Just going to run through a few things to clear tabs.
Arizona big man, Taleb Tarczewski hasn’t been in Arizona taking classes and working with the coaches and teammates there. Instead, he’s been back in Massachusetts working there. Including private sessions with Bobby Martin.
What made you choose to work out with Bobby Martin?
He was college teammates with my coach [Sean Miller] at Pitt, so I know that he is really good at what he does and a really good guy. What I love about him is that he is all about footwork – he’s really broken down my low-post game and built it back up, we go over everything and I find myself learning so much about the low-post that I never knew before.
It seems Martin has been carving out a career teaching big men.
Listing key assistants in new spots as the latest recruiting period begins, obviously Barry Rohrssen heads the list. Still, there was one other.
With Slice Rohrssen leaving for Kentucky, Jamie Dixon had an opening – and he looked to New England to fill it. Williamson spent the last two seasons at Massachusetts, but worked with The Family AAU program in Detroit for the previous nine seasons. He has plenty of relationships.
In the SEC, after Florida and Kentucky basketball is something to fill time between the final bowl games and spring football. The conference with its new TV network, and of course, ego is looking at ways to make basketball more relevant. One of the ways is improving the non-con schedule. To that end the SEC actually requires the schools to submit their non-cons to the conference for review.
Slive took action. He smartly tapped Mark Whitworth to be in charge of men’s basketball and hired scheduling consultant Greg Shaheen, the former NCAA tournament guru who understands the selection process as well as anyone. Shaheen gave every SEC coach a 20-page report that broke down the league’s non-conference schedules the previous season and how every outcome affected the SEC’s power ratings. And the SEC adopted league-wide guidelines for teams to submit non-league schedules for review and approval.
So, Rashad McCants believes he has $310 million coming his way from UNC and the NCAA. I think we all the proof we need that he received no education whatsoever while at UNC.
Pro-Am stuff keeps happening. It’s hard to take the box scores too seriously, but one thing is becoming clear. Cameron Johnson has a much better stroke than anyone outside of Pitt’s coaching staff may have realized. He still needs to put on some mass, is likely to redshirt, and it would be very doubtful in real games he would find the room to shoot like he has this summer. Still, a nice surprise.
A lot of running and gunning but Cam Johnson can shoot and some were contested. He seems to be a good kid and will absolutely be a contributor down the road. He posted up a few times against Young and didn’t look out of place. He also took it to the bucket occasionally but the long game was his preference. Funny to watch a young Cam Johnson and Shang Bibbens play together. I had to research Shang to see when he played as I remembered the name. Turns out I watched him as a ninth grader in the Roundball Classic prelim game in ’80 where he was the Western MVP. He was holding his own with the youngsters and then some last night. Robinson scored most of his points in transition. He is still struggling with his outside shot! Jeter can pass…had a ton of nice assists. Athletic and versatile.
Best passing teams in 2014-15
Pittsburgh: The Panthers are the most intriguing, and maybe the most unlikely, team of the bunch.
For starters, they’re losing their best player from a season ago. Lamar Patterson wasn’t just one of the nation’s best and most versatile scoring threats. He was also a genuinely gifted passer. Patterson found an assist on 30 percent of his possessions, which is great in and of itself. When you consider that he also took nearly 30 percent of his team’s shots, it looks genuinely crazy. Unfortunately, he couldn’t pass the ball to himself.
Still, though, Jamie Dixon’s team has the look. James Robinson, Josh Newkirk, Cameron Wright and even Durand Johnson all posted plus-15 percent assist rates (with Robinson at nearly 25 percent and Newkirk at 19), and Pittsburgh might have to be even more pass-reliant after losing offensive rebounding force Talib Zanna along the front line. Last season, Pitt ranked seventh in the nation in A/FGM at 62.9 percent. With Patterson gone, a repeat performance is almost a requirement.
So glad to have looked at that link and see all he accomplished professionally.
Much bad feelings with Villanova at the time because of West’s recruitung violation claims against Pitt.
Dixon would have gotten those guys to maybe a final 4.
