Spent the afternoon and evening driving to my folks house for the weekend. My mom retired from teaching this week and they are a week away from moving down to Houston — where my sister lives. My reward for 7 hours on the road with the wife and two kids under the age of 10: drinking my dad’s good Scotch (right now it’s a a 16-year old Lagavulin) and finding out Trey Zeigler got a waiver to be eligible to play in the 2012-13 season.
Now typically you put out bad news late on a Friday of a holiday weekend, but we’ll let this slide as the exception.
“Trey was hopeful he would be eligible to play this year,” Dixon said. “Our associate athletic director Dan Bartholomae has been outstanding throughout this entire process with the NCAA and we are all very grateful that it worked out in Trey’s favor.”
According to tweets from Post-Gazette Pitt basketball beat writer Ray Fittipaldo, Pitt let Zeigler know as they were recruiting him that they believed he could get an immediate waiver. And that Zeigler has been on campus for the past couple weeks getting used/acclimated to the system and the players.
Needless to say, Pitt suddenly looks a even better for the 2012 season than before. The guard situation looks really good with Woodall, Zeigler, and Robinson. At small/wing forward with Patterson and Moore. Center with Adams. If Zanna continues to progress at power forward… Well, I think I need to reign in feelings of unbridled optimism.
Has Sleepy declared for the NBA draft yet? We can only hope!
Last year our defense and offense were soft. Off ensively, they need to go to the hoop and hit the boards. On d they need to get in the belly buttons of their opponents and create turnovers. Jamie needs to create an atmosphere where the boys can go to a different level when march madness comes around. Typically, they play so hard during the regular season and they can’t kick it up a notch.
If you look at louisville and kentucky, they kick it up at tournament time. It’s an attitude!!
Careful on the roads all, and have a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend!!
I’m sure most do, but remind some others if they need it, especially the young, to make sure to take a minute to remember the fallen heroes!!!!!!
Then enjoy the picnics!!!!!
Seriously, ditto.
Calling it.
Loaded with potential.
Let’s leave Big East Basketball with a bang.
1) Power Forward: Loved Nas’ gritty play and craftiness, but it always seemed like he was making up for something that should’ve been present in a PF. A little more length and athleticism namely. Zanna has the physical gifts to be a “pure” PF and here’s hoping he steps up and can be more in the Tyrell Biggs Levon Kendall mold. If so the upside of our front court is huge. If he doesnt improve the hole wont be too glaring given that, fortunately we have such depth and versatility at the SF/swing position that we can fill gaps at PF by switching any 3 of Moore, Patterson or Zeigler to PF for spells. D. Johnson is a question and may be more needed on the outside. (see below) But an improved Zanna is ideal given his length and the upside of having two long guys down low to own the boards. Footwork, garbage buckets and b-ball IQ are where he needs to step up.
2) Outside shooting. Still in need of consistent shooter. Hopefully Durand Johnson is that guy as has been therumor. Or Moore may figure out what was broke in hi shot over the summer. In any case I think shooting generally should be more open floor for guys ot have room to shoot this year. We now have the horses for some dribble-drive attack so defenses will cant play as tight on our shooters. They also cant gamble as much since the big men who could cover if guards ever got beat cant leave Adams now to help. We should (SHOULD!) have more of an inside-out game going with Adams down low. Oh the value of a good center.
3) Defense. Think its almost inevitable this improves so long as the guys make it a focus. And I cant imagine that they arent aware its an issue nor that Dixon wont be drilling this home. In addition, Adams in the middle helps big time obviously. He takes away the inside-out game that teams abused us with. Gilbert may help too if he improved. Also the fact that 2 of our 3 least athletic guys won’t be on the floor anymore (Gibbs, Nas). We’ll have a much more athletic rotation that can cover a lot more ground.
These are my 3 issues / concerns and because its super hot outside and I dont want to leave my couch I just told you all about them. So there ya go.
