The Niagara Purple Eagles fly into town for one last tune up prior to hated rival West Virginia.  They finished 2017 with a 10-23 record.

Hail to Pitt

 

Michaelangelo holds a degree in Travel Writing from the University of Pittsburgh. He was a former staff writer for InPittsburgh Newsweekly, and currently resides near Atlanta, Georgia. He has been a Pitt fan since 1997 after he witnessed Pitt upset #22 Miami on Thursday night at Pitt Stadium.

173 thoughts on “Pitt Basketball: Niagara Open Game Thread”

  2. Reed, we knew you were a closet hooper! Tonight is an important game as they get ready for WVU on Saturday. I’m still waiting for a Capel signal on a big man, but have faith that he will come through.

    Liked by 1 person

  6. Hoping to find the game somewhere on TV since I cant attend tonight and on AT&T Sportsnet is either surfing or the tape of the hoopie game with YSU from Saturday…yoi.
    Turning on the radio…

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  7. Julius needs to speak up and provide some insight, especially on the guard play. What has happened to Wilson-Frame? Seems he has lost his stroke

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  9. I have the Firestick with the ESPN app, working perfectly. Last year I would have been on a computer.

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  10. First half almost over. Pitt up 5. Niagara is doing to Pitt what every other team will do until Pitt
    learns how to beat it. Slow the game to a crawl and play rough andtumble basketball. Pitt standing around in their half court set like they are wearing concrete Keds.

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  12. Pitt losing at the half by 1. Thought I’d tune in since the FB swan dive these past two games.

    Not impressed…

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  13. Fran, if you don’t have cable get the fire stick, you’ll be able to watch every game the rest of the season.

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  14. Pitt, playing horribly, down 1 at the half. We could lose to this small tough team but I don’t think we will. Just like the 2nd half at Iowa, Pitt looks lost in its half court sets. Gotta move your feet and move without the ball. Capel very unhappy.

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    1. Me too. The ACC run will be even more frustrating with no inside presence. Last I checked, the smaller Viagra Team was outrebounding Pitt.

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  15. This should be an unbelievable stat but it actually isn’t. Pitt has taken 6 more charges than it did all of last year.

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  16. 40 students in the zoo. Not exaggerating. Counted them.
    Finals start today. I’m sure they’re all in their rooms studying.

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  17. Not good to let this Niagara team hang around. Pitt really lost focus in the last 5 minutes of the half

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  18. I wouldn’t want to be in Pitt’s locker room right now with the Purple Eagles leading us at the half!

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  20. this is what happens when you load up on O fries and pizza before the game
    the first half has passed thankfully
    After the relief at intermission, Pitt comes out a different team

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  24. Worst game Pitthas played all season. Stuck standing around in a half court sets everyone afraid to shoot. Niagara much quicker inside.

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  25. PLease no more mention of the Steelers. Piisburgh on a bad losing streak …Pens, Pitt Stiller’s ugh!

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  29. Niagara on a 10-0 run up 7. Running Pitt off their own floor.
    Big big trouble. Pitt can’t buy a basket. Even the beard afraid to shoot.
    Every team has nights like this. They are humbling. Capel will earn his $$ tonight.

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  32. Getting crushed on the boards.its like the entire team went to the Steeler game and drank tol 4 am. Doesn’t even look like the same team. Pitt was a 16.5 pt fave

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  34. Niagara up 12. Sorry this games over. What is going on in the Burgh. Did someone disturb an ancient burial ground??

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  37. Not looking good. Niagara is confident they have this game. Pitt is not playing defense and is cold shooting.

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  45. Is Pitt over the falls in a barrel? Down 2 under a minute to go??
    Stay tuned to the fate of the Panthers…….will they drown or survive???

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  47. 35 seconds…….
    2 misses by Wilson-Frame. .12 secondsto go.
    Down 4 with 9 seconds now as we spiral over the Niagara.

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  51. Down 1 with 6 seconds. Panthers have the ball!!!!
    Xman in and out and over the Falls we go forever……….

