Welcome back to In The Pitt, PantherLair.com’s weekly discourse featuring a roundup of everything that’s happened in the past week, with insight and inside information thrown in for good measure.
November 21, 2008
Top of The Pitt
No doubt about it: with all due respect to the basketball team’s recruiting class - which we’ll cover later - the biggest story in Pitt sports this week is Saturday’s showdown in Cincinnati.
No. 19 vs. No. 20 with the Big East title and the conference’s BCS bid hanging in the balance. In order for either team to win it, this game needs to end up in the win column.
Everything’s riding on this game.
It’s really something, isn’t it?
Remember how we all snickered a few years ago when Pitt and Cincinnati decided to up and create a rivalry out of nothing and call it the River City Rivalry? And then they helped the jokes along by building a trophy that even the players couldn’t lift?
We all laughed and had a good time. And every time the game came around, the regular run of jokes came out again.
“Hey, that pass was a River City Rivalry record!”
“Hey, that’s the first interception in the storied history of the River City Rivalry!”
“Hey, he’s now the all-time leading rusher in River City Rivalry history!”
And it was all said with tongue planted firmly in cheek as we scoffed at two middle of the pack teams in a middle of the pack conference trying to generate interest in a middle of the pack game.
But now, this one is huge. And it’s not just significant to the Big East, as evidenced by the ESPN2 primetime broadcast on Saturday night. If I had said to you a few years ago that Pitt and Cincinnati were going to be playing a nationally-televised primetime game, your first thought probably would have been that they are playing on a Wednesday or maybe a Thursday.
Not this year. This year it’s a Saturday night because this year it counts.
Of course, the best part of this story is the rivalry angle. Anyone who’s been watching sports for more than a few years knows that rivalries, by definition, cannot be manufactured the way the Rive City Rivalry was manufactured. It just doesn’t work like that. True rivalries grow out of competition and games that matter; by that standard, the River City Rivalry has a real potential to become something significant, and this game could be the springboard.
Naturally, it’s not going to be easy for Pitt. This game has trouble written all over it, what with the electricity of the evening crowd, the “Ring of Red” celebration that will have the Bearcats - and, presumably, their fans - all clad in a unifying and emboldening color, and the overall weight of the contest, Cincinnati will come to play.
The Bearcats have a tough, experienced, talented defense with two very good corners who can handle man-to-man coverage, which will allow the rest of the defense to key in on LeSean McCoy. There aren’t going to be any easy outs for Pitt, and the Panthers’ offense will probably have to grind for every yard it gains.
But Cincinnati’s offense can be had, too. The Bearcats do boast the league’s best pass efficiency rating and have a set of good running backs, but Pitt’s defense figures to be amped up for this one. This could be a low-scoring affair that comes down to field goals or a key turnover, but we’ll get into that topic when we do the predictions at the end of In the Pitt.
Still, isn’t it refreshing that we are sitting here in mid-November with three games left and we’re talking about a Pitt game that really, genuinely, matters? When was the last time you could say that? There’s a word for this:
Relevance.
And that’s a term that hasn’t been applicable for Pitt football probably since the Notre Dame game in 2005; if it lasted beyond that game, then it died a week later following the loss at Ohio.
But now, Pitt matters. Even if it’s only in terms of the Big East, Pitt matters. The Panthers have the power in their hands to win out and take the conference crown, which would assure them of a BCS bowl. It’s just a matter of reaching out and taking it.
No one knows how this game will go, but wouldn’t you agree that it’s pretty nice to be looking forward to a River City Rivalry game with anticipation instead of cynicism over another year lost? I certainly think so.
The Big East title
So we all know that Pitt needs to win this week to keep its Big East title hopes alive. But let’s take a second to look at some of the other scenarios that can unfold.
Obviously if Pitt wins the next three games, the Panthers are conference champs. No two ways about it. But if it doesn’t happen that cleanly, well, things get a little complicated.
The current Big East standings are as follows (remaining games in parentheses):
1. Cincinnati - 4-1 (vs. Pitt, vs. Syracuse, at Hawaii)
2. Pitt - 3-1 (at Cincinnati, vs. WVU, at Connecticut)
3. West Virginia - 3-1 (at Louisville, at Pitt, vs. USF)
4. Rutgers - 4-2 (vs. Army, vs. Louisville)
5. Connecticut - 3-2 (at USF, vs. Pitt)
6. USF - 1-4 (vs. Connecticut, at WVU)
7. Louisville - 1-4 (vs. WVU, at Rutgers)
8. Syracuse - 1-5 (at Notre Dame, at Cincinnati)
Okay then. We can safely eliminate USF, Louisville, and Syracuse from the conversation since they’ve already eliminated themselves. That leaves five teams within mathematical reach of the title.
