot Colonels three point shooting (including one that banked in), the difference at the break was indeed too close for comfort. In fact, I even needed to reminded some that our opponent was actually leading Clemson at Littlejohn by four midway through the second half.

** But in the second half, the Panther’s tightened up their defensive switches and Eastern Kentucky went cold. They scored their 44th point at 13:57. Their 46th point didn’t fall until well past the under 8 timeout.

** By that time, this once close contest was a 29 point difference and the Beebah record watch was on,

** This was truly a “needed” kind of second half, both for the team’s fans and the player’s confidence. This was the first time in a few weeks when both could just relax and enjoy the play.

** It was also most likely our best half of the season on both ends of the court, and resulted in a difference that will most notably improve our standings with the laptops.

** I’ll offer something of a lament that this is what a College Basketball OOC season has come to, but so it is.

** But the big second half also gave Papa Kante a few more solid minutes which should help his progression.

** I was also hopeful the big second half would give Amsal a few more opportunities to put his game on full display. I believe we are seeing a bit of improvement and added confidence. But I can’t say I’m particularly pleased with what looks like a little looser than we’d like handle on the basketball. But there’s still time for his time to come. And this night was Beebah’s anyway.

** The only downside of the evening is the continued slump of GDiaz. Whether one believes that he’s a ACC starter level player, he already demonstrated that he’s a much better player than he’s been as of late, regardless of his position or his role. In his last 6, he’s averaging under 4 PPG, while shooting 2-25 from three. Ouch.

** Here’s hoping Jeff can coax him back to the level where he played last year, as the Panthers need this from him to become the best team they can be.

** And while GDG is slumping, Zach is starting to soar. In his last 6 games, he’s close to 12 PPG while shooting 13-27 from three. He’s picked up for GDG and then some. While we were busy counting buckets with our youngster, we may not have noticed senior Zach’s best all around game as a Panther, including his buzzer beating outing in Columbus.

** I’m sure our Panthers are glad to be home , even if they have to hit the books in the next ten days. In that time, I hope they hit the practice floor and the film room too, not to mention the weight room.

** Second halves like this one should remind them how good they can be. However, first halves like this one, along with both halves in Mississippi, should keep them focused on the notion they still have much to improve.
We need Dunn back and we need our bigs to play tougher.

I do not know that the bigs can. Maybe physical guards can overcome that.
 
44

So, I had a kid's school concert tonight and couldn't watch live. When I got home it was around 8:30 and the game wasn't over. I flipped on the TV and went to start the game from the beginning. Of course, the stream wants to pick up live. I start rewinding trying to avoid seeing the score. But at one point I caught that Eastern Kentucky had 44.

I didn't know what juncture of the game it was, but I knew when I got to the part of the game when they had 44, I would have an inkling where things were headed. Little did I know that EK had been stuck on that 44 as our boys went on to score 23 straight (!) and put this one away.

After watching the first half, that was definitely an unexpected turn of events. But we dialed up the defense, got some turnovers and EK finally started missing some shots.

Still, we seem to keep getting off to slow starts. It would be nice to see us bringing it for a full 40.

Not enough can be said of Beebah tonight, obviously. Sometimes you never know when opportunity is going to come. And when Jaland went out with the early 2 fouls, Beebah's opportunity surely did come, and thankfully he made the most of it, and more.

Listening to the broadcast was especially fun because Beebah's big bro Nelly was rightfully gushing with pride throughout. Beebah's animated look toward big bro after lighting things up at the end was the icing on the cake. Great night for the Cummings clan, and a hearty congrats to Beebah on a great game.

While we looked much better on D in the second half, I still can't help but be concerned that our D isn't where it needs to be. Too many missed shots keep ending up in the opponent's hands. Even when we get them, we seem to not secure things as we should.

Ultimately, we're not going to get to where we want to this year if this aspect of our game doesn't improve somehow someway.

At this point, GDG just isn't playing well enough to warrant the minutes he's been getting. At some point a slump is no longer a slump. He has just been plain bad from 3, and if he's not hitting from deep, it's hard to see his value.

I mean, who would have guessed that JDG would have hit two 3's tonight while GDG didn't score a single point.

LBNL, Papa only got 8 minutes, but there is much promise there. He easily has the best moves in the post out of all our bigs, and I like his motor.

#H2P
 
44

So, I had a kid's school concert tonight and couldn't watch live. When I got home it was around 8:30 and the game wasn't over. I flipped on the TV and went to start the game from the beginning. Of course, the stream wants to pick up live. I start rewinding trying to avoid seeing the score. But at one point I caught that Eastern Kentucky had 44.

I didn't know what juncture of the game it was, but I knew when I got to the part of the game when they had 44, I would have an inkling where things were headed. Little did I know that EK had been stuck on that 44 as our boys went on to score 23 straight (!) and put this one away.

After watching the first half, that was definitely an unexpected turn of events. But we dialed up the defense, got some turnovers and EK finally started missing some shots.

