Pitt women sign two 2016 recruits...

[MajorMajors]

PItt has signed Alayna Gribble, a 6-foot guard from Norwin HS, and Jasmine Whitney, a 5-9 point guard from Centreville, VA.

I'm surprised that Coach Suzie didn't go for a taller post player, given that Carey, at 6-2, is the tallest player on the team right now.

Note that Naje Gibson from Seton LaSalle was supposed to be in the 2016 class if she made the grades at junior college - last I checked she is no longer listed on the roster of the school in Florida that she attended last season.

Sounds like Coach Suzie has signed two good players, but the lack of a post player has me scratching my head.

Also interesting that Pitt signed two players even though there are no seniors on the current roster. Of course, Bubbles will likely be leaving after this year and I suppose Gordon could leave as well since she's been here for 4 years.

Here's a link to the article: LINKY

Go Pitt.

 

[DC_Area_Panther]

PItt has signed Alayna Gribble, a 6-foot guard from Norwin HS, and Jasmine Whitney, a 5-9 point guard from Centreville, VA.

I'm surprised that Coach Suzie didn't go for a taller post player, given that Carey, at 6-2, is the tallest player on the team right now.

Note that Naje Gibson from Seton LaSalle was supposed to be in the 2016 class if she made the grades at junior college - last I checked she is no longer listed on the roster of the school in Florida that she attended last season.

Sounds like Coach Suzie has signed two good players, but the lack of a post player has me scratching my head.

Also interesting that Pitt signed two players even though there are no seniors on the current roster. Of course, Bubbles will likely be leaving after this year and I suppose Gordon could leave as well since she's been here for 4 years.

Here's a link to the article: LINKY

Go Pitt.

Bubbles has been medically advised to not play anymore. She will probably be on a medical hardship until she graduates and not count toward the 15 ships allowed in women's basketball.

My take on no tall post being signed is they couldn't find one good enough to be worth offering a ship. I am sure they tried. Maybe in the spring, or next year they will have better luck?

Naje Gibson thing doesn't sound good. Maybe she just can't cut it academically? Hoping she just transferred to another JUCO.

 

[DC_Area_Panther]

Found Naje Gibson. She is listed as a soph playing for Monroe CC, Rochester, NY. Played in first two games not in third (injured or sick?). Must not have liked Florida?

 

[MajorMajors]

Found Naje Gibson. She is listed as a soph playing for Monroe CC, Rochester, NY. Played in first two games not in third (injured or sick?). Must not have liked Florida?

DC -- Nice detective work on finding Naje...

I'm just surprised that Coach Suzie couldn't come up with a taller post player - even just someone to play some defense against the taller centers in the ACC...

Seems like the Pitt teams for the next several years, while not tall, are going to be pretty athletic - and I suspect that with all these players Pitt will be bringing a lot of defensive pressure.

Local recruit Alayna Gribble (who originally committed to William and Mary before being offered by Pitt) sounds a lot like a clone of Brenna Wise...

Go Pitt.

 

[DC_Area_Panther]

DC -- Nice detective work on finding Naje...

I'm just surprised that Coach Suzie couldn't come up with a taller post player - even just someone to play some defense against the taller centers in the ACC...

Seems like the Pitt teams for the next several years, while not tall, are going to be pretty athletic - and I suspect that with all these players Pitt will be bringing a lot of defensive pressure.

Local recruit Alayna Gribble (who originally committed to William and Mary before being offered by Pitt) sounds a lot like a clone of Brenna Wise...

Go Pitt.

They will be capable of starting four players around 6' so although they lack a post they won't be small overall. May need to press a lot to compensate for the lack of a taller post.

Naje Gibson must need to get a JUCO diploma with the NCAA requisite 2.5 GPA to make it to Pitt in fall 2016. She had 12 points for Monroe CC in game #1 in 23 minutes as a sub, then 18 in game #2 in 35 minutes as a starter. Then she didn't play in game #3. Hope she didn't leave school and was just sick or with a sprained ankle.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

Local recruit Alayna Gribble (who originally committed to William and Mary before being offered by Pitt) sounds a lot like a clone of Brenna Wise...

Gribble goes to my old high school (and is friends and a former basketball teammate of my niece). I've seen her play a few times. I haven't seen Wise enough to make the comparison personally, but from what I know of Wise's game I think that's a pretty good comparison. I think Wise played more in the post in high school and Gribble rarely if ever played in the post, because Norwin had a girl who was taller and good enough to play there. Gribble played a lot at the three, but also played some at the two and even some at the four. She handled the ball when needed. She can shoot the ball from the outside and put the ball on the floor and drive to the hoop.

Several times when I saw her last year I wondered why she wasn't going anywhere bigger than William & Mary. I guess they recruited her early and she loved the place when she was down there for a visit (if you've never been there, it really is a beautiful campus in a great area of the country). But shortly after Pitt offered her she changed her mind and took Pitt's offer. I'd be surprised if she didn't end up as a good player for Pitt. Maybe a very good player.

 

[KiwiJeff]

Gribble goes to my old high school (and is friends and a former basketball teammate of my niece). I've seen her play a few times. I haven't seen Wise enough to make the comparison personally, but from what I know of Wise's game I think that's a pretty good comparison. I think Wise played more in the post in high school and Gribble rarely if ever played in the post, because Norwin had a girl who was taller and good enough to play there. Gribble played a lot at the three, but also played some at the two and even some at the four. She handled the ball when needed. She can shoot the ball from the outside and put the ball on the floor and drive to the hoop.