Naturally there is the ultimate cluster scenario of a five-way tie that could happen if Connecticut wins out, Rutgers beats Louisville, WVU beats Louisville and USF but loses to Pitt, Pitt beats WVU and Cincinnati but loses to UConn, and Cincinnati loses to Pitt but beats Syracuse. That would leave all five teams with 5-2 records, in which case a “mini-conference” would be created. If that happens, each team would have a 2-2 record in the mini-conference, and the highest-ranked team - which would probably be Pitt, Cincinnati, or Connecticut (fresh off a season-ending win over Pitt) - would get the BCS bid.
Let’s assume that the craziest scenario doesn’t take place, though, and let’s just look at what Pitt needs to do. If the Panthers lose one of the next three games, they’ll need some help from elsewhere. But if that loss comes against Cincinnati, then the Bearcats pretty much have things wrapped up, barring a stumble against Syracuse next week.
The best thing for Pitt right now is that the Panthers control their own destiny. That much is certain. If Pitt wins these games, then Pitt will win the conference.
Hoops signings
Jamie Dixon and the hoops team signed four players from the 2009 recruiting class over the past week. Rather than give my own scouting report, I’m going to stick with what Pitt produced for the breakdowns of the players. I consider these write-ups as coming pretty directly from the coaches’ opinions, so they’re worth at least something.
Lamar Patterson 6’5” 220 Wing
“Lamar Patterson is a perimeter player who has a high skill level, can shoot, pass and has stellar court vision. He is described as an “excellent” fit for the Pitt program. He has an NBA caliber body, has excellent size, is an excellent shooter and can handle the ball. He runs the floor well and can create off the dribble. A strong, versatile and athletic wing player with a talented handle, long arms and explosiveness, Patterson can attack the rim.”
JJ Richardson 6’7” 235 Post
“One of the biggest sleepers in the country, J.J. Richardson is described as a strong and athletic post-player who has an array of “back-to-the-basket” moves. He is a good post player with a strong body who moves well to the ball and has a soft touch inside of 10-feet. He also shows a high basketball IQ, has good hands, uses his body well and is an excellent passer out of the post. A player who does all the little things to help his team win, Richardson sprints the floor with regularity, can rebound on the defensive end and has excellent timing when blocking shots. He is most known for his blue collar style and constant energy and effort in the paint.”
Dante Taylor 6’9” 230 Forward
“A consensus top-30 ranked recruit, Dante Taylor is described as a highly skilled, athletic post player who can shoot. His strengths are his quickness and athleticism around the basket. A raw talent with great upside, Taylor is very fast up and down the court, exhibits expanded range with his jumper and is a big-time post-player. A sturdy power forward who knows how to score and has the ability to play with both skill and athleticism, Taylor is a physically gifted player who runs, rebounds and prefers to play facing the basket. He has an impressive mid-range game and exceptional ball-handling skills for a big man.”
Talib Zanna 6’9” 220 Forward
“Talib Zanna is described as a raw and strong athlete who combines skill and athleticism to create matchup problems with the opposition. He possesses a good mid-range jumper, unique and rare post-up skills and is capable of playing with his back to the basket as well as blocking shots on the defensive end. He loves to attack off the dribble from the outside and is an aggressive rebounder. He has done a terrific job of maturing his game from primarily being a defensive player and rebounder to developing a flowing offensive game where he can handle the ball on the break, pull-up and shoot jumpers. He looks to be a cross between an interior and wing player. If he develops in either of those areas, he could really turn into a fantastic player. Able to score with either hand, he plays in the mold of Tim Duncan.”
Not a bad group. Obviously Taylor is the main attraction, and for good reason. He’s a dominant post player who is developing a mid-range jumper that will make him even more dangerous. The prospect of having Taylor and DeJuan Blair around the basket is one that should strike fear into the hearts of the other Big East teams, because that duo is positively scary. Then when you add a player like Nasir Robinson, who could line up at small forward, you’ve got a trio of players who will, on a nightly basis, be more physical than just about anyone they face.
That should be fun to watch.
Of the other three signees, Patterson is very intriguing. No one on this message board will forget that he was once very highly rated, and his drop appears to be a product of missing summer tournaments rather than any actual diminishing skill. He originally was classified as a shooting guard, but as he continues to grow he now looks like a small forward. The end result might be a combination of the two: a shooter with the body to get inside and get physical.
