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January 12, 2010

An extended lay-off after Pitt starts the conference play 3-0. Naturally, the players really don’t mind.

“The consistent practice time we put in, getting up and down the court, scrimmaging each other, just getting to know each other more than we did was important,” said Brown, who scored a career-high 17 points against Cincinnati. “I only played four games and Jermaine seven, so it’s really helped us get together as a team.”

Brown and Dixon have changed the team dramatically. In the four games Brown and Dixon have played together, Pitt is averaging 73.8 points per game, shooting 48.8 percent from the field and 47.1 percent from 3-point range. In the 11 games when they were not in the lineup together, Pitt only averaged 65.6 points, shot 43.9 percent from the field and 33 percent from 3-point range.

Brown and Dixon are two of the better defenders on the team, and there has been a noticeable difference at the defensive end as well. Teams are shooting a lower percentage from the field. And although teams are scoring more, the caliber of competition is much different from what the Panthers faced earlier in the season.

Those statistics figure to improve as they get used to playing together more.

“You can say [the break in the schedule] came at a good time,” junior guard Brad Wanamaker said. “[Brown and Dixon] have been looking good the last couple of games. It gave us more time to get better as a team, getting more comfortable playing with those two guys.”

Not to mention allowing Coach Dixon time to work on the rotation. Figure out playing time and starters. The speculation remains that Gary McGhee and maybe Nasir Robinson’s days as starters are numbered. Of course, that speculation has been there since mid-December.

To say nothing of working on the occasional zone defense to throw teams off and protect the frontcourt.

One of the solid things about having continuity with coaches, not just having the same coach here for 7 years but it being the continuation from an assistant to the head coach, is that the past players really feel the connection to the program and to the present players. At the beginning of the season, the players talked of how the past players emphasized to them how they needed to keep things going at Pitt. One of those things to keep going — defense.

“Jaron told me, ‘You have to be able to stop the other teams from scoring and be tougher than your opponents in order to win in the Big East,’ ” Dixon said. “That’s the same thing Levance Fields talked to me about when I was a freshman, and Carl Krauser was at the game the other day, and even he was talking about taking pride in playing defense and always being tougher than your opponents.

“That’s just who we are at Pitt.”

“When you come in as a young guy, you have to learn that everybody here takes pride in being able to defend and nobody is going to take it easy,” Jermaine Dixon said. “This is a physical conference and you must be mentally tough enough to survive in it. But the way we look at it, that starts every day at practice.”

Finally, Chris Dokish takes a look at the possible rotations for the next couple years based on recruiting and development.

Woodall has elite speed and has had some nice moments, but some nice moments is not enough in the Big East. He will have to make major improvement if he wants to continue to see the floor because Epps is a talented player who the staff expects will be at least a solid contributor as a freshman.

At the other guard spot, if Gibbs is not playing the point, he will obviously be positioned here. The fact that he has made such huge strides so quickly is a huge event for the program. Don’t forget that he was almost an afterthought as a recruit, and the staff actually had to get Woodall’s blessing to bring Gibbs in. It was Woodall who they thought was going to be making a major contribution by this point. To Gibbs’ credit he has turned himself into a legitimate all-conference player in just his second season. To say he is a pleasant surprise is an understatement, especially since he has proven that he is more than just a standstill shooter.

I recall last year, the issue with Gibbs to many was his shooting technique. He was effective, but they were not the pretty looking shots expected from a perimeter shooter. More like line-drives that just seemed to find the bottom of the basket. Certainly not the aesthetically pleasing look of Ronald Ramon’s 3s.

I hesitate to make this comparison, because it is not fair to Gibbs, but his development does strike me a bit like Brandin Knight’s. Not particularly heavily recruited from New Jersey, from basketball families, and each with a brother that was/is more highly regarded. Both, though, seem to have that spark to make themselves better players. To minimize their weaknesses and a drive to improve.





lets crush the huskies !

Comment by Snala the Panther 01.12.10 @ 11:44 am

I agree with what you say. Gibbs has turned himself into a great player and has done it quickly. I don’t think anybody expected this.

Comment by Mark 01.12.10 @ 12:22 pm

Gibbs’ excellence on the U.S. team and his appreciation of the value Coach Dixon brings were huge.

Comment by steve 01.12.10 @ 12:33 pm

I found Dokish’s comments on Gil Brown and the possibility that he might not return next year to be interesting, particularly since he also acknowledges that they may not have anyone else to play the 4 position next year. I may try to email Chris directly to see if he has any inside info, but this seems like an odd scenario.

Comment by Pantherman13 01.12.10 @ 12:54 pm

From what I could tell he was just saying that if Brown flopped this year, either on or off the floor, which he has already done before then Pitt may not see that it’s worth it to bring him back. But he also said that he wasn’t expecting that he would be gone after this year. That’s how I read it.

