** Last night’s loss was tough on the eyes and the heart, so it’s probably better that I had some time to reflect before offering my thoughts.
** So while I’m not going to try make any claims that the Florida State game wasn’t as bad as it looked , the only (somewhat) healthy perspective I can add is that on Jan 16, 2024, our record was 10-7 and 1-5 in the ACC so all is certainly not lost.
** Except that I sure wish we could find that basketball team we watched in December. That one does seem lost at the moment.
** The night before the Louisville game, my kid and I were having some extended discussions, even offering some doubts about how good our team really is.
** What I offered as evidence of “pretty good” were the metrics, which all had us planted firmly in the “pretty good” category.
** Unfortunately, those metrics are slipping, and what we’ve actually watched over the past three games is a team that kind of looks a little like they’ve forgotten how to play basketball.
** After the Cuse game at the Pete last year, I remarked how I honestly had no idea whatsoever what we were trying to do offensively. It wasn't just bad shooting. I said then said that it was just really bad offense. Additionally, I added, most of our trips showed little beyond a weak ball screen, followed by a pass or two then a weak jump shot. We don't create shots at all. We don't move without the ball or share the ball very much.
** For five of our last six halves, much of this description could apply to our current group.
** Well … that is, maybe not even the ball screen. And other than kick outs to the three point line after iso drives, we just don’t pass the basketball.
** And I can’t recall the last time we started a basketball game with 6 turnovers in our first 13 trips. I’m sure it happened in one of those games of the Stallings era, but I see no reason to try to dig that up.
** On the other end of the court, for the second game in a row, our defense totally crumbled down the stretch. Against the Cards, it was 22 points surrendered in the last 10 possessions. Last night it was 25 points in the final 15 possessions. And the fact that most of this came from the free throw line makes no difference.
** Then there’s the rebounding. On the whole, we improved over the atrocious performance against Lousiville, but that’s faint praise.
** I try to offer Cam Corhen a little more shade than many here on the Lair. I don’t think he’s been at all good, but I also don’t think he’s always our biggest issue. But there’s no defense for the offensive offensive rebound he surrendered at the 1:30 mark with the Panthers down five.
** I just have no idea why he didn’t actually jump for the ball, let alone box out.
** Nonetheless, congratulations to Jorge Diaz Graham for being the one and only good thing to take from this game from a Panther perspective.
** So going forward, I recognize that the Panther contingent here on the Lair is ready with fire and pitchforks to demand changes. Last night, I might have been in that mob.
** My truth is, I don’t know what has to change. But something does.
** As for lineups, it makes plenty of obvious sense that JGD has earned a spot in the regular rotation, perhaps even as the first guy off the bench at either the three or four spots.
** And while I can’t say that GDG has been very effective either, he doesn’t look to me like he’s been any less effective than Cam. In my lineup, they’d split time at the five.
** We also need to get a better idea of what there is to get from Damian Dunn. We were all anxiously awaiting his return. But something seems amiss since he's come back. I can’t say what that is, but that’s on his coach to figure out.
** I could probably come up with a handful of other suggestions or minutes breakdown like most of you already have. But I’m not going to play armchair Head Coach. That is because we already have a guy who is paid lots of money to be the actual head coach.
** And the problem for our Panthers at this moment in time is that they really don’t look like a very well coached team.
** I’m at a loss to understand why we have resorted to nearly all iso ball looking to break down defenders off the dribble over an over to mixed at best results.
** I’m at an equal loss to understand what has happened to our defense down the stretch over the last two games.
** I’m at the biggest loss to understand just what the roles are for some of the players on this team. But that’s not for me to really understand. The bigger problem is that many of the players don't seem to understand their roles completely either.
** The truth about Capel’s tenure at Pitt is that it’s been filled with many more moments of bad than good, but the fact that nearly all of the good has come over the past two and a half years placed me firmly in his corner.
** For me, the greatest casualty of last night’s game is my confidence making me wonder once again if I’m standing in the right place.
