Things really can change in a year. Last year Pitt basketball had its worst season in over a decade. Yet, the spring brought high optimism. A big-time Kiwi to man the middle. Depth all over the roster. Oh, and Pitt beat out the likes of Duke, UCLA and Michigan State for a transfer.
Now, after a good season (yes, with bitter disappointment in the Tourney) Pitt has a lot of playing time available — especially in the frontcourt — following transfers and an early draft declaration. Yet, they can’t give away a scholarship.
Last night power forward Lennard Freeman opted to go to NC State. Freeman attended Oak Hill Academy in North Carolina this past year, and choosing NC State wasn’t a huge shock. Still, Pitt could use anyone to help inside.
Fifth year graduate transfer Josh Davis from Tulane apparently wants to continue his journey westward.
Davis, according to multiple sources, is said to have narrowed his choices to Gonzaga and San Diego State. And because he would be a fifth-year senior with an undergraduate degree, he would not have to sit out a season as a transfer and could play immediately.
Davis attended Athens Drive High in Raleigh, N.C., and went to college two miles away at North Carolina State, where he played in 31 games as a freshman. Seeking a bigger role, he transferred to Tulane in New Orleans, sat out a year and played the past two seasons. In the recently-completed season, he led the Green Wave in scoring, rebounding and minutes played (35.7) on a team that finished 20-15 and reached the second round of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament.
It does say something about the changing nature of college basketball. Here’s a kid that will be on his 3d school. The sort of thing that should send out plenty of red flags. Yet the 6-8 PF was hotly pursued by Pitt, Illinois and other major conference programs.
So, for the various frontcourt players Pitt has been pursuing, that leaves only JUCO center Joseph Uchebo. I have heard and found zilch with regards to what he is thinking. He was always the most intriguing and biggest potential get.
He committed to NC State, when he reclassified to the 2011 class. At that time, he was considered a consensus top-100 recruit (#83). But then was released from his letter of intent by NC State (academics as the Nigerian native attended three high schools, yeesh). He suffered a microfracture in his knee in his first year at junior college. He’s come back from that strong this past year and actually has three years of eligibility left.
There just aren’t any other players for the frontcourt that would be able to provide any help for next season.
That is all tied to the current block PITT helmet
and colors.
So we need a new image. And that would be best served by going back to our old image.
YES,……YES>>>>>>>YES>>>>>>>>>
That means ….Pitt Script
And Old Gold & Royalish Blue.
year .
only 5 players have played a college basketball game
oy vey is right.
Who’s the newest recruit ….we’re not going to get?
A coach cannot be everywhere at all times. All he can do is lay down the rules and the basics and hope the players comply and NOT be stupid.
After I suspended the players, mom and dad #1 faced me down post the next game and screamed at me in front of the team and AD for punishing their little babies. That wasn’t the worst of it.
Dad #2 faced me down in the parking lot and took a nice roundhouse right to my chin. I had him arrested for assault. Coaching can be such a joy!
Someone else said this but “the best coaching job is in an orphanage”!
The disservice done to DW was not right.
Pederson needs to go, go, go.
Or the Curse of Wannstache will continue !!!
Get the f*ck out of Dodge !
and they list him at 6-9 195 lbs.
They better make sure all the doors at The Pete are buttoned up.
Sounds like a strong wind could blow him over.
All American Availables Showcase Game (today)
Must be the last players “available” for
desperate HC’s. lol
They list him as 7 feet though. Hopefully he put on a few pounds or he might blow off Cardiac Hill on a windy January day.
JD must know Uchebo isn’t coming if he’s recruiting 1 star players now !
but at this point i would take him
i saw this posted to day that pitt asst coach
bill barton has not recruited or signed a player
to pitt in 2 years if true why is he still on the staff.
Hey, I said it the other day, let’s embrace the horror!!!!
Let’s go “THE U” circa 1980’s!!!!
Come on, let’s go all in and be the bad asses of the ACC!!!!
Allthough, Miami had thugs and criminals, they always seemed to be 11-1 or 12-0.
You can’t be a thug and be 6-6!!!!!
Got that right !
But when a recruiting class under Chryst has the same type of attrition and problems as the 2010 class had, and the violent off-field problems the program had that year, I’ll call for his firing also regardless of if he won nine or 10 games previously.
I’m not a great Paul Chryst fan as some are. I like the hire but have a lot of questions about his being a HC including why it was OK for Street to sucker punch a student without any discipline/punishment at all… especially when all three players involved played against ND a few days after the arrests were made public.
Emel – we may just see Trey Anderson get some action at QB this season especially if injury-prone Savage can’t play every game.
Holy hyberpole Batman! All I did was answer Joe’s question. Your extrapolation of my answer suggests multiple visits to the Carswell crib!
If Pitt had an on-campus stadium and fired Steve Pederson, none of these problems would be taking place.
In fact, Jamie Dixon would probably be the best recruiter in America — hell, best in the whole world — if only anybody else but Stevie-P was his boss.
And those four knuckleheads wouldn’t be dealin’ horse and abusing women if Pitt had an on campus stadium. That plus if Steve-P was gone.
Sarcasm, in case you didn’t notice.
All would be well….if we just went back to….
Pitt Script….and old colors.
As u already know !
I appreciate your sarcasm.
But the reality is that Pitt’s athletic department exhibits all the symptoms of a gravely ill organization.
Louis Pasteur is quoted as saying “chance favors the prepared mind”. I believe in that notion because history tells us it is true.
Consequently, history suggests that the opposite is thus true.
“Chance scorns the unprepared mind.” SFPITT 2013
Pitt athletics suffers an inordinate amount of bad luck because it is so poorly prepared in virtually every aspect of its core functions.
This isn’t an accident and while one may argue that there are intervening causes, one cannot argue that there is one common denominator (or is it “demon”?).
Pederson is the architect of Pitt athletics and as is the case with inherent design flaws, they are not always exposed
quickly.
Like the O-rings on the Challenger or a flaw in the steel beams of a weak bridge, Pitt’s flaws stem from chronic poor planning and execution.
So when they appear, they hit 8 on the Richter scale.
I won’t insult Steve Pederson. His and the athletic department conduct provide more than ample evidence of failure to satisfy even the most sympathetic juror.
Sadly, Judge Nordy has a bad case of “robeitis” and believes his clothes to be the finest in the land.
Too bad the rest of the world sees a naked Pitt and is put off by the sight.
I agree with your assessment.
Now please, Dear God in heaven, can we end the welfare support of Pederson and get a polished professional in the AD chair to put together a real department??
If we take the money we pay Steve and donate it to UNICEF we can feed 6 million children for 2 years!!
Hire the asst AD at ND U of L or somewhere that sees Pitt regularly and has a plan to bring us into this century.
Chance favors the prepared mind….
We can become the new ‘bad boy’ of the ACC.
Replacing Thug U in Coral Gables.
See there’s always a bright side, you just got to look (sarc)