It’s really pretty simple, isn’t it?

[Chairman Moe]

Recruit front court players who aren’t afraid to shoot the ball (and make their shots), dunk, finish, rebound, set efficient screens, and block a few shots on defense.

We have a serviceable set of guards, who should continue to improve ... if ... the front court becomes a better option for scoring.

We have a decent staff of coaches.

We have an enthused fan base who are anxious to see this version of Pitt basketball renew relevance.

This fan watched less than a handful of games last year. He watched more than 75% of this season, only missing the OOC games, and a couple of ACC games.

I’m not one to make wild predictions; a lot depends on how we finish the recruiting process. I might chirp in again when the 2019-2020 class/roster is set, but I don’t see us regressing. 6-10 wins in conference next year are certainly attainable. Maybe more.

But this is a work in progress.

Next year should be even more fun to watch.

HTP!

 

[PittMBA]

Recruit front court players who aren’t afraid to shoot the ball (and make their shots), dunk, finish, rebound, set efficient screens, and block a few shots on defense.

We have a serviceable set of guards, who should continue to improve ... if ... the front court becomes a better option for scoring.

We have a decent staff of coaches.

We have an enthused fan base who are anxious to see this version of Pitt basketball renew relevance.

This fan watched less than a handful of games last year. He watched more than 75% of this season, only missing the OOC games, and a couple of ACC games.

I’m not one to make wild predictions; a lot depends on how we finish the recruiting process. I might chirp in again when the 2019-2020 class/roster is set, but I don’t see us regressing. 6-10 wins in conference next year are certainly attainable. Maybe more.

But this is a work in progress.

Next year should be even more fun to watch.

HTP!

Pretty much agree on all fronts. I think getting more than 8 wins in conference next season is going to be tough- even with the 20 game schedule. 6-14 or 7-13 seems realistic to me. Hope the fans stick with them as I think next season is likely more rebuilding and growing pains. Still will be very young - depending on who stays and goes - could be even younger than this season’s team.

 

[Parkview57]

I agree, but may add specifically, Pitt also is sorely lacking shooters. While I agree the guards will improve, I don't see them making the jump all the way to "assassin" level by next year, if ever.

 

[ratking17]

I agree, but may add specifically, Pitt also is sorely lacking shooters. While I agree the guards will improve, I don't see them making the jump all the way to "assassin" level by next year, if ever.

Agree. They are more slashers to the bucket. I gotta believe an immobile spot up deadly shooter shouldn't be that hard to find. Get a competent big with a competent 3 point assassin and we are cooking

 

[thebadby2]

Recruit front court players who aren’t afraid to shoot the ball (and make their shots), dunk, finish, rebound, set efficient screens, and block a few shots on defense.

We have a serviceable set of guards, who should continue to improve ... if ... the front court becomes a better option for scoring.

We have a decent staff of coaches.

We have an enthused fan base who are anxious to see this version of Pitt basketball renew relevance.

This fan watched less than a handful of games last year. He watched more than 75% of this season, only missing the OOC games, and a couple of ACC games.

I’m not one to make wild predictions; a lot depends on how we finish the recruiting process. I might chirp in again when the 2019-2020 class/roster is set, but I don’t see us regressing. 6-10 wins in conference next year are certainly attainable. Maybe more.

But this is a work in progress.

Next year should be even more fun to watch.

HTP!

Not quite that simple.

Need some reliable perimeter shooters. At many of the better programs, the philosophy is you can never have enough of those. Ideally you want good shooters at the 1-3 spots and maybe a stretch man who shoots well.

Also need at least one more point/primary ballhandler type.

that along with some length and athleticism up front will make a huge difference.

I think the freshman guards-X and Trey--are a lot better than serviceable and will only get better with experience and better players around them.

 

[DC_Area_Panther]

Agree. They are more slashers to the bucket. I gotta believe an immobile spot up deadly shooter shouldn't be that hard to find. Get a competent big with a competent 3 point assassin and we are cooking

I am in agreement with the assessments in this thread. This season's shortcomings were almost entirely structural ones, IMHO:

1. Lack of Quality-ACC post players-Terrel and Kene did their best but they were/are no more than just barely servicable talent-wise for the ACC.
2. A general lack of team size--only two players over 6-6 (not counting George). It really hurts in the ACC to not be able to have taller wings (players 6-7 or taller) who can shoot the three and get put-backs on offense and who make it difficult for taller 3-ball shooters to shoot over them and who can give stronger help to the post player in getting defensive Boards.
2. Lack of more than one (JWF) ACC level 3-point shooter.
3. Overall youth--the ACC chews-up less than one-and-done level freshmen.