Uncharacteristically, Nas and Gibbs turned out to be liabilities last season. I hope Jamie learned last season that, if you have high potential talent like Birch and in the future, Adams, Robinson, et al, you try to get them on the court early and often.
PF, not C
Someone I know at Pitt told me that he once saw Birch cross paths with his teammates with neither acknowledging each other. Certainly an ominous signal.
Only concern on this front is the seeming backlog of 6’5″ – 6’6″ guys. Moore, D. Johnson, Zeigler, Patterson. Add Cam Wright to that rotation and there just isnt room for everyone. Moore and Patterson have ‘earned’ the minutes given their seniority. But Zeigler aslo only has 2yrs left too. Could be tough on those guys to fight for minutes.
I just don’t like hearing that Dixon doesn’t play the best players. Most talented and “best” are oftentimes mutually exclusive.
A bunch at least.
1. favortism for specific players (this year Robinson, Gibbs, and Woodall)each of who was more of a liability than assest. They could not play defense and Woodall and Gibbs were terrible ballhandlers, penetrators, and stagnanted the offense with their selfish play. Both could only score against Div 1A and 11 teams. Yet they play close to 80 minutes a game. Past favorites that hurt the team (Fields [who had two all-americans but in his mind it was his team./Krauser when you had a 7’ft. NBA player on the same court).
2. coaching – every year one of the highest turnover teams in the league. The coaching staff could not teach how to break a trap press against a junior high team.
3. every year terrible free throw shooting team as well as shooting fundamentals of the player in general. Fields shot with two hands and was so bad a shooter teams never switched when Blair screen they wanted him to shot while Blair was away from the basket. Could not coach basic shooting mechanics.
4. The coach for destroying a young players confidence retarding his progress by yanking him immediately for a mistake any player might make. Dixon might be the worst coach for Adams. Restrict his natural skills and playing time for if at UK,SU,UConn the best college center in basketball next year. This is also a major concern with Robinson delaying his progression.
By September Robinson will be better than Woodall by January if given 30 minutes a game Pitt could have a PG. This is unlikely because Dixon will annoit next years team Woodall’s team, a player who will not receive one vote for honorable mention in the big-east. As his predecessors, especially Fields (who personally kept us out of the final four and beyond having 2 of the top 12 players of the year on the same court)Woodall will waste Adams. The next yaer he will be in the NBA. Birch was write.
3. Bad coaching and recruiting. Not recruiting a legitimate center in 3 years lead to last year. Instead taking a MAC 5 star forward who never played with his back to the basket. Had him put on 20 pounds causing him to lose his quickness and leaping ability. Instead of falting the coach he became the poster boy for Dixon’s coaching limitations. He was berated by the press and fans and may never regain his confidence that is so important for any atheletee. Last year Pitt was smaller than most large high schools.
4. It is time for Dixon to show if he really can coach. He has arguably (based on NBA scouts) the most skilled center in college basketball if he uses him properly and doesn’t destroy his confidence as he did Taylors and Youngs. He finally has a PG that he needs to play lots of minutes bfore Jan. and stop being obssessed with his W-L record trying to go undefeated before big-east play [last year 11-1].
If he hasn’t destroyed Moore’s confidence and or fail to set realistic parameters on his game until he provided he could do it. Moore is a potential big-east selection.
Zeigler – big east 2nd team
Moore big east 3rd team
Adams – all American
Robinson – all rookie team
Taylor – honorable mention or higher big east.
Consider my points on basketball not emotion and I think it is obvious that Dixon has cinks in his armour that have been ignored for years. Not the final four flap but basic coaching flaws.
1. favoritism–Complete BS. The best available players have always played even if you don’t/didn’t think so.
2. coaching–If it is/was so bad how did they win so much. With such bad coaching you would need a squad of NBA all stars to do as well as Dixon has. Press problems were more of a physical size and speed problem (i.e,, Dixon hasn’t had many of those long-tall future NBA all-stars to work with). Dixon has gotten pretty much the most out of what he has had to work with. Most other coaches would have done far worse with the same level of talent.
