This is a coaching clinic for the right reasons. Not to get on the side of a high school or AAU coach with influence over top players. This is to help.
A group of coaches — including Pitt’s Jamie Dixon and Xavier’s Sean Miller — will host a coaching clinic Oct. 16 at La Roche College in Pittsburgh. It’s a rare midweek clinic on the Thursday night before colleges start practice, and all proceeds from the event will go towards the Dave Manzer Heart Fund.
Who is Dave Manzer?
He’s the former head coach at Messiah College who is in a Milwaukee hospital awaiting a heart transplant. Meantime, his wife Kathy and three children — Andrea (20), Erica (16), and Aaron (6) — are left without a husband and father healthy enough to earn a living, meaning though times are tough for much of the country it’s probably fair to assume most of our problems pale in comparison to the ones with which the Manzer family is dealing.
Right before the start of full practices and the midnight madness starts. Coach Jamie Dixon, Sean Miller and other coaches who come from the Pittsburgh areas coming to help.
As previously noted, Levance Fields has had setbacks in coming back after some additional surgery on his foot. It’s slow coming, and he is still expected to be ready for the start of the season. If there’s a silver lining, it’s this.
In Fields’ absence the Panthers have been able to give much-needed minutes at the point to freshmen guards Travon Woodall and Ashton Gibbs. The Panthers need both of them to be ready to go in October and maybe in November in the event Fields isn’t 100 percent. The Panthers’ staff is also feeling confident about the progress of sophomore guard Brad Wanamaker and JC transfer Jermaine Dixon.
I’m sure the coaches would love to have him healthy and getting conditioned and in sync with the team, but this presents a big opportunity for the guards to make their presence known and get into the rotation. With Fields’ conditioning thrown off, especially early in the season he will need extra spells. Hopefully the other guards will step up to let him.
