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Secret Scrimmage

It is kind of scary when 2 true freshman guards score 45 of a teams 60 points--no matter how talented they may be.
Your point is well taken but at this point where the program is now, I’ll certainly be pleased enough to think we have 2 pretty good freshmen guards.
 
Unfortunately...the rules of these “secret scrimmages” are that official box scores are not kept let alone released.

This explains how there could be discrepancies from one report to the next to a small degree.
 
Thanks... Dayton fan wondering if you guys know who led our scoring . We have not gotten any news from our end other than what your site has reported .
 
It is kind of scary when 2 true freshman guards score 45 of a teams 60 points--no matter how talented they may be.

I'm a half-full sort of guy and I am happy that we have two guards who can score 45 points.

It's a starting point.
 
Thanks... Dayton fan wondering if you guys know who led our scoring . We have not gotten any news from our end other than what your site has reported .
I’m guessing that the reports that have “slipped out” are numbers kept on the bench by the Pitt staff. I suspect numbers kept by the Dayton staff will slip out soon enough.
 
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Thanks... Dayton fan wondering if you guys know who led our scoring . We have not gotten any news from our end other than what your site has reported .
Looking forward to watching UD this Friday to officially open my BB season. Hope to see improved play over last year. Go Flyers but Hail to Pitt too.
 
It is kind of scary when 2 true freshman guards score 45 of a teams 60 points--no matter how talented they may be.

Do you have the scoring by player? is there a box score?
I’m guessing that the reports that have “slipped out” are numbers kept on the bench by the Pitt staff. I suspect numbers kept by the Dayton staff will slip out soon enough.

^^This, at least insofar as Pitt's numbers go.
 
N'Dir and Toney DNP? What about Stevenson and George?

No, only 8 played. In no particular order:
  • McGowens
  • X Johnson
  • Ellison
  • Davis
  • Brown
  • Chukwuku
  • Ilegomah
  • JWF
Toney was recovering from a concussion and N'dir from a sprained wrist. Both practice injuries. Stevenson may not have played because he's not in the rotation or because he wasn't feeling well the day before the scrimmage. Can't be certain.

But based on all I've heard, my sense is that if N'dir and Toney had been healthy, it would have been the 8 who played + N'dir and Toney getting time. Stevenson is on outside looking in.
 
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No, only 8 played. In no particular order:
  • McGowens
  • X Johnson
  • Ellison
  • Davis
  • Brown
  • Chukwuku
  • Ilegomah
  • JWF
Toney was recovering from a concussion and N'dir from a sprained wrist. Both practice injuries. Stevenson may not have played because he's not in the rotation or because he wasn't feeling well the day before the scrimmage. Can't be certain.

But based on all I've heard, my sense is that if N'dir and Toney had been healthy, it would have been the 8 who played + N'dir and Toney getting time. Stevenson is on outside looking in.

I hope Toney gets healthy. In my opinion, he has been a bit overlooked by fans when talking about our freshmen guards. I am looking for him to have a good freshman season and great career at Pitt.
 
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No, only 8 played. In no particular order:
  • McGowens
  • X Johnson
  • Ellison
  • Davis
  • Brown
  • Chukwuku
  • Ilegomah
  • JWF
Toney was recovering from a concussion and N'dir from a sprained wrist. Both practice injuries. Stevenson may not have played because he's not in the rotation or because he wasn't feeling well the day before the scrimmage. Can't be certain.

But based on all I've heard, my sense is that if N'dir and Toney had been healthy, it would have been the 8 who played + N'dir and Toney getting time. Stevenson is on outside looking in.
Thanks for the info - Always appreciated
 
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No, only 8 played. In no particular order:
  • McGowens
  • X Johnson
  • Ellison
  • Davis
  • Brown
  • Chukwuku
  • Ilegomah
  • JWF
Toney was recovering from a concussion and N'dir from a sprained wrist. Both practice injuries. Stevenson may not have played because he's not in the rotation or because he wasn't feeling well the day before the scrimmage. Can't be certain.

But based on all I've heard, my sense is that if N'dir and Toney had been healthy, it would have been the 8 who played + N'dir and Toney getting time. Stevenson is on outside looking in.


I have no idea who played or didn't play, and why or why not. However, if
Stevenson "is on the outside looking in," I'm concerned. He may be
undersized on the inside, but he's still one of our few big men. He also
has a year of experience, and last year other than being a bull in the
china shop on occasion, he is capable of being a viable presence
inside IMO.
 
I have no idea who played or didn't play, and why or why not. However, if
Stevenson "is on the outside looking in," I'm concerned. He may be
undersized on the inside, but he's still one of our few big men. He also
has a year of experience, and last year other than being a bull in the
china shop on occasion, he is capable of being a viable presence
inside IMO.

