This was quite a week plus. I don’t have any other way of putting it. Pitt’s NCAA Tournament journey in the past week was something I got to tag along for and I want to share my experiences from my perspective, and it’s really over a ten day stretch. Just a lot of basketball.
Friday March 10
I freelance high school basketball games for the Johnstown Tribune-Democrat when I’m not writing here. I got my start there, and I’m a big basketball fan. I’m always happy to cover a game for my hometown paper. I was at UPJ for a boys Class A state playoff game between Berlin-Brothersvalley and St. Joseph’s. Berlin won the game. They’re a really incredible small public school team that may very well meet Imani Christian in the state championship this weekend.
https://www.tribdem.com/sports/berl...cle_60683dfc-bf12-11ed-8d69-0b6b21cff596.html
Saturday March 11
Normally I wouldn’t travel this far for a high school game, but I planned to cover the Westmont-OLSH Class AAA boys basketball game at South Fayette. I had planned to be in Pittsburgh later that night for a party, so I figured I’d check out the game. I grew up in Westmont and OLSH coach Mike Rodriguez used to be a successful coach in Johnstown. Figured it would be worth it and it ended up being a great game.
https://www.tribdem.com/sports/our-...cle_cfbadb7c-c07c-11ed-8e30-8b64dc96d5ff.html
Sunday March 12
I drove back to my house in Johnstown in the morning then I had to be back at the Petersen Events Center for the selection show sort of unexpectedly. Once Pitt got selected and we did interviews everyone in the media room sort of realized we all had to drive to Dayton in the morning.
https://pittsburgh.rivals.com/news/...bid-panthers-set-to-take-on-mississippi-state
Monday March 13
Arrived in Dayton in the afternoon and made it down to the arena for practice after checking into the hotel. That’s when the Federiko stuff started coming out that he might be a game time decision, so that kind of became the story up until game time. After the practice I met the other reporters out afterwards, and that was definitely a cool aspect this whole week. Everyone really gets along on this beat, so it was fun going to dinner and having drinks with the other reporters like Chris Carter, Noah Hiles, Jerry DiPaola, George Michalowski, Stephen Thomson, Austin Bechtold, Corey Crisan, Jeff Hathhorn, Nick Farabaugh, Amanda Godsey and anyone I missed. It’s better to be on the road with people you can get along with for sure.
https://pittsburgh.rivals.com/news/...e-against-tolu-smith-with-or-without-federiko
Tuesday March 14
Gameday. I will say there was a debate about Dayton and why the First Four games are held there. After experiencing it, the entire Dayton game day experience is very well done. The city supports it, the arena is perfect to house four teams on short notice. It’s a basketball town, a basketball specific arena. Hotels and highways everywhere. People can get to this thing. I loved the atmosphere because 70% of the arena are there just to watch the games with no rooting interest and everyone just cheers for any big play.
It started to get clear Federiko wasn’t going to play closer to game time. Guillermo Diaz Graham was going to get the start and Mississippi State’s best player is a senior post player. It wasn’t ideal. But over the course of the game, Guillermo started winning some of those battles inside. The whole 21 lead change thing was crazy. Somehow Pitt won that.
https://pittsburgh.rivals.com/news/...ely-hero-in-pitt-s-win-over-mississippi-state
https://pittsburgh.rivals.com/news/pitt-s-plan-put-it-in-jb-s-hands-
Wednesday March 15
I didn’t sleep much after the Mississippi State game. Got back to Johnstown, did some laundry and planned to go to Greensboro on Thursday.
Thursday March 16
A friend and I rode down together, stopped at his brother’s house in Roanoke to spend the night.
Friday March 17
Hit the road to Greensboro in the morning. Got over to the arena shortly after. Watched the Xavier/Kennesaw State game first, and KSU really almost had them. They were hitting shots and had the crowd on their side, but yea.
