It’s very interesting. I think a lot of the media really like Pitt’s team and do see them going to the Final Four this year.
The reason Pittsburgh is a serious Final Four threat is that the Panthers have three All-American-caliber players who excel in different ways. For proof, check out Saturday’s 80-51 victory over Vermont and realize that Pitt had one player score 28 points, another player grab 16 rebounds, and another player get eight assists. The points belonged to Sam Young, the rebounds to DeJuan Blair and assists to Levance Fields. And as long as that trio is operating at that level you can bet whatever you own that the Panthers are about to improve to 10-0 under Jamie Dixon for the sixth consecutive season.
At the same time, the reliance on the trio is why some are nervous along with another reason.
Pittsburgh has as much toughness out of its top three players — Levance Fields, Sam Young and DeJuan Blair — as anyone in the country. But this season is still reliant on Fields working his way back into shape — and staying injury-free. The Panthers also need to find someone who can make shots from the perimeter, even if it’s done by committee.
The perimeter. I’m not so concerned about it. I don’t expect Pitt will be a particularly strong or consistent team from the perimeter. I’m hopeful that Gibbs and/or Woodall might become a consistent threat from outside, but I doubt the coaching staff is relying on that.
Jermaine Dixon is not a 3-point threat. He wasn’t at the JUCO level and that hasn’t changed. Dixon has been getting a lot of praise for his defensive intensity — and deservedly so. I think he should also get praise for mostly playing within the system and being a real team player. As a shooting guard up until he got to Pitt, he has always been the best player on his team and the one hoisting a ton of shots. He has mostly kept it in check so far and been all about the team.
…As for Jermaine Dixon, he does have a tendency to take some shots early in the shot clock and I have noticed that coach Jamie Dixon has been somewhat frustrated by that. However, Jermaine is taking only about seven shots a game, which is fourth on the team behind Sam Young, DeJuan Blair and Levance Fields. Jermaine is the starting shooting guard, so he is going to ample opportunity to shoot. I’m sure every Pitt fan would like to see him a better percentage of his 3-pointers, but other than that he has played pretty well. His worth to the team cannot be measured in his 3-point percentage. He is probably the team’s best on-ball defender and he has the ability to pentrate and get in the lane, which is important because Fields has not demonstrated the same penetrating ability since his foot injury last season.
He is also 5th on the team in average minutes played (30 seconds per behind Tyrell Biggs) and has only taken 5 more shots in the season than Biggs. So considering the amount of time he is seeing, he may occasionally shoot a bit early, but he is not taking shots from other players on the court.
Ray Fittipaldo sees only minimal growth in McGhee’s game this year. IÂ don’t disagree, but I wasn’t expecting a leap this year. McGhee’s a project and anyone who expected a lot from him from freshman to sophomore was being very optimistic. What I have seen is that his physique is definitely improving from conditioning and diet from last year to this year — strongly indicating how much he is willing to work. He’s still learning about being more than just being 6-11. Like Aaron Gray, you can see the wheels turning as he tries to remember his lessons in positioning and footwork. It’s not instinctive for him at this point. He will have a very up-and-down year. Some games it will almost look like it is clicking, and then others he will just be a stiff out there.
A nice piece lauding Sam Young.
He’s the smoothest operator since Big Daddy Kane (youtube it young bucks) and quite possibly the most overlooked/under-appreciated superstar in college basketball. Young is giving Pitt a guaranteed 20-plus a night while almost never getting 30 minutes of playing time, playing with the skill and production of a first team All American (Young was first team all Big East last year).
Even better, like Bernard King circa 1984-85, Young is starting to impose his will on opponents. He started showing signs of this trait in the aforementioned Big East tournament at the end of last season. He seemed to be a man possessed and that’s carried over to this season. It’s as if Young surveys the pulse of games before deciding the perfect time to dominate. He might go about it quietly, in a business-like fashion, but at some point he insists that everyone on the floor recognize he’s the man in charge. He did it last weekend against Texas Tech when the Red Raiders seemed to be making a statement that they weren’t going to go away quietly. Young hit a three from the corner, absorbed some contact while finishing at the rim with a violent banger, and hit a pair of free throws. Texas Tech went away.
And Coach Dixon is recognizing what Young can do, and taking advantage of it.
Through the first nine games, Young is averaging 20.8 points per game. No one at Pitt has averaged more than 20 points in a season since Brian Shorter (20.6) in 1989-90, and only five players have averaged more points in a season.
“We’re running a lot more plays for him than we’ve ever run for a guy,” Dixon said. “That’s fairly obvious. It’s by design.”
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Having a prolific scorer at his disposal has triggered a change in philosophy for Dixon, who won a school-record 31 games in his first season as head coach without a player who averaged 16 points per game. Carl Krauser averaged 15.4 points per game that season and took 19.6 percent of the team’s shots.
Young is taking 25 percent of Pitt’s shots this season. He took 23 percent of the team’s shot last season.
“It fits what we’re doing,” Dixon said. “We play him in different spots. We run a lot of different plays for him. It’s something that works for us. It’s the best way it works for us this year. And it worked last year. You could see it coming. I anticipated that before the injuries last year.”
And for those who believe Young’s scoring average will dip once the competition gets tougher in Big East play, that won’t necessarily be the case. Young raised his game in Big East play last season, averaging 18.3 points per game in conference contests.
It’s one of the things you can see in Coach Dixon as the still improving coach. He has the principles of his game and how he wants things to run, but he is more willing to be more flexible based on the talent and ability of the players. Showcasing and utilizing Young can only help in recruiting. Coming to Pitt and playing for Dixon won’t mean sacrificing numbers and just playing defense. It will get you lots of attention and to the NBA.
