Friday Pitt Basketball Poll 6/26/20!!

[PittPoker]

I've been wondering throughout the offseason just how good Champ can become. He had a great freshman season and most feel there is tremendous upside for him to get even better.

I am torn on this though if he will be that good to make 1st team All ACC this season. On the 1 hand he could get that much better, be much more accurate in his 3 point shooting, better defender and up his PPG. If that's the case he probably has a great chance to do so.

On the other hand, maybe it is too much to expect him to improve that much and maybe it will be more gradual, like making 2nd team All-ACC this season and by his junior year is a candidate for ACC player of the year. Who really knows right?

I am going to temper my hope and expectations on him a little little bit and say NO, he doesn't make 1st team this upcoming season. But I think he definitely makes the 2nd team and imo sets up his junior year to be a top player in the league. And then maybe the NBA happens.

So I say No this season.

 

[Ski11585]

Love your polls, Poker, but this one is going to be awfully lopsided.

 

[DC_Area_Panther]

Yep. Not going to be a 1st teamer.

 

[pittchagg]

I think X has a better shot of being a first teamer than Champagnie.

 

[Millerton]

Maybe 3rd team

 

[Vader_Storm]

I've been wondering throughout the offseason just how good Champ can become. He had a great freshman season and most feel there is tremendous upside for him to get even better.

I am torn on this though if he will be that good to make 1st team All ACC this season. On the 1 hand he could get that much better, be much more accurate in his 3 point shooting, better defender and up his PPG. If that's the case he probably has a great chance to do so.

On the other hand, maybe it is too much to expect him to improve that much and maybe it will be more gradual, like making 2nd team All-ACC this season and by his junior year is a candidate for ACC player of the year. Who really knows right?

I am going to temper my hope and expectations on him a little little bit and say NO, he doesn't make 1st team this upcoming season. But I think he definitely makes the 2nd team and imo sets up his junior year to be a top player in the league. And then maybe the NBA happens.

So I say No this season.

No.

But since I decided to pull up the ACC Conference only stats to look at Mcgowens earlier.



20 game ACC Conference Only stats.

Toney

46% FG
35.6% 3 point
58.5% free throw
efg: 51.9
11.3 points per game
5.1 rebounds per game
1.1 assist per game
1.3 turnover per game

(ORTG: 109 for the season)


Champ

39% FG
26.4% 3 point
77.5% free throw
efg: 43.8
12.3 points per game
7.8 rebounds per game
.8 assists per game
.9 turnovers per game

(ORTG 108 for the season)

These 2 offensively were by far are 2 best offensive players during the 20 game conference schedule statistically and efficiently for Pitt. These 2 both can and should push for a "potential" all conference selection, 3rd team or possibly Honorable mention. Toney and Champ rank as two of the highest efficiency players returning in the entire ACC for all underclassmen at 6th and 7th in the entire league respectively. Both can push for an ORTG between 110-120 next year which would put them near the top of the ACC.


Toney will be one of the best on ball defenders in the entire ACC next year. He is moving closer toward Julius Page clampdown levels on defense and is far and away the teams best defensive player and its not even remotely close.

Champ has a long way to go on defense and was often caught making incorrect switches last year as well as lacking full effort on defense as well as poor recovery time being out of position. Stamina hurt Champ badly the back end of the ACC schedule and really hurt him on defense. He took too many plays off trying to catch his breath as well.


Our ACC starting 4 is going to be very strong with X-Horton-Toney-Champ. That 4 player nucleus is Top 5 worthy in the ACC and should offer a great balanced scoring attack. The problem is what we get behind it (most importantly center) as this past year the answer was nothing post Ryan Murphy concussion. I sound like a broken record but our depth and the Murphy concussion fully crippled this team this year.


If I was going to rank who I have most confidence in next year on paper to "play at a high level on both ends of the court", it would be Toney, Champ, Horton, and X in that order. The difference between Toney and the next player on Pitt's roster on defense is a giant gap.