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  53. 2 missed layups from being undefeated. This one was ugly as many posted above. Less ugly than Charlotte but in this one we were favored big.

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  55. Battled back and the shot just didn’t fall. The freshmen guards salvaged this season for sure. Now Capel has to go get some bigs. The current guys just aren’t good enough. Pitt needs to work on grabbing rebounds. So many bounce off their hands and into the opponent’s hands. Very frustrating.

    Liked by 1 person

  56. Every year I’ve coached basketball, whether it’s HS or AAU, my teams have had one of these games vs teams we should’ve blown off the floor. I’ve tried benching the entire starting 5, pressing,
    gimmick defenses but nothing works. You are just doomed to lose.

    Tonight Pitt battled back to get within 3 and Pitt got the ball 4 straight times and never got a single shot. Two Pitt guys going for a loose ball bang into each other and the ball conveniently bounces into the other teams hands ( sound familiar Stiller fans?), twice Pitt players go to get 50/50 balls and a Niagara player reaches around and taps it off a knee OB Pitt. It was like the ghost of Stallings appeared on the bench tonight%! This happens to all teams not named Duke or NC.

    I’ve always believed that each sports team is granted a certain amount of good luck (except Pitt Football). Literally everything Pitt tried turned to crap.
    Maybe this Pitt BBall team will pull a huge upset somewhere down the road! H2P

    Man is their a curse over the City of Pittsburgh sports teams. Tonight it jumped up and bit Pitt in the arse.

    Liked by 1 person

  57. Dan, you covered it pretty well. Pitt cannot afford to have bad stretches like when they got down by 12 in the second half. They don’t have the experience to come back against a good team. They let this team hang around too long.

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  58. The formula to beat Pitt on basketball is an easy one. Shut down the passing lanes with a packed zone, slow the game down to a crawl, and rough Pitt up under the boards.

    Capel needs a few set plays when this happens. Set up a few pick and rolls …. that gets everyone moving.

    I can’t tell you how much Wilson Frame is killing this team!

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  60. What’s the deal with Wilson-Frame? Dan, I agree that he is nowhere near how he started the season. I wonder if he is developing an attitude over not starting.

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  61. Sorry to change the topic back to football but I’m thinking the 15 extra practices can only and hopefully help the PITT football program moving forward. This could be especially helpful considering the amount of senior’s on their roster that are seeing lots of playing time..

    That said, I see quite a few young players that can improve the PITT football team next year. The hyperbole panic concerning Narduzzi’s recruiting is greatly exaggerated. I guess we will see? ike

    Liked by 1 person

  62. December is not being kind to the sports scene in Pittsburgh.

    Have a cold and feel like crap…but dragged myself out and was at the game and it was really sad. The first half doomed Pittsburgh – they just didn’t show up to play. Could not buy a basket – shot selection was really bad. Small quiet crowd didn’t help matters…I hate that Pitt schedules these games on a Monday night.

    Even with all their mistakes, poor d in the second half, inability to crack the vaunted Niagra zone, and horrid turnovers and poor shot selection…we still had an open lock at the basket for the win with 6 seconds left. Same as at Iowa. No excuses – they HAVE to learn how to win. You cannot miss layups at money time.

    IMO Toney was more a liability then W-F tonight – though both had below average games. McGowens is trying wayyyyy too hard – calm down young man and use your talent – don’t let it rule you. Got a bright future, just need to gain some control and perspective.

    And Santa, please bring some new hands for the team – the ones they have are hard as rock at times.

    Crowd was very small – the die hards. No one left early, but then hardly anyone showed up. And most sat on their hands (me too) until. the last few minutes. Made an impact then – you could feel the mojo switch to Pitt as they fed on the crowd’s energy – we just needed to bring it sooner. Lesson learned on my part.

    Fianlly the Zoo needs to get it’s act together – honestly, a poor showing by the students. Band and Cheer guys and girls were pretty below average too. It’s an on campus venue for crying out loud – get your butts into the seats and support this team – they are trying hard. Attendance and noise and how to cheer as a section and get the whole arena involved early and often – after last season this Zoo needs to learn how to do it all over again thanks to the coach we will not mention.