I had a feeling all day Pitt was going to beat Iowa State, but of course I didn’t expect 22-2. That was a crazy game and a very unexpected blowout. Some more Diaz Graham highlights and a great defensive game in the same building they had their worst defensive game a week earlier.
https://pittsburgh.rivals.com/news/defense-yes-defense-ignites-pitt-s-victory-over-iowa-state
https://pittsburgh.rivals.com/news/diaz-graham-twins-energize-pitt-in-its-59-41-win-over-iowa-state
Saturday March 18
We did interviews at the arena on the off day. Pitt looked pretty loose and confident even as an underdog. I sat in on Sean Miller’s press conference, and it was cool to hear his perspective. I never quite know how to describe his relationship towards or with Pitt, but he said all the right things. I wanted to feature Nelly Cummings because he was Pitt’s leading scorer in the first two tournament games and he pretty much said he was going to change things at Pitt to me a year ago and he did it. Ended up going out later that evening since it was an early day. Downtown Greensboro was hopping with some St. Patrick’s stuff all over town. Cool little downtown. I don’t think it’s quite as nice as other regional towns like Winston-Salem and Raleigh though.
https://pittsburgh.rivals.com/news/cummings-has-been-pitt-s-march-catalyst
Sunday March 19
Gameday. I will say from a media perspective, the Greensboro Coliseum is pretty great. Big workspaces, the interview rooms and locker rooms are right there, it’s easy to get to the court. Good snack selection, it’s a cool setup for us. The crowd was small at first, but with a one ticket, four team double header, and Kentucky is in the second game…the were sort of late arriving. Pitt had a good showing crowd wise, but Big Blue Nation is a real thing. I will also say Kentucky’s group of beat writers is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. They had like 30+ writers, reporters, and cameramen just tailing every single one of their practices or interview sessions.
I thought Pitt was going to win on Sunday. I figured they were due for a good shooting performance after two duds in the first two rounds. I was wrong. Xavier was great, that was the best team Pitt played all season, I think. Seeing it up close in person was so impressive. The 17 assists in the first half on 19 baskets? They got everything they wanted.
The press conference was definitely a bit somber, but not really. I think the team sort of knew they accomplished a lot even after losing moments ago.
https://pittsburgh.rivals.com/news/cruel-end-should-not-spoil-special-season-for-pitt
Monday March 20
I’m back in Johnstown.
Friday March 10
I freelance high school basketball games for the Johnstown Tribune-Democrat when I’m not writing here. I got my start there, and I’m a big basketball fan. I’m always happy to cover a game for my hometown paper. I was at UPJ for a boys Class A state playoff game between Berlin-Brothersvalley and St. Joseph’s. Berlin won the game. They’re a really incredible small public school team that may very well meet Imani Christian in the state championship this weekend.
https://www.tribdem.com/sports/berl...cle_60683dfc-bf12-11ed-8d69-0b6b21cff596.html
Saturday March 11
Normally I wouldn’t travel this far for a high school game, but I planned to cover the Westmont-OLSH Class AAA boys basketball game at South Fayette. I had planned to be in Pittsburgh later that night for a party, so I figured I’d check out the game. I grew up in Westmont and OLSH coach Mike Rodriguez used to be a successful coach in Johnstown. Figured it would be worth it and it ended up being a great game.
https://www.tribdem.com/sports/our-...cle_cfbadb7c-c07c-11ed-8e30-8b64dc96d5ff.html
Sunday March 12
I drove back to my house in Johnstown in the morning then I had to be back at the Petersen Events Center for the selection show sort of unexpectedly. Once Pitt got selected and we did interviews everyone in the media room sort of realized we all had to drive to Dayton in the morning.
https://pittsburgh.rivals.com/news/...bid-panthers-set-to-take-on-mississippi-state
Monday March 13
Arrived in Dayton in the afternoon and made it down to the arena for practice after checking into the hotel. That’s when the Federiko stuff started coming out that he might be a game time decision, so that kind of became the story up until game time. After the practice I met the other reporters out afterwards, and that was definitely a cool aspect this whole week. Everyone really gets along on this beat, so it was fun going to dinner and having drinks with the other reporters like Chris Carter, Noah Hiles, Jerry DiPaola, George Michalowski, Stephen Thomson, Austin Bechtold, Corey Crisan, Jeff Hathhorn, Nick Farabaugh, Amanda Godsey and anyone I missed. It’s better to be on the road with people you can get along with for sure.
