No one has been arrested so far this offseason. And I’m not saying I want any players in trouble with the law. It’s just been real quiet the last couple weeks.
Nothing with recruiting. No police blotter. No conference insanity. Just ridiculously quiet.
So, what are still in my browser tabs that need to go?
The Academic Progress Rate reports came out in the beginning of May. Since the APR can be such a flawed metric, I really don’t get too worked up one way or another on it. Pitt has not had any problem with its major sports in staying above the trouble point.* So, for whatever value you want to place on it, the basketball squad finished in the top 10% of the APR compared to other basketball programs. The third time in four years it has done that.
APR takes into account graduation rates over a four-year period between 2009-10 and 2012-13 and is considered a real-time measure of retention and eligibility. Pitt received recognition in 2009-10 and 2010-11 under coach Jamie Dixon and academic support services director Mike Farabaugh, joining Duke and Notre Dame as the only ACC schools to earn honors three of the past four years.
The ACC had 77 teams in all sports recognized, the most of the five major conferences.
“Jamie Dixon continues to prove that you can have one of the top basketball program in the country and still achieve the highest levels of academic success,” Pitt athletic director Steve Pederson said in a prepared statement. “We are fortunate to have a gentleman leading our basketball program who personifies the ideals of this great university.”
Pitt had four players — junior Cameron Wright and freshmen Jamel Artis, Josh Newkirk and Mike Young — named to the Academic All-ACC team.
Wright also received the Skip Prosser Award, honoring the ACC’s top scholar-athlete in basketball.
Players being named to the Academic All-ACC team seems like a bigger deal than the overall APR score.
*Well, maybe not entirely true. If I recall correctly, when the APR was first instituted, Pitt basketball was at risk because the years it tabulated included the end of the Ralph Willard era. Tons of players booted, transferred and such made it look really bad to start. There was plenty of time for the APR to improve, though, before any penalties occurred. Which is what happened.
Feel like some early ACC basketball prognostications? Me neither, but the pickings are slim.
Over at NBC Sports, Rob Dauster sees Pitt finishing around 10th. 10th?
The Panthers stumbled once they hit ACC play and they couldn’t hide behind a week non-conference schedule anymore. Next season, they’ll be playing without Lamar Patterson and Talib Zanna, who both graduated. There is some decent young talent on the roster, but the Panthers will have a lot of production to make up in a conference that could have four top 15 teams.
My quick thought is that I’ve heard this song before. Seniors at Pitt who departed and since there are no one-and-dones coming in, the roster seems like unknowns left on the roster.
There is no doubt that there will be plenty of questions on the team, but barring injuries I just don’t see this team finishing 10th in the ACC. No matter how potentially loaded the conference could be.
The only ACC Coaching news was Clemson basketball head coach Brad Brownell getting an extension and bump in salary after his run to the NIT semifinals. The extension was not surprising since he had less than four years on the initial deal and no one wants to have whispers of job insecurity. The extension merely moves Brownell from near the bottom of the conference pay scale to the middle. Most Clemson fan grumbling has to do with his buy out if Clemson decides to fire him:
Buyout on Clemson’s end to fire him
5+ seasons left: $5 mil
4: $5 mil
3: $3.5 mil
2: $3 mil
1: $3 mil
Yeah, that might annoy some people. Seems more like a way to be sure he gets at least three years without a fight. I happen to think Brownell is a pretty good coach, and Clemson has been, um, Death Valley for basketball so there has to be some extra protection with a middle of the road salary.
Does anyone really think we are one of the Top Basketball Programs in the country? Pederson talking out of his ass again. Jamie is a great man and a really good coach but we are not one of the top programs.
Jester Weah… 10.70
Chris James… ?
Illinois State High School Championships are this week. Not sure if Incoming Freshman Runningback Chris James is going to be a name you’ll be reading about when it comes to the 100.
James’ 100 Meters this year… 11.38
The GOOD NEWS is… his 55 Meter time of 6.7 equates to a 4.46 FORTY YARD DASH.
Not bad.
If we can get our offensive line playing well I see us with a power running game systematically rolling down the field and our athletic receivers making spectacular big plays. Defense holds it’s own and improves on third down.
Pittsburghers in general will embrace this team with this combination of power football and acrobatic wide receivers and a top 20 ranking by mid October. Better yet wait until the end of the 2015 season when the wheels should really be rolling. H2P!
Top 5 – absolutely not
Top 10 – really hard to make that case
Top 20 – depending on timeframe and criteria, but probably
Top 30 – absolutely yes over the last 10+ years.