Zanna and Richardson are probably the “projects” of the group, although that term can be applied to 95% of the recruits who sign every year because, let’s face it, virtually all high school players need some seasoning to make the transition to college. Still, if history has shown us anything, it’s that Dixon and his staff are masters at identifying the players who can fit into the Pitt system, and I don’t see any reason to believe that Zanna and Richardson will be different.
On the court
As for the Pitt players on the court, it’s been an interesting two games. I thought the Miami (OH) game was really intriguing for the way the Panthers absolutely lit up the RedHawks in the second half. In the days since, I’ve tried to come up with some reasons why that half played out the way it did, and here’s what I’ve determined:
1. Having Blair on the floor is huge. He missed nine-plus minutes in the first half due to foul trouble, and that affected what Pitt was able to do on the glass; hence, the Panthers were out-rebounded in the first half. That changed when Blair came back in.
The guy is just dominant, and through two games it looks like he has progressed from his outstanding freshman year. It’s funny to think about how some of us - like me - questioned the possible success of having a 6’7” center; now I see that height is not everything. Being wide, having a long wingspan, and working like crazy under the hoop can make up for the 2-5 inches Blair gives up against other Big East centers.
2. The other key was Levance Fields. If there was ever any question about the kind of impact he has on the offense - and after last season, I don’t know why those questions would exist - few remain after the Miami game. After the game, Jamie Dixon talked about the offense having a stretch when they were rushing shots and taking bad shots; by his own admission, Fields was a culprit in that affair. But in the second half, Fields slowed down and decided to simply run the offense.
The result: eight assists and just two total shots from the senior point guard over the final 20 minutes. That’s distribution. That’s being a point guard.
There are some superlatives at work for Pitt right now. Blair is a [insert superlative here] center. Fields is a [insert superlative here] point guard.
Did I mention that Fields has 20 assists and 1 turnover through two games?
[Superlative]
There are a couple other really good things happening with this Pitt team right now. Jermaine Dixon has been a pleasant surprise at shooting guard. I was expecting to see what we had all heard about: Dixon would be a guy who would play tough defense, he’s fight for loose balls, he’d hustle, he’d rebound, and he’d get dirty if he had to. But we never heard about offense.
After two games, though, he’s averaging 10 points per game and seems to have settled in as the starting two-guard.
I think Nasir Robinson has also done very well for himself so far. For a bench player, his numbers - 5 points and 4 rebounds per game - are pretty good, but it’s what you see out of him on the court that sets Robinson apart. He’s a tough guy, a 6’5” power forward battling with bigger players and winning the battles. Robinson played 18 minutes against Fairleigh Dickinson and 16 against Miami, and he has looked every bit the player we expected him to be. He’s still going to make freshman mistakes, particularly on the defensive end, but his positive plays should outweigh the negative ones.
It’s going to be interesting to see what happens when Gilbert Brown returns from his foot injury. The current rotation has Fields, Dixon, Sam Young, Tyrell Biggs, and Blair starting. Brown could be a shooting guard or a small forward; in this writer’s opinion, Pitt’s best starting lineup would look like this:
PG - Fields
SG - Dixon
SF - Brown
PF - Young
C - Blair
So far, I don’t think Young has played power forward, but I still think that’s his best position in college. I understand that he’s a small forward or even a shooting guard at the next level and the staff is helping to prepare him for playing that position, but I think Pitt has the best chance to win with Young at the four.
For subs, Biggs could come in at power forward and Young could slide to small forward, sending Brown to the bench. Or Biggs could come in at center in place of Blair. Robinson can sub at small forward or power forward, and Young could play opposite of him. Brown could also play shooting guard, and Young and Robinson could man the forward spots.
Really, I’m just on the tip of the iceberg in terms of Pitt’s lineup options, and I haven’t even mentioned the other two freshmen - Ashton Gibbs and Travon Woodall - or the sophomores - Brad Wanamaker and Gary McGhee - all of whom figure to play a fair amount of minutes.
Jamie Dixon has a lot of options, and that should allow him to exploit mismatches at small forward, power forward, and center, depending on the opponent.
Recruiting roundup
Some big stuff to discuss in this week’s Roundup.
- Like we told you last week, the first big official visit weekend will be the weekend of December 12th. So far, the only scheduled visitor is Palmyra (NJ) wide receiver has scheduled an official visit for that weekend. We’re hearing that Pratt is on the radar, but if he gets an offer it won’t be before January.