I believe the coaching was generally good and that Capel did an excellent job in preventing this team from completely giving up and quitting despite the long losing streak.

How we do next year in the ACC is going to depend heavily on the finish to the current recruiting class. IMO, to get to 6-7 wins out of next years 20 ACC games will require:

1. A JWF shooting clone (JUCO or Grad Transfer?).
2. A post player with hops and muscle who can score down low even when closely guarded.
3. A taller wing or two with hops who can shoot.

Speculation on Our Incoming Commits: So far we have three freshmen commits who should help but who don't appear to fully fill some of our needs.

1. Drumgoole may have the potential to become as good a 3-ball shooter as JWF--eventually--we can certainly hope so. But as a true freshman? IMHO, even if he fits the shooting role he will almost not provide JWF's senior leadership.

2. Coulibaly seems like he will be a nice player but doesn't seem (on paper) to be the solution--certainly not an immediate one- to our post weaknesses. From the extremely limited info on his skills he would seem to be a better jump shooter than Kene and, perhaps, better than Terrel. He may also be physically stronger than either Kene of Terrel; but, he may be neither the quick leaper nor have enough height (he may only be 6-8) to really upgrade our post play. He might make a better forward if he is mobile enough (?)--an effective jump shooter from the elbows vs the Cuse zone, perhaps?

3. Justin Champaignie appears to be a versatile forward. Not sure how well he shoots a 3 ball. He is variously listed at between 6-5 and 6-7. Hope he is a genuine 6-6 or 6-7 as we need taller wings.

Bottom line--the jury is out on how much these guys can help improve us for next season.

Hopefully (presumably), there will be at least 2 more recruits added for next season who will help fill our needs to the level that will make 6-7 ACC wins realistic. Need a true rim defender center the most with a JWF clone a close second need, IMHO. Only time will tell.

 

[Harve74]

I am in agreement with the assessments in this thread. This season's shortcomings were almost entirely structural ones, IMHO:

1. Lack of Quality-ACC post players-Terrel and Kene did their best but they were/are no more than just barely servicable talent-wise for the ACC.
2. A general lack of team size--only two players over 6-6 (not counting George). It really hurts in the ACC to not be able to have taller wings (players 6-7 or taller) who can shoot the three and get put-backs on offense and who make it difficult for taller 3-ball shooters to shoot over them and who can give stronger help to the post player in getting defensive Boards.
2. Lack of more than one (JWF) ACC level 3-point shooter.
3. Overall youth--the ACC chews-up less than one-and-done level freshmen.

I believe the coaching was generally good and that Capel did an excellent job in preventing this team from completely giving up and quitting despite the long losing streak.

How we do next year in the ACC is going to depend heavily on the finish to the current recruiting class. IMO, to get to 6-7 wins out of next years 20 ACC games will require:

1. A JWF shooting clone (JUCO or Grad Transfer?).
2. A post player with hops and muscle who can score down low even when closely guarded.
3. A taller wing or two with hops who can shoot.

Speculation on Our Incoming Commits: So far we have two freshmen commits who should help but who don't appear to fully fill some of our needs.

1. Drumgoole may have the potential to become as good a 3-ball shooter as JWF--eventually--we can certainly hope so. But as a true freshman? IMHO, even if he fits the shooting role he will almost not provide JWF's senior leadership.

2. Coulibaly seems like he will be a nice player but doesn't seem (on paper) to be the solution--certainly not an immediate one- to our post weaknesses. From the extremely limited info on his skills he would seem to be a better jump shooter than Kene and, perhaps, better than Terrel. He may also be physically stronger than either Kene of Terrel; but, he may be neither the quick leaper nor have enough height (he may only be 6-8) to really upgrade our post play. He might make a better forward if he is mobile enough (?)--an effective jump shooter from the elbows vs the Cuse zone, perhaps?