I love Champ's potential and his rebounding for a freshmen was spectacular given his size and his young age for a freshmen at a young 18. But to me its kind of interesting how much "love" Champ is getting and how much lack of respect Toney is getting. Toney's ACC conference numbers on offense are strong including his shooting percentages and his efficiency. Toney's shooting percentage was over 15% better than Trey Mcgowens in ACC play. And Toney's defense is Elite.


My far and away biggest concern next year is Terrell Brown playing anywhere close to 20 minutes per game the way he rebounds the basketball for a center. Brown averaged 19.7 minutes per game in ACC play and averaged 3.7 rebounds per game. That is beyond awful for a center and if Brown is logging close to 20 minutes per game next year with the same rebound numbers, the chances of Pitt making the tournament are close to zero. Hugley needs to come in and beat him out from Day 1 or Brown really needs to step up as a Senior. Coulibaly is also a sleeper. Coulibaly shot 47% in the ACC this year in ACC conference only games. He has breakout potential.

 

[Ski11585]

No.

But since I decided to pull up the ACC Conference only stats to look at Mcgowens earlier.



20 game ACC Conference Only stats.

Toney

46% FG
35.6% 3 point
58.5% free throw
efg: 51.9
11.3 points per game
5.1 rebounds per game
1.1 assist per game
1.3 turnover per game

(ORTG: 109 for the season)


Champ

39% FG
26.4% 3 point
77.5% free throw
efg: 43.8
12.3 points per game
7.8 rebounds per game
.8 assists per game
.9 turnovers per game

(ORTG 108 for the season)

These 2 offensively were by far are 2 best offensive players during the 20 game conference schedule statistically and efficiently for Pitt. These 2 both can and should push for a "potential" all conference selection, 3rd team or possibly Honorable mention. Toney and Champ rank as two of the highest efficiency players returning in the entire ACC for all underclassmen at 6th and 7th in the entire league respectively. Both can push for an ORTG between 110-120 next year which would put them near the top of the ACC.


Toney will be one of the best on ball defenders in the entire ACC next year. He is moving closer toward Julius Page clampdown levels on defense and is far and away the teams best defensive player and its not even remotely close.

Champ has a long way to go on defense and was often caught making incorrect switches last year as well as lacking full effort on defense as well as poor recovery time being out of position. Stamina hurt Champ badly the back end of the ACC schedule and really hurt him on defense. He took too many plays off trying to catch his breath as well.


Our ACC starting 4 is going to be very strong with X-Horton-Toney-Champ. That 4 player nucleus is Top 5 worthy in the ACC and should offer a great balanced scoring attack. The problem is what we get behind it (most importantly center) as this past year the answer was nothing post Ryan Murphy concussion. I sound like a broken record but our depth and the Murphy concussion fully crippled this team this year.


If I was going to rank who I have most confidence in next year on paper to "play at a high level on both ends of the court", it would be Toney, Champ, Horton, and X in that order. The difference between Toney and the next player on Pitt's roster on defense is a giant gap.


I love Champ's potential and his rebounding for a freshmen was spectacular given his size and his young age for a freshmen at a young 18. But to me its kind of interesting how much "love" Champ is getting and how much lack of respect Toney is getting. Toney's ACC conference numbers on offense are strong including his shooting percentages and his efficiency. Toney's shooting percentage was over 15% better than Trey Mcgowens in ACC play. And Toney's defense is Elite.


My far and away biggest concern next year is Terrell Brown playing anywhere close to 20 minutes per game the way he rebounds the basketball for a center. Brown averaged 19.7 minutes per game in ACC play and averaged 3.7 rebounds per game. That is beyond awful for a center and if Brown is logging close to 20 minutes per game next year with the same rebound numbers, the chances of Pitt making the tournament are close to zero. Hugley needs to come in and beat him out from Day 1 or Brown really needs to step up as a Senior. Coulibaly is also a sleeper. Coulibaly shot 47% in the ACC this year in ACC conference only games. He has breakout potential.

How on earth can you have more confidence in someone who has never played a game of ACC play than a player who started two years in the ACC and made the All-ACC Freshman team?

Also, I am pretty sure you said you were going to stop your incessant McGowens posting. Yet here you are. Trashing him again and again.

