I do believe a good bit about what Khem Birch said to CBSSports.com’s Jeff Goodman about leaving Pitt — well at least the part about not being particularly close to his teammates and feeling isolated. When you look at most of the places Birch cites for potential transfer destinations, they are programs that happen to have a Canadian player on the team. Pitt by the way, has released Birch to transfer to anywhere except Missouri.
Other aspects I’m not so sure about. Check out PittScript for a good running account of everything from yesterday — including the Mizzou tampering allegations. Mizzou has denied any tampering allegations, and it seems Pitt buys it — because the contact appears to have come from some of the people around Birch. And those same people are the reason Mizzou really doesn’t want much to do with Birch.
Birch also insists that he is in no rush to get to the NBA.
Maybe he isn’t, but those around sure seem to give that vibe. Pushing him to go somewhere else mid-year to play in a different system. To up his draft stock.
And this is the problem. Birch insists this decision was his and his mother’s. Everyone else has been saying a lot of pressure to bolt came from people around him. A lot of hanger-ons and people looking to cash in on him. They appear to be manipulating Birch. Those people are still around him.
That Missouri is implying that behind-the-scenes and publicly by stating they have no interest in him, says volumes.
He is obviously starting to hear and see things about the way he is perceived — or those around him are. The interview seemed a bit of spin control effort.
He has some great talent and potential, but there is a much longer list of players who quickly washed out of the NBA (or never even made it). Those with as much potential or more who had so many of the peripheral issues do more than just distract.
Birch may be a nice kid. Immature and naive as well. The fact is, that is, that excuse only lasts so long. At some point it becomes his responsibility to take control. Ultimately it is his actions by which people will decide what kind of person he is.
For their own good, never a good ending when someone is rushed through. If the handlers were smart, they’d know, that most guys need a couple years of college to get into the NBA.
Unless you’re LeBron or a few of the others, you will double or triple your money by staying in school for a few years.
You will then probably expand your career from 1 or 2 years, to possibly 10 or more.
Silly handlers, if they only knew, it would be better for everyone.
Birch will regret his choice. this is a lose-lose. Not blaming Jamie, but we need to replace Birch’s shot blocking and hustle on D, and so far we haven’t.
Even the ACC pundits.
Not being biad either, I could care less, but it seems to be that the ACC had it for a few years, then they both kind of went back and forth for a few years, and the past couple, the BE has been top dog.
Now, when Pitt, Syracuse and WVU leave, with the former two going to the ACC, there won’t be much of a question.
Not to argue, but how do we know Dixon didn’t feel him out. He could have had all the right answers then and said all the right things.
In my mind, Dixon has carte blanche for awhile, but, I do believe he will need to adapt a bit more, not for the ACC really, but, it seems some teams have figured out his vanilla “o” a bit, more for the future in general.
or a cheerleader to be friends with star players so they did not get lonley there first year.
you know some one to hang with becuse they thought stars needed special treatment so they dident get home sick
Sports reflect society.
But Maryland won the National Championship in 2003 I believe. And always has a very good program since the Lefty Driscell days.
Georgia Tech has had some very good if not great teams.
Wake Forest had some very great teams with Tim Duncan and going way back with Billy Packer.
NC State has won 2 National Championships, and PITT fans should know about at least one of those.
Boston College always had a good to very good team in the BigEast and will rise again.
UVA has had great teams with Ralph Sampson and Jeff Lamp and other greats.
Clemson always has a pretty good team and is usually in the NCAA’s and Va tech is improving under former Pitt asst. Seth Greenberg.
Florida State always has great athletes on their team and are building are pretty good program.
And then you add PITT & Syracuse to that. It will be just as good if not better than the BigEast. Granted the BigEast has been better the last few years. BUT THINGS NEVER STAY THE SAME.
I know the older guys know this axiom.
The ACC will be cycling back up.
Many of us were hoping he would go more uptempo once he had the athletes.
Rather, he did a 180. He recruited the athletes, and tried to mold them to his stale style of offense.
THIS is why Pitt’s ceiling under dixon was reached years ago. Despite having BY FAR the second best team in the country (PITT and UNC had most talent, zero question about it) with the Blair/Young/Fields team… he STILL couldnt get it done in March.
He never will
We might as well look forward to 2012, where Jamie surely will get back to peaking in January and having a few big Monday wins over Cuse.
Dont hold your breath for a tourney run, this Birch experiment was TERRIBLE for future recruiting
so why not do it now and see if the team plays better we are all ready loseing games what can it hurt.
FRANKCAN, I enjoy your posts. They generally are insightful but not inciting. However, I have to take issue with your statement. I, for one, do not know that the BE style will not work in the ACC. I seem to remember a game in MSG a few years back against Duke. If I remember correctly, our style seemed to work just fine. Also, I believe that UConn’s style of play served them well last year.
