some sombering numbers..
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/...ossroads-Pitt-basketball/stories/201504260102
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/...ossroads-Pitt-basketball/stories/201504260102
PG:Pitt at crossroads
- Thread starter TIGER-PAUL
- Start date
Sobering indeed, but it is what it is. I am heartened that Jamie understands, and thought his quotes give some reason for optimism, but then I am a full on homer.
I don't know what to make of this quote?
“Offensively, the numbers were better than the defense this year, yeah, but I don’t know that means we are becoming an offensive team,” he said.
He has to say something, doesn't he? He'll stick to his belief in defense & rebounding. Frankly, if you do that well enough, offense will be fine. I thought the article was lame.. Birch may have helped a bit, but JD might have strangled him. Malcolm Gilbert & John Johnson have been ciphers at worse programs, esp. Gilbert. Durand is a real disappointment. With all the juniors next year, we should be better. The worst is over.
Solid enough article -- nothing more than what most of us here on the board have been saying since November though.
Unless Zeise reads this board he probably doesn't know much about what happened to them since they left Pitt.
On second thought, he probably does know about Johnson since he is such a keen observer of PSU hoops.
I don't know if the worst is over or not. I think JD is in a bit of a box. He absolutely needs to get back to building his team his way, get his development track going, get kids in for four years, get the depth reset and re-establish the defense and toughness.
But, this roster is still a real mess. He has a small window, hopefully for the next two years with Young/Artis. But, there pieces around them are paper thin, and he is clearly having to go the one year transfer route to plug holes. Smith is promising, and HOPEFULLY helps them to have some desperately needed ON COURT success next year.
But, they don't have the next wave set. They still have no prep recruited center, no prep recruited shooting guard. They have two developmental role player types in Johnson and Luther, Wilson and the big man Smoke recruited ... That is it.
He has no margin for error, Johnson, Luther and Wilson have to be at worst very solid players. Even at that, he HAS to get at least two or three other really, really solid preps to go with Maginault in the 2016 class.
He has to find a way to be really competitive, top 4 or 5 in the ACC, get into the NCAAs and win some games the next two years AND with this prep recrutiing class pretty much just Wilson and that is it, following up Johnson and Luther he HAS to score a darn good class next year to have even have some reasonable talent to work with post Young/Artis.
And, if Young blows up or he or Artis decide either way to leave after this season ...
We'll have only 2 seniors leaving this year...James & Smith. Slim and Wilson, hopefully, are frosh eligibilty + whatever late signee might arise.
With all those guys in the junior class, the big gaps will be in 2017. I think Jamie realizes this "free agent" market can be a pool of prospects, though tricky. At least the grad transfers don't have Clearinghouse issues. Everybody focuses on too many misses a couple years ago....when the solution would have been a healthy Uchebo. Our defenses have always been inside-out, with a "presence" in the post & weakside help. Been MIA since Steven bolted. Perhaps Nix will provide that?? One more scoring threat on the perimeter is all we'd need......Nwamu?? I've got confidence in JD, though the staff doesn't seem to be exactly top shelf on the recruiting trail.
One of my biggest pet peeves is the "ACC excuse" championed my DeCourcy. Its such an easy convenient excuse. Heck, even Dixon alludes to it saying they used to sell MSG. While I agree that that is a nice thing to sell, all it is is 1 benefit in the package of benefits that you are selling. If you have to rely solely on selling MSG and playing Nova, Uconn, Gtown, and SHU then that aint good. Selling the best league in the country and playing Duke, UNC, Syr, and Lou should easily replace that. If you want to blame NYC for anything, blame the fact that the city has had a downturn in talent in the same period.
There are plenty of programs that have similar recruiting difficulties as Pitt that do fine. All it is is an excuse.
There are plenty of programs that have similar recruiting difficulties as Pitt that do fine. All it is is an excuse.
Gee....YOU are the guy whining about the ACC not playing at MSG. But Dixon can't mention it. Hypocrisy.