Bottom line--the jury is out on how much either of these guys can help improve us for next season.

Hopefully (presumably), there will be at least 3 more recruits added for next season who will help fill our needs to the level that will make 6-7 ACC wins realistic. Only time will tell.

FWIW, George, despite being listed at 6-8 some places is closer to 6-4.

 

[Protes]

I am in agreement with the assessments in this thread. This season's shortcomings were almost entirely structural ones, IMHO:

1. Lack of Quality-ACC post players-Terrel and Kene did their best but they were/are no more than just barely servicable talent-wise for the ACC.
2. A general lack of team size--only two players over 6-6 (not counting George). It really hurts in the ACC to not be able to have taller wings (players 6-7 or taller) who can shoot the three and get put-backs on offense and who make it difficult for taller 3-ball shooters to shoot over them and who can give stronger help to the post player in getting defensive Boards.
2. Lack of more than one (JWF) ACC level 3-point shooter.
3. Overall youth--the ACC chews-up less than one-and-done level freshmen.

I believe the coaching was generally good and that Capel did an excellent job in preventing this team from completely giving up and quitting despite the long losing streak.

How we do next year in the ACC is going to depend heavily on the finish to the current recruiting class. IMO, to get to 6-7 wins out of next years 20 ACC games will require:

1. A JWF shooting clone (JUCO or Grad Transfer?).
2. A post player with hops and muscle who can score down low even when closely guarded.
3. A taller wing or two with hops who can shoot.

Speculation on Our Incoming Commits: So far we have two freshmen commits who should help but who don't appear to fully fill some of our needs.

1. Drumgoole may have the potential to become as good a 3-ball shooter as JWF--eventually--we can certainly hope so. But as a true freshman? IMHO, even if he fits the shooting role he will almost not provide JWF's senior leadership.

2. Coulibaly seems like he will be a nice player but doesn't seem (on paper) to be the solution--certainly not an immediate one- to our post weaknesses. From the extremely limited info on his skills he would seem to be a better jump shooter than Kene and, perhaps, better than Terrel. He may also be physically stronger than either Kene of Terrel; but, he may be neither the quick leaper nor have enough height (he may only be 6-8) to really upgrade our post play. He might make a better forward if he is mobile enough (?)--an effective jump shooter from the elbows vs the Cuse zone, perhaps?

Bottom line--the jury is out on how much either of these guys can help improve us for next season.

Hopefully (presumably), there will be at least 3 more recruits added for next season who will help fill our needs to the level that will make 6-7 ACC wins realistic. Only time will tell.

Not to be pessimistic - I am optimistic about HCJC in the long run - but as of this moment we are a worse team than yesterday. We are losing our best 3-point threat and still haven't addressed the backcourt issues, as you note. So, to expect 6-7 wins next year seems a tad unreasonable. Hopefully, that outlook will change a lot in the next few weeks.

 

[lilspainishflea]

Not to be pessimistic - I am optimistic about HCJC in the long run - but as of this moment we are a worse team than yesterday. We are losing our best 3-point threat and still haven't addressed the backcourt issues, as you note. So, to expect 6-7 wins next year seems a tad unreasonable. Hopefully, that outlook will change a lot in the next few weeks.

Schedule alone might be good for 3 more wins. We'll get Wake, BC, and GT all at home. I think we'll be favored in all 3 of those. Also get Miami at home which could be closer to a toss-up.

 

[Protes]

Schedule alone might be good for 3 more wins. We'll get Wake, BC, and GT all at home. I think we'll be favored in all 3 of those. Also get Miami at home which could be closer to a toss-up.

That's a fair point. But does that actually make us a better team? Not really. That's luck-of-the-draw stuff. A lot is riding on who else rounds out this class. And I acknowledge that X and Trey should be better next year.

I'm not as sold on Toney being a starter on this team. He's not a #4 and he has a long way to go offensively to be a starting #3.

 

[DC_Area_Panther]

FWIW, George, despite being listed at 6-8 some places is closer to 6-4.

The Pitt official roster list him at 6-7, I believe.

 

[DC_Area_Panther]

Schedule alone might be good for 3 more wins. We'll get Wake, BC, and GT all at home. I think we'll be favored in all 3 of those. Also get Miami at home which could be closer to a toss-up.

