I enjoyed Julius Page last night and as soon as I saw him I told my son he started the rise for Pitt

[mdpitt]

I’m not tone deaf to who we were playing last night but I think some fans are starting to believe we might at least have a punchers chance in some games this year. McGowens sort of reminded me of Julius Page , just a little last night.

I thought Julius Page did a fine job on the TV job and I could handle him doing all these November-December games. I actually think he could handle a lot of games on ESPNU outside of Pitt games. Great Job!

I’ve been in a Coma for Pitt Basketball enthusiasm for about 5 years but the last two games the teams have had at least two players on the other team that at a minimum would make the team and get minutes on any ACC team. We are a small team but last night played just a little bigger.

Will Julius Page be a harbinger for the next rise of Pitt Basketball? I don’t know but I liked listening to him. His “unpolished” delivery was pleasing to my listening.

I’m getting interested in this team. They are really at a disadvantage most nights in the ACC but they might be sneaky Better Than Expected.

 

[Ski11585]

I enjoyed his commentary last night. Maybe it was artificially inflated since Chevy was so bad, but I thought it was very good.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

I was actually surprised when I heard Chevy on the 1st game, that they wouldn't have Julius because he has had some media experience and is not bad. And agree with the OP, McGowens definitely has some JP like plays.

 

[DC_Area_Panther]

I’m not tone deaf to who we were playing last night but I think some fans are starting to believe we might at least have a punchers chance in some games this year. McGowens sort of reminded me of Julius Page , just a little last night.

I thought Julius Page did a fine job on the TV job and I could handle him doing all these November-December games. I actually think he could handle a lot of games on ESPNU outside of Pitt games. Great Job!

I’ve been in a Coma for Pitt Basketball enthusiasm for about 5 years but the last two games the teams have had at least two players on the other team that at a minimum would make the team and get minutes on any ACC team. We are a small team but last night played just a little bigger.

Will Julius Page be a harbinger for the next rise of Pitt Basketball? I don’t know but I liked listening to him. His “unpolished” delivery was pleasing to my listening.

I’m getting interested in this team. They are really at a disadvantage most nights in the ACC but they might be sneaky Better Than Expected.

I'm not (at least not yet) expecting an NCAAT or even an NIT miracle from this team. However, two things really stand out for me.

1. Capel seems to be far better at every aspect of actually coaching the team--on player utilization, on creating teamwork and execution. and especially on in-game management than our last coach.

Note: I believe that if the prior guy had this same roster we would probably be 2-2 rather than 4-0 right now. IMHO, even with Capel's freshman I believe we would have lost to Troy for certain and probably to Central Arkansas due to a lack of defensive intensity and sloppy offensive execution. That is just my opinion, however, and an opinion that no doubt reflects an exaggerated bias against a coach who, from the moment he was introduced, I believed to be mediocre at best and a terrible hiring mistake.

2. The freshman recruits, as talented as they may be, are not playing like the true freshmen they actually are. How much of that is due to extraordinary coaching is hard to say--but, I give Capel a lot of the credit.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

My best Julius Page story. It was in Morgantown. It is when Pitt was a top 10 team, despite WVU getting all the hype with their big recruiting class. Well the day before, the Post Gazette published a feature story on Page, and his upbringing in Buffalo and the fact that his father was not in his life or in jail or dead or something (don't remember).....

Anyways.......the Hoopie fans were chanting and taunting him with "Who's your daddy?" chants and Brandin feeds an alley oop to him from half court and Julius throws it down. About 2 minutes later, Knight sends another alley oop to him for another thunderous dunk, this time Page just stops, stands and stares down the student section and they shut up. It was classic.

 

[IamHeisenberg]

I’m not tone deaf to who we were playing last night but I think some fans are starting to believe we might at least have a punchers chance in some games this year. McGowens sort of reminded me of Julius Page , just a little last night.

