** The last time I “dribbled” back in March following the Xavier loss, I ended my thoughts with the words “Pitt is Back!”
** At the time, this particular proclamation was on the money after an exciting entry and run in the NCAA Tournament.
** But tonight. I begin with a different refrain, asking “Are We Back?”
** At the very least, we can say with the “Open Practice” event at the Pete that at the very least, this basketball fan can say “basketball is back!” It’s been too many years since I’ve been truly excited for a year to start once again. And accordingly, I'd call today a great day!
** Beyond the anticipation of the start of a season, today was a great day as it was situated perfectly at Happy Hour, and a Bell’s Two Hearted Ale from the Pete concessions was the perfect elixir for a late Friday afternoon.
** And joining me for the occasion was my 18 year old kid here for his first weekend at home from his freshman year at William & Mary.
** We sat in same Club seats in which we’ve squatted in the for the past few years. And even sitting there brought back more than a few glorious memories of last season, one on my very favorite campaigns in the last 40 or so.
** But there was something more that brought back memories from last year than Club seats. That thing was Blake Hinson.
** A little over two decades ago, Football Head Coach Walt Harris gave the perfect assessment when asked preseason about the progress of his sophomore All-American wideout. He said: “Larry is Larry.”
** More than once, today I thought “Blake is Blake.”
** Throughout the practice and scrimmage, we saw Blake sink shots from all over the court which we learned to expect from him last year. Nothing I saw drew any fear of a step back from our stud, other than one ill-advised forced drive into the lane resulting in a fragile turnover. My kid thought he was fouled without the call, but no matter. On the subsequent trip, Blake drilled a 23 footer, and all previous ills were forgotten.
** A little while later, Blake was camped out open around 28 feet, and it was almost as if my kid and I wanted him to take this shot. But he passed this time. Save it for another time, I presume.
** My only wonder is that while Blake will clearly be our best player, will he truly be this team’s leader? I can’t say today gave any real indication who that leader might be, as we knew last year it was a certain Mr. Burton.
** Nonetheless, there were plenty of fine things to be seen from the rest of our Panthers.
** My kid was sure that both Twins did indeed look stronger than last year. I can’t say I was as convinced, but I will say they carried themselves with a much greater sense of confidence than 365 days ago. That said, they didn’t wow the joint with their play, so here’s hoping their confidence stays in line with their abilities.
** Will Jeffress was clearly 100%, and did a couple of his “little things,” including a behind the back move with the ball into the lane, resulting a nice pull up 12 footer. I like Will, but it’s remains to be seen if it’s the same Will from two years ago or more than that.
** Same can be said for Fede. He had one nice put-the-ball-on-the-floor moment in the practice, but nothing noticeable in the scrimmage.
** But as is usually the case, these events are about getting looks at the newcomers. And each offered some bright spots for sure.
** Almost about a dozen times, I found myself excited by Ishmael Leggett. He did plenty of nice things, from hitting jumpers at all levels, while also getting to the basket, and being a true presence on the floor. I’m not going to get ahead of myself here, but I was intrigued, if not even enthused.
** I’ll say some of the same about Michael Hueitt. We kept noticing him throughout the event, as someone who looks ready to join the fray maybe beyond a very bit role.
** Nonetheless, one would think most of our fortunes lay in the hands of our freshman duo of Bub Carrington and Jaland Lowe. For now, I’ll treat them as a pair. Both showed enough good things to convince me they are ready to play, but not nearly enough to convince me yet they are anywhere near the equal of Jamarius and Nelly. They didn’t impress with shooting, were adequate taking care of the ball, but did have nifty takes to the rim. More to come here.
** Throughout the earlier “practice” part of the event, Zach Austin really stood out to me. I was almost ready to call him as a true breakout possibility. Then during the “scrimmage,” section, he went nearly invisible, and I actually thought Will got the best of him. So more to come here also.
** Otherwise, Marlon Barnes did not yet make an impression. But for me, walk-ons KJ Marshall and Jaquan Nelson actually did. KJ actually showed himself as a leader throughout the practice, both with his attitude and even his play. And Jaquan has some serious hops.
** But all of the basketball aside, my favorite moment of the event came when Jeff Capel grabbed the microphone to speak to the crowd of 100-150 or so. Unlike last year, there was a true sense of appreciation of Capel and the program which wasn’t at all apparent in last year’s open practice. This year, there was a respectful applause when Capel spoke.
** Of course, last year’s event was a brunch gig, and no one was enjoying Two Hearted Ales like a few were today. But last year, there weren’t also highlights of the previous year NCAA tournament games on the Pete scoreboard like the ones that ran throughout the event today.
** Personally, I’m far from convinced that we are truly “back” and will take our place in the NCAA tournament again in March. But I feel a whole heck of a lot better about those chances than I did exactly one year ago.
** I think that vibe was shared by all of those who joined today. I don't know at all if "we are back", but that vibe, along with the company of my visiting college freshman, made it a great day for me.
