one half of basketball is certainly going to raise interest in Pitt basketball. I am an eternal optimist and I can tell you I was pessimistic about this year.
I am absolutely encouraged.
Cancelling the game might have been the very best thing for safety but I believe it's the equivalent of keep shooting the ball when you are alone at the playground and you make a shot and then you can leave.
I know yesterday had to be a confidence builder and most likely the ultimate team builder for a bunch of strangers. That scar on Robinson will be the ultimate story for a lifetime about "that trip to Japan".
Make no mistake, this will be an ace up the sleeve on selection Sunday.
I was absolutely shocked with all of our blocks and the speed of play. We also had ESPN's A team there to sing our praises for the next four months.
A lot of positives even though many look at the result as "kissing your sister".
Agree completely. To bad the game had to be suspended but, it really WAS dangerous out there. Even if we had lost in the second half, this team has a lot more potential than the nay-sayers kept proclaiming.
*There's a lot of depth and I think that is very important in motivating guys to play defense. Mostly, their playing time depends on it.
*Maia will get in shape and get better. Last night was the first time anyone has admitted he's coming off cracked ribs. He's still wearing the rib pads, which contribute to his roly-poly look. The question with him is athleticism. He plays below the rim. Then again, so did Chevy. Leading any D-1 league in rebounding for 3 years , even the Ivy league should translate to being able to help us.
*We've got to defend the pick and roll better but when the opponent has Wiltjer on the outside and Karnowski and Sabonis rolling to the hoop, we may not see a better front line this year. Having the length and bulk inside makes Gonzaga a dangerous opponent for anyone in the NCAA.
*Having the depth at center with ANO, Luther, Maia and Mike Young as needed should be pretty effective even when the opposing bigs are more athletic. We have 15 fouls to give plus Young. There are plenty of better big men on our schedule than our three primary centers, but maybe few teams deeper inside.
*Likewise, we can go 3 deep at EVERY position, counting Artis as both the starting 3 and an extra 4 and Jones and Johnson as both 2's and 3's. When Damon Wilson is ready, which should be soon, it will be the same at PG.
*James Robinson spends a lot of time getting knocked on the floor. Jamie realy NEEDS to use Milligan and Wilson to optimize JRob's minutes wisely and not get him hurt up.
*This season will be an interesting test for what I think might be our strategy going forward. If we can recruit a roster filled with guys who will play hard and mix and match them to wear down the opponents with strong defense and good passing and ball movment, we can beat a lot of more talented teams. We did it for years in the Big East. It can work in the ACC. Whie we don't use the Virginia Pack-Line defense, their overall strategy is directly out of Jame Dixon, circa 2003-2007. It clearly can and does work.
We're never going to recruit the athletes to run with Duke or UNC, but we've already beaten Carolina twice. We CAN get a Mike Young here and there, but finding or developing some gems like Jamel Artis or Lamar Patterson is key. Cam Johnson, Ryan Luther, Corey Manigault, Justice Kithcart should all be effective players in the ACC as they mature. Crisshawn Clark can be too. Some of them may be more.
It will be interesting. Ultimately, what we really want is to win in January, February and March, not at the November LOI Signing Day.