If true, it's gotta be an effort/attitude thing. We can definitely use his skill set, even as an undersized player he can create matchup advantages with his athleticism, but not if he isn't willing to work for it. No inside info, just an impression that I've formed from watching him.
 
I have no idea who played or didn't play, and why or why not. However, if
Stevenson "is on the outside looking in," I'm concerned. He may be
undersized on the inside, but he's still one of our few big men. He also
has a year of experience, and last year other than being a bull in the
china shop on occasion, he is capable of being a viable presence
inside IMO.

I'm not getting into all the whys and wherefores here on the free board. I've covered all this on the pay site and have written about Stevenson's challenges since Capel arrived. If you want a sense of why this may be true for him, I'd direct you to this year's media guide, which Pitt released today.

This is one of the bullet points about Stevenson in the guide: "Continued improvement with intensity and attention in practice will lead to increased minutes."

The media guide is an interesting read, period, revealing a lot about how guys will likely be used this year. If you can't access the pay site for some of the inside info that's been shared there, the media guide will give you some insight.

P.S. You can download the guide here: https://pittsburghpanthers.com/documents/2018/10/30/2018_19_Pitt_MBB_Media_Guide.pdf
 
I'm not getting into all the whys and wherefores here on the free board. I've covered all this on the pay site and have written about Stevenson's challenges since Capel arrived. If you want a sense of why this may be true for him, I'd direct you to this year's media guide, which Pitt released today.

This is one of the bullet points about Stevenson in the guide: "Continued improvement with intensity and attention in practice will lead to increased minutes."

The media guide is an interesting read, period, revealing a lot about how guys will likely be used this year. If you can't access the pay site for some of the inside info that's been shared there, the media guide will give you some insight.

P.S. You can download the guide here: https://pittsburghpanthers.com/documents/2018/10/30/2018_19_Pitt_MBB_Media_Guide.pdf


Good info, thanks. I guess that quote says a lot. If it's true, I can see that he'll
have reduced minutes. However, in a scrimmage? My guess is maybe an
injury also. Scrimmages usually gives everyone an opportunity to at least
get some floor time even if it's limited.
 
Good info, thanks. I guess that quote says a lot. If it's true, I can see that he'll
have reduced minutes. However, in a scrimmage? My guess is maybe an
injury also. Scrimmages usually gives everyone an opportunity to at least
get some floor time even if it's limited.

Like I said, he was sick on Friday, the day before the scrimmage. So, it's possible the reason he didn't play was on account of that. But I've been told all along that Stevenson getting playing time was going to be dicey. Sources told me that at best, he was 9th on the depth chart but that he appeared to be more like 10th or 11th. ... Talent isn't the issue here.
 
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No, only 8 played. In no particular order:
  • McGowens
  • X Johnson
  • Ellison
  • Davis
  • Brown
  • Chukwuku
  • Ilegomah
  • JWF
Toney was recovering from a concussion and N'dir from a sprained wrist. Both practice injuries. Stevenson may not have played because he's not in the rotation or because he wasn't feeling well the day before the scrimmage. Can't be certain.

But based on all I've heard, my sense is that if N'dir and Toney had been healthy, it would have been the 8 who played + N'dir and Toney getting time. Stevenson is on outside looking in.



I get the sprained wrist but I wonder how many basketball players in the past ten years have been out of games due to concussions.
Concussions are the new flavor of the day but I doubt many college basketball players miss time due to a concussion.

I got a concussion back in college having sex.
But that's because her husband came home earlier than expected from a business trip and we worked on our head-butts for a while.
The "oh hi honey how was your trip you're home early" didn't work!
I didn't take any time off.
So I do understand stuff happens?

"it's five o'clock somewhere"
Signed: Mr Buffett
Go PITT & CSU Rams!
 
Yes. Me too. I prefer 2 guys getting 45 vs 5 guys getting 9 each. Still, only 60 points remains an anemic total when your backcourt scores 45.

In reality, if 2 guys get 45 I would expect the other 3 positions plus the bench to get at least another 25-30 points not merely 15.
 
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Yes. Me too. I prefer 2 guys getting 45 vs 5 guys getting 9 each. Still, only 60 points remains an anemic total when your backcourt scores 45.

In reality, if 2 guys get 45 I would expect the other 3 positions plus the bench to get at least another 25-30 points not merely 15.

Well, 60's not bad when you have 24 TOs. It's an October scrimmage with an all-freshmen backcourt :D
 
I'm guessing the transfer, Sidy N'Dir, will start as one of the guards. That
would give us experience out front with one of the freshman guards. Having
Frame and Ellison would make for an older and experienced lineup to go along
with Browne at Center. Both Frame and Ellison are capable of playing on the
wing.
I like this line up because it would keep us from starting two freshmen at
the guard spots. I get it, XJ, and McGowens were the leading
scorers in the scrimmage, but asking them to start game in and game out
as frosh, is asking a lot. Just my opinion at this point, and I haven't seen
any of these freshmen or Sidy for that matter.
 
