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March 31, 2011

Khem Birch Will Be Great, But…

Filed under: Basketball,Recruiting — Chas @ 8:53 am

He is not going to be an immediate impact player at Pitt.

Khem Birch had a great performance at the McDonald’s All-American game last night. There are a lot of reasons to be really excited that he is a Pitt guy and will be on the squad. He will be a great player. But he is not a one-and-done player right now. He is not going to be a pure stud out on the court next year. He still has a ways to go.

Despite the ESPN fawning over Austin Rivers and continual cutaways to Doc Rivers watching his son, Khem Birch ended up as the leading scorer for the West squad with 15 points. He also had 10 rebounds and 6 blocks. Still, no mention in the AP write-up.

The long-sleaved shirt he wore under his jersey made him easy to pick out in the games, but style wise it has to go. There’s no question Birch has hops. He was getting up to try and block anything around the basket. He just finds the ball. 9 of the 10 rebounds were of the offensive variety — which is how he scored the majority of his points. He also could make free throws.

So, there is no question that he surprised a lot of people with the game he had. Especially since in practices, he was looking lost by most accounts.

The practice sessions hadn’t been particularly kind to the 6-foot-8 Pitt commitment, but he was perhaps the biggest story of the game. Birch used his quickness, off the floor, length and rebounding to impact the game on both ends. He finished with team highs of 15 points, 10 rebounds and six blocks. Had there been an MVP for the West, Birch surely would have been him.

Dave Telep gives a good explanation for the problems he had in practices (Insider subs):

Khem Birch (Toronto, Ont./Notre Dame) looks a little out of place at practice. You know why? Because we still haven’t quite warmed to the idea of him being a senior. Birch went back to his original 2011 classification last November and we began counting him as such. However, he doesn’t know the rest of the team and they aren’t as familiar with him presumably because they ran in different age groups during the bulk of Birch’s scholastic career.

Birch is a talented, quiet young man with a big smile. The physical tools are there to be a very good prospect, however, he’s not ready to dominate in the Big East for Pittsburgh next season. He’s more of a prospect than producer at this very moment and that’s a big delineation because of the expectations that he’ll bring to Pitt’s team, especially since he’s Jamie Dixon’s second McDonald’s All-American.

I’m quite sure Dixon is thrilled to have Birch, but he probably understands that his new center is not Jared Sullinger; he’s not wired up that way. Birch needs strength, which will add to his confidence, especially on offense. Next year, as a freshman, expect him to give Pitt a presence as a shot blocker, a big who can run the floor and as he develops in the program, his offensive and rebounding numbers will ascend. Just don’t expect him to sport the Superman cape right from the start.

The eye-poke on Monday might have also had something to do with being out-of-sorts in practice. But there does seem to be a kernel of truth to the fact that Birch did not run in the same circuits and play with and against a lot of the players out there. That unfamiliarity with the teammates, though, was evident when Birch was on the floor. He looked like he was trying to find the place to be on offense, and did not see the ball on that end — unless he was grabbing the board.

“People were doubting me, saying I wasn’t showing nothing,” Birch said after the game, won by the East squad, 111-96 before the largest crowd ever in attendance to watch the McDonald’s All-American game, now in its 34th year.

“I was playing hard. I did the scoring all by myself,” he said, meaning his points didn’t come from set plays, but from rebounds and scrambling for loose balls. He challenged and changed many shots on the defensive end and displayed the unrelenting motor scouts have raved about. Many such scouts were on hand this night, as well as 19,909 fans.

Birch, 18, has a scholarship to attend University of Pittsburgh next year. He said here this week that he just recently picked up basketball, after playing football as a wide receiver all his childhood.

He promised he will get better, much better, as he picks up the nuances of the game. Pittsburgh, he said, is in for something special when he joins the NCAA team next season.

Notice the “doubting” underdog stuff. Sound familiar? Yeah, he’s going to fit right in with the rest of the Pitt players.

“That’s what happens when people are doubting me,” Birch said after the game.

“They were saying I was doing nothing. I told them it was because of my eye (he was poked in the eye in practice), but they still didn’t believe me. That just made me play even more hard.”

By all accounts, Birch is on the shy, quiet side. He showed a different side after the game.