    Looking forward to the Brawl on Saturday – would be nice to see the team turn it around against the Hoopies.

    Off to bed – H2P

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Tommy – do you think the poor attendance (students and others) had anything to do with the putrid showing by the FB team these past two weeks? Maybe fans are tired of investing in mediocre to poor results? I know I was looking forward to a Pitt BB blowout according to Vegas.

      So I was a little up for the game, but sitting at home, four hours away. That was the first real BB game I invested time in this season. Probably won’t be back anytime soon.

      Looking for other means of entertainment – Lyke visiting with friends and family for the holidays.

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  63. Dan, Ya, I’ve seen it also. Some got super hyped and needed to take a breath. These kids will be really good, but need time and help. Lots of excitement this year as well as disappointment. Games like this will help in future, and really make no difference this year, they weren’t going anywhere anyhow. Need a guard who can shoot, and still think it’s pay to play with bigs, and we don’t pay.

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  65. Wondering if school work is getting in the way of play. I believe it was mentioned that the student section was light due to studying for finals.

    HTP!

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    1. Could be some of that,and the fact stallings really ser this program back which will take time to recover from.

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  66. Capel in post-game presser: “They were way more prepared than we were. That’s on me. I have to do a better job with our team of having us ready to play.”

    If Stallings was still HC: “Wilson-Frame couldn’t hit broad side of a barn. Johnson and MacGowans were turnover machines. …..”

    Liked by 2 people

  67. The fact is that in the last 3 games, Pitt played (1) a ranked team in Brooklyn, (2) a ranked team on the opponents’ floor, and (3) the City game at PPG. The next game is at WVU.

    There is no question that the team was not mentally focused on a light opponent at home; heck, even the students didn’t care. This was as big as a trap game you will ever see.

    Why do you think the SEC football teams schedule a stinker in the 2nd week of November? Remember the Citadel being tied with Bama 10-10 at halftime just a few weeks back? A team cannot bring its A or B team to every game. Unfortunately, this Pitt team is not Bama FB.

    Liked by 1 person

  68. URB is out at OSU.

    If you all go back to the point when Paris Johnson (OL 5 star) verballed to OSU, I indicated that things can change at OSU and we shouldn’t beat up our newest coach hire for not being able to convince his 5 star OL son to matriculate to Pitt.

    Mentioned it again a few weeks ago when discussing recruiting that we should still be after Johnson, the recruit.

    Check the tape…..

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  69. I’m seeing lots of lipstick in some of these comments! Niagara was 2 – 4 coming into this game with a recent loss to something called “St. Francis BKN”…I always look for BB comments from danh72 because I think he is to Pitt BB what Reed is to Pitt FB with his knowledge of the game, but I think the comments on W-F are a little harsh. W-F did miss two shots in crunch time, but I think if we are to have any success at all in our ACC schedule, his presence is vital because he is the closest thing we have to a physical presence at ACC level and as all have commented, our bigs are getting owned inside…EE don’t give up on this team, the ride this season and beyond is going to be fun!

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  70. dah72…love your coaching commentary…reminds me of my trips through Virginia going between Penna and NC on a fall Sunday listening to a live Redskin game on the radio with Sonny Jurgensen and Sam Huff as the color guys who knew football..they called as they saw them and didn’t matter what color of jersey they wore…they could praise them or say “get the bum out of there he stinks !!

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  72. Wilson Frame is a very flawed basketball player, but Capel is helping him get the most out of his game.

    He is a double edged sword like most three point shooters. Capel does have him taking fewer bad shots.

    First off Capel underestimated this team and didn’t stick with his normal rotation early. Second the refs were really calling charging very tightly. Third the ball just wasn’t bouncing our way. Fourth, their point guard was really good, Fifth, their big man is a formidable shot blocker and made a lot of plays. Fifth, their shots were dropping, our were not.

    I hope Sidy”s injury is not serious, that would be a bigger loss than the game.

    Toney is really going to be good, along with X and Trevon.