Didn't know of the 24 turnovers. In basketball math 24 turnovers counts as a loss of 12 points for your offense and a gain of 12 points for your opponents offense (assuming a 50% FG% for 2-point shots & a 33% FG% for 3 pointers). So maybe we would have scored about 72 points (vs 60) without the 24 turnovers. That would be a better total team offensive production.
 
Didn't know of the 24 turnovers. In basketball math 24 turnovers counts as a loss of 12 points for your offense and a gain of 12 points for your opponents offense (assuming a 50% FG% for 2-point shots & a 33% FG% for 3 pointers). So maybe we would have scored about 72 points (vs 60) without the 24 turnovers. That would be a better total team offensive production.

Hey that's pretty good. I never heard of the turnover analysis that you provided
but it makes sense.
 
This is one of the bullet points about Stevenson in the guide: "Continued improvement with intensity and attention in practice will lead to increased minutes."

JC is being smart and doing things the right way. He is not going to take any shortcuts to get an extra win or 2 that won’t benefit the program in the long run. No doubt Stevenson can help as we don’t have much size. But he has to do what JC expects from everyone in the program to get PT.
 
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Regarding Stevenson some people need to be coddled and others need to be threatened , a good Coach knows whose who . He showed he can play last yr , he needs to improve as do all the returning players . If he takes advantage of his pt he'll get more .
 
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Hey that's pretty good. I never heard of the turnover analysis that you provided
but it makes sense.

Rebounds can be regarded in the same way. You can count them as worth about 2 points (i.e., one lost possession for you and one added possession for your oppoent. So, if a team typically scores on half its 2-point opportunity possessions (or 1/3 of its 3-point opportunity possessions) each rebound is worth about 2 points (+1 for you; -1 for your opponent).

In the bigger picture it is the turnover or rebound margin between the teams that ultimately will affect the game's outcome. Naturally, a game's result also depends on actual shooting percentages achieved by the respective teams. Sub-par shooting obviously reduces the benefits of any turnover or rebound margin. Likewise, a team that has a hot shooting game (better than normal) will either increase the benefit of an "in its favor" turnover and/or rebound margin or reduce the benefit of such a margin that is in its opponent's favor.

Clearly it is no surprise that coaches put such a heavy emphasis on minimizing turnovers and keeping your opponent of the offensive boards by boxing-out properly to improve team rebounding.
 
Rebounds can be regarded in the same way. You can count them as worth about 2 points (i.e., one lost possession for you and one added possession for your oppoent. So, if a team typically scores on half its 2-point opportunity possessions (or 1/3 of its 3-point opportunity possessions) each rebound is worth about 2 points (+1 for you; -1 for your opponent).

In the bigger picture it is the turnover or rebound margin between the teams that ultimately will affect the game's outcome. Naturally, a game's result also depends on actual shooting percentages achieved by the respective teams. Sub-par shooting obviously reduces the benefits of any turnover or rebound margin. Likewise, a team that has a hot shooting game (better than normal) will either increase the benefit of an "in its favor" turnover and/or rebound margin or reduce the benefit of such a margin that is in its opponent's favor.

Clearly it is no surprise that coaches put such a heavy emphasis on minimizing turnovers and keeping your opponent of the offensive boards by boxing-out properly to improve team rebounding.


The overall explanation makes sense. The assignment of points,
+ and - ..... I have to give that a little more thought. My statistics background
was never a strong point...LOL.
 
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Yes--the 2-point number is arbitrary--just a rule of thumb for the average or typical performance of a decent hoops team. An actual number will vary from team to team--some shoot well others less well, or even poorly, based on roster talent and the ability to execute based on how well it is coached. The concept is more important than the actual number.
 
In basketball math 24 turnovers counts as a loss of 12 points for your offense and a gain of 12 points for your opponents offense (assuming a 50% FG% for 2-point shots & a 33% FG% for 3 pointers). So maybe we would have scored about 72 points (vs 60) without the 24 turnovers.


That math literally makes no sense.

If you are eliminating all the turnovers you are talking about a team scoring 12 points in 24 possessions. That would be historically awful. Most teams score a little over one point per possession. In the way you are looking at it 24 possessions ought to get you, depending on how good your offense is, something like 26 points.

On the other hand, unless you think that the other team wasn't going to get the ball after your possession ended the other team isn't getting 24 extra possessions. They might get a few more, because possessions with turnovers are somewhat shorter on average than possessions without them. But they aren't getting 24 extra possessions because they were going to get the ball back with or without a turnover.
 
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