ESPN.com’s “Summer Session” finally gets to the Big East. Judging by the FanPoll numbers, I’d say the Warriors, Gold, Golden Eagles have been stuffing the ballot box.
The good news, to me, in the write-ups is that while Pitt is clearly the favorite, the focus is on Georgetown as the big challenger and Marquette as being expected to make a run.
In the “Hot” categories, the expectations are that Jeff Green of G-town or Aaron Gray will be the preseason favorite to win Player of the Year. The Pete was also considered one of the toughest place to play in the Big East.
The overall vibe about Pitt’s playpen is that it has become a party house for everyone but the opposing team. Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun said it has become one of the toughest places to play, even though the Huskies have had success there.
“It’s deceptive,” said one Big East coach. “It’s nice, but nasty. They call it a zoo, and based on what some have said to me, that would an appropriate place to take residence.”
The reason why Pitt is considered the team to beat in the Big East is they have the best combination of talent, experience and a legit NBA-caliber big man.
The Panthers lose the heart of their team in lead guard Carl Krauser, but bring back everyone else of note. The 7-foot Gray will anchor the middle. He has worked on extending his game with a 15-foot shot but he’ll still be hunkered down in the post as much as possible.
As Notre Dame’s Mike Brey said, few players in the Big East can change the game like Gray.
Besides Gray, forwards Sam Young and Levon Kendall are two of the more underrated at their positions. The feeling among most in the league is that Young is on the verge of being a star and Kendall is one of the top glue guys in the league. He does a little bit of everything.
Guards Ronald Ramon, Levance Fields, Keith Benjamin and Antonio Graves are all versatile, tough and can get to the rim to finish.
“We’re going to be a real deep team. We’ve got a lot of experience and we’re going to have a lot of fun,” Gray said. “All of these guys love being in the gym.”
As for Sam Young, there is an expectation that he will emerge this season.
Pitt: The consensus in the league is that Sam Young is ready to make a name for himself. He’ll have plenty of touches to play off of Aaron Gray inside. Young has a knack for finding his way to the hoop. He’s not a Chevy Troutman, but he has a shot to be another one in the growing line of tough, productive, undersized power players. Young averaged 7.9 points and 4.4 rebounds as a freshman. He’s 6-6 and plays a few inches taller.
And Mike Cook never even gets mentioned, as probably the best transfer into the conference this season. Astounding. Ed Nelson comes to UConn to be a role player and gets plenty of attention. Dave Padgett can’t stay healthy for L-ville and everyone is still waiting but talking.