I thought Julius Page did a fine job on the TV job and I could handle him doing all these November-December games. I actually think he could handle a lot of games on ESPNU outside of Pitt games. Great Job!

I’ve been in a Coma for Pitt Basketball enthusiasm for about 5 years but the last two games the teams have had at least two players on the other team that at a minimum would make the team and get minutes on any ACC team. We are a small team but last night played just a little bigger.

Will Julius Page be a harbinger for the next rise of Pitt Basketball? I don’t know but I liked listening to him. His “unpolished” delivery was pleasing to my listening.

I’m getting interested in this team. They are really at a disadvantage most nights in the ACC but they might be sneaky Better Than Expected.

Brandin Knight might disagree with title of your post. Loved JP but there were critical games where he did not show up.

 

[DC_Area_Panther]

Brandin Knight might disagree with title of your post. Loved JP but there were critical games where he did not show up.

Being a little hypercritical about the past? Everybody has a bad night occasionally--we are all human!

 

[Pitt79]

Julius is way better than Chevy.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

I’m not tone deaf to who we were playing last night but I think some fans are starting to believe we might at least have a punchers chance in some games this year. McGowens sort of reminded me of Julius Page , just a little last night.

I thought Julius Page did a fine job on the TV job and I could handle him doing all these November-December games. I actually think he could handle a lot of games on ESPNU outside of Pitt games. Great Job!

I’ve been in a Coma for Pitt Basketball enthusiasm for about 5 years but the last two games the teams have had at least two players on the other team that at a minimum would make the team and get minutes on any ACC team. We are a small team but last night played just a little bigger.

Will Julius Page be a harbinger for the next rise of Pitt Basketball? I don’t know but I liked listening to him. His “unpolished” delivery was pleasing to my listening.

I’m getting interested in this team. They are really at a disadvantage most nights in the ACC but they might be sneaky Better Than Expected.

Page is awesome. Always loved him on the pregame. He has that natural charisma and personality. He is so good, it almost makes me want to skip some games. He needs to stop using the "we's" and be a little less Pitt-centric as its technically not a "Pitt broadcast" but that will come with time.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

My best Julius Page story. It was in Morgantown. It is when Pitt was a top 10 team, despite WVU getting all the hype with their big recruiting class. Well the day before, the Post Gazette published a feature story on Page, and his upbringing in Buffalo and the fact that his father was not in his life or in jail or dead or something (don't remember).....

Anyways.......the Hoopie fans were chanting and taunting him with "Who's your daddy?" chants and Brandin feeds an alley oop to him from half court and Julius throws it down. About 2 minutes later, Knight sends another alley oop to him for another thunderous dunk, this time Page just stops, stands and stares down the student section and they shut up. It was classic.

I was at that game. Me and my dad minding out own business. When Pitt made a run and WVU called a TO, I stood up and clapped as many basketball fans do. WVU fans threw change at me. It hit the WVU fans in front of us. I swear I'm not making this up.

And I think it was "where's your daddy?"

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

I was at that game. Me and my dad minding out own business. When Pitt made a run and WVU called a TO, I stood up and clapped as many basketball fans do. WVU fans threw change at me. It hit the WVU fans in front of us. I swear I'm not making this up.

And I think it was "where's your daddy?"

Yeah, it may have been that.

 

[Chescat]

I'm not (at least not yet) expecting an NCAAT or even an NIT miracle from this team. However, two things really stand out for me.

1. Capel seems to be far better at every aspect of actually coaching the team--on player utilization, on creating teamwork and execution. and especially on in-game management than our last coach.

Note: I believe that if the prior guy had this same roster we would probably be 2-2 rather than 4-0 right now. IMHO, even with Capel's freshman I believe we would have lost to Troy for certain and probably to Central Arkansas due to a lack of defensive intensity and sloppy offensive execution. That is just my opinion, however, and an opinion that no doubt reflects an exaggerated bias against a coach who, from the moment he was introduced, I believed to be mediocre at best and a terrible hiring mistake.