While Pratt is the only name that is set for that visit weekend, we expect Pitt to bring in about dozen or so players. A fair number of those will be players who are already committed, but there will be quite a few “on the market” prospects. New Jersey state high school playoffs end the weekend of December 5th, so several players from the Garden State will probably be headed to Pittsburgh for the 12th. I would guess that Hoboken defensive linemen Jamil, so those two will probably be along as well.
Pratt, Nunez, Holmes, and the Merrell’s make for five potential visitors, meaning there are still a half-dozen or so who will join the official visit party. You figure there will be at least four or five committed prospects, and that brings the total to 10. Then probably one or two more uncommitted recruits will join the list, and it should turn out to be an interesting weekend.
- The 12th of December will be a big weekend, but there will be at least a couple official visitors in the near future. Pitt commit Dion Lewis will be in town on an official visit for the West Virginia game next weekend. Lewis is taking an earlier visit because he will enroll at Pitt in January.
Another committed prospect who will enroll in college in January will take an official visit that weekend, too, but he’s not a Pitt commit. Rather, Pahokee (FL) linebacker Vincent Smith both committed to Michigan in late August, but Hawthorne is listed as a soft verbal and Pitt is one of the visits he’s going to take.
This could be big for Pitt. Hawthorne is a 6’1” 181-pound outside linebacker, and if he ends up on the Panthers’ commitment list, he would give the staff its first true linebacker in the class (the jury is still out on Kevin Adams, who could be an outside linebacker or a safety, although it seems like he’ll end up playing OLB). We’ll be keeping an eye on this one.
- A couple of other committed or formerly-committed prospects were in the PantherLair.com news this week. First up was Hackensack (NJ) tight end Malcolm Bush, who decommitted from Rutgers last month. We had been hearing for awhile that Bush could be headed away from the Scarlet Knights, and after it officially happened, we heard that Pitt could be among his new finalists.
When we talked to Bush this week, he said that he’s got a lot of options he’s considering. It sounds like Pitt and North Carolina are up on his list, but he’s also hoping to see some new offers come his way, particularly from the Florida schools. If those offers don’t come through - and I’m not sure if he should hold his breath on those - then I think Pitt’s got an excellent chance.
Now, when you’re talking official visits, Pittsburgh vs. Chapel Hill isn’t exactly a fair fight, and Butch Davis is one heck of a recruiter. But Bush is one of those kids that Jeff Hafley has been working very hard, and I think Pitt stands a better than even shot of landing the 6’4” 225-pound tight end.
The other committed prospect to pop up on Pitt’s radar this week is Jeannette running back/cornerback he is considering an official visit to Pitt. This is interesting because we’ve been hearing for awhile now that Hall has been in semi-regular contact with the Pitt staff, particularly Dave Wannstedt and Matt Cavanaugh.
When I talked to Hall, he made it sound like the Pitt coaches are the ones pushing for the visit, imploring him to just come and check out what they have to offer. But I don’t think that’s the case. I’m sure that Wannstedt and Cavanaugh would like to have him in for an official visit, but I don’t think they’re begging. I think there’s a mutual understanding between Hall and the coaches that Hall just might fit in better at Pitt than at Ohio State.
I can understand why Hall wouldn’t say this publicly when I interviewed him. He’s committed to Ohio State right now and he’s not sure that he wants out of that just yet. But if you show a lot of interest elsewhere, Jim Tressel and company might show you the door.
Here’s my take: he’ll play it off like the Pitt coaches want him to visit and he’s doing it almost as a favor, but if he likes what he sees, he just might make the change.
This one is in the early stages, but we’ll be following the story because something interesting might come out of it.
Prediction time
Here it is. Prediction time. Dave Wannstedt has never lost to Cincinnati, but this is the best Bearcat squad he’s faced. These Cincinnati players are experienced, talented, and they know that they can win the Big East with victories over Pitt and Syracuse. Meanwhile, the Panthers have their own eyes on the conference prize.
Cincinnati is an excellent defensive team, but they were very good on defense last year and Pitt took it to them. I think LeSean McCoy steps up in the primetime national spotlight, and I think the Panthers come out with a huge win. It’s going to be close, but I think they can pull it off.
After all, that’s what Pitt does on primetime nationally-televised games.
Pitt 27
Cincinnati 16
Add your prediction to the bottom of this thread.