3. You learn free throw shooting skills at the grade school/high school level. Hardly anyone improves after that because bad habits have become ingrained and are nearly impossible to break. If anything its because better free throw shooters weren’t recruited. It not something you can coach up meaningfully at this level.
4. Again, BS, the object is to win. None of these players have had their confidence broken they all eventually do well and likely better than if they were allowed to continue to repeat their mistakes. If they were regularly having their confidence broken more would have left and starred elsewhere. The only quitter was that prima-donna Birch with handlers whispering in his ear. Pitt players have been developed to their potential–which is when they learn to play all facets of a “team” game well enough to suit a demanding and successful coach.
IMO, if you had been Pitt’s coach instead of Dixon even the Blair/Young team would have had a losing record.
You come across as just a typical know-it-all fan who believes he knows far more than a highly successful coach. It’s your right as a fan to have whatever opinion youn like. And, if it were of a losing and unsuccessful coach your opinion would seem reasonable. But when it is of one of the most successful college coaches to ever come along and one who has had almost no NBA level talent to work with; then, the opinion you hold tends to convince most other knowledgeable fans that you seem delusional as regards evaluating a coach’s ability.
1) Dixon didnt have the horses last year. Who should have gotten mintues that didnt? Only person whose minutes should have arguably gone up were Moore’s but those DID go up late in the season and he still had some obvious draw backs (inconsistent D and broken shot)
2) this is the closest thing you get to being correct I think. Our TOs were bad last year and never great. Whn you face L-ville and at least 2 other pressing teams a year you should havea press break built into your offense. its an ongoing weakness of Dixon’s. but not the worst sin a coach could have.
3) FT shooting is bad but i dont blame the coach unless free throw shooting consistently costs us games. Players gotta get in the gym and get reps thats it. cant take time away from the rest of practice so that each guy can take turns shooting.
4) I do think his leash is sometimes too short for certain guys but i’ll never fault a coach for sacrificing a single player’s ego for the sake of the team’s system. not when that system is a proven one.
5) (or 3)?) Dixon has absolutely not been a bad recruit. Everyone in the ocuntry thought Taylor would be very very good. It was a miss, but they happen. On paper he looked IDEAL for Pitt. That he stinks is not Dixon’s fault. I’d blame his bad back, knees and migraine before I blamed Dixon.
And Birch is a b*tch. And he just wasted about $1Million cuz he postponed his NBA paycheck a year so he’s also stupid. Good riddance.
You can knock the post-season disappointments, but i’d argue that most resulted from regular season over-achieving. The only year he had more than 1 NBA player on his roster he came within 3 seconds of the final four. I dont blindly and unconditionally defend Dixon. I do think he may keep some guys on too short a leash. I do think he put too much on Gibbs’ shoulders last year. FT shooting and pres-breaking are not great, and his calling card of super hihg-efficient offenses with strong defenses fell apart last year. But its far from saying his coaching is fundamentally bad. You simply can not say one of the 5-7 winningest coaches of the last decade, despite the relatively low level of talen, is a fundamentally bad coach. You cant’.
“Every year” the team has high turnovers? “Only a Sith deals in absolutes” (Obi Wan said that!). Use stats, man. Fields’ teams had a notoriously high assist to TO ratio. Dixon’s teams, before Woodall, were typically pretty safe with the ball in the half court. Seriously, look it up, I’ll wait.
“Playing favorites”? Huh? If “favorite” means “best player at their position on the team” then yes, playing Gibbs and Woodall and Fields and Kruaser as much as they did is because Jamie liked them better. You can’t just say something sucks; suggest an alternative. Who should have played instead of Gibbs/Robinson/Woodall this year? Sometimes its hard for me to see that far down the bench, was Lebron over there or something?