Comment by Mark 01.12.10 @ 1:04 pm

I’m confused by everyone saying that Gibbs has come out of nowhere. Wasn’t he the player of the year in New Jersey? Or at least the best shooter in the state. His recruitment was a big deal to us at least, and many of us counted on big things from him early on. I am not surprised

Comment by Jamie H 01.12.10 @ 1:57 pm

He wasn’t a top 100 player and Pitt asked Woodall if it was okay if they added Ashton late. I do know that those are actual facts so if you thought the guy was going to be a star as a sophomore you weren’t paying attention.

Comment by Mark 01.12.10 @ 2:21 pm

For what it is worth, this story popped up (via Carolina March) regarding Lance Thomas who is now at Duke and his choice between Rutgers or Duke circa 2006:

link to web.archive.org

Thomas is a consensus Top-20 recruit, a likely 2006 McDonald’s All-American. He’s a 6-foot-8 forward with athletic ability and range, and if he chooses Rutgers, he’d be the program’s best in-state recruit since Roy Hinson in 1980.

Most important, Thomas wouldn’t be coming to Rutgers by himself.

If Thomas chooses Rutgers, New Jersey recruitniks say four of the state’s top available prospects could follow: senior point guard Eugene Harvey, junior wing Corey Stokes, sophomore center Samardo Samuels and sophomore guard Ashton Gibbs. All but Harvey are potential McDonald’s All-Americans, and Thomas has played with all four of them — Harvey, Stokes and Samuels this season at St. Benedict’s, and Gibbs two years ago at Scotch Plains High.

Of course, the problem was he didn’t seem to make much progress after that junior year. Making him a 3-star player, with interest but not a lot of offers.

link to pittblather.com

He was ranked #145 by Rivals.com.

Comment by Chas 01.12.10 @ 2:44 pm

RE: Gibbs and his flat shot…any number of shooting coaches (including this poster)are pushing the flatter shot both from the foul line and the three point line. Gibb’s form is almost perfect and his shooting % reflects it. In fact his form and shot are the best I have seen at Pitt since Kent “hawk” Scott. Many foul shooting problems have been solved by taking the hi arching shot away and just trying to “soft it” over the rim. Also, with a flatter shot,it is easier to take right and left out of the equation.

Comment by Dan 72 01.12.10 @ 4:07 pm

Interesting bit of info there, Dan72. I’m obviously not disputing the effectiveness of it.

I simply recall some of the complaints/criticisms about his shot — beyond the aesthetics — was that shooting flatter put a shorter guard like Gibbs more at risk to have the shot blocked by a defender coming out on him. Can you speak to the risk of that? I would hazard a guess that a flatter shot, though, could be released quicker as you don’t have to put as much energy behind the shot to get it high and long.

Comment by Chas 01.12.10 @ 8:08 pm

my understanding was that Gibbs was always a real good shooter and scorer … but he didn’t have the quickness or athletic ability of Woodall, and of course, wasn’t even close to being the ballhandler, defender and rebounder that he is currently. Dixon has said on more than a few occasions how coachable he is … and that he works more on his weaknesses than strengths.

Comment by wbb 01.12.10 @ 5:06 pm

Chas – Quicker is the key! You are right on it.
there is still some arc obviously. Easier to keep the elbow in (see Levance Fields and Ronald Ramon, who also drifted to his left on most shots). Most shooters drift and we teach jump shooting “in a phone booth”..straight up so to speak. A flatish arc and shot helps that tremendously.

On another note and a late breaking story…with USC hiring Kiffin …how much do we appreciate Wanny now. A stand up Pitt guy who would never ever think of a move like a mercenary Kiffin.

Really disgusting. Tennessee got exactly what they paid for!

Comment by Dan 72 01.12.10 @ 11:28 pm

note that it’s the players who suffer. Kiffin can bolt but players have the penalty of sitting out a year if they decide to transfer. I guess scholarships aren’t really a one-year deal in tis case … yes, many players leave early for the pros, but it seems to me that if coaches leave, his recruits should be able to also.

There is an outside chance that Pitt may profit from Carroll’s departure from USC. Butler native Bryce Schwab a JuCO 4-star OT, had committed to USC and now looking elsewhere … and Pitt is on his list (with Oklahoma, Washington & Arizona.) It may well be that he stays at USC with Kiffin’s hiring but who knows?

We can dream a little, and can you imagine an OL with Pinkston, Nix, Jacobsen and Schwab? It should be a great help to either takes over at QB with Hyno blocking for Lewis and Graham. Probably the odds are thin here about Schwab but we’ll see.

Comment by wbb 01.13.10 @ 8:44 am

I just don’t understand that.
Ashton Gibbs was 1st Team All-State according to Zagsblog, and Travon was 2nd Team.

link to zagsblog.com

In the AP poll, Ashton was 2nd team All-State and Travon was 3rd team.

link to zagsblog.com

They were both rated the same on Rivals, but Asthon had better offers.

So I don’t understand all this about Travon being a bigger recruit than Ashton.

Comment by Jamie H 01.13.10 @ 10:24 am

a few issues here: just because a player excels at the high school level, doesn’t make him a great prospect. There have been several basketball players who break state scoring records but aren’t considered blue-chip recruits.