Quiet all week, Birch came out of his shell big-time afterwards, talking about major plans for his career at Pitt.

Such as: “To become like a saviour, basically to lead the team to the championship,” he said.

“I’m going to work so hard this summer, you don’t even understand. I’m going to be a better player.”

Better than Wednesday? Look out Big East.

Again. I love the potential. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him as a starter or at least playing starter minutes by the end of the season.

That said, he needs to put on some weight to bang inside. He also has to show-up in practices, and learn where to be on the court. His offense looks a bit limited — but since he didn’t get many opportunities that was not on a put-back it is hard to say with great certainty.

His leaping and blocking are very instinctive. He will get his share, but he will also get burned a bit, by smarter players in the league who will jump into his body to draw the contact.

He’s a very exciting and high potential player. But despite his own words, he isn’t a savior. At least, not as a freshman.





Excellent assessment, Chas. There’s a ton of talent there, but it’s raw talent. Expect him to look great against lesser talent and experience and then get schooled by some of the BE big men, at least in the beginning.

Really like his motor though. He was all over the court and boards, which earned him major PT in the 2nd half over more highly-touted (by ESPN at least) bigs on the West team.

The big side benefit may be that he pushes Taylor to step up to his potential too. Even though Birch may eventually end up at the 4, he’ll likely see time at the 5 because Jamie needs a capable backup for Dante. Having competition like that can only be good for Pitt in the long run.

Comment by TampaT 03.31.11 @ 9:10 am

The kid gets a double double in McDonalds games (15 pt and 10 rbs) with another 6 blocks and there is not mention of him anywhere in the post game write up? He will fit in very well at PITT as the classic underdog who doesnt get the respect that he deserves.

I liked what I saw. He worked hard and hustled.

I agree that he isnt a one and done. He definately came to the right program. Dixon will have patience with him and bring him along appropriately. Dixon will make him better.

Birch at times seemed awkward in his movement under the rim which I agree seems to have to do more with comfort of players around him than anything. He was scrappy and went hard for every ball. I also loved how he ran the court on breaks. You can tell that when he gets comfortable with the players around him and the pace of the game he is going to be the real deal.

Comment by PITT fan in Atlanta 03.31.11 @ 9:16 am

I like the attitude and the comment about working hard over the summer. You need to have an innate drive and it seems like this kid has it. We’ll see.

Comment by Omar 03.31.11 @ 9:40 am

Jamie develops bigs like no other. He turns the likes of Aaron Gray and Gary McGee into quality players. I think he prefers to take on projects and develop kids over the years. The last thing Jamie needs in his program is an “all about me” player who will be one and done. He likes 3 and 4 year players who buy into the system.

Comment by BCPITT 03.31.11 @ 9:54 am

Posted this on the previous thread, but don’t want those who might be interested to miss it.

PROGRAMMING NOTE:

There’s a dunkfest and 3 pt. contest on ESPN2 tonight at 9 p.m. ET. – The 23rd Annual State Farm College Slam Dunk &…

Based on the promo that ESPN was running during the McDonald’s AA game, it looks like our own Gilbert Brown may be participating. Might be fun to watch – and dream of what could have been.

Comment by TampaT 03.31.11 @ 10:16 am

Jaylen Bond going to prep school….

Comment by drgags 03.31.11 @ 10:22 am

The saviour quote seems to come right out of our new football coaching staff’s manual. I suppose in the next interview, he will tell us that his game goals will be 8 pts, 10 rebounds and 6 blocks .. but more importantly the team goal will be more shots than the other team.

Seriously, I was very encouraged by what I saw last night … and believe with his shotblocking / defensive ability that he may work very well in tandem with Dante in the frontcourt.

Comment by wbb 03.31.11 @ 10:26 am

Trust me, anybody who thinks Birch isn’t going to make a big impact at Pitt next season doesn’t know basketball. I’m not saying he’s going to be an All-American but there will be many games when he is the best player on the floor for Pitt.

Comment by Mike 03.31.11 @ 10:53 am

From the looks of it Birch has what it takes to play significant minutes as a freshman. We won’t start until he gets used to the system as there is a backlog of decent to very good and experienced players at the PF and SF positions. But, he’s got tons of raw ability and it looks like his development is still trending steeply upward and will continue thru his freshmen year.

