For St. John’s there is some sense of optimism. They may be 6-7, but they have played very well lately. They upset a then ranked NC State and had tough, close road losses at ND and WVU. They see no reason why they can’t pull off a home win against Pitt.
In fact when I look at the undermanned Red Storm — just 8 of the team are scholarship players — I can’t help but see a little of the old Pitt Panthers that played in the first couple years under Howland. The malcontents and problems were being weeded out, and there was this Pitt team that had no depth but was battling every night. That is what St. John’s seems to be doing, battling hard every game. And sooner or later, they are going to get more than a moral victory. Pitt better be ready.
With Yuri Demetris suspended, Pitt is going to go with Senior Forward Mark McCarroll in the starting rotation.
The player who will fill Demetris’ role in the starting lineup is forward Mark McCarroll, a 6-foot-10, 220-pound senior, who might have been the starter at the swing position all along had he not injured a hamstring in August. As it turned out, Demetris seized the starting role and never let go, making it difficult for McCarroll get many minutes through the first 14 games.
“Mark is obviously the guy we’ve probably played the most at that position,” coach Jamie Dixon said. “That’s the situation we’re looking at. Antonio [Graves] has played there as well. Mark has been getting healthier. He had the hamstring injury that kept him out for two months in the preseason. He had a concussion that kept him out for a week [in December]. The last game was the first time we’ve seen him healthy all year. I’m looking forward to him playing well. Mark has done a lot in the last couple of weeks.”
It’s unlikely Pitt will be abandoning use of 3 guards, considering the way Ronald Ramon has played. I think Dixon, though, likes bringing him off the bench. Freshman Guard Keith Benjamin has still been bothered by an ankle injury and likely won’t be available until next week.
That means Pitt will have no choice but to give more minutes to Forwards John DeGroat and/or Dante Milligan. Both haven’t played a lot of minutes, and haven’t showed much yet.
As for the Demetris situation, the team is dealing with it. Giving support to a friend and teammate, while acknowledging that he can’t be on the squad.
“He’s my best friend,” senior forward Chevon Troutman said. “I’m going to miss him.”
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“Right now, we’re just going to respect his space,” junior point guard Carl Krauser said. “We want to respect him and his family and worry about this game on Tuesday.”
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“As far as the team, we care for him and there’s a lot of personal matters that we really can’t go into,” said second-year coach Dixon, who’s been part of a Pitt program that’s been relatively controversy-free since arriving as an assistant to Ben Howland more than six years ago. “So, that’s really how it stands. … I’ve talked with him and he cares deeply about the team. We just need to show care for Yuri and his well being.”
Added Troutman: “We’re just trying to get him some help, and whatever he needs, we’re going to support him 100 percent.”
Demetris definitely needs some help. Otherwise, the team is trying to use the Demetris incident as something to help them circle the wagons. Hopefully better and more focused play for an entire game.