2. The freshman recruits, as talented as they may be, are not playing like the true freshmen they actually are. How much of that is due to extraordinary coaching is hard to say--but, I give Capel a lot of the credit.

I hadn't thought about...if Stallings had this team. However now that you
brought it up, I gotta agree.

 

[FireballZ]

I'm not (at least not yet) expecting an NCAAT or even an NIT miracle from this team. However, two things really stand out for me.

1. Capel seems to be far better at every aspect of actually coaching the team--on player utilization, on creating teamwork and execution. and especially on in-game management than our last coach.

Note: I believe that if the prior guy had this same roster we would probably be 2-2 rather than 4-0 right now. IMHO, even with Capel's freshman I believe we would have lost to Troy for certain and probably to Central Arkansas due to a lack of defensive intensity and sloppy offensive execution. That is just my opinion, however, and an opinion that no doubt reflects an exaggerated bias against a coach who, from the moment he was introduced, I believed to be mediocre at best and a terrible hiring mistake.

2. The freshman recruits, as talented as they may be, are not playing like the true freshmen they actually are. How much of that is due to extraordinary coaching is hard to say--but, I give Capel a lot of the credit.

Does Stallings' have to pay rent for all the time he spends in your head? Move on.

Pretty sure Pitt would be 4-0 if Stallings had stayed and his players had stayed. Let's wait until Pitt plays a few top 200 teams before your start crowning our coach Joe Naismith.

We're all very excited with what we've seen so far both on the court and off the court from Capel.

 

[DiehardPanther]

Does Stallings' have to pay rent for all the time he spends in your head? Move on.

Pretty sure Pitt would be 4-0 if Stallings had stayed and his players had stayed. Let's wait until Pitt plays a few top 200 teams before your start crowning our coach Joe Naismith.

We're all very excited with what we've seen so far both on the court and off the court from Capel.

Is Joe Naismith related to Dion Graham by chance?

 

[infinitypanther]

 

[SoufOaklin4Life]

Does Stallings' have to pay rent for all the time he spends in your head? Move on.

Pretty sure Pitt would be 4-0 if Stallings had stayed and his players had stayed. Let's wait until Pitt plays a few top 200 teams before your start crowning our coach Joe Naismith.

We're all very excited with what we've seen so far both on the court and off the court from Capel.

You’re wrong
As usual when you defend Stallings

 

[4upmc]

Thought he was pretty good. But anyone looks good compared to Chevy.

BK was the player to start the rise of Pitt BB not JP.

 

[mdpitt]

Thought he was pretty good. But anyone looks good compared to Chevy.

BK was the player to start the rise of Pitt BB not JP.

It was the dunk over Boumtje Boumtje by Julius Page that started it all. That moment. Circle it.

 

[FlashLightningrod]

If he would take it, I would offer Page the color man position once Dick Groat retires. Sorry Curtis but Julius would be much more relatable to the younger fans.

 

[4upmc]

It was the dunk over Boumtje Boumtje by Julius Page that started it all. That moment. Circle it.

Sorry but ur wrong 1.) G-Town was not very good that year as they did not make the NCAA tour. So it was not like we beat a ranked team. 2.) we already had a very good record at the time. We had a much better win just a few games earlier against a team better than G-Town. The win was vs BC who was ranked #11. 3.) although the JP dunk was the most exciting play of the game I recall Jaron Brown making the winning tip in.

JP though a great athlete was no where near a great BB player. He was very inconsistent.

BK if you remember was the Big East MVP that year. Not only the best player on the Pitt team but the MVP of the entire conference. That’s something JP never came close to.

BK was the 1st big recruit, Howland & JD both have said this, said he was the most important player in turning the program around. He was a coach on and off the floor. He was the general and respected by everyone. Was the heart and soul of those teams.

 

[FireballZ]

Is Joe Naismith related to Dion Graham by chance?

Got me. I meant Joe Namath...

