Birch or Graham? Graham or Birch? I would much rather not have to mention either one for at least six months. Instead they both decided to spout off this week. Well, since Birch went first, I’ll start with him.
Player transfers happen. Even mid-year ones involving high-level recruits. Every year there are a handful of them for whatever reason. It’s the first time it happened to Pitt so we may be reacting like it is something bizarre, but it really isn’t so far removed from reality. No matter how much some sportswriters decry it as a plague upon the game.
For the most part, these players find their new school. Make the choice and other than a few perfunctory interviews or press releases saying mainly that they just want to look forward to the future. Saying nice things about their new school and coach. Then they lower their head and are not heard from until they actually step out on the court in a year.
This works, because, they are athletes. They ultimately get judged by their performance on the court. Do well, and the transfer was reasonable and clearly was the right choice. Flop or fail to match the hype and you are a spoiled product of the AAU culture who can’t face his own failings.
Apparently the “advisors” for Khem Birch took a look at Jerry Sandusky’s interview with Bob Costas after being charged with multiple molestations and said, “Hey, that’s the kind of strategy we should follow!”
So, they decided that having Birch do a radio interview with Pittsburgh sports radio was a fine way to help with his image. Because that matters in Las Vegas and will make a difference in a market where he no longer goes to school or plays. Here’s the audio of the interview and the transcript of his interview on 93.7 FM.
Some of the key exchanges:
Gregg Giannotti: We want to hear from you what your determining factor was to leave Pittsburgh.
Khem Birch: I felt like it all started when Pat Skerry had left from what he had told me, and then when I got there and all of a sudden when I experienced the system.
No real shock here. When Skerry left Providence for the Pitt job, Birch went from being a dead lock Providence commit to a Pitt commit. When Skerry took that Towson job, Birch did waiver but ultimately stuck with Pitt. If for no other reason than the fact that he had already signed an NLI. Birch did not have that same level of knowing and trusting the coaches at Pitt.
PA: As far as your relationship with Jamie Dixon, I’ve never really heard many people say bad things about the coach.
KB: Oh no, no, no, me and Coach Dixon, we were okay. We didn’t really connect like that.GG: When you say you didn’t connect, what do you mean by that?
KB: There was no relationship formed. Like, you know, I wouldn’t call him to tell him how I felt and all of that.
Word choice being key here. “Wouldn’t” as opposed to “couldn’t.” He didn’t communicate with Coach Dixon or any of the other assistants about his problems or concerns. If you want to argue that Dixon and the other coaches should have been more proactive at their end in checking on him, making sure things were okay. Finding out if he was having problems, probing and prodding, that’s a valid point. The thing is, we don’t actually know that they didn’t since Pitt isn’t going to say a word.
Again it goes back to his relationship with Skerry — who wooed and recruited him for at least two years. No one else on the staff had much time to get to know him. To recognize any signs that there were problems.
Birch reiterated his primary reason for transferring being that he didn’t like Pitt’s system.
PA: As far as the fit, you see UNLV and there was talk about maybe going to Kentucky; what is it about the way that Pitt plays basketball that doesn’t fit the way you play basketball?
KB: I felt like they slow the ball down too much. It’s not a fast-paced team.GG: Did they say it was going to be a fast-paced team when you came in, and that kind of changed and that’s what turned you off a little bit?
KB: Yeah, when I was there, they said, ‘We don’t slow the ball down. We’re the third-leading scoring team in the Big East. We don’t slow the ball down.’ They said with all the athletes that were coming in that we were going to be more of an up-tempo team.
The choice for UNLV is interesting. There is no doubt they play more up-tempo. The thing is, Birch (and his advisers) apparently envision his own game as more evolved than it is. Of UNLV’s top-5 scorers, only one is not a perimeter/wing player. Mike Moser — who can shoot 3s and handle the ball. We’ve already seen that Birch is not a particularly strong ball handler and not a great shooter. He may be joining a team that runs, but Birch isn’t going to be getting his number called for scroing except for offensive rebounds and the occasional transition basket when he gets down court fast enough. While there is no doubt UNLV will tweak their game for Birch’s talent, it becomes a question of by how much — especially when he won’t be on the court with them until mid-year.