 

[DC_Area_Panther]

I have a, probably over imaginative, feeling that Noah Collier will be our surprise over performing true freshman.

 

[Vader_Storm]

How on earth can you have more confidence in someone who has never played a game of ACC play than a player who started two years in the ACC and made the All-ACC Freshman team?

Also, I am pretty sure you said you were going to stop your incessant McGowens posting. Yet here you are. Trashing him again and again.

Besides the fact Jeff Capel has openly stated Horton will be one of the best scorers in the entire acc (Those are Jeff Capel's words, not mine) and Corey Evans claimed he was at multiple Pitt practices and Horton was abusing our other guards and Evans predicted on record that Horton is the top incoming transfer in the entire ACC league (Evans even wrote an article on it)....


Horton's Effective Field Goal Percentage as a freshmen was higher than Ashton Gibbs full career with Horton being at 54.6%


There were a total of 3 freshmen players in the entire 2018-2019 season in all of D-1 to make over 80+ 3 point shots in a single season at over 40% from 3 with a +50% EFG with a minimum 105 ORTG offensive power rating. Horton was one of the 3 in all of D-1. The other 2 freshmen declared for the NBA already to play professionally.

There is plenty of video evidence that Horton was making 3's well beyond the 3 point line out to 28 feet during his freshmen season. Im not talking 1 or 2, Im talking a flurry of them far beyond the 3 point line both off the catch and shoot and off the bounce.

There is no question Horton is going to put up significant points next year because he can shoot. The biggest question is what he does on "defense" and I have some concerns about his defense. I have little concern about Horton's offense. X is average on defense at this point.


As far as X is concerned.... Until he gets his turnovers under control which at times broke this teams back multiple times this season, I have less confidence in his ability at a consistent high level, with the key word consistency.


For example, X had 2 assists and 8 turnovers against Northwestern. X did it again and had 2 assists and 8 turnovers against NC State in the ACC Tournament. Those types of performances are painfully bad and are killing our team and one of those games was the last game of the season which tells me he still isnt turning the corner with his mental game.


At the tail of this season Toney and Champ played at a high level and were consistently doing it. The last 3 games of this season X had 17 turnovers and he was still making far too many mistakes. He is still out of control. He had a turnover rate of 24.7% which is way to high with a season ORTG of 93 which is "average" at best. His high usage rate played a small part in this, but this shooting percentages were still far to low. X only made 31 three balls for the entire season. The improvement of shooting percentages with a higher volume of made 3's simply didnt happen.

X will greatly benefit with Horton next to him to open the driving lanes by stretching the defense which should significantly help his shooting percentages. But Horton isn't going to fix his turnover issues, only X can fix that. I still have significant concerns with his decision making.


X has all league potential. But he isn't close to putting it all together yet. Potential doesnt mean actual performance. I think a very good number for X to strive for next year is 11-12ppg, 6.5 assists per game, with an ORTG between 105-110. That is within reason to achieve if he cleans up his game and makes far better decisions with his shot selection while reducing his turnovers. Those type of numbers is what Tray Woodall achieved. Simply put, Pitt cannot be one of the slowest teams in all of D-1 basketball with Xavier Johnson having 8 turnover per game performances. That simply isnt acceptable and X knows it.

 

[DC_Area_Panther]

Maybe it is only purely unfounded hope speaking, but it seemed to me that most of Johnson’s turnovers were in attempts to drive to the hoop in heavy traffic due to sagging defenses. As you note Horton’s outside shooting (if as advertised) should help cure the heavy traffic jam part of it. Bigmen with better hands and more offensive game than Brown should also help in that regard. Hopefully, a combo of those two factors and a resulting decreased frustration level for Johnson will help his mental game to also improve.

 

[King Of All Message Boards]

So Poker’s next poll should be will Horton be a first team All American.

Then after that it can be will Horton be a lottery pick.

There have to be All Americans all over the country who haven’t got as much hype.

I hope he is that good. Don’t get me wrong. But wow. He gets better by the minute and he hasn’t played a minute.

