Somewhere this week, a bit of basketball had to be posted. Between Conner’s injury news at the beginning and the Backyard Brawl at the end, there was always something a little more breaking to post. Now, here we are a little more than 24 hours to a football game and you are looking at a basketball post.
Starting with the news yesterday that Damon Wilson was academically cleared by the NCAA. The news was initially tweeted out by Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com. But there could be more.
This article from Joshua Newman and Adam Zagoria suggest there could still be a problem.
Pittsburgh freshman point guard Damon Wilson has been academically cleared by the NCAA, but still faces some hurdles from the NCAA, a source told SNY.tv.
“He still has some hurdles, they haven’t totally cleared him,” the source said.
What those “hurdles” are is unknown. I’ve not sure how the NCAA could clear Wilson enough to start practicing with his teammates at Pitt, but still have academic issues. Never heard of that before.
If I had to hazard a guess as to the nature of the “hurdles,” I would assume it has more to do with the situation of Our Savior New American School. OSNA was the reason for the delay in Wilson’s clearance by the NCAA. The NCAA has been looking into the academics of OSNA. So any issues that may still resolve around Wilson are likely tied to the investigation into OSNA.
Coach Jamie Dixon had his first preseason press conference ahead of practices — that hair is getting grayer and receding a bit more.
Injuries were a topic of discussion. Even Damon Wilson has found himself injured this summer.
He is currently on the mend from a separated right shoulder that he suffered this summer, although Dixon said he expects him to be ready to go for the Panthers’ Nov. 13 season opener against Gonzaga in Okinawa, Japan.
Injuries and offseason surgeries were the theme of the summer.
The good news is the Panthers don’t start formal preseason practices until Oct. 2, and Dixon said the four players still recovering from offseason surgery will be ready to return by then.
But Dixon acknowledged that it has been a rough summer for the Panthers with as many as eight players injured, forcing Pitt to pull out of the annual Pro-Am summer league. Dixon said the team wasn’t able to get nearly as much accomplished during summer workouts as it hoped.
“We are getting there,” Dixon said Thursday at his first preseason news conference. “Obviously, we are being very cautious with it all, we are going way beyond the normal recovery time, but this is the offseason and different than it would be in season. We are just trying to do the best we can with it.”
Dixon said the four players who are still recovering — guard James Robinson (foot), guard Damon Wilson (shoulder), guard Chris Jones (toe) and center Rafael Maia (thumb) — are well on their way to recovery.
Just as long as there are no more injuries.
Comin back stronger off this injury?
— Corey Manigault (@CoreyDoeee) September 10, 2015
Son of a…
With a retooled roster including two junior college players and three graduate transfers has Jamie Dixon softening his stance on grad transfers being bad for the game. Or not.
“I’ve been against it from the beginning,” Dixon said of the rule that’s been in place since 2006. “We’re finding that kids aren’t transferring with a degree in mind. That’s not what the rule was made for.”
On the other hand, Dixon said, “This is something we’re going to see in college basketball. If you make it easier for kids to transfer, they’re going to transfer. It’s a cycle that’s only going to get more prevalent.”
Toe the coach’s association party line. Toe it!
Last week the full schedule came out — including the non-con. Looking it over, I wasn’t bothered one way or another. It struck me as a very typical schedule for a major conference program. The big games on neutral courts (Tip-off in Japand & Gotham Classic) or part of a home-and-home situation (ACC/Big Ten Challenge). The rest home or sort of home (City Game at the Con). It would be nice to have more quality games at home, but that means scheduling more home-and-homes and/or not taking part in some of the made-for-TV neutral court games that get the most attention.
David Teel — one of the best ACC beat writers out there — took a look at all the non-cons in the ACC. He then ranked them. Sure enough, Pitt was right in the middle at 8th in the ACC.
Like Duke, the Panthers do not play a true road game until the ACC schedule. They have 10 at home and three neutral, highlighted by four NCAA opponents in Gonzaga, Purdue, Eastern Washington and Davidson. Kent State is a fifth top-100, and there are six sub-200s.
Pitt does need to get the Hoopies back on the basketball schedule, though.
I support Dixon and am looking forward
to the BB season. The comment re: Robinson
could have used the summer to get
faster proves knowledge is lacking
here big time.
Some sites listed he was added to the official roster last week, which I posted.
Where at one time not too long ago we seemed to have everything going for us.
We now seem to be on the opposite side of the 8 ball, and everything appears going against us.
Look at it this way, it should be quite entertaining, watching Dixon micro-manage all these noobs he brought in, while still giving his pet over 35 minutes a game.
Can’t upset them down at DeMatha.
By the way, on the ESPN site, somehow did a heck of a job improving our colors with just a slight tweak, check it out:
Thankfully he didn’t get injured.
But it didn’t stop him from taking a job down there in West By God Virginia.
I’m assuming that since Marshall U is in W. Va, they also have inbreds. Probably even related to the inbreds at Wvcc. All that inbreeding and stuff like the Royals of England and other money’d folks.
Wonder why Dixon couldn’t get him to come to Pitt.
He was probably our best asst. coach in our recent heyday of being relevant.
Oy Vey !
Of course, its been 4-5 years since we were as good as Virgina was last year….doh!!! But it does not mean I can’t be overly optimistic about what could be.