As for tempo. Not much I can say about that, other than tempo was slow. Pitt could score plenty because of the offense being rather efficient and shooting well early in the season. I think everyone from the coaches to the players envisioned playing a bit faster, but Pitt was not doing a good enough job taking care of the ball that way — even before Woodall got hurt.
The biggest deal were the comments he made about his former teammates. No surprise on the part where he said he only felt that he had a relationship with two of them. By all accounts he was shy at best, to stand-offish himself. And I’m guessing that his new teammates were a bit put-off and did not work hard to get close to him. But he characterized the whole thing a bit differently.
PA: What was it about the relationship that wasn’t working, as far as your teammate?
KB: I felt like, just coming in as an All-American, they didn’t try to embrace me or anything. I think some felt threatened.GG: Like a little bit of jealousy?
KB: Yeah, kind of.PA: Interesting. Dante Taylor, a fellow McDonald’s All-American, did you strike up a decent relationship with him?
KB: Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, I used to talk to Dante a lot about what was going on at Pitt and all of that.GG: Who do you think felt threatened by you?
KB: I don’t want to name any names. I’m just saying like?you know what I mean? I’m just saying, I just felt like some people felt threatened.
Let the speculation run rampant. Or not. It’s amusing to see how tone deaf he is — like so many other 18-year olds. It’s all about him. The problem was his teammates didn’t embrace him. That he was not seen as bestowing his potential greatness on them and the basketball team.
But that was all small potatoes to the final accusation. That this Pitt team is selfish.
GG: Alright, final one for you Khem. What do you think is wrong? The team has struggled right now mightily; what do you think their biggest problem is?
KB: I don’t know. But when I was there, I remember when some people didn’t get what they wanted?during a half, if they didn’t score a certain amount of points, during halftime, it would be silence from those players. It wasn’t like they were happy. Even if we were winning, they would just get mad because they didn’t get what they wanted.GG: You’re saying it was a little bit selfish in the lockerroom? It wasn’t a team concept?
KB: Yeah, it wasn’t really like a team sometimes, because some people just wanted what they wanted, and if they didn’t get it, they would just mope around.
Cue the taking notice of the irony.
Birch, though, left the team after 10 games because he didn’t get what he wanted, having complained earlier to CBSSports.com about playing the center position at Pitt. More playing time was available at center, and ultimately the starting job, whereas senior Nasir Robinson has been a three-year starter at power forward. The Panthers, like most college teams, rarely run plays designed to get their power forward the ball inside. Birch doesn’t have the skills to operate on the perimeter, like Indiana’s Christian Watford or Kentucky’s Terrence Jones.
Not surprisingly, the players didn’t want to say much other than to dispute the “selfish” accusation.
“We are definitely not selfish,” he [Ashton Gibbs] said after Monday night’s loss to Syracuse. “If that’s the opinion of his, that’s the opinion of his. He’s elsewhere right now, and I’m not really worried about him, and I wish him the best of luck.”
Coach Dixon also didn’t have much to say on the matter.
Dixon seemed stunned when told of Birch’s comments. For one thing, no one has ever accused his team of being selfish. People have said it can’t shoot at times over the years. They’ve said it can’t win big NCAA tournament games. But no one has talked of egos being a problem.
“I don’t see that at all,” Dixon said.
Dixon said he spoke often with Birch. “I always told him to let me know how he was feeling.”
Asked if he would handle Birch differently if he had a do-over, Dixon shook his head and said, “Based on what he told me, I don’t know that there could have been a different way.”
Sure there could have been a different way. Built the entire team around Birch for this year to showcase him. Made sure to run all the time regardless of the players. Perhaps even consulted with Birch’s advisers on strategy.
