** Um … whelp!
** I hope my Lair brethren know how seriously I take this “duty” of writing “the dribbles.”
** Often, during the day leading up to a game, I’ll think of a few themes I can write about, and I look forward to seeing how these ideas play out during the game.
** I had a theme walking up the Cardiac Hill before the game. I was planning to proclaim that my intention was to write almost entirely positive thoughts about the game in the face of what looked like what won’t be an entirely positive season.
** I intended to stand tall with these thoughts with the context of a not-so-pleasing 9 point Panther win.
** So again, whelp!
** And at this point, even trying to offer anything the least bit positive about this game would come off as nothing more than a ridiculous parody.
** Oh sure, arriving at the Pete was pleasant enough. As I walked onto the escalator, we were intercepted by a Pitt rep who offered me and my nephew special seats in the Club which included the accoutrements of the tasty buffet.
** But when we took our seats, it was clear why we were offered this luxury. There was probably no one else to whom they could offer this benefit.
** There weren’t 2,000 people at the Pete tonight. And this includes a fine showing by the Oakland Zoo of maybe 1,000.
** Maybe the fewer the better.
** Last year’s opening loss to St. Francis was a sobering reminder of what kind of bad result we could expect when our team didn’t come to play.
** I fear this year’s opening loss was an incredibly stark indicator of how little our Panthers have to bring to the fray.
** In other words, this loss was worse.
** I’ve previously resisted the thoughts of those who suggested this team might be as bad as Kevin Stallings’ second season. Now I’m worried we are in the same league.
** Sure, Femi and Big John are legit. Not stars, but real ACC players.
** But after that, I don’t know that the same can be said of any of the rest of our Panthers.
** Perhaps we will get a little bit better when Burton joins the mix. But it’s hard to see how a player who averaged 4 PPG last year makes much of a difference for a group so entirely in need of almost any real firepower.
** Possibly one can still be hopeful that somehow Will gets up to speed, but he still has so far to go.
** Unfortunately, despite his athleticism, Mo showed why he averaged just 9 PPG at Stony Brook last year.
** The rest? They just don’t seem like ACC players to me, even if I was somehow trying to be positive.
** One theme I’ve always tried to carry through any of my thoughts on the Panther Hoopers is that things are never quite as good nor quite as bad we fans think among the wins and the losses.
** I should have remembered this theme when I proclaimed “we are back” after the Duke game. In my defense, however, I did explain “we are back” only meant I believed we were once again solid contenders to make the NCAA tournament once again. Nonetheless, I jumped the gun.
** And it’s probably jumping the gun after one game to proclaim this team will go winless in the ACC like we were just five seasons ago.
** But this much I will say -- at least we started that 8-24 season with somewhat stronger performances than what we watched against the Citadel tonight. And there were more people in the seats for the home opener that year than there were this year.
** So if you want to feel better about this game, I really only have one serious suggestion. Join the Panther football team on Thursday and help cheer them on against the Tar Heels. That’s the best this hoops fan has to offer.
** I hope my Lair brethren know how seriously I take this “duty” of writing “the dribbles.”
** Often, during the day leading up to a game, I’ll think of a few themes I can write about, and I look forward to seeing how these ideas play out during the game.
** I had a theme walking up the Cardiac Hill before the game. I was planning to proclaim that my intention was to write almost entirely positive thoughts about the game in the face of what looked like what won’t be an entirely positive season.
** I intended to stand tall with these thoughts with the context of a not-so-pleasing 9 point Panther win.
** So again, whelp!
** And at this point, even trying to offer anything the least bit positive about this game would come off as nothing more than a ridiculous parody.
** Oh sure, arriving at the Pete was pleasant enough. As I walked onto the escalator, we were intercepted by a Pitt rep who offered me and my nephew special seats in the Club which included the accoutrements of the tasty buffet.
** But when we took our seats, it was clear why we were offered this luxury. There was probably no one else to whom they could offer this benefit.
** There weren’t 2,000 people at the Pete tonight. And this includes a fine showing by the Oakland Zoo of maybe 1,000.
** Maybe the fewer the better.
** Last year’s opening loss to St. Francis was a sobering reminder of what kind of bad result we could expect when our team didn’t come to play.
** I fear this year’s opening loss was an incredibly stark indicator of how little our Panthers have to bring to the fray.
** In other words, this loss was worse.
** I’ve previously resisted the thoughts of those who suggested this team might be as bad as Kevin Stallings’ second season. Now I’m worried we are in the same league.
** Sure, Femi and Big John are legit. Not stars, but real ACC players.
** But after that, I don’t know that the same can be said of any of the rest of our Panthers.
** Perhaps we will get a little bit better when Burton joins the mix. But it’s hard to see how a player who averaged 4 PPG last year makes much of a difference for a group so entirely in need of almost any real firepower.
** Possibly one can still be hopeful that somehow Will gets up to speed, but he still has so far to go.
** Unfortunately, despite his athleticism, Mo showed why he averaged just 9 PPG at Stony Brook last year.
** The rest? They just don’t seem like ACC players to me, even if I was somehow trying to be positive.
** One theme I’ve always tried to carry through any of my thoughts on the Panther Hoopers is that things are never quite as good nor quite as bad we fans think among the wins and the losses.
** I should have remembered this theme when I proclaimed “we are back” after the Duke game. In my defense, however, I did explain “we are back” only meant I believed we were once again solid contenders to make the NCAA tournament once again. Nonetheless, I jumped the gun.
** And it’s probably jumping the gun after one game to proclaim this team will go winless in the ACC like we were just five seasons ago.
** But this much I will say -- at least we started that 8-24 season with somewhat stronger performances than what we watched against the Citadel tonight. And there were more people in the seats for the home opener that year than there were this year.
** So if you want to feel better about this game, I really only have one serious suggestion. Join the Panther football team on Thursday and help cheer them on against the Tar Heels. That’s the best this hoops fan has to offer.