Still, we seem to keep getting off to slow starts. It would be nice to see us bringing it for a full 40.

Not enough can be said of Beebah tonight, obviously. Sometimes you never know when opportunity is going to come. And when Jaland went out with the early 2 fouls, Beebah's opportunity surely did come, and thankfully he made the most of it, and more.

Listening to the broadcast was especially fun because Beebah's big bro Nelly was rightfully gushing with pride throughout. Beebah's animated look toward big bro after lighting things up at the end was the icing on the cake. Great night for the Cummings clan, and a hearty congrats to Beebah on a great game.

While we looked much better on D in the second half, I still can't help but be concerned that our D isn't where it needs to be. Too many missed shots keep ending up in the opponent's hands. Even when we get them, we seem to not secure things as we should.

Ultimately, we're not going to get to where we want to this year if this aspect of our game doesn't improve somehow someway.

At this point, GDG just isn't playing well enough to warrant the minutes he's been getting. At some point a slump is no longer a slump. He has just been plain bad from 3, and if he's not hitting from deep, it's hard to see his value.

I mean, who would have guessed that JDG would have hit two 3's tonight while GDG didn't score a single point.

LBNL, Papa only got 8 minutes, but there is much promise there. He easily has the best moves in the post out of all our bigs, and I like his motor.

#H2P

Wish I could have heard the broadcast with Nelly talking about his brother on his big night. I'll bet it was pretty special.
 
Wish I could have heard the broadcast with Nelly talking about his brother on his big night. I'll bet it was pretty special.
It was DT. Nelly was a proud brother for sure, and there were several shots of his parents looking equally proud. Who needs Maleek? Beebah WANTS to play here and will at least give us two, maybe three seasons
 
Wish I could have heard the broadcast with Nelly talking about his brother on his big night. I'll bet it was pretty special.

My wife’s bad cold kept us from going to the game tonight but it was fun watching on TV with Nellie doing the color commentary. And yes he was proud of his brother, but probably the most heartwarming moment was in the postgame interview when the other announcer said something to Brandin about his big night, and Brandin immediately noted that it was also a big night for Nellie, and he even sounded like he believed Nellie’s night was even the bigger one.
 
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My wife’s bad cold kept us from going to the game tonight but it was fun watching on TV with Nellie doing the color commentary. And yes he was proud of his brother, but probably the most heartwarming moment was in the postgame interview when the other announcer said something to Brandin about his big night, and Brandin immediately noted that it was also a big night for Nellie, and he even sounded like he believed Nellie’s night was even the bigger one.
I missed the post game with Beebah and Nellie as I turned off the game with about 3:00 left in the second half. Good to know that Beebah is a humble kid
 
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What's the Pitt record for most points off the bench? Was Jason Maile a starter when he hit 40? If not, I'd guess Rod Brookin may own this record.
 
What's the Pitt record for most points off the bench? Was Jason Maile a starter when he hit 40? If not, I'd guess Rod Brookin may own this record.
Maile was a starter when he hit for 40 and Rod never had 30. His high may have been his 24 against Oklahoma.

Mark McCarrol had 26 against Georgia in 2003. I’ll have to think about this but you may have something here.
 
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What's the Pitt record for most points off the bench? Was Jason Maile a starter when he hit 40? If not, I'd guess Rod Brookin may own this record.
I can tell you the record against Pitt by a bench player was Marco Lokar’s 41.
 
He'll help. And we've seen GDiaz battle at the five in the past despite his lack of strength. We need a little more battle out of Cam.
GDG is doing OK on the boards, but, when his 3 is this far off, his minutes as a result, are dropping. My biggest disappointment, other than losing Dunn to injury, has been the play of Cam Corhen. I expected him to be stronger on the glass and tougher to back down. Additionally, he seems perhaps a bit slow of foot or a bit laxed in effort, as I have noticed him often getting beat to the spot by his opposing big when going for rebounds. It is hard to box out when the other guy gets inside position 1st.
Cam and GDG have left the most room for improvement, if they can both step up their games even a little bit, with the guards we have, we can be a damn good team by March.
 
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I agree with the comments on both GDG and Cam. GDG is moving better
than last year and although not strong enough, he does appear stronger
this year. His 3 pt misses are killing us, and if it keeps up I'd suggest
moving him to the backup 5 slot. I wouldn't want him to take minutes
from Papa though. As for Cam he appears to be more a power 4 than
a 5. We're gonna need a stronger inside presence from him in ACC.
As mentioned above, he seems a bit "slow of foot and lax of effort."

As for Delalic, I'm not giving up on him. He moved better last night,
and didn't stand on the wing or the corner waiting for a pass. He's
definitely not overly quick, but if he keeps getting more into the
flow I think we'll see what he can really add to our offense.
 