 

[Vader_Storm]

So Poker’s next poll should be will Horton be a first team All American.

Then after that it can be will Horton be a lottery pick.

There have to be All Americans all over the country who haven’t got as much hype.

I hope he is that good. Don’t get me wrong. But wow. He gets better by the minute and he hasn’t played a minute.

Every Guard Transfer to Pitt since 2008 and their before and after stats.




Murphy-Charlotte

Charlotte-6.7ppg, 40.7%, ORTG-100.3

Pitt-7.6ppg, 36.2% ORTG- 95.9


Wilson Frame-NW CC

Northwest CC- 14.8ppg, 47.3% (68 made 3’s at 37%)

Pitt-12.7ppg, 40.9% FG ( 32% from 3 junior, 39% from 3 senior) ORTG-91.4 junior, ORTG-115.3-senior


N’dir-New Mexico

New Mexico- 7.8ppg, 40.% FG ORTG-108.3

Pitt- 5.9ppg, 40.7%-ORTG-97.9


Ellison-St. John’s

St. Johns-7.4ppg, 41.9% FG ORTG 97.3

Pitt-5.8ppg, 44.5% FG ORTG 88.6


Smith-Coppin State

Coppin St- 13.8ppg, 46% FG ORTG-116.6

Pitt-4.5ppg, 36.7 FG ORTG-118.5


Ziegler-CMU

CMU-15.8ppg, 46% FG, ORTG- 96.2

Pitt-4.4ppg, 44% FG ORTG-92.1 (0 made 3 balls his last 2 years of college which is a D-1 record)


Jermaine Dixon-Tallahassee CC

Tallahassee CC-18.1ppg, 37.2% FG

Pitt-8.4ppg, 44% FG 113-ORTG


Mike Cook-ECU

ECU-15ppg, 37% FG

Pitt-10.5 49.8% FG ORTG-108.3




The lowest points per game transfer at Pitt was 4.4ppg from Trey Ziegler who made 0 three point baskets in his last 2 years in college which is tied for a division 1 record as fewest.


The worst ORTG offensive power rating was Malik Ellison at 88.6 at Pitt. Ellison couldnt break 100 ORTG as a senior at Hartford. Malik Ellison made a total of 5 three point baskets his last 2 years of college combined.


Ziegler and Ellison were 2 of the worst 3 point shooters ever in the history of college basketball.



Horton and Sibande pass the stats test against all these players head to head. Coming into Pitt, Horton and Sibande have better stats than any of these players prior to their Pitt arrival. Horton's are far better.


You are welcome to post your sarcasm all you like. But the hype is justified with Horton's and Sibande's stats vs any of these players prior to Pitt.


Ryan Murphy was well on his way to averaging 10ppg with a 100+ ORTG offensive rating prior to his season ending concussion which crushed his season and our teams.


If you ran a standing poll of Horton vs Murphy or Sibande vs Murphy on this forum of which player you would want next year, Im telling you Murphy would lose in a landslide vote against either one. And Murphy was a player that averaged 10.6 points per game prior to his concussion with 100+ortg prior to his concussion.

These 2 additions from Capel are big.

 

[King Of All Message Boards]

Every Guard Transfer to Pitt since 2008 and their before and after stats.




Murphy-Charlotte

Charlotte-6.7ppg, 40.7%, ORTG-100.3

Pitt-7.6ppg, 36.2% ORTG- 95.9


Wilson Frame-NW CC

Northwest CC- 14.8ppg, 47.3% (68 made 3’s at 37%)

Pitt-12.7ppg, 40.9% FG ( 32% from 3 junior, 39% from 3 senior) ORTG-91.4 junior, ORTG-115.3-senior


N’dir-New Mexico

New Mexico- 7.8ppg, 40.% FG ORTG-108.3

Pitt- 5.9ppg, 40.7%-ORTG-97.9


Ellison-St. John’s

St. Johns-7.4ppg, 41.9% FG ORTG 97.3

Pitt-5.8ppg, 44.5% FG ORTG 88.6


Smith-Coppin State

Coppin St- 13.8ppg, 46% FG ORTG-116.6

Pitt-4.5ppg, 36.7 FG ORTG-118.5


Ziegler-CMU

CMU-15.8ppg, 46% FG, ORTG- 96.2

Pitt-4.4ppg, 44% FG ORTG-92.1 (0 made 3 balls his last 2 years of college which is a D-1 record)