Thanks for joining this week’s edition of In The Pitt. As always, feel free to e-mail chrispeak1@comcast.net with any suggestions, feedback, or other input.
November 21, 2008
Top of The Pitt
No doubt about it: with all due respect to the basketball team’s recruiting class - which we’ll cover later - the biggest story in Pitt sports this week is Saturday’s showdown in Cincinnati.
No. 19 vs. No. 20 with the Big East title and the conference’s BCS bid hanging in the balance. In order for either team to win it, this game needs to end up in the win column.
Everything’s riding on this game.
It’s really something, isn’t it?
Remember how we all snickered a few years ago when Pitt and Cincinnati decided to up and create a rivalry out of nothing and call it the River City Rivalry? And then they helped the jokes along by building a trophy that even the players couldn’t lift?
We all laughed and had a good time. And every time the game came around, the regular run of jokes came out again.
“Hey, that pass was a River City Rivalry record!”
“Hey, that’s the first interception in the storied history of the River City Rivalry!”
“Hey, he’s now the all-time leading rusher in River City Rivalry history!”
And it was all said with tongue planted firmly in cheek as we scoffed at two middle of the pack teams in a middle of the pack conference trying to generate interest in a middle of the pack game.
But now, this one is huge. And it’s not just significant to the Big East, as evidenced by the ESPN2 primetime broadcast on Saturday night. If I had said to you a few years ago that Pitt and Cincinnati were going to be playing a nationally-televised primetime game, your first thought probably would have been that they are playing on a Wednesday or maybe a Thursday.
Not this year. This year it’s a Saturday night because this year it counts.
Of course, the best part of this story is the rivalry angle. Anyone who’s been watching sports for more than a few years knows that rivalries, by definition, cannot be manufactured the way the Rive City Rivalry was manufactured. It just doesn’t work like that. True rivalries grow out of competition and games that matter; by that standard, the River City Rivalry has a real potential to become something significant, and this game could be the springboard.
Naturally, it’s not going to be easy for Pitt. This game has trouble written all over it, what with the electricity of the evening crowd, the “Ring of Red” celebration that will have the Bearcats - and, presumably, their fans - all clad in a unifying and emboldening color, and the overall weight of the contest, Cincinnati will come to play.
The Bearcats have a tough, experienced, talented defense with two very good corners who can handle man-to-man coverage, which will allow the rest of the defense to key in on LeSean McCoy. There aren’t going to be any easy outs for Pitt, and the Panthers’ offense will probably have to grind for every yard it gains.
But Cincinnati’s offense can be had, too. The Bearcats do boast the league’s best pass efficiency rating and have a set of good running backs, but Pitt’s defense figures to be amped up for this one. This could be a low-scoring affair that comes down to field goals or a key turnover, but we’ll get into that topic when we do the predictions at the end of In the Pitt.
Still, isn’t it refreshing that we are sitting here in mid-November with three games left and we’re talking about a Pitt game that really, genuinely, matters? When was the last time you could say that? There’s a word for this:
Relevance.
And that’s a term that hasn’t been applicable for Pitt football probably since the Notre Dame game in 2005; if it lasted beyond that game, then it died a week later following the loss at Ohio.
But now, Pitt matters. Even if it’s only in terms of the Big East, Pitt matters. The Panthers have the power in their hands to win out and take the conference crown, which would assure them of a BCS bowl. It’s just a matter of reaching out and taking it.
No one knows how this game will go, but wouldn’t you agree that it’s pretty nice to be looking forward to a River City Rivalry game with anticipation instead of cynicism over another year lost? I certainly think so.
The Big East title
So we all know that Pitt needs to win this week to keep its Big East title hopes alive. But let’s take a second to look at some of the other scenarios that can unfold.
Obviously if Pitt wins the next three games, the Panthers are conference champs. No two ways about it. But if it doesn’t happen that cleanly, well, things get a little complicated.
The current Big East standings are as follows (remaining games in parentheses):
1. Cincinnati - 4-1 (vs. Pitt, vs. Syracuse, at Hawaii)
2. Pitt - 3-1 (at Cincinnati, vs. WVU, at Connecticut)
3. West Virginia - 3-1 (at Louisville, at Pitt, vs. USF)
4. Rutgers - 4-2 (vs. Army, vs. Louisville)
5. Connecticut - 3-2 (at USF, vs. Pitt)
6. USF - 1-4 (vs. Connecticut, at WVU)
7. Louisville - 1-4 (vs. WVU, at Rutgers)
8. Syracuse - 1-5 (at Notre Dame, at Cincinnati)
Okay then. We can safely eliminate USF, Louisville, and Syracuse from the conversation since they’ve already eliminated themselves. That leaves five teams within mathematical reach of the title.
