A few things to get out of the browser tabs.
Tom Herrion is definitely in the mix for the Holy Cross job. He is interested, but so is his brother, Bill, the head coach at New Hampshire. That just seems awkward.
Jamie Dixon speaks. Just in relative fluff. He is the first guest on ESPNU’s college basketball podcast with Andy Katz so there’s no wading through the other coaches being interviewed. He talks about Blair and Young, along with the U-19 tryouts. Nothing too earthshattering. Plenty of coach speak. He does admit that Dante Taylor is already penciled in as the starting power forward. And of course, not even a question about the USC job.
Andy Katz doesn’t get specific but he liked what he saw from Taylor at the tryouts.
Pitt should be pleased with the size and strength of incoming freshman Dante Taylor. The 6-9, 235-pound Taylor will be a load for the Panthers once he’s in shape.
While on the U-19 games, the Gibbs brothers are both involved in USA Basketball. Ashton is on the U-19 team, while his younger brother Sterling is on the U-16.
Draft Express was at the tryouts, and based on the talent of the U-19 team does not like the US’ chances. They did like the way things were run, though.
While it may sound cliché, the emphasis here is clearly on “playing the right away.” The coaches are for the most part all from programs known for being extremely organized and disciplined in their approach to the game, and much of the instructions they give the players from the sidelines revolve around concepts such as playing strong defense, moving the ball around unselfishly, correct spacing and not settling for bad shots. While there are referees on the court, they are forcing the players to adjust to the physicality of international basketball by calling the games very loosely, which makes things far more educational in our eyes.
With that in mind, it should be said that the USA Basketball people have not had the easiest time filling out the rosters with the best talent available to them. While they would never publicly state as much, word trickled down from the NBA-types that as many as 19 players declined their invites to attend these tryouts, just from the Under-19 group. There are many reasons for that, mostly revolving around the fact that the schools and college coaches want their players on campus in the summer to attend summer school and get a head start on staying eligible, and thus maintaining their APR (Academic Progress Rate), which is essential for not losing future scholarships. As Jerry Colangelo told us in a wide-ranging interview that will be published in the next day or two, “they have their own agendas.”
Some players, such as Kemba Walker, decided they would rather attend Nike’s Lebron Camp instead of representing their country in international competition, which is a real shame. Ignoring the patriotic element for a moment—which is a much stronger pull in seemingly every other country in the world outside of the US– it’s tough not to feel like these players are missing out on a wonderful experience. Colangelo vowed to pay special attention to this issue and stressed the success they’ve had getting the younger and older NBA players to make sacrifices and commit to USA Basketball. He feels like it’s only a matter of time until the U-19 group is the same way.
To be fair to Kemba Walker, he was on the U-18 team last year. The LeBron Camp is an important camp especially for those players eying an NBA future possibly as early as next year.
Big East Basketball blog takes a look at the recruiting targets for Pitt and WVU. Isiah Epps is either heading to Hargrave or National Christian for a year of prep.
Chris Dokish takes a shot at picking the Big East. He puts Pitt at #7. Key quote.
Bottom line- With such an inexperienced team, it’s unlikely that even Jamie Dixon’s wizardry could make the Panthers a major contender. But anybody completely dismissing a Jamie Dixon team, though, would be foolish.