2014: 19
2013: 11
2012: 68
2011: 3
2010: 25
2009: 4
2008: 24
2007: 11
2006: 11
2005: 21
baseball, do you want the mean, median or mode?
Screw it, you figure it out.
Median = 15
Mode = 11
Final end of year rankings ESPN/USA TODAY.
01-02….#9
02-03….#8
03-04….#7
04-05….NR
05-06….#18
06-07….#12
07-08….#18
08-09….#4
09-10….#16
10-11….#12
11-12….NR
12-13….NR
13-14….NR
Also peppered in their were #1 Rankings, top 5’s and top 10’s during the year, on several of those years.
So, only a fool would say we haven’t been a top program the last 13-14 years.
Especially as wbb said, there are over 351 Division I basketball schools.
Are we top as in Duke, UNC, Kansas and Kentucky, of course not, but if your looking for that to compare too, you better get on another train.
One caveat, that perhaps Upitt was alluding too, is “lately”.
The facts are the facts, and hopefully it’s just a little lull, but Jamie needs to step it up soon to keep us in the conversation.
Another year or two of not being ranked at the end of the year, or more early departures from the tournament, the more and more we get away from being known as a top basketball school.
With all the defections, tranfers, early tourney flameouts, etc., we have certainly regressed.
And Dan’s post at 2:02 clearly indicates that.
I think we might struggle next year, which is why I thought we really needed some instant offense in the form of Byron Wesley of USC.
Especially with a starting lineup that includes both guards, of whom neither can shoot from the outside very well.
We’re going to have to have a tremendous increase in point production from these 3 players, Young, Artis & Durand Durand. As well as Jeter fitting in seamlessly. The problem is, those 4 might be our 4 best players but they all play the same 2 positions. So how do you get them the time needed on the court to significantly increase their point production, as we know Jamie is quick with the hook.
Lamar’s production went up significantly this past season as he was on the court much more than ever, as we didn’t have many options at SF. Jamie’s hook didn’t come into play therefore.
Will JD play him enough over coach favorite, JR.
Answer: You play small. Young starts at the “5”.
“What this tells us is that the CORE of the team is what wins games. For next season the core will at least be Robinson, Wright, Young, Artis, Jeter, Newkirk, and Johnson. That’s a core of seven productive players, which is good enough to win a lot of games.”
See point 12:
The other huge question is does DJ recover quickly, and does CJ’s surgery make that much of a difference. No way to tell how Jeter works out.
The biggest question mark is where do our rebounds come from?
That being said, Jamie will construct a competitive team.
Yea, I thought of that, however I don’t see Young being the physical presence needed to play Center.
Plus add in the back injury factor and I doubt Young wants to play the 5, as if he has any hopes of an NBA future it’s at the 4 or even 3 if he develops that outside shot of his and his ball handling.
I wouldn’t mind MY playing the 5, as it would get more of Pitt’s better players on the floor.
I just see this team really struggling to create offense in JD’s half court sets.
They did mightily this season whenever Lamar or Z-man was on the bench.
I’m expecting Young to be a lot stronger going into this year, as compared to last.
As far as not wanting to play the “5”, maybe he would look at it as a chance to improve his rebounding and inside game, knowing that he would be returning to the “4” in the future.
As Emel stated, they may need someone to create shots on offense; Newkirk seems to be the best candidate right now. The rest of the 6 players mentioned above all have had games in double figures, but shot creation seems to be limited … but there is potential. A healthy, more confident Young and a healthy DJ would certainly help (DJ needs no more confidence)
I think we will only be able to say it’s a trend or so after 5 years or so of NR (Not Ranked) at the end of the season.
It’s been three years, is this a trend, or with injuries, transfers, etc. etc., is it just a bump in the road??
I mean, we were a hot commodity 03 to 10, top tens, games of the weeks, #1 rankings, so no way around it, we have come down a bit.
I need a little bit bigger sample size of a couple more years though, to see if we’ve actually “fallen a bit”, or just hit a little pot hole.
No doubt, Jamie needs to raise it up again.
Sure rankings are subjective. But if we enjoy the subjective rankings of being ranked #1, ranked continuously in the top 5 and top 10, top 15…………..
then we need to give the same acknowledgement or respect (or whatever word I’m looking for) to being NR at the end of the year.
Can’t have it both ways.
Hopefully just a blip on the radar.
The four freshman got a ton of play last year and the senior Wright is gutsy tough type. He will set the tone and this team will do just fine. Duran will be back and we will hopefully get to see Young and Jones play healthy. We aren’t going to dominate the ACC with this group but JD will figure a way to win 10+ as usual. Take it to the bank.
