Funny thing about that trip to Canada the basketball team will be taking. The original hope plan was to go to the Bahamas and play some scrimmages against the Florida Gators who already had a trip there for this weekend. The NCAA said no. According to Andy Katz, this is what Pitt will be trying to accomplish with the early practice:
Dixon started practicing his team Thursday, but his three newcomers — freshmen guards Ronald Ramon and Keith Benjamin and JC forward John DeGroat — weren’t allowed until school starts Monday. The newcomers will get in practice next week before the team leaves for the Labor Day weekend. But that means Pittsburgh won’t get in all 10 of the practices.
The Panthers are set with the big three for the season in point guard Carl Krauser (15.4 ppg, 4.5 apg) and forwards Chris Taft (10.9 ppg, 7.5 rpg) and Chevy Troutman (9.8 ppg, 7.5 rpg). But Dixon needs to see who will emerge as the fourth and fifth starters and wants to start getting a pecking order in his bench. Getting a serious look at the three newcomers — in practice — is critical too. But the NCAA counts the foreign exhibition games as part of the redshirt process. That means if Dixon is considering redshirting any of the three newcomers then he won’t play them in Toronto. Benjamin has had a nagging ankle injury that could prevent him from being used.
Dixon said he’s especially interested to see how three players — last year’s redshirt Dante Milligan and expected contributors Levon Kendall and Antonio Graves — handle more responsibility. The Panthers are trying to replace two longtime veterans of their Sweet 16 runs in Jaron Brown (11.7 ppg, 5.4 rpg) and Julius Page (11 ppg). Leadership will fall to Krauser, Troutman and Taft. But they still need to divvy up defensive responsibilities to Brown’s and Page’s replacements.
Also as part of the itinerary:
The team leaves Friday and will eat dinner at Niagara Falls before heading to Toronto. They will attend a Toronto Blue Jays-Oakland A’s baseball game at the Skydome. A’s manager Ken Macha, a Pitt graduate and Murrysville resident in the baseball off-season, will address the team.
Macha is a big Pitt basketball fan.
“He’s a big supporter,” Dixon said. “I’ve talked to him on the phone. He knows all about us.”
The Panthers will practice at the Toronto Raptors’ practice facility. Dixon is friends with Toronto general manager Rob Babcock.
Their best competition will be against each other. Still, I like the fact that Dixon took the early practice option this year. He’s not taking anything for granted.