    Brown and Chuckwuka are much better than last year but Capel needs to sign some bigs soon to get competitive in the ACC next year.

    Liked by 1 person

  75. Scooter is legendary and he brings a great amount of nice guy to the table as well. Everyone I have met at the fabulous Fran tailgate are great people and passionate PITT football fans. It truly is unreal.

    PITT basketball will have to shoot better outside. Opponents are not going to allow PITT to drive into the paint for layups. Expect a lot of zone defense played against them.

    Not a lot of fanfare with the Carter verbal? Welcome to PITT Mr Carter.

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  76. Why do we get 4 star running backs every year, but no four star linemen?
    After this year, if you are a quality wideout why come to Pitt?

    Liked by 1 person

  79. Dan, do you think that Wilson-Frame is skill limited or is it that he is developing an attitude? I watched him closely last night, and I don’t see the aggressiveness that other players display. And not enough assists although he had a few..

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    1. Very skill limited. Needs a touch of humility. He tries to do things on the court not in his skill set.

      At best, he should be 3rd off the bench.

      Liked by 1 person

  80. I wasn’t sure if anyone saw this, or mentioned it, from the game notes before the game – the next Pitt BB win will MATCH their win total from last year. Pitt would be the 1st team in the NCAA to match their win total from 2017-18.

    Man does that put into perspective the stinker we had last year. I appreciate how young this team is and they were about 1/2 of a ball revolution in the hoop of winning. Everyone is trying hard and they will gel as the season goes on. Looking forward to it!

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  81. gc, I agree with you and you can add TE to that list. We get RBs but they always don’t pan out…One would with the loss of Koontz that Watson would have called a few balls to the TE…heck we were playing a mediocre bunch and winning…solid teams use the TE on a regular basis…at PITT a TE delaying and slipping off a block into a cleared area on the field would amount to a “trick play” EH ?

    My Christmas wish is for a couple of 4 star OLineman in 2019 and 2020 (and to live to attend the tailgates)

    I emailed Emel- crickets…hope he is OK..He was coming to Saturday’s game on a sloppy night to drive…….the silence is deafening…..

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    1. Koontz is not coming to Pitt. Georgia is pursuing him and he laughed that Salem keeps talking to him about run blocking.

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      1. EE.. didn’t see your Koontz comment til after I posted

        Someone on that PITT staff needs to take his smart pills…

        Time for you to switch to black golf balls… winter will be upon us this weekend..

        Liked by 1 person

  83. It isn’t the first time Emel has disappeared, but like you, I hope he is OK.

    Agree on the tight ends. We recently had very good ones and O’Neil who became a great tackle.

    Ike posted the list of O-linemen for next year. Only question is are there 5 or 6 ready and will be good?

    I guess we will get an idea when Narduzzi signs his transfers for next year.

    I think the Stanford game is a big deal in terms of the trend of this program.

    Liked by 1 person

  84. Narduzzi loves 22 year olds to play for him and as such I expect he’ll attempt to get another grad transfer OLman before next season once again.

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  85. ^^ I would like to hear from anyone on the POV that thinks they reached their peak at 18 or 19 years old? I’ll hang up and listen.

    The posters that create a comment on any and every negative statistic they can find without posting any of the positive stats crack me up. Then get mad at me for seeing right through them.

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    2. A huge difference between the body of a 18-19 yr old kid and a 22 yr old man. Night and day difference. Peak age is 22

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    1. By the time I reached my peak I was already going back down the other side of the mountain. Very short lived. All up hill and then off the cliff I went.

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  87. Check out PSN’s article on how Travis Koontz recruitment visit with Tim Salem, our ace recruiter, went today…….. it will leave you scratching your head….

    Liked by 4 people

  89. ike, I reached my basketball peak as a 12 yr old 6th grader on the middle school team. It’s been downhill from there! 🙂

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  90. I wrestled and weighed 85 lbs in high school as a jr. No BS. The opposing coaches wouldn’t even bother to weigh me in. Young men mature at different times in life. Take it from a late bloomer….checking in at around 205 lbs as of now. (and not happy about it) ike

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  92. Wikipedia on PITT grad and Carolina Panther owner Dave Tepper… quite a philanthropist giving the school where he earned his MBA – CMU a total of $125 mil total in 2 separate donations….most of you probably knew that… new news to me……

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  93. MD with a new HC – Matt Canada out.