Jermaine Dixon-Tallahassee CC

Tallahassee CC-18.1ppg, 37.2% FG

Pitt-8.4ppg, 44% FG 113-ORTG


Mike Cook-ECU

ECU-15ppg, 37% FG

Pitt-10.5 49.8% FG ORTG-108.3




The lowest points per game transfer at Pitt was 4.4ppg from Trey Ziegler who made 0 three point baskets in his last 2 years in college which is tied for a division 1 record as fewest.


The worst ORTG offensive power rating was Malik Ellison at 88.6 at Pitt. Ellison couldnt break 100 ORTG as a senior at Hartford. Malik Ellison made a total of 5 three point baskets his last 2 years of college combined.


Ziegler and Ellison were 2 of the worst 3 point shooters ever in the history of college basketball.



Horton and Sibande pass the stats test against all these players head to head. Coming into Pitt, Horton and Sibande have better stats than any of these players prior to their Pitt arrival. Horton's are far better.


You are welcome to post your sarcasm all you like. But the hype is justified with Horton's and Sibande's stats vs any of these players prior to Pitt.


Ryan Murphy was well on his way to averaging 10ppg with a 100+ ORTG offensive rating prior to his season ending concussion which crushed his season and our teams.


If you ran a standing poll of Horton vs Murphy or Sibande vs Murphy on this forum of which player you would want next year, Im telling you Murphy would lose in a landslide vote against either one. And Murphy was a player that averaged 10.6 points per game prior to his concussion with 100+ortg prior to his concussion.

These 2 additions from Capel are big.

I’m glad I have your permission to post what I like. I’ve been jittery since I posted that. I feel much better now. A good night’s sleep awaits me.

 

[Fsgolfdr]

I’m with Vader . Is it possible , sure it is , all JC needs to do is only up his 3 pt shooting % up about 14% pts and play better defense .

I also think that there will be less opportunities for him to score next season . I think we’re going to see a far better offensive performance from the Panthers with more balanced scoring with Horton leading the pack .

One can be a fine ball player without earning post season league recognition .

 

[Vader_Storm]

I’m with Vader . Is it possible , sure it is , all JC needs to do is only up his 3 pt shooting % up about 14% pts and play better defense .

I also think that there will be less opportunities for him to score next season . I think we’re going to see a far better offensive performance from the Panthers with more balanced scoring with Horton leading the pack .

One can be a fine ball player without earning post season league recognition .

I think what can help Justin and the team the most is for Justin to limit his 3 point shooting attempts. This is a slightly tough call here because Jeff Capel encourages open shooters to shoot. But right now and for Justin's entire career, 3 point shooting was never a big part of his game. In fact, in high school and AAU, he took a very small limited number of 3 points shots and was a much more highly efficient player with his shooting percentages and ORTG prior to this year.

Justin made some very big 3's this year in critical moments which probably gave him much more confidence to let it fly than he should have. He attempted 126 three point shots and made just 26%. Its much easier said than done getting that up to 35% let alone 40% from 3.

If Justin concentrated on the inside and mid range where he can be really effective and cut his 3 point attempts in half, his points and offensive efficiency can climb significantly higher as he was already "good" this year as a true freshmen.

Justin will have a very good sophomore season. But as I said and you said, the expectation should be that the team is going to be very well balanced scoring.

 

[Fsgolfdr]

I think what can help Justin and the team the most is for Justin to limit his 3 point shooting attempts. This is a slightly tough call here because Jeff Capel encourages open shooters to shoot. But right now and for Justin's entire career, 3 point shooting was never a big part of his game. In fact, in high school and AAU, he took a very small limited number of 3 points shots and was a much more highly efficient player with his shooting percentages and ORTG prior to this year.