But, we also most likely lose two OOC easy wins due to the 20 game ACC schedule and so might only get 8 wins OOC. So just to match this years 14-19 overall record we will need to win 2 more regular season ACC games and finish 5-15 ACC. Hopefully we will improve enough to go 8-12 and finish no worse that 16-16 overall.

 

[lilspainishflea]

But, we also most likely lose two OOC easy wins due to the 20 game ACC schedule and so might only get 8 wins OOC. So just to match this years 14-19 overall record we will need to win 2 more regular season ACC games and finish 5-15 ACC. Hopefully we will improve enough to go 8-12 and finish no worse that 16-16 overall.

That's a good point. Are they still playing WVU and a B10 team? If not, that might be a push. If they're trading VMI and Northern Arkansas for 2 ACC games....yeah that's not good.

 

[lilspainishflea]

That's a fair point. But does that actually make us a better team? Not really. That's luck-of-the-draw stuff. A lot is riding on who else rounds out this class. And I acknowledge that X and Trey should be better next year.

I'm not as sold on Toney being a starter on this team. He's not a #4 and he has a long way to go offensively to be a starting #3.

I see what you're saying but I somewhat disagree. The basic understanding is that more wins = better team. That will also probably be true with respect to Sagarin and NET, too, unless we get 2-3 more close wins and get blown out more in a bunch of others.

Also agree that major improvement will require more commits, particularly at the 5. If we can't get a grad transfer or JUCO there, even substantial improvement from X and Trey won't completely change the composition of our team. We need a big when those 2 drive. That will be true whether they can develop better outside shots or not.

 

[DC_Area_Panther]

That's a good point. Are they still playing WVU and a B10 team? If not, that might be a push. If they're trading VMI and Northern Arkansas for 2 ACC games....yeah that's not good.

As far as I know the ACC Big Ten challenge continues and I suspect we will play WVU every year now. In addition we will play in some early season tournament which could give us a one or more tough opponents.

So, I think we do lose 2 cupcakes and not 2 good opponents. But, I may be wrong?

 

[Chairman Moe]

Pretty much agree on all fronts. I think getting more than 8 wins in conference next season is going to be tough- even with the 20 game schedule. 6-14 or 7-13 seems realistic to me. Hope the fans stick with them as I think next season is likely more rebuilding and growing pains. Still will be very young - depending on who stays and goes - could be even younger than this season’s team.

Yes, the fans - and the local press/media - need to continue to support the rebuilding process of Pitt BB. The youth factor is inevitable unless we get a couple grad transfers/JUCO’s et al

 

[Chairman Moe]

Not quite that simple.

Need some reliable perimeter shooters. At many of the better programs, the philosophy is you can never have enough of those. Ideally you want good shooters at the 1-3 spots and maybe a stretch man who shoots well.

Also need at least one more point/primary ballhandler type.

that along with some length and athleticism up front will make a huge difference.

I think the freshman guards-X and Trey--are a lot better than serviceable and will only get better with experience and better players around them.

I think the term “serviceable” is pretty accurate at this point. Not a criticism; our returning guard tandem (or trio, if you count Toney) has shown greatness, mediocrity, and awfulness this past season. That said, my observation is that they will make better decisions and be more consistent once the interior players are added. Providing the interior players can play at the ACC level.

As for the perimeter, I’m hoping that Drumgoole (and maybe Champaignie) can fill that void. JWF’s departure will surely be felt. But as good as he is/was, the above mentioned recruits “appear” to be more versatile in their offense. JWF had 24 pts last night on 8 made threes. No 2FG or FT. Not taking anything away from his performance; I’d like to see a player in his position with more scoring options.

 

[Chairman Moe]

FWIW, George, despite being listed at 6-8 some places is closer to 6-4.

Harve, hope all is well with you and your bride!

 

[Chairman Moe]

That's a fair point. But does that actually make us a better team? Not really. That's luck-of-the-draw stuff. A lot is riding on who else rounds out this class. And I acknowledge that X and Trey should be better next year.

I'm not as sold on Toney being a starter on this team. He's not a #4 and he has a long way to go offensively to be a starting #3.

I, too have mixed feelings about Toney, but I like his upside