** I presume I’ve had the pleasure of watching about 25 “Blue Gold” games in my days as a Pitt Hoops fan. Of those, I believe this one was probably one of the most enjoyable to watch.
** Perhaps this was so because there were so many new players to put an eye on. Or maybe it had something to do with seeing some strong work from returnees.
** Or maybe it had something to do with the pace of the game where Panther offensive players got into shots quickly and fluidly. Along the same lines, our Hoopers were also pushing the ball nicely on the break at times.
** It would be a mistake to suggest the Panthers looked like an offensive juggernaut though. In fact, it could even be problematic that the Panthers offensive sets got into shots pretty easily as this could mean there was little defense. In a Blue-Gold game, it’s tough to tell.
** What wasn’t tough to tell was that Mike Young, James Robinson and Johnathan Milligan were clearly head and shoulders above everyone else offensively on this day.
** Mike looked pretty darn impressive scoring his points with finishes in close, or doing work off on the dribble. Speaking of working with the dribble, Mike also did his share of work moving the ball from foul like to foul line on the break. And one of his drives to hole late in the game ended with a strong one handed power slam which was the game’s best highlight.
** Personally, I still do not believe that the lack of a “true center” was Pitt biggest issue last year. However, allowing Mike to do work with the dribble instead of just in the paint unlocks a new way he can help the Panthers.
** Among the Pitt fans I’ve spoken to over the past several months, there seems to be a consensus of skepticism that James has another level in him. Hopefully his performance today is a first piece of evidence that this skepticism is wrong.
** Simply stated, James was really good and dominated the game from the point. He made passes on the break, got into the lane, got shots for others and hit his shots at a high rate.
** Two plays by James were particularly noteworthy. In the first half, he flashed to the foul line and accepted an entry pass with defenders surrounding him. From there, he did a full pivot until finding Rafel Maia in the low post. His last play was his best play however. With his Gold team down one in the final seconds, James drove into the lane, drew two defenders and made a fine pass down to Alonzo Nelson-Ododa for the winning score with .6 seconds remaining. James did turn it over more than we’ve grown accustomed, but that’s a tradeoff we’ll take if it means he’s making more plus plays as he did today.
** At the very least, Johnathan Milligan easily showed that he’s a very capable player who will have a role with this year’s team. Whether or not he will shoot and score like he did today is yet to be seen. But he’s quick and fluid and can create some nice things for himself off of the dribble. Although his 3-6 shooting from three was a pleasure, his best shot was a driving, floating, runner he made late in the second half. That’s a tough shot he made look easy.
** What could be quite exciting will be seeing Milligan and Robinson on the court together at the same time in the 1-2 spots. It’s hard not to think we’ll see this lineup at times, anyway.
** As for the rest of the backcourt, Cam Johnson and Damon Wilson were both solid contributors. Cam played well, and took very good shots, but his three ball just wasn’t falling. His shot looks a little quicker and higher, and with his height, he should be able to get it off just about at any time. If he can hit threes at 35% rate or better, we may really have something.
** Damon plays a very active and tough style game. As a guard, he’s able get dirty inside and in the lane, but he’s not a float-on-the perimeter type, which is more of where you’ll find Cam.
** Sterling Smith rebounded better than any of our guards, but did very little to distinguish himself otherwise. With the competition that going on in the backcourt, he’ll need to show more to get minutes.
** Chris Jones was unable to play because of injury, which if I understood him correctly in the autograph line, is still a problem from his injury this summer.
** Sheldon Jeter and Jamel Artis played together as sort of the “interchangeable” three and four on their Blue team. Both did the things that made them successful last year, meaning Sheldon hit a couple of nice mid-range shots, and Jamel did some good things with dribble penetration leading to shots for others. However, he wasn’t hitting his shots like he did last year when he performed at nearly an all ACC level.
** I’m wondering if Dixon will go with a “5-by-committee” approach this season, instead of truly settling on one player there. Alonzo Nelson Ododa was likely the best of the group today, especially with his rebounding. It’s also worth noting that ANO looks the part of a center the best of any of them, but we’ll have to see how productive he’ll be.
** Rafel Maia looks a little more like a finesse player, and had two nice up and under finishes. However, I would have like to see him do more on the boards. He was also wearing something of a flack jacket under his jersey, but it did not seem to affect his game.
** I suspect Roselle Nix will be a fan favorite before he’s done at Pitt. But his game is about half finished and he still needs work on his conditioning. He does move well for his size, but if I had to guess, he’s headed for a redshirt.
** I don’t know if Dixon plans to utilize Ryan Luther at the five spot, of if this was just more of a function of balancing the Blue-Gold rosters. However, despite defending in the paint, he did more of his offensive work near the perimeter (including 2-2 from three). It was sort of a mixed bag performance for Ryan, as along with hitting shots, he also threw three passes to no one.
** As I mention earlier, it will be difficult to know where the Panthers are this season until we get any kind of an idea about defense. The only thing I can tell you about our defense today is that I saw more zone played today than I can ever remember seeing from Dixon in these scrimmages.
** Offensively, there were a number of new sets, with more screens coming across sets as opposed to screens coming from the post.
** The autograph sessions were great as usual and it was nice meeting the new guys. I also got the chance to speak to Ontario Lett who is a whole lot of fun and would seem to be a great addition to the staff. Finally, I spent some time speaking to Coach Dixon and I can assure you that he made good eye contact!