Naturally there is the ultimate cluster scenario of a five-way tie that could happen if Connecticut wins out, Rutgers beats Louisville, WVU beats Louisville and USF but loses to Pitt, Pitt beats WVU and Cincinnati but loses to UConn, and Cincinnati loses to Pitt but beats Syracuse. That would leave all five teams with 5-2 records, in which case a “mini-conference” would be created. If that happens, each team would have a 2-2 record in the mini-conference, and the highest-ranked team - which would probably be Pitt, Cincinnati, or Connecticut (fresh off a season-ending win over Pitt) - would get the BCS bid.
Let’s assume that the craziest scenario doesn’t take place, though, and let’s just look at what Pitt needs to do. If the Panthers lose one of the next three games, they’ll need some help from elsewhere. But if that loss comes against Cincinnati, then the Bearcats pretty much have things wrapped up, barring a stumble against Syracuse next week.
The best thing for Pitt right now is that the Panthers control their own destiny. That much is certain. If Pitt wins these games, then Pitt will win the conference.
Hoops signings
Jamie Dixon and the hoops team signed four players from the 2009 recruiting class over the past week. Rather than give my own scouting report, I’m going to stick with what Pitt produced for the breakdowns of the players. I consider these write-ups as coming pretty directly from the coaches’ opinions, so they’re worth at least something.
Lamar Patterson 6’5” 220 Wing
“Lamar Patterson is a perimeter player who has a high skill level, can shoot, pass and has stellar court vision. He is described as an “excellent” fit for the Pitt program. He has an NBA caliber body, has excellent size, is an excellent shooter and can handle the ball. He runs the floor well and can create off the dribble. A strong, versatile and athletic wing player with a talented handle, long arms and explosiveness, Patterson can attack the rim.”
JJ Richardson 6’7” 235 Post
“One of the biggest sleepers in the country, J.J. Richardson is described as a strong and athletic post-player who has an array of “back-to-the-basket” moves. He is a good post player with a strong body who moves well to the ball and has a soft touch inside of 10-feet. He also shows a high basketball IQ, has good hands, uses his body well and is an excellent passer out of the post. A player who does all the little things to help his team win, Richardson sprints the floor with regularity, can rebound on the defensive end and has excellent timing when blocking shots. He is most known for his blue collar style and constant energy and effort in the paint.”
Dante Taylor 6’9” 230 Forward
“A consensus top-30 ranked recruit, Dante Taylor is described as a highly skilled, athletic post player who can shoot. His strengths are his quickness and athleticism around the basket. A raw talent with great upside, Taylor is very fast up and down the court, exhibits expanded range with his jumper and is a big-time post-player. A sturdy power forward who knows how to score and has the ability to play with both skill and athleticism, Taylor is a physically gifted player who runs, rebounds and prefers to play facing the basket. He has an impressive mid-range game and exceptional ball-handling skills for a big man.”
Talib Zanna 6’9” 220 Forward
“Talib Zanna is described as a raw and strong athlete who combines skill and athleticism to create matchup problems with the opposition. He possesses a good mid-range jumper, unique and rare post-up skills and is capable of playing with his back to the basket as well as blocking shots on the defensive end. He loves to attack off the dribble from the outside and is an aggressive rebounder. He has done a terrific job of maturing his game from primarily being a defensive player and rebounder to developing a flowing offensive game where he can handle the ball on the break, pull-up and shoot jumpers. He looks to be a cross between an interior and wing player. If he develops in either of those areas, he could really turn into a fantastic player. Able to score with either hand, he plays in the mold of Tim Duncan.”
Not a bad group. Obviously Taylor is the main attraction, and for good reason. He’s a dominant post player who is developing a mid-range jumper that will make him even more dangerous. The prospect of having Taylor and DeJuan Blair around the basket is one that should strike fear into the hearts of the other Big East teams, because that duo is positively scary. Then when you add a player like Nasir Robinson, who could line up at small forward, you’ve got a trio of players who will, on a nightly basis, be more physical than just about anyone they face.
That should be fun to watch.
Of the other three signees, Patterson is very intriguing. No one on this message board will forget that he was once very highly rated, and his drop appears to be a product of missing summer tournaments rather than any actual diminishing skill. He originally was classified as a shooting guard, but as he continues to grow he now looks like a small forward. The end result might be a combination of the two: a shooter with the body to get inside and get physical.