I really like the look of the team in 2yrs if both Taylor stays for his Senior yr(likely) and Birch for sophmore yr (quite possible). Sr Woodall at the pt, JJ Moore & Patterson at SG/SF. With front court and back court depth (FC: Zanna, Gilbert, Adams; BC: C. Wright, the Johnsons, and Epps/J.Johnson as potentially back-up PGs).
That’d be 2 McD All-Americans and 2 more top-100 players in the starting line-up led by a Senior PG; plus 2 top-100 player and a bevy of solid players on the bench. We’ll be solid next year and it will be fun to see these guys develop and get a yr of playing together. But 2012 would be the year I expect Pitt to be a true powerhouse. Lots to happen in the meantime, but something to look forward to.

Comment by PantherP 03.31.11 @ 11:40 am

oops – I meant at the C/PF position with regard to Birch and his playing time. He’ll have to contend with minutes Taylor, Nas & Zanna will eat up.
Btw, not sure there’s any room to get JJ Rich any minutes going forward…

Comment by PantherP 03.31.11 @ 11:43 am

PantherP I think you are on to something…with Bond going to prep, there is still 1 scholarship to free up and JJ Rich just might be that scholarship.

Comment by BCPITT 03.31.11 @ 11:54 am

I love how people think an NBA lottery prospect is going to sit behind Dante Taylor, Talib Zanna, and Nasir Robinson. I’m beginning to seriously doubt whether or not Pitt will ever have knowledgeable basketball fans.

Comment by Mike 03.31.11 @ 11:59 am

drgags,
Chas has a thread on Bond prepping which was posted yesterday morning.

Comment by Fred 03.31.11 @ 12:30 pm

Love his motor. He ran the floor well and continued to play hard even though big men in this type of game do not get many looks on the offensive end. Lots of potential.

Comment by JAM 05 Pitt 03.31.11 @ 12:34 pm

In away you are right and in a way you are wrong abought Khem Birch Chas yes he needs work on a few parts of his game like no out side shot and some times he was lost on the floor out of position and needs to play D better. But he had 15 points and 6 blocks and 10 rbs but no one passed him the ball. no one ran a play his way the outher players on his team did not even look his way he had to get all his points on his own just think how many points he would had had they passed him the ball or ran a play for him he is not a one and done player and needs work. But when part of a team that look for him on the floor he will be better the first year than you think but i think he is here for 3 years and it will be fun i think he is the real deal.

Comment by FRANKCAN 03.31.11 @ 12:34 pm

Mike, I begin wondering if you follow Pitt under Dixon. While I expect Birch to become a bigger star than Taylor, Zanna or Robinson, it is likely going to take some time. Unless you are the ultimate scoring macine, you better understand and play physical defense no matter how athletic you are before you get decent playing time … just ask JJ Moore? The well-develped Blair is the only natural freshman I remmeber starting for Dixon. (And BTW, Taylor scored double digits when he played The McD’s all-american game.)

Birch may end up starting by the end of next year but there is certainly no guarantee for that either.

Comment by wbb 03.31.11 @ 12:41 pm

Here is what Dante did in the 2009 game:

Dante Taylor — 15 pts, 6-11 fg, 3-3 ft, 6 rebs, 1 blk, 1 stl, 2 asts, 1 to, 15 min — Shows good size (big wingspan) and solid agility. Scored a number of baskets but didn’t stand out. Got stuffed by Henson on one dunk attempt. He scored on some jumpers and shots around the basket. A solid prospect but nothing extraordinary.

Comment by wbb 03.31.11 @ 12:44 pm

You must a hopeful to be Birch’s agent, Mike.

NBA lottery picks are often based solely on potential. Many, including NBA insiders, question whether that’s good for the players and the NBA’s future. The NBA game has been going downhill since the early-entry rules were relaxed, and teams are paying big guaranteed money to some players who rarely contribute. That’s one reason there might be a push to extend it to 2 or 3 years in the next CBA.

No one is saying that Birch doesn’t have a huge upside and won’t develop into a big star for Pitt. Most are saying just the opposite. But most do know enough about basketball to see that he’s got some work to do. How quickly he does that will determine how quickly he has an impact.