** But for now, I’ll take a very, very much needed win on Saturday to put some of that trepidation at bay for the time being.
** So while I’m not going to try make any claims that the Florida State game wasn’t as bad as it looked , the only (somewhat) healthy perspective I can add is that on Jan 16, 2024, our record was 10-7 and 1-5 in the ACC so all is certainly not lost.
** Except that I sure wish we could find that basketball team we watched in December. That one does seem lost at the moment.
** The night before the Louisville game, my kid and I were having some extended discussions, even offering some doubts about how good our team really is.
** What I offered as evidence of “pretty good” were the metrics, which all had us planted firmly in the “pretty good” category.
** Unfortunately, those metrics are slipping, and what we’ve actually watched over the past three games is a team that kind of looks a little like they’ve forgotten how to play basketball.
** After the Cuse game at the Pete last year, I remarked how I honestly had no idea whatsoever what we were trying to do offensively. It wasn't just bad shooting. I said then said that it was just really bad offense. Additionally, I added, most of our trips showed little beyond a weak ball screen, followed by a pass or two then a weak jump shot. We don't create shots at all. We don't move without the ball or share the ball very much.
** For five of our last six halves, much of this description could apply to our current group.
** Well … that is, maybe not even the ball screen. And other than kick outs to the three point line after iso drives, we just don’t pass the basketball.
** And I can’t recall the last time we started a basketball game with 6 turnovers in our first 13 trips. I’m sure it happened in one of those games of the Stallings era, but I see no reason to try to dig that up.
** On the other end of the court, for the second game in a row, our defense totally crumbled down the stretch. Against the Cards, it was 22 points surrendered in the last 10 possessions. Last night it was 25 points in the final 15 possessions. And the fact that most of this came from the free throw line makes no difference.
** Then there’s the rebounding. On the whole, we improved over the atrocious performance against Lousiville, but that’s faint praise.
** I try to offer Cam Corhen a little more shade than many here on the Lair. I don’t think he’s been at all good, but I also don’t think he’s always our biggest issue. But there’s no defense for the offensive offensive rebound he surrendered at the 1:30 mark with the Panthers down five.
** I just have no idea why he didn’t actually jump for the ball, let alone box out.
** Nonetheless, congratulations to Jorge Diaz Graham for being the one and only good thing to take from this game from a Panther perspective.
** So going forward, I recognize that the Panther contingent here on the Lair is ready with fire and pitchforks to demand changes. Last night, I might have been in that mob.
** My truth is, I don’t know what has to change. But something does.
** As for lineups, it makes plenty of obvious sense that JGD has earned a spot in the regular rotation, perhaps even as the first guy off the bench at either the three or four spots.
** And while I can’t say that GDG has been very effective either, he doesn’t look to me like he’s been any less effective than Cam. In my lineup, they’d split time at the five.
** We also need to get a better idea of what there is to get from Damian Dunn. We were all anxiously awaiting his return. But something seems amiss since he's come back. I can’t say what that is, but that’s on his coach to figure out.
** I could probably come up with a handful of other suggestions or minutes breakdown like most of you already have. But I’m not going to play armchair Head Coach. That is because we already have a guy who is paid lots of money to be the actual head coach.
** And the problem for our Panthers at this moment in time is that they really don’t look like a very well coached team.
** I’m at a loss to understand why we have resorted to nearly all iso ball looking to break down defenders off the dribble over an over to mixed at best results.
** I’m at an equal loss to understand what has happened to our defense down the stretch over the last two games.
** I’m at the biggest loss to understand just what the roles are for some of the players on this team. But that’s not for me to really understand. The bigger problem is that many of the players don't seem to understand their roles completely either.
** The truth about Capel’s tenure at Pitt is that it’s been filled with many more moments of bad than good, but the fact that nearly all of the good has come over the past two and a half years placed me firmly in his corner.
** For me, the greatest casualty of last night’s game is my confidence making me wonder once again if I’m standing in the right place.
** But for now, I’ll take a very, very much needed win on Saturday to put some of that trepidation at bay for the time being.