Zanna and Richardson are probably the “projects” of the group, although that term can be applied to 95% of the recruits who sign every year because, let’s face it, virtually all high school players need some seasoning to make the transition to college. Still, if history has shown us anything, it’s that Dixon and his staff are masters at identifying the players who can fit into the Pitt system, and I don’t see any reason to believe that Zanna and Richardson will be different.
On the court
As for the Pitt players on the court, it’s been an interesting two games. I thought the Miami (OH) game was really intriguing for the way the Panthers absolutely lit up the RedHawks in the second half. In the days since, I’ve tried to come up with some reasons why that half played out the way it did, and here’s what I’ve determined:
1. Having Blair on the floor is huge. He missed nine-plus minutes in the first half due to foul trouble, and that affected what Pitt was able to do on the glass; hence, the Panthers were out-rebounded in the first half. That changed when Blair came back in.
The guy is just dominant, and through two games it looks like he has progressed from his outstanding freshman year. It’s funny to think about how some of us - like me - questioned the possible success of having a 6’7” center; now I see that height is not everything. Being wide, having a long wingspan, and working like crazy under the hoop can make up for the 2-5 inches Blair gives up against other Big East centers.
2. The other key was Levance Fields. If there was ever any question about the kind of impact he has on the offense - and after last season, I don’t know why those questions would exist - few remain after the Miami game. After the game, Jamie Dixon talked about the offense having a stretch when they were rushing shots and taking bad shots; by his own admission, Fields was a culprit in that affair. But in the second half, Fields slowed down and decided to simply run the offense.
The result: eight assists and just two total shots from the senior point guard over the final 20 minutes. That’s distribution. That’s being a point guard.
There are some superlatives at work for Pitt right now. Blair is a [insert superlative here] center. Fields is a [insert superlative here] point guard.
Did I mention that Fields has 20 assists and 1 turnover through two games?
[Superlative]
There are a couple other really good things happening with this Pitt team right now. Jermaine Dixon has been a pleasant surprise at shooting guard. I was expecting to see what we had all heard about: Dixon would be a guy who would play tough defense, he’s fight for loose balls, he’d hustle, he’d rebound, and he’d get dirty if he had to. But we never heard about offense.
After two games, though, he’s averaging 10 points per game and seems to have settled in as the starting two-guard.
I think Nasir Robinson has also done very well for himself so far. For a bench player, his numbers - 5 points and 4 rebounds per game - are pretty good, but it’s what you see out of him on the court that sets Robinson apart. He’s a tough guy, a 6’5” power forward battling with bigger players and winning the battles. Robinson played 18 minutes against Fairleigh Dickinson and 16 against Miami, and he has looked every bit the player we expected him to be. He’s still going to make freshman mistakes, particularly on the defensive end, but his positive plays should outweigh the negative ones.
It’s going to be interesting to see what happens when Gilbert Brown returns from his foot injury. The current rotation has Fields, Dixon, Sam Young, Tyrell Biggs, and Blair starting. Brown could be a shooting guard or a small forward; in this writer’s opinion, Pitt’s best starting lineup would look like this:
PG - Fields
SG - Dixon
SF - Brown
PF - Young
C - Blair
So far, I don’t think Young has played power forward, but I still think that’s his best position in college. I understand that he’s a small forward or even a shooting guard at the next level and the staff is helping to prepare him for playing that position, but I think Pitt has the best chance to win with Young at the four.
For subs, Biggs could come in at power forward and Young could slide to small forward, sending Brown to the bench. Or Biggs could come in at center in place of Blair. Robinson can sub at small forward or power forward, and Young could play opposite of him. Brown could also play shooting guard, and Young and Robinson could man the forward spots.
Really, I’m just on the tip of the iceberg in terms of Pitt’s lineup options, and I haven’t even mentioned the other two freshmen - Ashton Gibbs and Travon Woodall - or the sophomores - Brad Wanamaker and Gary McGhee - all of whom figure to play a fair amount of minutes.
Jamie Dixon has a lot of options, and that should allow him to exploit mismatches at small forward, power forward, and center, depending on the opponent.
Recruiting roundup
Some big stuff to discuss in this week’s Roundup.
- Like we told you last week, the first big official visit weekend will be the weekend of December 12th. So far, the only scheduled visitor is Palmyra (NJ) wide receiver has scheduled an official visit for that weekend. We’re hearing that Pratt is on the radar, but if he gets an offer it won’t be before January.