** There was plenty to be encouraged about from today, but not enough to get excited about just yet. Overall though, it was another nice event, even if less than 1,000 people were there to see it. I’m just glad I was one of them.
** Perhaps this was so because there were so many new players to put an eye on. Or maybe it had something to do with seeing some strong work from returnees.
** Or maybe it had something to do with the pace of the game where Panther offensive players got into shots quickly and fluidly. Along the same lines, our Hoopers were also pushing the ball nicely on the break at times.
** It would be a mistake to suggest the Panthers looked like an offensive juggernaut though. In fact, it could even be problematic that the Panthers offensive sets got into shots pretty easily as this could mean there was little defense. In a Blue-Gold game, it’s tough to tell.
** What wasn’t tough to tell was that Mike Young, James Robinson and Johnathan Milligan were clearly head and shoulders above everyone else offensively on this day.
** Mike looked pretty darn impressive scoring his points with finishes in close, or doing work off on the dribble. Speaking of working with the dribble, Mike also did his share of work moving the ball from foul like to foul line on the break. And one of his drives to hole late in the game ended with a strong one handed power slam which was the game’s best highlight.
** Personally, I still do not believe that the lack of a “true center” was Pitt biggest issue last year. However, allowing Mike to do work with the dribble instead of just in the paint unlocks a new way he can help the Panthers.
** Among the Pitt fans I’ve spoken to over the past several months, there seems to be a consensus of skepticism that James has another level in him. Hopefully his performance today is a first piece of evidence that this skepticism is wrong.
** Simply stated, James was really good and dominated the game from the point. He made passes on the break, got into the lane, got shots for others and hit his shots at a high rate.
** Two plays by James were particularly noteworthy. In the first half, he flashed to the foul line and accepted an entry pass with defenders surrounding him. From there, he did a full pivot until finding Rafel Maia in the low post. His last play was his best play however. With his Gold team down one in the final seconds, James drove into the lane, drew two defenders and made a fine pass down to Alonzo Nelson-Ododa for the winning score with .6 seconds remaining. James did turn it over more than we’ve grown accustomed, but that’s a tradeoff we’ll take if it means he’s making more plus plays as he did today.
** At the very least, Johnathan Milligan easily showed that he’s a very capable player who will have a role with this year’s team. Whether or not he will shoot and score like he did today is yet to be seen. But he’s quick and fluid and can create some nice things for himself off of the dribble. Although his 3-6 shooting from three was a pleasure, his best shot was a driving, floating, runner he made late in the second half. That’s a tough shot he made look easy.
** What could be quite exciting will be seeing Milligan and Robinson on the court together at the same time in the 1-2 spots. It’s hard not to think we’ll see this lineup at times, anyway.
** As for the rest of the backcourt, Cam Johnson and Damon Wilson were both solid contributors. Cam played well, and took very good shots, but his three ball just wasn’t falling. His shot looks a little quicker and higher, and with his height, he should be able to get it off just about at any time. If he can hit threes at 35% rate or better, we may really have something.
** Damon plays a very active and tough style game. As a guard, he’s able get dirty inside and in the lane, but he’s not a float-on-the perimeter type, which is more of where you’ll find Cam.
** Sterling Smith rebounded better than any of our guards, but did very little to distinguish himself otherwise. With the competition that going on in the backcourt, he’ll need to show more to get minutes.
** Chris Jones was unable to play because of injury, which if I understood him correctly in the autograph line, is still a problem from his injury this summer.
** Sheldon Jeter and Jamel Artis played together as sort of the “interchangeable” three and four on their Blue team. Both did the things that made them successful last year, meaning Sheldon hit a couple of nice mid-range shots, and Jamel did some good things with dribble penetration leading to shots for others. However, he wasn’t hitting his shots like he did last year when he performed at nearly an all ACC level.
** I’m wondering if Dixon will go with a “5-by-committee” approach this season, instead of truly settling on one player there. Alonzo Nelson Ododa was likely the best of the group today, especially with his rebounding. It’s also worth noting that ANO looks the part of a center the best of any of them, but we’ll have to see how productive he’ll be.
** Rafel Maia looks a little more like a finesse player, and had two nice up and under finishes. However, I would have like to see him do more on the boards. He was also wearing something of a flack jacket under his jersey, but it did not seem to affect his game.
** I suspect Roselle Nix will be a fan favorite before he’s done at Pitt. But his game is about half finished and he still needs work on his conditioning. He does move well for his size, but if I had to guess, he’s headed for a redshirt.
** I don’t know if Dixon plans to utilize Ryan Luther at the five spot, of if this was just more of a function of balancing the Blue-Gold rosters. However, despite defending in the paint, he did more of his offensive work near the perimeter (including 2-2 from three). It was sort of a mixed bag performance for Ryan, as along with hitting shots, he also threw three passes to no one.
** As I mention earlier, it will be difficult to know where the Panthers are this season until we get any kind of an idea about defense. The only thing I can tell you about our defense today is that I saw more zone played today than I can ever remember seeing from Dixon in these scrimmages.
** Offensively, there were a number of new sets, with more screens coming across sets as opposed to screens coming from the post.
** The autograph sessions were great as usual and it was nice meeting the new guys. I also got the chance to speak to Ontario Lett who is a whole lot of fun and would seem to be a great addition to the staff. Finally, I spent some time speaking to Coach Dixon and I can assure you that he made good eye contact!
** There was plenty to be encouraged about from today, but not enough to get excited about just yet. Overall though, it was another nice event, even if less than 1,000 people were there to see it. I’m just glad I was one of them.
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