Pitt's Identity

[Monroevillefan]

After watching Pitt's team all year I was trying to figure out their identity. The best I could come up with is methodical and laid back. Not words like tough, athletic or defensive.

During Pitt's rise early in the Howland/Dixon era Pitt was always considered an underdog with a chip on their shoulder. Teams like U Conn, Syracuse, Georgetown etc had more talent and higher profiles. But Pitt played with a dogged determination and won a lot of games.

This teams leaders are not in the same mold. James Robinson is a very nice player but he is not a vocal leader. Just his personality. James Artis plays in direct proportion to how his offense is going.

Good and Great teams all have an identity. Golden State doesn't care how many 7 foot players you have they dare you to beat them when they go small.

I am not sure that even Dixon knows what he wants Pitt to be. You can no longer say to a kid if you are a hard nosed player come to Pitt. It seems to me that Virginia is now what Pitt used to be. Tough, smart basketball. Not any Parade All Americans.

If Pitt wants to get back to national prominence then they have to figure out what is it means to play
"Pitt" basketball. No identity=no success.

 

[Protes]

IMHO the most frustrating kind of teams to root for are the mediocre ones.

And that's exactly what we are this year: mediocre.

Can't get out of our own way. Can't string together wins. Can't consistently make the plays we need to make to win close games.

At least with losing teams, you know what to expect. With mediocre ones you keep hoping for more and they keep letting you down.

Alas, it looks like mediocre is good enough to dance this year.