Slow day for news on Pitt.
A puff piece on Levon Kendall. His increased playing time has come, in part due to Demetris’ suspension. But also because McCarroll and DeGroat have failed to step up with the opportunity.
It was January 2002, and a little-known freshman with a lot of ability but little experience was thrust into a game against Georgetown. Having not played in the previous four games, this player scored 8 points and had 4 rebounds and 2 assists in a come-from-behind Pitt victory, prompting former coach Ben Howland to admit a mistake.
“I don’t look very smart not playing him more,” Howland said at the time. “I’m going to have to change my philosophy.”
That player was Chevon Troutman, and all he needed was a chance.
Three years later, a similar situation has developed for coach Jamie Dixon.
Kendall had a great summer, starring on the under-21 Canadian national team. But when the season began at Pitt, he was buried in the rotation.
The other story in the papers was one on Pitt’s improved 3-point shooting.
Pitt could escape neither its statistics nor its rankings after finishing 320th (out of 326 NCAA Division I teams) in 3-pointers per game last season.
The Panthers have nearly pulled a 360 this season.
Pitt is shooting 42.2 percent (103 of 244) from beyond the arc, fourth nationally and best in the Big East. If the season ended today, it would break the school record of 41.7.
Although the Panthers still rank in the middle of the pack nationally in 3s per game (157th, 6.4), their turnaround in 3-point shooting has been nothing short of astounding.
“Nearly pulled a 360?” They at least corrected the headline of the story. It had previously used the “360 turnaround” line.
The thing is, the numbers (PDF) on 3-point shooting are kind of deceptive to me. The story obviously focuses on the guards: Antonio Graves, Ronald Ramon and Carl Krauser. The 3 have combined to go 75-171 (.439), have taken about 70% of the teams 3-point attmpts (171 of 244) and are responsible for over 75% of the 3-point shots made (75 of 103).
The thing is, this includes the non-con schedule. And I think we all know by now about how bad that schedule and the competition was. Right now, and more importantly, the key should be how things are going in the conference. In the conference, Pitt is below 40% (25-63, .397).
Graves is an extreme example. He shot amazingly well in the non-conference portion. Overall he shot 29-50 (.580). He was remarkably consistent from anywhere. Shooting nearly the same % from inside or outside the arc. Once conference play began, though, it has been a different story. Obviously, Graves couldn’t keep shooting that well, and his 3-point shot is still a good percentage. He is shooting more in 5 conference games as compared to the 9 non-cons he played. Still, it is a hard drop and the rest of his shooting is absolutely abysmal right now. From inside the arc, he is well under .200. For Graves, I think the problem is he likes to have a set shot. He does not seem to feel comfortable driving or pulling up. An area he definitely needs to work on improving.
——————— FG-FGA ——- 3FG-3FGA — non3FG-FGA — Shots/Gm
Graves 14 games — 38-81 (.469) — 17-33 (.515) — 21-48 (.438) —– 5.8
Non-Con 9 games — 29-50 (.580) — 11-19 (.579) — 18-31 (.581) —– 5.6
Conference 5 games — 9-31 (.290) — 6-14 (.429) — 3-17 (.176) —– 6.2
Ramon, unlike Graves, has improved significantly on his 3-point shooting in conference play. He went from under 40% to just under 50%. The number of shots he takes in a game has remained steady at around 6 per game. Ramon has shown with his 3-point shooting to be comfortable setting for the shot or pulling up for it.
——————— FG-FGA ——- 3FG-3FGA — non3FG-FGA — Shots/Gm
Ramon 16 Games — 41-98 (.418) — 32-78 (.410) —- 9-20 (.450) —– 6.1
Non-Con 11 Games — 26-66 (.394) — 20-53 (.377) — 6-13 (.462) —– 6
Conference 5 Games — 15-32 (.469) — 12-25 (.480) — 3-7 (.429) —– 6.4
Krauser is an extreme example, but in a different way. His 3 point shooting is way down in % and attempts in conference, but his shooting from the rest of the field has improved. Krauser’s taken about 3 shots less per conference game than in the non-cons, mostly because he is taking about 2 less 3-point attempts in conference.
——————— FG-FGA ——- 3FG-3FGA — non3FG-FGA — Shots/gm
Krauser 16 games — 68-160 (.425) — 26-60 (.433) — 42-100 (.420) — 10
Non-Con 11 games — 52 -121 (.430) — 22-48 (.458) — 30-73 (.411) —- 11
Conference 5 games — 16-39 (.410) — 4-12 (.333) — 12-27 (.444) —– 7.8
I’m sure this is a shock to many who believe that Krauser is hoisting way too many shots in a game. The team averages 53.3 shots in a game overall (55.1 non-con and 49.2 conference). Krauser’s shot numbers have gone down in conference play in terms of real and as a percentage of the team’s shots. Obviously, with Pitt’s deliberate half-court offense, they don’t make a lot of shot attempts in a game. This is why the volume of Pitt turnovers loom so large.
Keep in mind that this is probably a bit unfair because of the sample size, especially for the conference schedule is very small. So, one game can easily skew the numbers. And there are other factors. Ramon is a Freshman, and improvement as he got confidence and familiar with the system and his role should lead to improved shooting. Conversely, Graves faced less pressure and attention early in the season, as his good shooting and became noticed, teams were playing him differently. Especially when teams realized Demetris was a complete non-factor on the offense. Krauser has had opposing defenses come out further on him as he showed more accuracy on shooting the 3 than he did last year, especially further into the season. His use of the 3-point shot is as much to decoy them to play out further on them so he has room to take his defender off the dribble.
Still, a deeper look at the numbers suggests that if Pitt is going to use the 3-point shot, they have to use it right. Graves shouldn’t be expected to take 3s off of screens or with some stop and pop. His shots need to come on open looks from crisp passing and ball movement to allow him to set up. Ramon, is a little more versatile. He can take the 3 off a screen, or in motion.
UPDATE: I see (via College Basketball Blog) that a college basketball beat writer in Philly is surprised about Pitt shooting 3s better as well. The simple explanation is the players change, as do their strengths and weaknesses.