We do have a lot of unknowns…we maybe know less about this team than any team in the JD era if not the post-Paul Evans era. WAY too many newbies. Most likely we are sub-top 25 IMO, in which case I might have looked forward to Jamie Ball but will be disgusted with it to end a season…yet again. But we will see! I love that about College BBall sometimes…so much anticipation of new players, wondering what they will become and then seeing if it happens.
That’s the ideal shade of gold. And, very much looking forward to seeing all the new faces this year hoops. Hell, Jamie and Co. almost made the tourney with last year’s roster. Now, the Jungle Cats are a year older and deeper across the roster. I’m thinking 23-8 regular season record.
In minutes. Sub .500. Only Pitt fans think we cant get better than a coach who never one a big game. 1 Elite 8 in 15 years is gross.
Emel – Herion would have come back but SP wouldn’t give Jamie $$$. He’ll get cash from the new AD. Expect an overhaul next summer. I think Smoke is the only assistant that is safe.
A lot of you underestimate how bad SP was for all of Pitt athletics, including basketball. Dixon won in spite of SP not because of him. SP didn’t give him the contract, Nordy did.
You can’t overcome a lack of money for recruiting and quality assistants. It’s caught up with Jamie the last few years. He has some help again … it will get better.
To those of you who don’t like Jamie’s style, you’ll never be happy. That’s fine. I completely understand hating someone’s “system”. If you don’t find it enjoyable to watch, it’s hard to get fully behind.
UPitt – under SP they could not have gotten a better coach. Zero chance. Under Gallagher, Pitt definitely will have a bigger pool to choose from. Dixon’s not going anywhere anytime soon though.
Of course we won’t know how good the three centers and three guards are for a while, but I am looking forward to the season.
I have no problem with Jamie’s coaching, slog ball and all, but he needs better players and has been getting hammered in the recruiting wars.
He needs way more than Manigault next year.
When Duke, NC, Louisville and Syracuse can reload every year and others like VA and NC State are coming on strong it is going to be tough to claw our way back in without the horses. Every game in the ACC is tough and we are trending in the wrong direction.
Tempo? Lol. You need to watch some more college basketball. It’s all about offensive efficiency and defensive efficiency. Only one team (UNC) in the 2000’s has won without both a top 25 offensively efficient and defensively efficient team. UNC was like 30 on defense the year they won so barely outside of the norm.
Sort by the 6th column over AdjT (possession per 40 mins)
Tempo Rankings:
Dayton: 237
Florida: 277
Final 4 teams:
Kentucky: 251
Duke: 114
Wisc: 346
Mich St.: 245
Some elite Final 4 coaches last year and none of them play “fast”.
Jamie doesn’t play slog ball, he plays sabre metric ball. Jaime loves his stats. Offensive rebounding, FG% under 40% and offensive efficiency.
College basketball hasn’t evolved like the rest of the sport. It needs to adapt international rules and ref focus on freedom of movement.
H2P
Now if they are looking at the RB or QB, that’s another story – if not, at least look at the film.
That game is a case where both coaches needed to run up the score if they wanted a W – basketball on turf.
3-star RB Chantez Moss from Bedford had 196 yds and 3 TDs
4-star Brendan Flowers from Lima had 12 catches for 197 (may see action next year as natural frosh)
Next week, 3-star QB Tom MacVittie (Cincy Moeller), recovering from PCL sprain, is hoping to return against Don Bosco Prep (NJ) and the following week against rival Xavier (two nationally ranked teams.) If healthy, it will be interesting to see how he does.
woe there big fellow.
I think if you go back and read my posts, I mentioned that one of Pitt’s all-time greats, that being Marshall Goldberg was from West Va.
And I also posted that the panhandle of Weirton and Wheeling were like a Pittsburgh suburb, as well as Morganhole.
So f*ck off !!!
But if you look at the elite super wealthy people, they do the same thing. Even the well to do in sports, as the Rooney’s(Steelers) and Mara’s(Giants) are intermarried (as in Rooney Mara).
And of course all the (supposed) royalty of Europe, are all inbreds as well.
As we know the Windsors are really Germans, who’s cousin was the Kaiser and Nicholas Romanoff(the last Czar) of Russia, etc. etc. And they were all inbred for centuries.
But only the West Virginians get slammed for this.
Ya think !
From Pitt basketball, to Jamie’s skunk hair, to inbred hillbillies, to the Rooneys, to Windsors and Kaisers!!!!
Man, what a ride! :>)
You’re nuts in a semi-good way.
Comment by gc 09.11.15 @ 8:49 pm
Actually it’s slog-ball when Dixon can’t recruit because of it.
No I didn’t.
And anyone that follows Pitt football for several decades, is probably a little crazy for sure.
Or sane in an insane world.
Pitt is one of the final three with Stanford and Mich St.
HTP!
1. Dixon is really high on his new senior transfer shooting guard. He is efficient in his shooting, aggressive, and good on defense. Also he has recovered completely from his foot surgery.
2. The Richmond doctors blew it with ANO’s cheekbone. UPMC had to fix it with a second surgery.
3. Rozelle Nix is 7′, has good hands, and can run. His main problem right now is lateral movement.
Cassius Winston announced today that he had chosen MSU.