The non-conference isn’t preseason. You can’t use the time to try every possible lineup or keep freshmen in so they get experience. You have to win those games to, because, you know, they all count. “I mean we went 5-5 OOC and lost to LeSalle and Towson, but we really figured some things out!”
Jamie Dixon: Destroyer of Confidence. I guess all those “Most Improved Player” awards are even more impressive since these kids had to work against their coach.
I can’t stand these unending “grass is always greener” arguments in sports. How many programs are looking at the blue and gold and going, “dayam, I wish we had what Pitt has”? Answer: lots and lots.
Please. He probably would have ended up getting the same minutes Sleepy and Aaron Gray got their Freshman year.
The Iceland Popsicles would have paid him a whopping $75 k.
As for breaking a press most coaches choose to break a press man to man or zone withe pass not a one on one dribble with the dribbling guard being manufaured each time toward the sideline for an immediate physical double team an an ensuing trap. Size of the guards is not important. Also Pitt, unlike most teams, when a basket is scored rather than have the man who gets the ball taken it out he hands it to the referee (as required) but then a guard comes to get the ball after all this time the press is set. Also the inbunds player does not seem to understand he can maseline.
One question what do you attribute to the final play of the half and game when their is over 10 seconds when the ball always goes to the annoited guard (the other team never tries to deny this pass) and instead of running an offensive set and get a good shoot or a shot with 5 seconds left with the hope of an offensive rebound. Instead you see that guard always dribble the clock out without penetration and trow up a desperation shot as the buzzer runs out. Such a terrible play and lucky shot against Duke hurt Pitt more than it helped reinforcing Fields ego.
No one can dney a front line of 6’9″, 6’5″, and 6’6″ is small even for a lare high school. Especially when your center never played the position. Anyone who has played the game knows (as you argued about mechanics and you cannot have it both ways) by college changing a players position unless he is incredibly gifted does not work. Is this Dixon’s or Taylors fault.
I am a fan of Dixon’s but his coaching liabilities as we all have have hurt Pitt in the past. As a former coach I know I made more mistakes than he has including favortism that comes with coaching.
He’s also only had one bad year. His teams play with heart and compete until the very end. Dixon has stated several times that the type of player he recruits isn’t necessarily a great FT shooter. This isn’t the NBA where you have countless hours with the kids – they have to pick and choose what areas to focus on. Typically, Pitt’s FT shooting improves throughout the season and I’m having a hard thinking of a game where it outright cost them a game.
The recruiting misses have certainly been frustrating but that’s a risk you take with the higher profile recruits. Taylor and Birch didn’t pan out but it hasn’t stopped Dixon from bringing in Adams or Robinson this year. You swing and miss sometimes…luckily you have more at bats.
As I mentioned earlier, the best players and most talented players aren’t necessarily the same people. As a fan, you are looking at the potential instead of the reality. I have zero problems with how Dixon has managed PT for his players…and to say he stunted their growth is one of the most misinformed, completely off base remarks I’ve seen in a while. No other team approaches Pitt in regards to the BE Most Improved Player rewards. It’s consistently brought up by EVERYONE who covers the team from the media, coaches and executives at how well Dixon’s players improve from freshman year to senior year. It’s considered a testament of his coaching ability in almost every write up that you read on him.
My advice to you is to temper your expectations a bit and enjoy the the Golden Age of Pitt basketball before it goes away. Dixon has brought in players who represent the school and city well that play hard and win. In addition to this, you also know that Pitt will win the right way – with dignity and respect and without cutting corners or bending rules. Dixon’s legacy at Pitt won’t flame out like the scandals you are seeing at every turn now in college athletics.
HTP
Conversely an average player that receives press that pumps his skills can over inflate a young man’s value to the team.
Next year that could be Woodall stats for 2012 after D2 and 1A scoring binges. Against confernce opponents granted playing hurt but most players at this level play hurt the entire year. In the 14 big east games he played about 35 minutes against averaged 10 pts., 31% fgm, 70 assist and a whopping 52 turnovers. If you factor out the 17 pts and 29 against Providence and Villinova as well as the combined 14 assists. the statitics are more telling.