** At the time, this particular proclamation was on the money after an exciting entry and run in the NCAA Tournament.
** But tonight. I begin with a different refrain, asking “Are We Back?”
** At the very least, we can say with the “Open Practice” event at the Pete that at the very least, this basketball fan can say “basketball is back!” It’s been too many years since I’ve been truly excited for a year to start once again. And accordingly, I'd call today a great day!
** Beyond the anticipation of the start of a season, today was a great day as it was situated perfectly at Happy Hour, and a Bell’s Two Hearted Ale from the Pete concessions was the perfect elixir for a late Friday afternoon.
** And joining me for the occasion was my 18 year old kid here for his first weekend at home from his freshman year at William & Mary.
** We sat in same Club seats in which we’ve squatted in the for the past few years. And even sitting there brought back more than a few glorious memories of last season, one on my very favorite campaigns in the last 40 or so.
** But there was something more that brought back memories from last year than Club seats. That thing was Blake Hinson.
** A little over two decades ago, Football Head Coach Walt Harris gave the perfect assessment when asked preseason about the progress of his sophomore All-American wideout. He said: “Larry is Larry.”
** More than once, today I thought “Blake is Blake.”
** Throughout the practice and scrimmage, we saw Blake sink shots from all over the court which we learned to expect from him last year. Nothing I saw drew any fear of a step back from our stud, other than one ill-advised forced drive into the lane resulting in a fragile turnover. My kid thought he was fouled without the call, but no matter. On the subsequent trip, Blake drilled a 23 footer, and all previous ills were forgotten.
** A little while later, Blake was camped out open around 28 feet, and it was almost as if my kid and I wanted him to take this shot. But he passed this time. Save it for another time, I presume.
** My only wonder is that while Blake will clearly be our best player, will he truly be this team’s leader? I can’t say today gave any real indication who that leader might be, as we knew last year it was a certain Mr. Burton.
** Nonetheless, there were plenty of fine things to be seen from the rest of our Panthers.
** My kid was sure that both Twins did indeed look stronger than last year. I can’t say I was as convinced, but I will say they carried themselves with a much greater sense of confidence than 365 days ago. That said, they didn’t wow the joint with their play, so here’s hoping their confidence stays in line with their abilities.
** Will Jeffress was clearly 100%, and did a couple of his “little things,” including a behind the back move with the ball into the lane, resulting a nice pull up 12 footer. I like Will, but it’s remains to be seen if it’s the same Will from two years ago or more than that.
** Same can be said for Fede. He had one nice put-the-ball-on-the-floor moment in the practice, but nothing noticeable in the scrimmage.
** But as is usually the case, these events are about getting looks at the newcomers. And each offered some bright spots for sure.
** Almost about a dozen times, I found myself excited by Ishmael Leggett. He did plenty of nice things, from hitting jumpers at all levels, while also getting to the basket, and being a true presence on the floor. I’m not going to get ahead of myself here, but I was intrigued, if not even enthused.
** I’ll say some of the same about Michael Hueitt. We kept noticing him throughout the event, as someone who looks ready to join the fray maybe beyond a very bit role.
** Nonetheless, one would think most of our fortunes lay in the hands of our freshman duo of Bub Carrington and Jaland Lowe. For now, I’ll treat them as a pair. Both showed enough good things to convince me they are ready to play, but not nearly enough to convince me yet they are anywhere near the equal of Jamarius and Nelly. They didn’t impress with shooting, were adequate taking care of the ball, but did have nifty takes to the rim. More to come here.
** Throughout the earlier “practice” part of the event, Zach Austin really stood out to me. I was almost ready to call him as a true breakout possibility. Then during the “scrimmage,” section, he went nearly invisible, and I actually thought Will got the best of him. So more to come here also.
** Otherwise, Marlon Barnes did not yet make an impression. But for me, walk-ons KJ Marshall and Jaquan Nelson actually did. KJ actually showed himself as a leader throughout the practice, both with his attitude and even his play. And Jaquan has some serious hops.
** But all of the basketball aside, my favorite moment of the event came when Jeff Capel grabbed the microphone to speak to the crowd of 100-150 or so. Unlike last year, there was a true sense of appreciation of Capel and the program which wasn’t at all apparent in last year’s open practice. This year, there was a respectful applause when Capel spoke.
** Of course, last year’s event was a brunch gig, and no one was enjoying Two Hearted Ales like a few were today. But last year, there weren’t also highlights of the previous year NCAA tournament games on the Pete scoreboard like the ones that ran throughout the event today.
** Personally, I’m far from convinced that we are truly “back” and will take our place in the NCAA tournament again in March. But I feel a whole heck of a lot better about those chances than I did exactly one year ago.
** I think that vibe was shared by all of those who joined today. I don't know at all if "we are back", but that vibe, along with the company of my visiting college freshman, made it a great day for me.