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

If he would take it, I would offer Page the color man position once Dick Groat retires. Sorry Curtis but Julius would be much more relatable to the younger fans.

Yep. Never was a big Aiken fan. Page is entertaining

 

[cease10]

It was the dunk over Boumtje Boumtje by Julius Page that started it all. That moment. Circle it.

YES...that dunk @ Georgetown was our arrival moment that will forever stick out in my mind.

Georgetown was a name program and that dunk was all over Sportscenter. I felt so proud, feeling that Pitt had finally arrived.

 

[cease10]

YESSS

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

YES...that dunk @ Georgetown was our arrival moment that will forever stick out in my mind.

Georgetown was a name program and that dunk was all over Sportscenter. I felt so proud, feeling that Pitt had finally arrived.

Pitt had already arrived. The fact that some people needed to see a big dunk against a name but down team to realize that doesn't change the situation.

 

[SoufOaklin4Life]

Pitt had already arrived. The fact that some people needed to see a big dunk against a name but down team to realize that doesn't change the situation.

A guard dunking on a 7 footer , though made it a statement to be recognized nationally

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

A guard dunking on a 7 footer , though made it a statement to be recognized nationally

It was certainly a great highlight, but one great highlight is not a signal that a team has arrived.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

YES...that dunk @ Georgetown was our arrival moment that will forever stick out in my mind.

Georgetown was a name program and that dunk was all over Sportscenter. I felt so proud, feeling that Pitt had finally arrived.

Pitt had already arrived. The fact that some people needed to see a big dunk against a name but down team to realize that doesn't change the situation.

That was the NIT year, in which we needed a run to the BET Final just to make it so at that point, I wouldn't say we had arrived

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

That was the NIT year, in which we needed a run to the BET Final just to make it so at that point, I wouldn't say we had arrived

Actually, if you are looking for one "event" that signaled that we had arrived the run to the BE Championship game would be much, much higher on the list than the Page dunk.

 

[DT_PITT]

Sorry but ur wrong 1.) G-Town was not very good that year as they did not make the NCAA tour. So it was not like we beat a ranked team. 2.) we already had a very good record at the time. We had a much better win just a few games earlier against a team better than G-Town. The win was vs BC who was ranked #11. 3.) although the JP dunk was the most exciting play of the game I recall Jaron Brown making the winning tip in.

JP though a great athlete was no where near a great BB player. He was very inconsistent.

BK if you remember was the Big East MVP that year. Not only the best player on the Pitt team but the MVP of the entire conference. That’s something JP never came close to.

BK was the 1st big recruit, Howland & JD both have said this, said he was the most important player in turning the program around. He was a coach on and off the floor. He was the general and respected by everyone. Was the heart and soul of those teams.

You are mixing up your years.
Page’s dunk was his freshman year and that team went to the NIT. The BC win was the following year.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

That was the NIT year, in which we needed a run to the BET Final just to make it so at that point, I wouldn't say we had arrived

Actually, if you are looking for one "event" that signaled that we had arrived the run to the BE Championship game would be much, much higher on the list than the Page dunk.

For me it was the win at Ohio State in Dec 01. I was down at the Tangerine Bowl, didn't even consider Pitt had a chance, heard they won and was like "huh?"

 

[4upmc]

You are mixing up your years.
Page’s dunk was his freshman year and that team went to the NIT. The BC win was the following year.

Thanks DT. Need to see the eye dr. Guess it proves the point even more with going to NIT that year instead of NCAA. At least I know we beat a highly ranked BC team one of those years right?

With that said no doubt it was a spectacular dunk but a dunk does not turn a program around. It started with Ben, JD and getting players, then getting those players to buy in. Getting those players to change the attitude of Pitt. And BK was the 1st real good player they got. He was the leader on and off the court.

 

[DiehardPanther]

Thanks DT. Need to see the eye dr. Guess it proves the point even more with going to NIT that year instead of NCAA. At least I know we beat a highly ranked BC team one of those years right?