Several times when I saw her last year I wondered why she wasn't going anywhere bigger than William & Mary. I guess they recruited her early and she loved the place when she was down there for a visit (if you've never been there, it really is a beautiful campus in a great area of the country). But shortly after Pitt offered her she changed her mind and took Pitt's offer. I'd be surprised if she didn't end up as a good player for Pitt. Maybe a very good player.

Does Alayna have a sister worth recruiting? If so, we could have a double Gribble. If she has a brother, we could take him on the men's team and have a cross over Gribble.

 

[oldpantherfan]

Good post majors. Do you know how many ships we will have available for next year ? And do you think Gibson will come ? I wouldn't worry about a tall post player. yes it would be nice. That just means that they can run and gun., which is something Suzie's teams did at OC and were very successful. All you need to do is make sure your shooters are accurate, and it looks like that is the type of player she is recruiting.

 

[wbrpanther]

Does Alayna have a sister worth recruiting? If so, we could have a double Gribble. If she has a brother, we could take him on the men's team and have a cross over Gribble.

BOOOOO! lol

 

[QuitCallingMeWanny]

is the women's scholly limit 15?

interesting

 

[MajorMajors]

Good post majors. Do you know how many ships we will have available for next year ? And do you think Gibson will come ? I wouldn't worry about a tall post player. yes it would be nice. That just means that they can run and gun., which is something Suzie's teams did at OC and were very successful. All you need to do is make sure your shooters are accurate, and it looks like that is the type of player she is recruiting.

The scholarship limit for the women's team is 15, but Pitt has never been close to that limit in the years that I've been following them.

As of now, not counting Bubbles, Pitt has 11 scholarship players, which is typically about the most they have had. None of the 11 are seniors, so the two signed recruits would take them to 13 spots for next season. So technically, there's still room to add 6-footer Naje Gibson (and/or a tall post player ), but I've never seen the Pitt women's team have this many players on scholarship. (I suppose there is a chance that Brittany Gordon would leave after this season, as she is a red-shirt junior.)

I imagine Coach Suzie is a tough negotiator, and she's certainly in a position to get what she wants...

Go Pitt.

 

[Scruffy the Panther]

Does Alayna have a sister worth recruiting? If so, we could have a double Gribble. If she has a brother, we could take him on the men's team and have a cross over Gribble.

I don't know, I just know that her dad is kind of a kook.

 

[DC_Area_Panther]

Yes, Major Majors is right. Women can have 15 on ship vs men's limit of 13. However, very few women's teams will have 15 ship players on roster because those relegated to the bench become unhappy and transfer so generally there is no point in trying to fill all 15 ships available.

I suspect (but don't know for sure) in cases where the full 15 are in use the last few ships are probably rewards to dedicated walk-ons who weren't recruited.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

Does Alayna have a sister worth recruiting? If so, we could have a double Gribble. If she has a brother, we could take him on the men's team and have a cross over Gribble.

He's here all week folks.

 

[MartyInLawrenceville]

I see that Coach Suzie's daughter Jordan is not playing this year. I know that she's a pharmacy major. Maybe school is too demanding.

 

[QuitCallingMeWanny]

I honestly didn't know that.....no wonder the same women's teams normally dominate womens hoops, perhaps if they drop the scholly limit it would even out some but title 9 prob has something to do with it....

thanks

 

[DC_Area_Panther]

Yes, the 15 ships is a response to Title IX. It is supposed to help offset the differential between the number of athletic ships available to men vs women. That balance is difficult because of football, of course.

On the other hand, I don't believe it helps the top women's team have an extra advantage over the lesser women's teams because even the best teams usually don't fill all 15 available ships due to the strong likelihood that those last 2-3-4 players riding the pine with no PT will/would quickly transfer when they realize they will never get significant PT. Players want to play and women's hoops has plenty of transferring going on as it is even without all 15 ships filled with recruits.

 

[pittiswhereiamfrom]

Gribble goes to my old high school (and is friends and a former basketball teammate of my niece). I've seen her play a few times. I haven't seen Wise enough to make the comparison personally, but from what I know of Wise's game I think that's a pretty good comparison. I think Wise played more in the post in high school and Gribble rarely if ever played in the post, because Norwin had a girl who was taller and good enough to play there. Gribble played a lot at the three, but also played some at the two and even some at the four. She handled the ball when needed. She can shoot the ball from the outside and put the ball on the floor and drive to the hoop.

Several times when I saw her last year I wondered why she wasn't going anywhere bigger than William & Mary. I guess they recruited her early and she loved the place when she was down there for a visit (if you've never been there, it really is a beautiful campus in a great area of the country). But shortly after Pitt offered her she changed her mind and took Pitt's offer. I'd be surprised if she didn't end up as a good player for Pitt. Maybe a very good player.

Norwin has always been a hotbed for athletic talent.

 

[Harve74]

I see that Coach Suzie's daughter Jordan is not playing this year. I know that she's a pharmacy major. Maybe school is too demanding.

Jordan played last year because the roster was so thin in numbers. She had not planned to play college basketball but did so because Suzie needed her. With better depth, she's free to just be a student again now.