Barring key injuries, I fully expect Pitt to finish in the top 4 or 5 of ACC this coming year
Here are Pitt’s Sagarin end of season rankings for the past 10 years for another comparison–
14 #20
13 #11
12 #59
11 #7
10 #26
09 #3
08 #19
07 #11
06 #12
05 #31
Right now we got Randall (well, he is suspended indefinitely right now), Doorson (who some are saying won’t make it because of academics) and Uchebo (who can’t get off the ground) as our only true sized Cs. Uh, we are one over on schollys right now so that means one of them has to go. Then Dixon has been trying real hard to bring in another player which means he would just as soon part ways with two of them. But, Dixon hasn’t found anyone. The guess here is they will not find anyone, Doorson won’t make the grades, they will welcome Randall back and, Uchebo will also be on the roster next year.
Anyone else know anything about this or, care to venture a guess?
Yeah, only is of significance for backups. Dixon is gonna start Haughton and spell him with Young swinging over from PF.
This coming season reminds me of 2007-2008. Dixon had a hole at center and three recruits:
1. 6’7 Freshman DeJuan Blair,
2. 6’10 Freshman Gary McGee
3. 6’10 Junior College transfer Cassin Diggs.
He was about as college ready as any freshman I’ve seen play the post.
Zaraoughda’s post is telling us that even JD was not satisfied with what we have now and what is coming in. Or he wouldn’t be out ‘beating the bushes’ for 1 year transfer players. And another big man.
Pray for Uchebo’s leg/knee to heal back to 100%.
If he had gotten Wesley he would have moved in as the starter at SF immediately (Wesley is a 2/3 player).
Other than that, he offered a 2014 top 100 guard that got out of his Oky commit… and ended up at Rhode Island. If this guy had committed, he would not be ready to start so it probably means Dixon has been thinking about starting Newkirk at SG and moving Wright… to SF, and this guy would have come off the bench at guard.
Given a probable starting lineup of Robinson, Wright, Young, Haughton and… -unknown-… we need a 5th starter that is a scorer and a scorer in no uncertain terms.
If Durand is ready to go at the start of the season and is hitting his 3balls at a better clip than he did last year… he would probably fit the bill. But, two big ifs there and he probably will not be ready at the start of the season.
Then there is Jeter… a big unknown.
Chris Jones is also a possibility here… if he gets the thumb fixed and makes some significant improvement.
Then there is the idea of Wright starting at SF and starting Newkirk at SG. Dixon may indeed be planning on going in this direction.
I guess I would just as soon see Newkirk starting at SG and Durand starting at SF… and Wright.. starting on the bench. But, this is not gonna happen. Wright is gonna start one place or another.
It’s true that we don’t have anybody coming in who is in Blair’s league. Blair was incredible. But we do have possibilities this year:
1. Doorson and Haughton are the equivalent of 7 footers.
2. With a good knee, Uchebo could be great.
3. Randall got better as the season progressed.
4. Young started as a Freshman.
JR CW DJ MY TH?
Bench
JN JA SJ CJ DR (MY will slide to the 5 to spell TH)
DJ & MY could combine for 30+ a night. JN & JA have the ability to combine for 15- 20 off the bench. CW is good for 12 & JR SJ CJ TH provide the rest of the points to get us over 72ppg
The good news is CW can rebound well from the guard spot which he will need to do to help TH & MY. Could be a fun season. SJ & CJ are the wildcards IMO. Can SJ defend well enough to get significant minutes? Does CJ recover from surgery & realize his potential. Im not worried about DJ – he seems to have a ton of “want to”. CANT WAIT
I think Sheldon Jeeter and Josh Newkirk start and that Durand Johnson and Tyrone Haughton come off the bench. My predicted lineup:
JR JN CW SJ MY
I have no problem with that! If SJ can pull off the dirty work of playing down low then thats butter. I just think HCJD traditionally promotes from within (DJ is due) & he would be worried about MY’s morale logging starters minutes at center. Don’t get me wrong I am all the way bullish on JN (fastest & quickest guard we’ve ever had IMO) & am very happy SJ will have a chance to rep his home squad (just always saw him as a wing – committing to improving his handle & range). I am also for rewarding the upside of JN – starting him sliding CW to the 3 until DJ is 110% & then asking the Sr. CW to be the defensive stopper/energy guy off the bench. DJ has a pure scorers mentality. He has the pedigree of a East Coast Hitman & I believe we need to see him drop 20ppg’s – raining 3’s & taking it hard to the cup in transition! SJ may indeed be that type of guy too (more better)!