I am not arguing to replace Dixon, at Pitt despite our incredible 10 year success I am only pointing out weaknesses that should not exist at any level with any players. A sound and way to attack the press. Yes you can improve a shooters mechanics regardless of level. They do it in college football with recievers routes, qbs mechanics, linemans footwork.
Why is it any different in basketball?
Woodall’s injury was not the typical play through the pain type of injury – he had surgery that’s knocked him out for 4 months since the season ended…which should tell you just how tough the kid is.
Since when don’t players improve playing under Dixon – see the most improved player trophies. Taylor just didn’t live up to expectations and, I agree, that’s hurt the team…but I have a hard time believing he would have been much more successful on any elite program. Taylor would have been better off in C-USA.
Regarding the press, Pitt has been very successful over the years…just ask Rick Pitino. Woodall’s injury certainly didn’t help this year though. I will agree that you always hear about Pitt being a low turnover team but I’ve always thought they had way too many TO”s based on their possessions per game. Offensive efficiency has always masked this weakness and that was exposed this year. Most of these TO’s aren’t press related though.
No one is doubting that this years team was bad and had a bunch of holes. They were small, un-athletic and had no ball handlers. Dixon has addressed all of these things in the offseason though and hopefully 2011/2012 was just an fluke. As I’ve mentioned previously, assistant turnover and recruiting misses contributed to the bad year. That is on Dixon and, to me, it looks like he realizes this so I’m not too worried. All the major programs have down years and he has a top 5 recruiting class coming in.
To me, it just seems you don’t like Dixon’s style of basketball – which is fine because it’s not pretty. Dixon hasn’t put an emphasis on recruiting shooters so guys with good mechanics are going to be few and far between. Hell, even Gibbs doesn’t have a pretty 3. Dixon wants to win attacking the boards and being efficient on offense and defense. This type of player generally isn’t a great shooter or free throw shooter.
*Krauser was a mess
*Dixon’s loyalty to upperclassmen sometimes gets him in trouble
*Woodall stinks
*Pitt teams have struggled with full court pressure for years
*The frontcourt and backcourt recruiting has been very questionable over the past few years. We can all hope Adams and Robinson break that streak.
You just have to parse DRW’s comments to find those kernels of truth 🙂
DRW — did you actually claim Fields lost us the elite 8 game? If any player could be singled out for that loss its Jermaine Dixon but the truth is hardly anyone on Pitt played great that game. Jaime Dixon did fail to get the ball to Blair much that game, so i’ll concede maybe MAYBE he had bad strategy that year. But i’m really reaching here to make sense of the comment.
Last – why are people knocking Dixon’s recruiting the past few years? Are you really trying to argue it has not steadily, if only incrementaly, improved over the course of the decade? People are saying he did not recruit a true center in 3 yrs somehow overlooking Gilbert and revising history to to say that anyone had doubts about Taylor as a recruit. And I guess they forget Dixon started out with a program that could pull in only 1 NBA player ever 5-10yrs, then recruited 3 NBA players during the latter 5yrs of his tenure, and then recruited a couple more McD all-americans (granted they were mis-fires but ones everyone in the country would have made) and that’s not even counting this year, his best class yet. He’s not flawless, but recruiting is definitely not Dixon’s major flaw fellas.
Woodall doesn’t stink. He was hurt basically the entire year and sucked it up. The one week he was his healthiest he was National Player of the week.
Fields cost the team the Final Four? Such a joke. He was one of the best PGs that year. Not even worth addressing.
Also the whole thing with the press, you do realize teams like Louisville run the press because it forces turnovers against every one.
Pitt was 6th in the Big East in free throw percentage at .702 and ND was third at .708 top. So yeah free throw shooting was SO bad last year.