Arizona State (Todd Graham, Pittsburgh head coach): “D”
Forget the unseemly way he exited Pitt. Why exactly is Graham is a hot commodity to begin with? It’s certainly not due to his one 6-6 Big East season. He had three 10-win seasons at Tulsa, but much of the credit belongs to respected offensive coordinators Gus Malzahn and Chad Morris. His one season without either, he went 5-7. But perhaps his fourth dream job in six years will be the one.
On the third try, Pitt got it right. The soft-spoken Madison native had a tremendous impact on the Badgers, particularly their quarterbacks, a sore spot for the Panthers the past several years. His smash-mouth approach fits well in the Steel City, and it helps that he’s bringing renowned offensive line coach Bob Bostad with him.
i could see were a player who has been here for years might go at birch alittle harder in practice
than was needed. becuse he thought birch was takeing his place. and birch was skinny we all knew he need to put on weight.
and they mat have froze him out for a time
plus some people are senstive it might have helped if some had taken the time to tell things would change next year that the pace would be faster
just saying you dont throw out the baby with the bath water some times people need a little love
jammie might have been a little to busy to see what was going on and his top asst is new.
He is bound to improve the team quality (can’t get much worse.)
Certainly there were some tensions on minutes, pts and etc among all players that contributed to the out-of-sync play over the last month. Trey’s injury made it harder to find the equilibrium. Then Birch’s departure just compounded the problem.
As Chas & SI point out, that is some bitter irony in light of his comments. Maybe if you would have shown more commitment to help this team, young man, they would have reciprocated by embracing you. and JJ may have said similar things, but he’s stayed to try to fix them and Birch bailed.
This team is predominantly unselfish (to a fault at times) and this has been a hallmark of the program under Dixon. It still is, despite the unexpected growing pains this year. And Pitt teams have been capable of picking up the tempo for some time, but only when they’re in rhythm, which isn’t something you can just walk into and expect. It looks to me, in some ways, that its a self-fulfilling prophecy to say that your leaving because the team is selfish and plays slow tempo ball, when you in the season’s infancy selishly leave the team before it can get into high gear.
To me it seems that, at least for this season, Birch’s talent departure isn’t what hurts us as much as his departures disruption to an already unsteady equilibrium that hurt us.
Anyway, you can say what you want about the guys on the squad now, but they’re sticking with the program and if they do turn it around thru commitment and hustle (like they showed ready to do vs Cuse) it’ll be an achievement of the type Birch will never know.
I’m blabbering (or blathering) and restating what chas already outlined. i know. but its cathartic and helps me procrastinate work.
however,
you can’t tell 18-22 year olds, nor should they be expected to, “coddle” the new guy. New guys have to earn the respect of their teammates, and many times, it takes time, sometimes years to earn that respect.
the new guy.
I had a mentor when I began at Pitt. He was a fraternity big brother (whose dad, by the way, owned the Pawnshop on the Corner…)
Didn’t yinz?
would not be bad and not beating on a skinny kid
becuse he is goning to take your job might be nice.
some 18 year olds are street wise some are not i
think he just wanted to be part of the team and felt he wasent after all this was not boxing 101
I think it was Brad Wannamaker (or maybe Jermaine Dixon) who tweeted shortly after Birch left something along the lines of “some guys are cut out for tough coaching and competing for minutes”. Sounds like they were dead-on right.
Sorry guys….the streets are filled with guys like this….goodbye son and don’t come back.
Not if Gilbert actually gets to play, improves and gives us a 6’11” shot blocker & backup to Adams. Not if either or both Lamar & JJ start to penetrate & score from the 3 spot.
Not if Jamies continues to mix zone with man to man and improve our D. Not if we actually start making foul shots and cut down on turnovers.
Otherwise, yeah, you’re right. We’re f-cked.
i could see were a player who has been here for years might go at birch a little harder in practice
than was needed. becuse he thought birch was takeing his place. and birch was skinny we all knew he need to put on weight.
Comment by FRANKCAN 01.18.12 @ 1:30 pm
Agree with Frankcan.
The threat was to Sleepy’s playing time and according to Zanna they roughhoused Birch in practice. Funny, because these guys play soft in the games.