Justin made some very big 3's this year in critical moments which probably gave him much more confidence to let it fly than he should have. He attempted 126 three point shots and made just 26%. Its much easier said than done getting that up to 35% let alone 40% from 3.

If Justin concentrated on the inside and mid range where he can be really effective and cut his 3 point attempts in half, his points and offensive efficiency can climb significantly higher as he was already "good" this year as a true freshmen.

Justin will have a very good sophomore season. But as I said and you said, the expectation should be that the team is going to be very well balanced scoring.

Tongue in cheek 26 to 40% !

However he does have a nice stroke so who knows , he seems to be a hard worker so ...

Having other offensive options should make everyone have better looks .

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

He attempted 126 three point shots and made just 26%. Its much easier said than done getting that up to 35% let alone 40% from 3.

I was going to say, oh, is that ALL he needs to do?

The number of guys who take that many threes who improve their percentage that much in one year has got to be really small.

 

[Vader_Storm]

I was going to say, oh, is that ALL he needs to do?

The number of guys who take that many threes who improve their percentage that much in one year has got to be really small.

The guy that did it off the top of my head was Mike Cook where 3 things happened after his transfer from ECU to Pitt.

1) Lower usage rate and ball less in his hands
2) Playing with better players and with Levance Fields
3) Decreasing shots attempts from 3 and being much more selective with high quality shots.

ECU-31.6% from 3, 95 total 3 point attempts
Pitt-47.8% from 3, 46 total 3 point attempts

(3 point attempts cut in half here)

The talent Cook had at ECU was awful much like what Sibande had at Miami Ohio. Putting the entire offense on ones back is extremely tough without any other options with the entire defense focused and sagging toward you.

Its not impossible, but our young guys needs to understand quality shot selection and better shot selection generally improves with more experience while playing to your strengths. It rarely skyrockets up like in Cook's case. But it does show what playing with much better players can do for ones games along with improving ones mental game can do for an individual player.

 

[Fsgolfdr]

The guy that did it off the top of my head was Mike Cook where 3 things happened after his transfer from ECU to Pitt.

1) Lower usage rate and ball less in his hands
2) Playing with better players and with Levance Fields
3) Decreasing shots attempts from 3 and being much more selective with high quality shots.

ECU-31.6% from 3, 95 total 3 point attempts
Pitt-47.8% from 3, 46 total 3 point attempts

(3 point attempts cut in half here)

The talent Cook had at ECU was awful much like what Sibande had at Miami Ohio. Putting the entire offense on ones back is extremely tough without any other options with the entire defense focused and sagging toward you.

Its not impossible, but our young guys needs to understand quality shot selection and better shot selection generally improves with more experience while playing to your strengths. It rarely skyrockets up like in Cook's case. But it does show what playing with much better players can do for ones games along with improving ones mental game can do for an individual player.

I think the player who could benefit the most from a talent upgrade is X if he learns to trust his teammates .

 

[Bethlehemjohn]

I've been wondering throughout the offseason just how good Champ can become. He had a great freshman season and most feel there is tremendous upside for him to get even better.

I am torn on this though if he will be that good to make 1st team All ACC this season. On the 1 hand he could get that much better, be much more accurate in his 3 point shooting, better defender and up his PPG. If that's the case he probably has a great chance to do so.

On the other hand, maybe it is too much to expect him to improve that much and maybe it will be more gradual, like making 2nd team All-ACC this season and by his junior year is a candidate for ACC player of the year. Who really knows right?

I am going to temper my hope and expectations on him a little little bit and say NO, he doesn't make 1st team this upcoming season. But I think he definitely makes the 2nd team and imo sets up his junior year to be a top player in the league. And then maybe the NBA happens.

So I say No this season.

This is one of the easiest ones you have done so far. Pretty much little to no chance for 1st team. The bluebloods get first team all ACC.

 

[Protes]

The guy that did it off the top of my head was Mike Cook where 3 things happened after his transfer from ECU to Pitt.

1) Lower usage rate and ball less in his hands
2) Playing with better players and with Levance Fields
3) Decreasing shots attempts from 3 and being much more selective with high quality shots.