On shooting, I’ve said it about a zillion times, but how is it possible that Nasir Robinson, in FOUR YEARS, was allowed to never develop any semblance of a jump shot? How could that NOT have been a priority for Nas personally or for the coaching staff? (I know Fields had a funky shot and wasn’t the best shooter, but he was at least passable and had a penchant for hitting big shots when they were needed).
And nearly everybody on this blog who comments regularly on hoops noted our inability to break the press and the regular failure to turn it to our advantage when we did break it, as well as Dixon’s penchant to have a short leash with some players while letting others who were also making mistakes remain in the game (and continue to make the same mistakes!).
None of this is to say Dixon isn’t a great coach and hasn’t achieved some really good things without the best talent. But he does have some pretty glaring weaknesses and they are the kind of things that, in my view at least, could prevent a talented team from living up to its potential.
*Last year’s roster was a mess.
*Players didn’t fit together and they certainly did not fit the way Jamie wants to play, especially on defense.
*Jamie might have done his best coaching job to get that team to play anything close to big time basketball.
*The roster issues were mostly of Jamie’s doing. He evaluated, recruited and developed those guys.
*He left himself without a viable, true center when McGhee left. He left himself without a defensive stopper in the backcourt when Brad left. There wasn’t enough talent at the other spots to compensate for those two holes.
*With Zeigler eligible and Adams coming in, it APPEARS Jamie has addressed those two issues for this year.
*The addition of Zeigler will make a big difference in the rotations that Jamie can use. Zeigler by all accounts (and facts) is a really good rebounder. That should allow Jamie to play Moore/Patterson/Zeigler all together and not get killed on the boards.
*Having Zeigler also means that neither Moore nor Patterson will have to play much if any two guard. Neither could be relied on to guard quick shooting guards.
*I still think Zanna will get the first crack at the starting power forward spot and I expect him to hold on to it. He is a perfect compliment to Adams. Zanna is a garbage guy who will benefit from all the attention that Adams will draw. Expect him to score a bunch of buckets on put backs.
*Patterson will start at the three with Moore being the first guy off the bench. He could come in for Zanna and push Patterson to the four.
*It will be interesting to see who the first big off the bench will be. I would go with Gilbert and would not waste any more time on Taylor.
*I can’t see Jamie redshirting Gilbert as a soph, although if he is going to stick with Taylor out of some misguided sense of loyalty, then he should redshirt Gilbert. He doesn’t need three centers and Taylor hasn’t played one minute of forward since he’s been here (That last part is a fact).
*The Johnson’s will be fighting for next guard in spot, Pitt will need a shooter off the bench. Although I have heard that D. Johnson is being moved to the three?
*Cameron Wright is most negatively impacted by Zeigler’s eligibility.
*I hope Robinson will push Woodall hard for minutes at the point. I also hope that Jamie is open to it if it happens. Woodall is an adequate, maybe even good, back up for a good team (like his St. Anthony’s team). Pitt relied on him too much last year. He will have his good moments, but he lacks the tools to be consistent enough to carry or lead a team to where Pitt wants to go.
I think Chas is right, there are a lot of reasons for optimism. Can’t wait for Greentree. Anyone heard if Adams will be there?
Both Johnson’s can hit the three, so can Moore and Patterson. Jamie has line up options that will balance the floor with shooters, finishers and drivers.
If you only have one guy on the court who can shoot the 3-ball then he will be covered by a blanket by the opponents best perimeter defender and the other defenders will sag to stop the inside game.
So, IMHO, I doubt we will see a Zeigler + Robinson backcourt except in situations where Zanna is out of the game and either LP or JJM is playing PF so that both JJM and LP can be on the court at the same time as 3-ball threats. Otherwise, the offense is too one-dimensional.
For example, a lineup with Adams, Zanna, Zeigler, and Robinson at PG doesn’t do it. You need to have more than just either JJM or LP who can shoot a 3-ball in at the same time.
On the other hand, if Robinson proves to be a serious 3-ball threat (not his current rep) then that changes everything.