While Pratt is the only name that is set for that visit weekend, we expect Pitt to bring in about dozen or so players. A fair number of those will be players who are already committed, but there will be quite a few “on the market” prospects. New Jersey state high school playoffs end the weekend of December 5th, so several players from the Garden State will probably be headed to Pittsburgh for the 12th. I would guess that Hoboken defensive linemen Jamil, so those two will probably be along as well.
Pratt, Nunez, Holmes, and the Merrell’s make for five potential visitors, meaning there are still a half-dozen or so who will join the official visit party. You figure there will be at least four or five committed prospects, and that brings the total to 10. Then probably one or two more uncommitted recruits will join the list, and it should turn out to be an interesting weekend.
- The 12th of December will be a big weekend, but there will be at least a couple official visitors in the near future. Pitt commit Dion Lewis will be in town on an official visit for the West Virginia game next weekend. Lewis is taking an earlier visit because he will enroll at Pitt in January.
Another committed prospect who will enroll in college in January will take an official visit that weekend, too, but he’s not a Pitt commit. Rather, Pahokee (FL) linebacker Vincent Smith both committed to Michigan in late August, but Hawthorne is listed as a soft verbal and Pitt is one of the visits he’s going to take.
This could be big for Pitt. Hawthorne is a 6’1” 181-pound outside linebacker, and if he ends up on the Panthers’ commitment list, he would give the staff its first true linebacker in the class (the jury is still out on Kevin Adams, who could be an outside linebacker or a safety, although it seems like he’ll end up playing OLB). We’ll be keeping an eye on this one.
- A couple of other committed or formerly-committed prospects were in the PantherLair.com news this week. First up was Hackensack (NJ) tight end Malcolm Bush, who decommitted from Rutgers last month. We had been hearing for awhile that Bush could be headed away from the Scarlet Knights, and after it officially happened, we heard that Pitt could be among his new finalists.
When we talked to Bush this week, he said that he’s got a lot of options he’s considering. It sounds like Pitt and North Carolina are up on his list, but he’s also hoping to see some new offers come his way, particularly from the Florida schools. If those offers don’t come through - and I’m not sure if he should hold his breath on those - then I think Pitt’s got an excellent chance.
Now, when you’re talking official visits, Pittsburgh vs. Chapel Hill isn’t exactly a fair fight, and Butch Davis is one heck of a recruiter. But Bush is one of those kids that Jeff Hafley has been working very hard, and I think Pitt stands a better than even shot of landing the 6’4” 225-pound tight end.
The other committed prospect to pop up on Pitt’s radar this week is Jeannette running back/cornerback he is considering an official visit to Pitt. This is interesting because we’ve been hearing for awhile now that Hall has been in semi-regular contact with the Pitt staff, particularly Dave Wannstedt and Matt Cavanaugh.
When I talked to Hall, he made it sound like the Pitt coaches are the ones pushing for the visit, imploring him to just come and check out what they have to offer. But I don’t think that’s the case. I’m sure that Wannstedt and Cavanaugh would like to have him in for an official visit, but I don’t think they’re begging. I think there’s a mutual understanding between Hall and the coaches that Hall just might fit in better at Pitt than at Ohio State.
I can understand why Hall wouldn’t say this publicly when I interviewed him. He’s committed to Ohio State right now and he’s not sure that he wants out of that just yet. But if you show a lot of interest elsewhere, Jim Tressel and company might show you the door.
Here’s my take: he’ll play it off like the Pitt coaches want him to visit and he’s doing it almost as a favor, but if he likes what he sees, he just might make the change.
This one is in the early stages, but we’ll be following the story because something interesting might come out of it.
Prediction time
Here it is. Prediction time. Dave Wannstedt has never lost to Cincinnati, but this is the best Bearcat squad he’s faced. These Cincinnati players are experienced, talented, and they know that they can win the Big East with victories over Pitt and Syracuse. Meanwhile, the Panthers have their own eyes on the conference prize.
Cincinnati is an excellent defensive team, but they were very good on defense last year and Pitt took it to them. I think LeSean McCoy steps up in the primetime national spotlight, and I think the Panthers come out with a huge win. It’s going to be close, but I think they can pull it off.
After all, that’s what Pitt does on primetime nationally-televised games.
Pitt 27
Cincinnati 16
Add your prediction to the bottom of this thread.
Thanks for joining this week’s edition of In The Pitt. As always, feel free to e-mail chrispeak1@comcast.net with any suggestions, feedback, or other input.