ECU-31.6% from 3, 95 total 3 point attempts
Pitt-47.8% from 3, 46 total 3 point attempts

(3 point attempts cut in half here)

The talent Cook had at ECU was awful much like what Sibande had at Miami Ohio. Putting the entire offense on ones back is extremely tough without any other options with the entire defense focused and sagging toward you.

Its not impossible, but our young guys needs to understand quality shot selection and better shot selection generally improves with more experience while playing to your strengths. It rarely skyrockets up like in Cook's case. But it does show what playing with much better players can do for ones games along with improving ones mental game can do for an individual player.

Didn't Mike Cook's attempts go down because he got hurt and missed the entire Big East season?

 

[Vader_Storm]

Didn't Mike Cook's attempts go down because he got hurt and missed the entire Big East season?

The stats I am using was Mike Cook's junior season where the team finished 29-8 and lost in the Sweet 16. Cook started all 37 games that year as a junior. Cook was the 2nd leading scorer on the team that year. That team made it to #2 Nationally in the polls at one point.


The season you are referencing was Mike Cook's senior year at Pitt where he was injured against Duke. That Pitt team was undefeated at 11-0 with a win over a Top 5 Duke team when Cook was injured and was ranked 6th Nationally in the country at that point. Levance Fields was injured the very next game and broke his foot. This was perhaps the most bittersweet season of any Pitt season in my opinion because we never lost when we were fully healthy and Fields came back from injury in mid February and the team won the Big East Tournament Championship with Cook cheering from the sidelines. That team still won 27 games and Fields missed 12 games that year and Cook missed the entire season after the Duke game.

Mike Cook was a really good player and those were 2 very good teams. The 2008 team that won the Big East Tournament is quite underrated historically by our fans because of the teams injuries. There are a number of "what if" moments in Pitt sports history but I still can't shake the fact that team never lost at full health and that 2008 team at full health would certainly compete with the 2003 and 2009 teams.

Many probably dont remember but that team beat 3 Top 25 teams in a row to win the Big East Tournament without Mike Cook and with Levance Fields sidelined in a boot for 6 weeks in the same year.


Mike Cook as a Pitt starter had a career record of 40-8. He is one of the most underrated Pitt players ever.

 

[Protes]

The stats I am using was Mike Cook's junior season where the team finished 29-8 and lost in the Sweet 16. Cook started all 37 games that year as a junior. Cook was the 2nd leading scorer on the team that year. That team made it to #2 Nationally in the polls at one point.


The season you are referencing was Mike Cook's senior year at Pitt where he was injured against Duke. That Pitt team was undefeated at 11-0 with a win over a Top 5 Duke team when Cook was injured and was ranked 6th Nationally in the country at that point. Levance Fields was injured the very next game and broke his foot. This was perhaps the most bittersweet season of any Pitt season in my opinion because we never lost when we were fully healthy and Fields came back from injury in mid February and the team won the Big East Tournament Championship with Cook cheering from the sidelines. That team still won 27 games and Fields missed 12 games that year and Cook missed the entire season after the Duke game.

Mike Cook was a really good player and those were 2 very good teams. The 2008 team that won the Big East Tournament is quite underrated historically by our fans because of the teams injuries. There are a number of "what if" moments in Pitt sports history but I still can't shake the fact that team never lost at full health and that 2008 team at full health would certainly compete with the 2003 and 2009 teams.

Many probably dont remember but that team beat 3 Top 25 teams in a row to win the Big East Tournament without Mike Cook and with Levance Fields sidelined in a boot for 6 weeks in the same year.


Mike Cook as a Pitt starter had a career record of 40-8. He is one of the most underrated Pitt players ever.

Thanks for the clarification. Agree about the 2008 team. We are only left with "what if" he hadn't gotten hurt. It made that Duke win bittersweet as well. As much as that is a cherished victory, I would rather have lost in regulation than to have won in OT and lost MC for the year.

 

[IRoar4Pitt]

I think the player who could benefit the most from a talent upgrade is X if he learns to trust his teammates .

So true! Kid is very talented, his ticket is to dedicate himself to being a balanced point guard.