Watching him play against other HS kids, most of lesser strength and athleticism tells you nothing. Remember all the excitement when Taylor, a big man, won the skills competition? He looked pretty good in the 2009 game as well. Let’s see how Birch looks when he goes up against the big boys who are stronger, more experience and have developed their skills. Then, we’ll know for sure. I think that’s all anyone is saying.

Plus, it’s going to take a lot for Jamie to sit a two-year starter (Robinson) and a two-year project (Taylor), which is why many think Birch will start out as a backup to both.

Comment by TampaT 03.31.11 @ 12:44 pm

Saw on line that PG John Johnson wont have the grades may have to go to prep school.

Comment by FRANKCAN 03.31.11 @ 12:47 pm

The game is still available on ESPN3 under the replay tab.

Comment by velvil 03.31.11 @ 12:52 pm

I take back my comment on Birch regarding the slam dunk contest. Loved what I saw in the game last night. The kid is relentless on the boards ; reminds me a lot of Jerome Lane. Must be a starter & progress as the season goes on but I can see him outscoring Dante Taylor consistently.

Comment by ROCKY20 03.31.11 @ 12:58 pm

Much of Birch’s scoring (at least at first) will be the same as much of Blair’s scoring (putbacks). If there is going to be a lowpost next year, it will be Taylor

Comment by wbb 03.31.11 @ 1:09 pm

i agree with WBB…expecting Birch to come in and score is unrealistic if you watched him. He just doesn’t have the offensive tools to do so. He will be a great player and fun to watch develop.
He is a tremendous athlete, but his lack of strength may keep him from contributing as early as some people seem to think he will.

Comment by OntarioLett'sGoPitt 03.31.11 @ 1:27 pm

I hope he grows into his body a little more. Seems a bit awkward, but he definitely will fit in on the defensive end for us.

He might be like Aaron Gray. Someone who just gets better year after year.

Comment by 8thlight 03.31.11 @ 1:29 pm

Chris Taft, Levance Fields, and Ronald Ramon all played extensively as freshman. Jamie Dixon will play freshman when they are ready.

Comment by Omar 03.31.11 @ 1:49 pm

I love how the conversation has gone from “Birch is a dud” after the dunk contest to “Birch must start now” after the game. Fans sure are fickle.

Not picking on anyone in particular. Just a general observation.

Comment by TampaT 03.31.11 @ 2:02 pm

I never said he was a dud i said he looked bad in the dunk contest which he did and said i hope he looks better in the game which he did. but why say he was great in the dunks when he wasent.what do you have against the truth.I was just passing along what i saw did you watch if you did you would have saw the same thing but i never said he was a dud.

Comment by FRANKCAN 03.31.11 @ 2:14 pm

Feeling guilty, FRANKCAN? 🙂 Like I said, I wasn’t picking on anyone in particular, and that includes you.

Oh, and I did watch the dunk contest. I saw a giant band-aid above one eye, and a kid who looked like he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do out there after he realized his vision was impaired a bit.

Comment by TampaT 03.31.11 @ 2:22 pm

Dunk contest mean nothing. Anyone remember Kenny “Sky” Walker. Great dunker, garbage player, awesome high-top hair cut.

Comment by Pittastic 03.31.11 @ 2:26 pm

I think the problem was that he’s never dunked for show before? His dunks look like something I would do if I was his size and had his athleticism for a day. Guy seems really down to earth, wouldn’t surprise me if he has never really tried to do a 360 or whatever.

Comment by Krayz 03.31.11 @ 2:31 pm

I think you are right he did not seam he knew what to do when i stareted to watch he had just missed first dunk did not notice band aid but my reporting was truthful he did look bad . and i never called him a dud did i.

Comment by FRANKCAN 03.31.11 @ 2:36 pm

Taft started 24 games as a frosh in large part because the other center on the team was Torree Morris who started 11 games that year

R Ramon started 4 games as a frosh in large part because Antonio Graves, who started 25 games, was the 2 guard. Ramon became the fulltime starter at the two guard the following year when Graves was a senior.

Fields started 4 games a frosh apparently when Carl Krauser was moved to the 2 guard since he started all 33 games for Pitt as a senior (2005-6. Fields became fulltime PG starter as a soph.

I agree that if Birch is good enough, he will start sooner than later but wouldn’t be surprised if it is later.