30% of Lamar’s possessions resulted in an assist. I knew it was high but that is ridiculous.
And to think it would have been substantially higher had we had better finishers underneath, as I remember we used the phrase, ‘blown bunnies’ a lot this last season.
I see Big Joe had 26 points and 27 rebounds on Monday nite in the Pro/Am. Largest combined output of the season so far.
Loved to know if he’s getting up for these caroms or just collecting them. And if the points are bunnies, dunks or what ?
Big Joe’s play can’t be all bad, some of this must translate. Even if he maintains a third of what he is putting up it will be a plus. Hopefully he stays and gets more healthy. Especially since we don’t know the extent of Randall’s punishment and the unknown that is Haughton.
Don’t want to jinx us but, the lack of offseason bad news is most refreshing, considering the last several years.
Between him & Haughton & and perhaps Randall if available, the 5 would be a positive.
And then Young can just concentrate on playing the 4, which is supposed to be the toughest in JD’s scheme.
Jeter looks to be perhaps another strong rebounder at 6’8″ , 230 or so.
Haughton/Randall/Uchebo (or whatever)
Young / Jeter (solid)
DJ / Artis (solid if DJ is healthy)
Wright / Jones (meh?)
JR / Nuke (they’ll probably be on the court the same time quite often)
And on this page (fourth comment down), FG was at Wednesday’s games and posted: “A lot of running and gunning but Cam Johnson can shoot and some were contested.”
“South Hills Audi had another impressive performance by Pittsburgh freshman Cameron Johnson, who led the way with 20 points, including 5-7 shooting from three-point range.”
We’ll find out what the lineup is likely to be during the Bahamas trip. Here’s what I expect:
5. Young/Uchebo (or Young/Haughton or Young/Randall)
4. Jeter/Artis
3. Wright/DJ
2. Nuke/Wright
1. JR/Nuke
The main difference is that I think that Dixon will find a starting slot in the lineup for Nuke by sliding Young up to the “5”.
Cardiac Hill published an interesting Q&A with Young showing that he embraces his possible start at the “5”. Here’s a selection:
“Oh yeah, I am definitely ready. Last year, for the greater part of the season, I guarded every team’s best big man, anyway. So, to step in next year and guard everybody’s best big man or forward, it won’t be a surprise to me, it won’t be anything new. To demand the paint and control the paint is something I am ready to do.”
And in a comment, Zaratougda added:
“In an interview with Young he stated that Dixon has totally changed up the offense so that the C and PF positions are essentially interchangeable.”
Aug. 2: Pitt vs. Commonwealth Giants, 3 p.m.;
Aug. 3: Pitt vs. Bahamas All-Stars, 3 p.m.;
Aug. 5: Pitt vs. Street Legends All Stars, 9 p.m.; Aug. 6: Pitt vs. Atlantis All-Stars, 7 p.m.;
There are two conflicting Dixon principles at work. First, Jamie touts defense first. Second, Jamie also believes that the best players play, regardless of position.
So I think it is going to come down to Haughton. How good is he? He is supposed to be an elite shot blocker, defender and rebounder. If he is as advertised, my hunch is that Dixon will start him. Randall will be an adequate back up. Uchebo is still too gimpy to be a factor. But Artis and Young can both be really good players. Artis brings a lot to the table on the offensive end but he has a long way to go defensively. Young can guard bigs, but he is better defending 4’s. He’s not quite big enough to be great in the middle.
If Haughton comes along slowly and struggles at all, I would suspect that Dixon will go with the best players and go small, with Artis (maybe Jeter) and Young at the 4/5.
If Young’s comments above are to be believed, it sounds like Jamie is leaning towards going with Young/Artis. Dixon knows a lot more Haughton than we do, but from all reports Haughton is unlikely to step right in and play an interchangeable 4/5 spot.
Looks like Cameron Johnson may pay off sooner than later. Great to have a real shooting guard, and one that is tall as well. Get him in the weight room.
Boy the powder blue is looking more tarnished as time goes on. Wonder how many other of the top programs have the same MO?