I agree with the comments on both GDG and Cam. GDG is moving better
than last year and although not strong enough, he does appear stronger
this year. His 3 pt misses are killing us, and if it keeps up I'd suggest
moving him to the backup 5 slot. I wouldn't want him to take minutes
from Papa though. As for Cam he appears to be more a power 4 than
a 5. We're gonna need a stronger inside presence from him in ACC.
As mentioned above, he seems a bit "slow of foot and lax of effort."

As for Delalic, I'm not giving up on him. He moved better last night,
and didn't stand on the wing or the corner waiting for a pass. He's
definitely not overly quick, but if he keeps getting more into the
flow I think we'll see what he can really add to our offense.
Delalic does seem to be a bit frustrated from not getting a pass when he should.
 
I agree with the comments on both GDG and Cam. GDG is moving better
than last year and although not strong enough, he does appear stronger
this year. His 3 pt misses are killing us, and if it keeps up I'd suggest
moving him to the backup 5 slot. I wouldn't want him to take minutes
from Papa though. As for Cam he appears to be more a power 4 than
a 5. We're gonna need a stronger inside presence from him in ACC.
As mentioned above, he seems a bit "slow of foot and lax of effort."

As for Delalic, I'm not giving up on him. He moved better last night,
and didn't stand on the wing or the corner waiting for a pass. He's
definitely not overly quick, but if he keeps getting more into the
flow I think we'll see what he can really add to our offense.
You say ‘didn’t stand on the wing or the corner waiting for a pass’ like that’s a bad thing. For many many college teams including Pitt, that seems to be a purposeful staple of a team’s offense.
 
A win is a win and they really rallied in the second half.

The rebounding remains a weak spot and a frustration. We're going to lose a close game this year in which we defend well with under a minute, the other team puts up a low percentage shot... and we can't come up with the rebound so we lose on the second chance attempt. It's going to be a heartbreaker but not a shock.
 
You say ‘didn’t stand on the wing or the corner waiting for a pass’ like that’s a bad thing. For many many college teams including Pitt, that seems to be a purposeful staple of a team’s offense.
When that's all you're doing instead of getting in the flow, yes IMO
it's a bad thing. Of course there's times when a player sets up on
the wing or side and waits for a pass, but not all or most of the time.
I was actually praising him for showing some improvement and moving
a little more. The way Pitt moves out front, that appears to be more of
a "staple" of its offense. I realize he's a a 3 pt threat (so does the D) but
eventually you've got to show some movement. Last night he did,
previous games not so much.
 
Delalic does seem to be a bit frustrated from not getting a pass when he should.
I kinda wondered about that too. I don't know if he's "frustrated,"
but it does seem like they're sometimes not hitting him with a pass
when he's open.
 
When that's all you're doing instead of getting in the flow, yes IMO
it's a bad thing. Of course there's times when a player sets up on
the wing or side and waits for a pass, but not all or most of the time.
I was actually praising him for showing some improvement and moving
a little more. The way Pitt moves out front, that appears to be more of
a "staple" of its offense. I realize he's a a 3 pt threat (so does the D) but
eventually you've got to show some movement. Last night he did,
previous games not so much.
It’s all a matter of what you’re instructed to do and for how long. Without a doubt, players are instructed to do that, how long to stay there before moving is another question. But in our offense, it could be a while since so much of it is based on Leggett or Lowe driving into the lane, if not that, pick n roll off screens set by your low post players. And you don’t want someone in Delalic’s position being in the way or clogging things up when trying to do those things.
 
It’s all a matter of what you’re instructed to do and for how long. Without a doubt, players are instructed to do that, how long to stay there before moving is another question. But in our offense, it could be a while since so much of it is based on Leggett or Lowe driving into the lane, if not that, pick n roll off screens set by your low post players. And you don’t want someone in Delalic’s position being in the way or clogging things up when trying to do those things.
Hey Coach, whatever you say. I gave you my take with an IMO. Your
rational makes sense too. All I was getting at is he showed more
motion in last night's game. Different opinions...no biggie.
 
Hey Coach, whatever you say. I gave you my take with an IMO. Your
rational makes sense too. All I was getting at is he showed more
motion in last night's game. Different opinions...no biggie.
I must have inadvertently had an offensive tone in my reply that I wasn’t intending. Was just offering up my take which was that IMO Delalic is/was just doing what Capel wanted and it’s no different than what many teams do. I think if Capel didn’t want him to camp out on the wing or in the corner so long, he would have told him so at some point during the game.
 
We need Dunn back and we need our bigs to play tougher.

I do not know that the bigs can. Maybe physical guards can overcome that.
I certainly am not about to tell Capel how to coach, but I sure would like to see a nice increase in minutes for Papa. He makes things happen whenever he is in there.
 
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I certainly am not about to tell Capel how to coach, but I sure would like to see a nice increase in minutes for Papa. He makes things happen whenever he is in there.
Agree. He showed a nice little drop step move last night on one of his field goals. Pretty sweet for a redshirt freshman. I want to see more of him and brandin. The more comfortable they get at this level, the more they will produce. I think both of them will be special players here by the time their careers are done.
 
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