With that said no doubt it was a spectacular dunk but a dunk does not turn a program around. It started with Ben, JD and getting players, then getting those players to buy in. Getting those players to change the attitude of Pitt. And BK was the 1st real good player they got. He was the leader on and off the court.

BK was overlooked by the school in his own backyard - Seton Hall Prep. He kept that chip on his shoulder to prove people wrong.

 

[rrig5]

Yep. Never was a big Aiken fan. Page is entertaining

True...Aiken is so dull. And poor Chevy needs to find another career.

 

[DT_PITT]

Thanks DT. Need to see the eye dr. Guess it proves the point even more with going to NIT that year instead of NCAA. At least I know we beat a highly ranked BC team one of those years right?

With that said no doubt it was a spectacular dunk but a dunk does not turn a program around. It started with Ben, JD and getting players, then getting those players to buy in. Getting those players to change the attitude of Pitt. And BK was the 1st real good player they got. He was the leader on and off the court.

I'll agree that Page's dunk was a sign of things to come. And the win over G-town was big. They were ranked in the top ten so that was a major win on the road. But it wasn't the first big win that season -- we had already defeated a top 20 Seton Hall team.

But folks must also remember that it wasn't onward and upward after that game. In our next game, we got toasted on the road at Providence (and Page missed an unnecessary windwill dunk that kept the Panthers from getting back in the game.)

We also went on a four game losing streak later on.

If anything was a real mark of things to come, it was our run beating Va Tech, ND, and Syracuse to get to the Big East Tournament.

 

[NTOP]

Sorry but ur wrong 1.) G-Town was not very good that year as they did not make the NCAA tour. So it was not like we beat a ranked team. 2.) we already had a very good record at the time. We had a much better win just a few games earlier against a team better than G-Town. The win was vs BC who was ranked #11. 3.) although the JP dunk was the most exciting play of the game I recall Jaron Brown making the winning tip in.

JP though a great athlete was no where near a great BB player. He was very inconsistent.

BK if you remember was the Big East MVP that year. Not only the best player on the Pitt team but the MVP of the entire conference. That’s something JP never came close to.

BK was the 1st big recruit, Howland & JD both have said this, said he was the most important player in turning the program around. He was a coach on and off the floor. He was the general and respected by everyone. Was the heart and soul of those teams.

Knight & Brown were also Willard recruits.......and Ben & Jamie leveraged it well.
Personally, I thought that Page was our best defensive player.....Brandin much better overall.

 

[DT_PITT]

Knight & Brown were also Willard recruits.......and Ben & Jamie leveraged it well.
Personally, I thought that Page was our best defensive player.....Brandin much better overall.

Right, and neither Knight nor Brown were really big time recruits. Knight around 150 and Brown around 200 or so.

Ben's first recruit and the real coup was actually Donatas who he was able to get hold of right after he got here. (Well, I think D-nots may have actually been Ben's second, JUCO waste Derrick Worrell may have actually come first.)

 

[NTOP]

Right, and neither Knight nor Brown were really big time recruits. Knight around 150 and Brown around 200 or so.

Ben's first recruit and the real coup was actually Donatas who he was able to get hold of right after he got here. (Well, I think D-nots may have actually been Ben's second, JUCO waste Derrick Worrell may have actually come first.)

Derrick.....wow.....totally forgotten. Do you keep archives?
How's the Mrs.? Hope she's OK. Sammie driving, yet??

 

[DT_PITT]

Derrick.....wow.....totally forgotten. Do you keep archives?
How's the Mrs.? Hope she's OK. Sammie driving, yet??

Urggh ... just three years and he's behind the wheel. That's a scary thought
Mrs. is hangin' in there. My best to you and yours as always!

 

[cease10]

The point I'm making is that the Page dunk brought national attention. Nationally, no one was really paying attention to Pitt prior to that, even with the BET run and the NIT berth.