https://pittsburgh.rivals.com/news/...e-against-tolu-smith-with-or-without-federiko
Tuesday March 14
Gameday. I will say there was a debate about Dayton and why the First Four games are held there. After experiencing it, the entire Dayton game day experience is very well done. The city supports it, the arena is perfect to house four teams on short notice. It’s a basketball town, a basketball specific arena. Hotels and highways everywhere. People can get to this thing. I loved the atmosphere because 70% of the arena are there just to watch the games with no rooting interest and everyone just cheers for any big play.
It started to get clear Federiko wasn’t going to play closer to game time. Guillermo Diaz Graham was going to get the start and Mississippi State’s best player is a senior post player. It wasn’t ideal. But over the course of the game, Guillermo started winning some of those battles inside. The whole 21 lead change thing was crazy. Somehow Pitt won that.
https://pittsburgh.rivals.com/news/...ely-hero-in-pitt-s-win-over-mississippi-state
https://pittsburgh.rivals.com/news/pitt-s-plan-put-it-in-jb-s-hands-
Wednesday March 15
I didn’t sleep much after the Mississippi State game. Got back to Johnstown, did some laundry and planned to go to Greensboro on Thursday.
Thursday March 16
A friend and I rode down together, stopped at his brother’s house in Roanoke to spend the night.
Friday March 17
Hit the road to Greensboro in the morning. Got over to the arena shortly after. Watched the Xavier/Kennesaw State game first, and KSU really almost had them. They were hitting shots and had the crowd on their side, but yea.
I had a feeling all day Pitt was going to beat Iowa State, but of course I didn’t expect 22-2. That was a crazy game and a very unexpected blowout. Some more Diaz Graham highlights and a great defensive game in the same building they had their worst defensive game a week earlier.
https://pittsburgh.rivals.com/news/defense-yes-defense-ignites-pitt-s-victory-over-iowa-state
https://pittsburgh.rivals.com/news/diaz-graham-twins-energize-pitt-in-its-59-41-win-over-iowa-state
Saturday March 18
We did interviews at the arena on the off day. Pitt looked pretty loose and confident even as an underdog. I sat in on Sean Miller’s press conference, and it was cool to hear his perspective. I never quite know how to describe his relationship towards or with Pitt, but he said all the right things. I wanted to feature Nelly Cummings because he was Pitt’s leading scorer in the first two tournament games and he pretty much said he was going to change things at Pitt to me a year ago and he did it. Ended up going out later that evening since it was an early day. Downtown Greensboro was hopping with some St. Patrick’s stuff all over town. Cool little downtown. I don’t think it’s quite as nice as other regional towns like Winston-Salem and Raleigh though.
https://pittsburgh.rivals.com/news/cummings-has-been-pitt-s-march-catalyst
Sunday March 19
Gameday. I will say from a media perspective, the Greensboro Coliseum is pretty great. Big workspaces, the interview rooms and locker rooms are right there, it’s easy to get to the court. Good snack selection, it’s a cool setup for us. The crowd was small at first, but with a one ticket, four team double header, and Kentucky is in the second game…the were sort of late arriving. Pitt had a good showing crowd wise, but Big Blue Nation is a real thing. I will also say Kentucky’s group of beat writers is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. They had like 30+ writers, reporters, and cameramen just tailing every single one of their practices or interview sessions.
I thought Pitt was going to win on Sunday. I figured they were due for a good shooting performance after two duds in the first two rounds. I was wrong. Xavier was great, that was the best team Pitt played all season, I think. Seeing it up close in person was so impressive. The 17 assists in the first half on 19 baskets? They got everything they wanted.
The press conference was definitely a bit somber, but not really. I think the team sort of knew they accomplished a lot even after losing moments ago.
https://pittsburgh.rivals.com/news/cruel-end-should-not-spoil-special-season-for-pitt
Monday March 20
I’m back in Johnstown.
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