Comment by wbb 03.31.11 @ 2:39 pm

Be nice, Pittastic.

I ran the downtown Woolworth’s store in Lexington during one of my career iterations. Sky and Mel Turpin were two of my favorite lunch counter customers. Nice kids. And you’re right about the hair. I think he was the inspiration for Kid of Kid ‘n Play.

Walker was able to make a decent living as a pro. Sorry I can’t say the same for Mel, poor guy.

Comment by TampaT 03.31.11 @ 2:42 pm

I think he will play right away next year because he seems to be a good defender and a really good shot-blocker. The reason JJ Moore didn’t get a lot of playing time this year was defense, not offense. That won’t be a problem next year for Birch as he won’t be expected to carry the scoring load, but to provide solid defense which I believe he can.

Comment by Pitt Rob 03.31.11 @ 2:44 pm

Maybe garbage was harsh, how about below average? I still would have like to make the type of money he made.

Comment by Pittastic 03.31.11 @ 2:52 pm

C’mon, Krayz. Are you telling me you never lowered that adjustable rim to 7 ft. to practice your tomahawks, reverse two-handers and 360s? You haven’t truly lived then.

I’m putting a hoop back up for my 7 month old grandson, so I can do it all over again. The wife is increasing the life insurance though. I think she plans on cashing in.

Comment by TampaT 03.31.11 @ 2:56 pm

TampaT, AS I recall, Mel T was a 1st round pick of the Cavs and never panned out due in large part that his nickname was Mel ‘the Whale’ …. I blame you!

Comment by wbb 03.31.11 @ 2:57 pm

Not my fault, wbb. He had a thing for one of my waitresses. Had to be the uniform. Oh, and he loved cheeseburgers and fries too.

Don’t know if you know, but he committed suicide last year. That’s why I said “poor guy”. Surely one of the bigger busts in the NBA. Many in Lexington thought he was the better player of the Twin Towers, but he didn’t have the same desire and skill as Bowie. Might also have been because he was a local kid.

Comment by TampaT 03.31.11 @ 3:14 pm

Wasn’t aware of the suicide, feel bad because he seemed like a good guy.

Bowie was also a sad case. I remembered he averaged a double-double (or close to it) as a freshman and then had to sit out two straight years due to injury … and never was the same.

Comment by wbb 03.31.11 @ 3:22 pm

He was. I used to give him crap about eating so much greasy food, because we could grease it up with the best of them. Heck, even I didn’t eat there much and I ran the place. 🙂 He’d just laugh and say something like, “Yes, sir. I know. Coach will kill me.”

That ’84 team managed to get to the Final Four, but I think Walker was the only one who had any kind of real pro career. Bowie was hurt most of his, just like during his college days.

Comment by TampaT 03.31.11 @ 3:38 pm

I looked it up. Bowie averaged 12 and 8 as a frosh and 17.5 and 9 as a soph, and then sat out 2 years before returning for his 5th year.

I also remmeber the twin towers final game when Georgetown held them to something like 9 points in the entire 2nd half in the Sweet 16.

Comment by wbb 03.31.11 @ 3:46 pm

Yes. I seem to remember Kentucky was looking good in the first half and then just got shut down in the second. The town was crushed. My Asst. Mgr. was a lifelong UK fan and season ticket holder. I had him on suicide watch.

Comment by TampaT 03.31.11 @ 3:52 pm

Mike, Omar – he’ll play freshmen when they’re ready and when for as many minutes as it makes sense. None of Omar’s examples played more than 15-20 minutes a game, none started. That’s about what we can expect from Birch.

He’ll get minutes for sure. But look at Fab Melo this year. Its arguable how Boeheim handled that situation, but not arguable that the supposed stud Melo struggled mightily. Now, when you have a clearly gifted (if not yet living up to potential) center in Taylor, the savy vet in Nas and a guy like Zanna — all with more experience — ahead of Birch, no matter how good he is, they’ll ease him into the lineup to some extent. I’d be very surprised if he’s getting starters minutes on a team as talented as Pitt’s in a league as tough as the BE.

But, who knows. Given my (and all of Pitt fandom’s) lack of basketball knowledge, I’m glad Mike’s here to enlighten me.