Anyone who follows high school recruiting knows that they are often major discrepancies among the major services … this is pretty common. Last I looked, Pitt’s prized FB recruit, TJ Clemmings, was considered 6th best DL by one service and 5-star, yet ESPNU had him at 59th best DL and 3-star .. although this may have been updated after his senior year.

Comment by wbb 01.13.10 @ 10:35 am

Yes, I agree, the folks in Knoxville got what they deserved. Recall, if you will the shameful treating of Johnny Majors during and after his heart problems and hospitalization in Knoxvills some years ago. The Volunteer (they surely can’t be professionals) Athletic Dept. made no bones about chucking their former All-American tailback and inserting Phil Fullmer as Head Coach. What goes around comes around, eh? Once again we should praise Pitt for caring about an individual who really cares about people. As for USC and its new icon, “Watch Your Back”. George from Columbus

Comment by rev. george mehaffey 01.13.10 @ 11:16 am

Jamie H – keep in mind that Woodall was actually the sixth man on his high school team during his senior year due to the fact that he shared the backcourt with some other very talented players (Mike Rosario and Tyshawn Taylor, to name two guards; I think Dominic Cheek was playing forward on that team). He was still considered a very good prospect, but it is pretty hard to make top all-state teams when you are not starting.

Comment by Pantherman13 01.13.10 @ 12:07 pm

Love Gibbs, love Woodall, can’t wait to see them continue to make progress….Now, on this coaching issue: If the University removes a coach without cause, they normally have to buy out the balance of their contract. Why is it not the same for coaches? Why don’t they have to pay the full amount of their contracts? The University Presidents have got to take a stand and get rid of these “buy out” clauses that basically turn long term contracts into day-to-day agreements that the coach can end on a whim (“It’s my dream job”, “I’m going home”, “I’m a West Coast Guy” blah, blah, blah…). Really, I have never seen a University just arbitrarily fire their coach because a better coach became available. These contracts are structured far too much in favor of the coaches.

Comment by HbgFrank 01.13.10 @ 12:53 pm

Coaches have to pay a buyout as well. Lane Kiffin has to pay a $800k buyout to Tennessee. but his new contract at USC will easily cover that

Comment by Jamie H 01.13.10 @ 3:09 pm

any contract negotiation is all about leverage. If a school desparately wants a coach who is being courted by others, they will porbably end up with a low buyout clause, and visa versa.

We have seen 3 coaches fired recently who has rubbed their ADs the wrong way, all 3 whom have recently been given long term agreements with large raises. The 1st guy, Mangino, is being cited for some actions tha reportedly began 5 years ago … but now that he lost his last 6 games, it seems to give the AD, who didn’t hire him, enough leverage to fire him ‘with cause.’ Leach and Leavitt have also been mavericks at programs but were renewed at programs where they have been for ten years plus. On the other hand, RichRod by talking to Bama gets a handsome raise from his alma mater, and a year later bolts the program and then burnis brdiges like someone that I have never, ever seen.

It works both ways … and it is always ugly.

Comment by wbb 01.13.10 @ 3:20 pm

Wbb, I disagree. Mangino, Leavit, and Leach were all fired and definitely should have been fired for their actions related to players. Just imagine if a college professor slapped a kid. First and foremost, it is an illegal act that could cause the University big time. I believe the kid in the So. Fla case has now lawyered up. If the James boy was not Craig James son, he would probably have a lawyer by now as well. Until they get rid of these low buy outs, these contracts are not worth the paper they print them on. I just read that Skip Holtz, who is a candidate for the So. Fla. job, has a whopping $100k buyout against his $650k a year job. At a minimum these coaches should have to face same music that a player faces if they walk out on a scholarship…sit out one year. I will give Kiffin credit for one thing, he manned up and faced the press in Tenn (Unlike a certain former basketball coach of ours, RichRod, Saban, Petrino, Kelly, etc.).

Comment by HbgFrank 01.13.10 @ 5:54 pm

HGBFrank, just know this about Mangino. He head been coaching in the B12 for a decade with Kansas St and Oklahoma, and one of the reasons he was hired at KU was for his no BS approach. In fact, there was an incident in his 2nd year at head coach where his player returned a punt for a TD, and then got a celebration penalty. Upon reaching the bench, the player got yanked by the facemask by Mangino who told him “It’s not all about you!” Mangino was PRAISED by media and fans alike. What he was fired for was nothing he did differently from when he 1st came to the program. The same goes for Leach and Leavitt … if you think the incidents that they got fired for were unique, then you are being very naive.

On another issue, here is the latest about Pitt FB from Zeise’s blog – very interesting stuff including Kolby Gray moving to S link to community.post-gazette.com

Comment by wbb 01.13.10 @ 6:25 pm

HGBFRank, check this video out, funny how this was nit an issue at all at Kansas since it was the year they had 11 wins including a BCS bowl

link to youtube.com

Comment by wbb 01.13.10 @ 6:45 pm

here is the correct video (ignore the one above)

link to youtube.com

Comment by wbb 01.13.10 @ 6:49 pm

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