Most of the Mac All-Americans are use to being catered to. Coach better get better in handling these types or we’re not going to be able to either recruit them or keep them. (note Herrion recruited Taylor and Skerry recruited Birch)
Because we’re never gonna get over that hump without some better recruits, especially those very talented PG’s and wings that usually kill us in The Dance !
And I think it’s noteworthy the reporter asked Gibbs about the selfishness question.
He is a typical spoiled coddled AAU product and while he is obviously talented, it has always been about him, his parents and “advisors” or peeps, as we know them.
I could regale all of you with my horror storys of AAU ball which I quit coaching on no less than four occasions. The last time after one of my players had his dad and a few peeps waiting for me in the dark parking lot to display their anger with my pulling their “precious” point guard from the game early. They did not care for my answer.
AAU really adds weight to the adage “the best coaching job is in an orphanage!”
No parents, no advisors, no peeps….no ego.
Birch did desrve more playing time – he was at the time and will in the future twice the player Robinson is. He should of been playing at the 4 since Adams will be here next year and Birch needed to work on his game in that position.
Dixon unlike Calhoun and Boeheim do not force his top players to play out of position. They compensate until they get the next piece.
Taylor should go to the 4 now and Robinson should go to the bench. The argument that neither Zanna or Taylor could guard at the 4 is wrong. Since they are not 5 they can not defense in the post. At the 4 both would be matched up against players of their same height. There are few SF in college that can put the ball on the floor and take it to the basket.
Next year Robinson will be gone and this will help the team. Gibbs will be gone and it will not hurt the team because Johson has shown himself to be an equal at the 3 point range. Robinson, a true point guard with some height will be here. Adams a true center will play the post Taylor and Zanna at SF (rotating to cneter to spell Adams). If Birch had been handled properly Adams and Birch could have been a force.
Taylor at 4 may finally show that along with his already strong rebounding game some offense because he will not be up against bigger and stronger defenders. He should benefit from Adams prescence in the post.
I hope Dixon starts Adams and Robinson from the start as they would be at Syracuse and Uconn. Let them develop so by February they are not rookies.
Winning 20 games by mid-January and losing 70% of your last games during the Big East and NCAA time is sometimes the product of favoring less talented upperclassmen (Robinson) and eroding the skills of players by having them play in positions were they can not compete (Taylor).
The contrast between you and Gary McGhee is striking. By the time he grew out the dreads and got inked, he was easy to spot in a mostly good way. He was confident, understood the schemes on both ends of the floor, played hard, and when you noticed him it was largely in a good way. If he was that easy to spot as a frosh, it would have just been embarassing, much like it was most of the time we caught a glimpse your ridiculous coif.
The fact that you chose Pitt at all suggested that maybe you’re not the typical spoiled 5 star AAU darling and that you wanted to learn to play the game the right way. That was obviously not the case. I imagine maybe you’ll play for some NBA team some day (or maybe not — lots of your type wash out too), and I’ll cite YOU as the reason why the NBA is largely unwatchable and an afront to people who actually enjoy watching the game of basketball played the right way.
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That’s funny, Ghost…in a much earlier post, I made a similar comment. You don’t see hairstyles like that on real players. They let their games speak for themselves. By the way, it didn’t look “hilarious” to me; it looked like a punk kid.
Don’t forget Durand Johnson will be a redshirt freshman and likely compete for SG time with Gibbs gone.
Yes. I agree. And by “hilarious,” I mean ‘look at that punk kid! Doesn’t he look hilariously ridiculous!’ I don’t care how players want to demonstrate their individuality, but if you want to draw attention, make sure it’s for the right reason — in this case his hair was more ostentatious than his game.
That one fella had it right, the pitt basketball team is always spouting off about how tough they are and how hard they practice, and get after it, maybe they shouldn’t do it in practice and try doing it in the games. They are very,very weak in real games and show very,very little enthusiasm, or unity, either. And please coach dixon when you bring the ball upcourt over the halfcourt line, try something other than throwing it to the same corner everytime, everybody, including the opponent knows where it is going to.
