Has Pitt officially announced the addition

[gary2]

of Odoba yet?

Also - A poster has suggested that we may not be done recruiting for 2015 yet. He feels Pitt may still bring in an additional ball handler. I hope he is right.

If this happens, the scholarship will not come from an injured Newkirk. It could come from an ineligible Wilson (though that does not help with the lack of guards on our roster at all)

The scholarship would most certainly need to come from C.Johnson or Luther. In my opinion we would be better off if it came from Johnson, but that is just my opinion.

 

[Zaratoughda]

of Odoba yet?

Also - A poster has suggested that we may not be done recruiting for 2015 yet. He feels Pitt may still bring in an additional ball handler. I hope he is right.

If this happens, the scholarship will not come from an injured Newkirk. It could come from an ineligible Wilson (though that does not help with the lack of guards on our roster at all)

The scholarship would most certainly need to come from C.Johnson or Luther. In my opinion we would be better off if it came from Johnson, but that is just my opinion.

I would think we would be better of without Newkirk than any insane idea of letting Slim go. Luther would probably be let go before either of those two though.

But, I really doubt we will be going for another player UNLESS Wilson is not eligible, in which case THAT is where the scholly would come from.

Oh yeah, would be REALLY slim pickings out there at this stage.

 

[DC_Area_Panther]

http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci...uit-jonathan-nwankwo-released-from-commitment

What about the 6-9--6-10 Minnesota released commit zags blog reported on? He supposedly was released by Minnesota for failure to be admitted academically. On that supposition, I speculated he was going to prep school and reclassifying for 2016. But maybe he is still a 2015 recruit? Might get through the NCAA clearinghouse before September if they haven't yet reached an up or down decision.

 

[DC_Area_Panther]

http://www.startribune.com/jonathan-nwankwo-released-from-national-letter-of-intent/304158361/

Seems the clearinghouse is still churning away.

 

[burnie1105]

OP is outright insane. Johnson and Luther both showed a lot of raw potential in their limited time on the floor, and neither one will (or at least should) be cast aside. There is no reason to mortgage the future for 2015-2016. Why throw **** at the wall to turn a 'maybe' NCAA season into a 'maybe we'll get to the second weekend' NCAA season?

 

[Fsgolfdr]

of Odoba yet?

Also - A poster has suggested that we may not be done recruiting for 2015 yet. He feels Pitt may still bring in an additional ball handler. I hope he is right.

If this happens, the scholarship will not come from an injured Newkirk. It could come from an ineligible Wilson (though that does not help with the lack of guards on our roster at all)

The scholarship would most certainly need to come from C.Johnson or Luther. In my opinion we would be better off if it came from Johnson, but that is just my opinion.

Man I'm glad your not making the personal decisions !

 

[gary2]

Man I'm glad your not making the personal decisions !

So you are willing to risk a repeat of the CBI season when Woodall went down and we had no replacement at the point - or - maybe you believe Cam Johnson can easily fill in at the point?

 

[gary2]

OP is outright insane. Johnson and Luther both showed a lot of raw potential in their limited time on the floor, and neither one will (or at least should) be cast aside. There is no reason to mortgage the future for 2015-2016. Why throw **** at the wall to turn a 'maybe' NCAA season into a 'maybe we'll get to the second weekend' NCAA season?

Luther and especially Johnson were lightly recruited. That to me is more telling than the very limited amount of playing time either has had at Pitt. Johnson looks a little like Polanco - someone that needs time to grow into his body. Combine all this with his injury situation and if we have a need to make room for anyone (Nwanko, Rowan, another ball handler), he is the player it would hurt us the least to lose. Even a next season trade of Johnson for T.Beck would be beneficial.

The need for another ball handler is not about the difference between a maybe NCAA season and the second weekend. It is about the difference between a Pitt gets back on track season and a disaster.

 

[gary2]

Zags is now reporting that Nwanko may visit Pitt (and I do not think it is for 2016).

 

[Zaratoughda]

Slim was on nobody's radar UNTIL he grew 5 inches in his senior season. THAT made a big difference and Dixon was wise to snatch him up.

In the pro-am last year he shot 50% more 3balls than any of our other players and had the second highest percentage. At 6'7" (or is it 6'8" now) he will almost always be able to get his shot off against any guard that might be covering him... and his handle is good enough to play guard (played PG in HS until his growth spurt).

Yeah, he has to recover from his operation that is the only question mark... along with getting his feet wet.

 

[gary2]

Slim was on nobody's radar UNTIL he grew 5 inches in his senior season. THAT made a big difference and Dixon was wise to snatch him up.

In the pro-am last year he shot 50% more 3balls than any of our other players and had the second highest percentage. At 6'7" (or is it 6'8" now) he will almost always be able to get his shot off against any guard that might be covering him... and his handle is good enough to play guard (played PG in HS until his growth spurt).

Yeah, he has to recover from his operation that is the only question mark... along with getting his feet wet.

Hardly anyone recruited Cam Johnson even after he grew 5 inches.

We all know how important the pro-am is as a predictor.