That was my point. IF Young or Artis use both of their remaining two years (yes, probable, but you can't book it as a complete given), JD can piece a competitive team together for the next two seasons. Teams with some holes and issues, no real center, one real big man, not great defensively ... But, a team that SHOULD make the NCAAs and maybe jell enough to win a few.
But, the depth of the program is still very problematic.
The only guys currently on the roster AND committed in this class and 2016 who will be on the team (HOPEFULLY) are Johnson, Luther and WIlson and Manigault. No center, one power forward, one half small/big forward, one half small forward/2G and one PG. No SG and the PG now has some possible eligibility issues.
I was perfectly fine with him taking a shot with Euchebo, but there is a reason he landed at Pitt, people knew his knees were ta trainwreck. And, it is a symptom.
JD hasn't recruited a prep center since Adams.
Hasn't recruited a prep shooting guard since?
With Slice, he was starting to get traction and build after the kick in the gut with Adams leaving after one year. But, when Slice left it has been continued hemoraging. Only bright spots have been getting Maginault committed and getting Smith.
He HAS to try to build for a run the next two years, so getting Smith is what he had to do, and whoever else he can dig up.
BUT, this the hallmark of bad programs, and the antithesis of what was his formula for success - scrambling around for players.
I like JD and still think he is a darn fine coach. I agree, he does not have enough around him. But, I agree with SMF, I don't like some of what he said in this piece.
Yeah, selling the BET was a recruiting pitch, but he mostly lost the big big battles with UConn and Nova. I think the general breakup of the BE and entrance into the ACC should have been an OPPORTUNITY. It strengthened their position with the NYC and Philly kids if they went at it right. Maybe you don't get to play in MSG for the BET, but you get to be on TV a lot more, you get to play the best possible basketball in the ACC, and if you from those areas, Pitt and Cuse are the two viable options.
He's in a tough spot. He HAS to have on court success next year. HAS TO. And, Smoke, BK and he HAVE to fill the 2016 class out, they need a couple more Maginault level guys, the rock solid 3 or 4 type guys they thrive on.
I would LOVE to get MSG back but that's more for me as a fan. I loved going to and watching the BE Tourney on tv when it was played there. And I do think it would help our recruiting but it doesnt make or break us. Its better to have MSG than not but we shouldn't base our recruiting on where we play 2 or 3 games a year.
The post man in Jamie's defensive system has to be able to hedge and recover. Our best half court defense was predicated on that. I don't think I'm going out on much of a limb by suggesting that Nix will have problems in that department for the 2 years he will be eligible to play for us. He has anvils for feet from what I've seen of him-and that's the more recent footage post weight loss. If we are counting on this guy to be anything more than 10-15 minutes, 5-6 rebounds and 5 fouls, I suspect we'll all be very disappointed. This is not the kind of post man who will help us get our Mojo back.
Right...Gary "Quicksilver" McGhee?? Aaron Gray?? Methinks we should wait to see how Nix actually performs. Uchebo on 2 good wheels would have meant a 5-6 seed in the NCAAT, Imho. Teams have figured out the ways to attack the hedge & recover. We'll see more zone this year, as we'll have more size on the perimeter with Smith, Wilson & Slim. I'd love the Maia kid, even if it's just for one year. Young was fatigued late last year, Artis, too. 3 bigs on the pine caused a domino effect all over.
Lots of excuses as usual.. 13 ships to use.. Get players here that can play or find a coach that can!!
Reasons aren't excuses. I'm sure you know more than Dixon, though. Probably want Sean Miller's parakeet as coach....or Billy Gillespie.
Like I said. 13 ships to use.... Don't care who coaches, it's obvious Dixon's brand is stale and has zero appeal to Elite Prospects, hell even the mid level recruits want nothing to do with this program.. But who cares, Jamie is a neat guy...
NTOP--believe me, I'm rooting for the guy, we need him to be a player in the worst way, but my eyeballs and my gut are telling me he's a long shot. Gray and McGhee look like Barry Sanders compared to this guy from a quickness and agility standpoint.