Birch is a basketball diva. He hit a little turbulence on the path of his basketball career, and bailed out. It’s not a trait that will serve him well in his life.
Mainly I’m pissed off because his departure seemed to send our season into turmoil just when it looked like Pitt had gotten their shit together.
I realized a lot when I saw his twitter moniker..
“Mtrls Gift” or whatever it was. Anyhow, translated to Montreal’s Gift.
That says enough. And whether his “handlers” or family put those thoughts there or not, is irrelavant, that’s where his head is right now.
He’s Montreal’s gift to the basketball world.
Homesick??? Why are his schools of choice all over the place including Texas???
Shouldn’t he be enrolling at the University of Montreal???
Birch had trouble figuring out when he was done lwith high school let alone picking the correct college. My guess he wll turn into a bball vagabond and will soon be forgotten by all.
That said, Jamie Dixon is amazing. But these are the casualties of war when you need to lie to recruit.
FRANKCAN, wbb, zero93, pitt-for-life, you may have a point. I didn’t consider differences in refereeing and foul calling between BE refs and ACC refs.
“I can tell you for sure he’s not a center, by any stretch of the imagination,” said Trevor Brown, the coach at National Christian Academy… I was led to believe he’d be playing the four””People call me and say…Why is he playing the center spot?’
In Birch’s case, that he transferred two months in and said he wanted to play the 4. Pretty obvious it’s a repeated pattern. I love Dixon and all but it definitely seems like he pulled a bait and switch on these two. I think Birch made the right choice for himself. Sucks, because I wish he was at Pitt but you can’t get mad at a kid for looking out for himself when Dixon isn’t.
As much as Taylor has been a disappointment on the court, he never complains and his teammates seem to love him. He represents the University well so don’t hate on the kid for not living up to expectations.
On top of that, we haven’t had a guard with the balls to get the ball into the post since Fields.
“ya, I see you as a 4, that’s where you belong, we do switch around to help the team and play wherever needed, we’re a team, but, in the long run, ya, you’re a 4”
and
“yes Khem, you are a 4, that’s the only place you’ll ever play, you’re a 4, that’s what I’m recruiting you for, a 4. That’s it, bank it, count on it, you’re only ever gonna play a 4”.
I find it hard to believe the latter is what Dixon told Birch.
And, let’s see. Between Dixon and Howland, including Dixon being a main recruiter when he wasn’t a head coach, we have 11-12 years now of them having a track record of being pretty honest, very few problems with players, very little problem with team chemistry,
no, I’m gonna side with Dixon on this one.
p.s. not “mad” at the kid, and I wish him no harm, but, he’s not above being called out a bit.
If he wants to be the star of the team and play right away, I’m sure Towson could use him.
As for Taylor’s coach, maybe a bit of CYA there for him. The kid clearly came to Pitt playing just on his athleticism (yes, a very good high school athlete here in DC compared to others) but he clearly wasn’t coached to be college ready at the 4. Does anyone really think he’s be better at the 4 and Dixon made a mistake moving him to the 5?
Secondly, why did he come to Pitt in the first place if he needs an up-tempo pace? I wish we would run more than we do too but we don’t and apparently never will. Did he not watch Pitt hoops before this year?
How does being around another Canadian help? It isn’t like he came from Russia. Does he only speak French or something?
I don’t know. Something just ain’t adding up.
Reminds me of the QB Jeff George…multiple schools, some talent and not a friend in the world. Career was cut short by his inability to work with others.
Who thinks THIS conversation ever took place:
J.D.: “Oh sorry Dejuan. You’re definitely going to be a 4 in the Pro’s. I don’t want to screw up your NBA skills by giving you two years of playing experience at the 5 spot.”
Because of the developed skills in high school playing the 5 and his unique physical structure and the lack of quality big men in college he dominated in college.
San Antinio tried to make him a 4 but he does not have the skills and has to play at the 5. He does well with Duncan helping at the 4 but has trouble with bigger centers in the NBA.
Neither Birch nor Taylor have a future as a center in the NBA and if they do have the talent for the next level they have been short changed by Dixon not playing them a the 4. Taylor with McGee solid at the 5 should have been given the chance to play behind Naz at the 4. If he had the skills Dixon and the Pitt coaches thought when they recruited him by the end of his sophmore year he would have supplaned Naz.
This year Birch, Taylor, and Zanna would have had to rotate behind Zanna at the 5 until Adams arrived but they should have been used at the 4 made their mistakes early in the year and hopefully make big steps by Feb. and Mar. (as Calhoun and Boeheim do with their 5 star’s) play them lose early and see if they develop by the tournament (Jermy Lamb/Johnny Davis)