If he defends, Jeter will start. He is tall (6’8) and an excellent outside shooter (25-64, 39% from 3-point range).
Robinson- If JR could start to finish better and gain some shooting confidence he could become a bigger contributor.
Newkirk- He needs to continue to gain defensive skills and improve his foul shooting. This could be Newks year to shine.
Wright- Cam is the senior leadership on this team and he is well suited for the role. Cam is tough and will give 100% every minute. What he lacks in ability he makes up for in guts. He is smart and will help Dixon get the most out of the team.
Johnson- Was starting to advance into an all conference performer when injured. His enthusiasm and drive is exciting and if he returns sound he could play a large role this year.
Young- Certainly appears to have some great tools. It is hard to gage what to expect this season because the injury might have held him back so much last year. He is another who could be a big contributor this season.
Artis- He had some sensational freshman minutes and one has to think he could show improvement in this his sophomore year. No one would be surprised if he sees significant minutes again this year. I wouldn’t count him out off of some of what he showed last year. Defensive improvement is required and he showed not only shooting touch but rebounding ability at times last year.
Jones- The fact that he saw as much time as he did with a bad right hand says a lot about what JD thinks. Look for a healthy Jones to see a lot of minutes and perhaps make a significant contribution to this years squad.
Randall- The arrest was a real boneheaded move but a lack of any experience inside among returners means a likely 2nd chance for the big man. He needs to grow up fast too because if he could just hold his own at the post we can probably field a pretty decent team. He has the ability but who knows about the head. He showed short glimmers of hope at times last year.
At least two transfers became important players on Jamie Dixon’s teams: Jermaine Dixon and Ontario Lett.
Howard
You’re right. Lett was with the Panthers 2001-2002 and 2002-2003. Jamie Dixon didn’t become head coach until 2003-2004.
Howard
JD doesn’t get credit for Lett and the thing I remember most about Dixon was him being in the middle of screwing up the Villanova game that cost us the Final 4.
Again I don’t want to come off as a Killjoy but Jeter and Haughton have to show up and do something before I start figuring them into the mix. Past experience tells me to be wary.
Is it OK to say gypsy as I have a hard time with political correctness. I mean no offense, he transferred a lot.
I thought Dixon would move Young to C… even though I didn’t like the idea… but now I don’t think he is gonna do that, although he will swing Young over to C to spell Haughton.
In the loss to UVA in the ACCT… Young only played 16 minutes… and in the loss to Florida… just 21. Not that many minutes for a starter.
Young plays good D but not so good O.
Artis, plays good O but I don’t think most posters realize how bad his ‘soft’ defense was. In the Florida, seemed like every time down the court Florida was taking advantage of his soft defense.. and Dixon had to get him out of there… only played him 16 minutes.
We are gonna need a lot of improvement across the board if we are gonna be a competitive team next year… but I would bet Haughton is gonna start at C… there really isn’t anyone else.
There are four reasons why Jeter may work out better than most earlier transfers:
1. He has three years of eligibility, not just two.
2. He was so good that he started 7 games on a good team as a Freshman.
3. He improved during his Freshman year, so he should continue to improve.
4. Transfers are increasing and thus more good players are transferring.
However, Dixon normally sees a player of Jeter’s size and says he is a PF. The thing is, we have Young and Artis at PF and nobody, until Durand is up to speed, to play SF (well, we have Chris Jones for SF, or Wright with Newkirk at SG).
I guess it is POSSIBLE, that Dixon moves Young to C, splitting the time there with Haughton, and has Jeter and Artis split the time at PF. But, IMO Dixon brought in Haughton as the next Zanna and so I expect Dixon will start him at C.
I don’t see Haughton starting either. I’m guessing that Young will start at center.
I wonder who will show up in the Pro-Am summer league:
1. If Randall shows, that would tell us that his suspension is temporary.
2. If Uchebo shows, that would tell us that his knee is improving.
Back in April 2013, Dokish said some pretty good things about how good a healthy Uchebo could be. See:
It’s the antithesis of Wanny’s last season which despite having the least amount of starters in the league returning, was picked #1 pre-season because of D Lewis, J Baldwin and G Romeus. (All 3 did not play as well or hardly played.)
Not saying Pitt BB will win the league title this coming year but would not surprise me one bit if they finish in Top 5. My prediction is that we will all be pleased with the team in Jan-Feb but think the team will fall short in March again … although it may well be that the team overachieved in regular season.