We don't need insider information about what is happening because we can see for ourselves. We have seen good teams, and we have seen good point guards. When Johnson was good, he was very very good. But he wasn't consistent, and he didn't have a experienced backup when he wasn't playing well, so the coaches had to hang with him. His assist to turnover ratio was skewed by the number of forced shots in traffic that were basically the same as uncounted turnovers. And so overall, he was just OK. For all his talent and frequent virtuosity, he wasn't Knight or Krauser or Fields or even Woodall or Robinson, either. When he was a freshman, he told us that he wouldn't be here for four years. If he were as good as he thought he was, he would be going professional by now anyway. Johnson, Toney, McGowens: they were all just OK. At this point, it doesn't appear that any of them is going to the NBA next year.
We shouldn't be confused that their departures are on the coach. We should have been more patient with Dixon, and we should be patient with Capel. Once a team falls, it is often the case that it never makes it back to its previous level. We cannot underestimate the scale of Pitt's catastrophe. The transfers and their teammates were what Capel has gotten coming out of what was probably the worst season in modern major basketball history. The culture of Pitt basketball was destroyed when Barnes blew it up. They didn't have upper classmen abusing them and exposing their weaknesses when they arrived. Nor did they have upper classmen to set the example of the focus and sync that characterized Pitt team's style of play.
Here is a bit of perspective on the issues we have been talking about in multiple threads. From the Trib on February 9, 2011:
Even in defeat, Bob Huggins could appreciate the Pitt players' approach to the game.
The coach with 685 victories in his 29th year said that in an age when college basketball is stocked with NBA-hopefuls trying for the next highlight-reel play, the Panthers do it the right way.
"It's kind of refreshing, actually," he said. "(Monday night), it wasn't."
No. 4 Pitt flexed its team-first attitude in the 71-66 victory at No. 25 West Virginia despite the absence of leading scorer Ashton Gibbs (knee).
Four players scored in double figures -- the most 15 points -- and Pitt limited the Mountaineers to eight offensive rebounds, matching its season low. The Panthers made only one 3-pointer on six attempts, both season-lows, but scored 42 points in the paint.
"They have good players and a good coach, that's what it is," Huggins said. "They share the ball. It's admirable in today's times. You've got all those guys who think they are going to go play in the league. They've got guys who just play. They just play to win. They don't force shots. They don't do things they can't do. They just do what they can do."