Comment by PantherP 03.31.11 @ 4:10 pm

I watched the game were sam clancy out played bowie him a 6 foot 5 center and bowie 7 foot one and sam ate bowies lunch yes i am that old. sam clancy was the man he could play ball sam had more muscles than atlas

Comment by FRANKCAN 03.31.11 @ 4:33 pm

That’s why he had a nice NFL career as a D lineman, FRANKCAN.

I remember when Sam played at Pitt and in HS. He was always a man among boys.

Comment by TampaT 03.31.11 @ 5:18 pm

TampaT you must be like me old as dirt.sam played good BB he played D line for clevalnd dident he i went to the field house all the time hated climbing that hill.But it was really loud it could rock fun times did you see Melvin Bennett play also was sorry to see him turn pro he was a hell of a center him self.

Comment by FRANKCAN 03.31.11 @ 5:45 pm

If we dont start Birch immediately we will be sorry. He can improve all year and be a star come March. Should’ve done the same with Moore this year

Comment by Tony Cancilla 03.31.11 @ 6:20 pm

Some news Penn State football players WR and CB charged with disorderly conduct.

Comment by FRANKCAN 03.31.11 @ 6:39 pm

Dokish hearing that Pitt PG John Johnson might prep school because of grades it was posted march 30.

Comment by FRANKCAN 03.31.11 @ 7:08 pm

I think Dixon will start the best players regardless. I wouldnt mind seeing Birch coming off the bench, and it will be much easier for him to come off the bench if Taylor finally hits his potential this year.

Nasir will probly start PF, but not many have noticed/mentioned that he can play SF and Birch/Zanna could play PF. Pitt would dominate the boards. I could realistically see that if Gibbs leaves. A solid lineup of:
PG – Tray Woodall
SG – Moore/Patterson
SF – Robinson
PF – Birch/Zanna
C – Taylor

Not too bad of a lineup. Gibbs’ departure would actually help the team for 2012-13.

Comment by Dylan 03.31.11 @ 8:30 pm

Good analysis as always from Chris Dokish:
link to bebballreportpitt.blogspot.com

Comment by TonyinHouston 03.31.11 @ 8:43 pm

Dylan: Shooting Forward who can’t shoot? Lol. You have literally 2 guys in the lineup that can hit a shot from 10 feet from the basket. It wouldn’t work, teams could just collapse on us. Once Birch gets his outside shot he’ll be a small forward in college or the pros, so I would tend to move him more there if it’s developed by then with all our backcourt depth.

Comment by Krayz 04.01.11 @ 12:22 am

I saw Mel Bennett play — played only one year and as a freshman and was a really good rebiunder and great shot blocker, but certainly wasn’t ready for the pros because he needed to develop his offensive skills, thus never made it …. DO YOU HEAR THIS, KHEM?

Comment by wbb 04.01.11 @ 7:29 am

Saw him too, at Peabody and Pitt. Agree with wbb on his pro career. That’s where the ABA was a bad thing IMHO. It produced greats like Dr. J and The Ice Man, but because they needed bodies it shortened a lot of otherwise promising careers. That’s the fear of the NBA with early-entry, I think.

Comment by TampaT 04.01.11 @ 10:18 am

@ Krayz
I guess your right about not having enough shooters, but the abbreviation SF also refers to Small Forward. Also, I think I remember Zanna having a decent mid range shot when he was getting a lot of playing time. I think the lineup would match up very well against certain teams.

Comment by Dylan 04.01.11 @ 11:32 am

FRANKCAN, you often post good analyzes, but please do a favor for the Pitt alumni on this blog: Either proof-read your comments before posting or repeatedly state that you are not a Pitt graduate. (If, indeed, you do proof-read your comments before posting, select the latter suggestion above.)

Comment by BigGuy 04.01.11 @ 11:39 am

Hes a hard worker,he clearly showed that in the Mcdonald’s all American game. To say hes not going to be an impact player at pitt next year is surprising.People who play hard even if they don have much talent always seem to get the job done. With his motor and length and nose for the offense glass i feel it is going a very productive season for Birch if he plays with the right attitude.also to knock him and say ”Better than Wednesday? Look out Big East” the kid clearly has his goals in line and wants to fulfill them. We see how it turns out,but from my point of veiw your all wrong with this article.

Comment by splash35 04.05.11 @ 9:45 am

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