Cam Johnson played in a grand total of 8 games for Pitt and looked horrible in the last 2 or 3 (Harve feels he was displaying the effects of the shoulder in jury). In any case, he has not really shown anything - nothing that could even be called flashes.

I am not saying Cam or Ryan cannot become solid players at Pitt. Both could be contributors in their junior and senior years. Both are developmental players. Maybe it would have been better to have taken only one of the two. I am just saying I would force either out for insurance at the point.

With the trend Pitt has been on, next season needs to be good. Dixon can not risk the disaster that would occur if Robinson had a season ending injury or even another season long lingering injury. We have to obtain insurance at the point, anything less is reckless. I hope Dixon recognizes this. His future may depend on it.

 

[DC_Area_Panther]

The only remaining possible addition for next season is the big--Jonathon Nwanko who is reportedly going to visit. Any additional backcourt addition is extremely unlikely, at best.

 

[Zaratoughda]

It would be hard for Dixon to bring in another PG right now... because he has both Newkirk and Wilson waiting in the wings. Yeah, both are question marks but IMO Dixon needs to get those question marks answered before he will really be in a position to bring another PG in.

But, yeah, right now the player or players that spell Robinson, is the biggest hole in the lineup.

 

[Zaratoughda]

Hmmm... from a comment from Dixon that somebody posted... I guess Sterling Smith is in the mix as far as someone that could spell Robinson. If Newkirk and Wilson were both zeros or minuses, and Dixon went with something like this... then you could see a 3 man rotation at guard of Robinson, Smith and Jones, with Smith playing both positions.

Yeah, that would leave us pretty thin at SF unless Slim got full up to speed... in which case he would spell Jeter there.

So, I guess the bottom line here... is there are a number of unknowns re new players and players recovering from injuries and we just have to see how these things pan out before we can get a feel as to where things might go.

 

[Fsgolfdr]

Unless there's someone who'd like to go elsewhere the only player I could see Pitt jettison is Newkirk. I also couldn't iminage that there's an ACC quality pt guard out there. There's way too much upside for Cam Johnson ,a 6"8" shooter and Luther with some muscle could be the five year player who just keeps getting better and better. Guard is an issue but this isn't the NBA where you cut players ,whose coming here if you don't live up to your commitments. If JRob goes down it will be a bad season ,but reading most posters comments on his ability how could anyone be worse.

 

[Jeffburgh]

This Smith playing PG stuff, my take from that would be sort of like a Julius Page, not playing PG offensively, but possibly playing there defensively at times ...

 

[Zaratoughda]

This Smith playing PG stuff, my take from that would be sort of like a Julius Page, not playing PG offensively, but possibly playing there defensively at times ...

All's you have to do is take the ball up the court, initiate the offense, and hit shots or make plays if you get open.

Yeah, Ashton Gibbs was pretty good taking the ball up the court but when it came time to initiate the offense, let's just say it was not his forte.

So, ya never know but it was a comment from Dixon on Smith potentially playing some PG that led to the discussion here.

Yeah, Dixon probably realizes he might just have a problem spelling Robinson and so he is keeping his options open.

 

[DC_Area_Panther]

Jeffburgh, you may be correct about Smith possibly playing PG only on defense some of the time. That would be consistent with the wording of the Pitt press release on Smith's signing.

 

[Zaratoughda]

But, if he is only playing PG on defense, who's playing PG on offense?

Unless you are talking end of game situations where they swap D and O players sometimes on every possession change.

But, even in those cases sometimes you do not get the stoppage and so the player has to play the position in total.

 

[DC_Area_Panther]

But, if he is only playing PG on defense, who's playing PG on offense?

Unless you are talking end of game situations where they swap D and O players sometimes on every possession change.

But, even in those cases sometimes you do not get the stoppage and so the player has to play the position in total.

Robinson defends the 2G, Smith defends the PG. When Pitt has possession, Robinson is the PG, Smith the 2G. It works on most ordinary changes of posession.

There isn't anything too strange in that and it can be desirable depending on the match-ups. if Smith is a quicker defender and the opponent's 2G isn't as quick as their PG and not too tall for Robinson at 6-3 to guard.

 

[Zaratoughda]

Robinson defends the 2G, Smith defends the PG. When Pitt has possession, Robinson is the PG, Smith the 2G. It works on most ordinary changes of posession.

There isn't anything too strange in that and it can be desirable depending on the match-ups. if Smith is a quicker defender and the opponent's 2G isn't as quick as their PG and not too tall for Robinson at 6-3 to guard.

Hmmmm... I guess I just don't see PG as a position on defense.

Typically, you take your best perimeter defender and put him on the other team's best perimeter offensive player.

But, sometimes there is a lot of switching off on the perimeter so everybody has to be able to cover everyone on the other team.

Sometimes you have a 'designed defensive player', like say Jermaine Dixon 3, and he is put on the other team's best perimeter offensive player and goes wherever he goes.

I don't know if Sterling Smith is good enough defensively to be a designated defensive player. In any case, if you pull that task there is typically a LOT of running around and typically such a player doesn't have much energy left for offense.