    The Terps hired Mike Locksley – offensive coach at Alabama and former OC at MD.

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  95. The only place Canada ever succeeded was at PITT. Told to hit the bricks everywhere else. He was at the right place at the right time. << Oh, he was a Narduzzi crony as well.

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  96. Matt Canada got greedy when he left a good gig at Pitt. He was booted from NC State but showed no love to the guy (Narduzzi) who saved his butt from the scrap heap. What goes around comes around as they say. Screw him, he got what he deserved.

    Liked by 1 person

  97. VOR with all due respect most anyone of us POVers would have left as a Pitt coach with the contract he got at LSU. And when fired there he left with nice tidy buyout. I don’t think he’ll have any trouble finding employment going forward. I’d swap Watson for Canada right now if I were Narduzzi.

    Liked by 1 person

  98. If Pitt was Alabama, PN would hire Canada as Offensive Analyst, a low paying staff position. Bama hired Steve Sarkisian to this post a few years ago (likely being paid handsomely by a booster) and he was promoted to OC when Lane Kiffin bolted beore the playoffs. Sarkisian is now the OC for the Atlanta Falcons.

    Just reason No. 643 why Pitt can never compete with the big boys.

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  99. Is anyone besides me having problems with connecting to Pittsburgh Sports Now on their laptops/PC? I can connect to site on my phone but just like my laptop when in the house.

    Maybe because PSN has a lot of pop up fake phony security threats?

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    1. While I have no problem connecting to PSN, I have gotten a handful of those phony threats recently

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  100. FYI, Terry Bowden was fired as HC at Akron. The Plain Dealer lists 5 possible candidates including …

    Luke Getsy, 34
    An alum likely to get a call is former quarterback Luke Getsy, 34, who led the Zips to a 2005 MAC Championship and set 24 school records during two years as a starter, after transferring from Pitt. Getsy is in his first season as offensive coordinator at Mississippi State, where he has been reunited with MSU head coach Joe Moorhead, who was Akron’s offensive coordinator while Getsy playing quarterback. Getsy has had a steady climb up the coaching ranks, beginning as a grad assistant with the Zips and at Pitt, then as an assistant at Indiana, Pa., Western Michigan, and four years with the Green Bay Packers in the NFL before joining Mississippi State.

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    1. Just the opposite for me. After reading your message, I just tried connecting to PSN a few minutes ago but was unable to

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  104. A balance offense is important for success. This year we had a very good running game, but an abysmal passing game. Largely because of extremely poor pass protection, but there are also questions regarding KP’s abilities as well as the wide receivers and tight ends. With another rebuilt O-line what changes will Narduzzi, Watson and Borbely make to increase productivity or will it just be business as usual?

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  105. For the second year in a row our success will depend on how well the O-line comes together, so it should be the top priority. Maybe they should hire a pass blocking specialist, if there is such a thing. My guess is they are already scouring the countryside for transferring O-tackles, and Tight Ends but that is not a long term solution.

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      1. Hey Dan, I’m guessing Canada burnt some of the plentiful Pittsburgh bridges we have but I would welcome him back. There is not a thought of him becoming the next PITT football head coach though. I think his drive to keep moving up in the college football world will actually be his downfall. Albeit, a couple million bucks later.

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  107. Stanford’s total offense is ranked # 72
    Stanford Passing is ranked # 21
    Stanford rushing is ranked # 122

    Stanford total defense is ranked #75
    Stanford passing is ranked #120
    Stanford rushing is ranked # 38

    Stanford played in a weak conference and had weak OOC schedule. Thinking it should be a good match-up for PITT?

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    1. The Stanford tailback was a Heisman candidate in 2017 (Bryce Love). He was banged up in 2018 – look for him to get healed in time to perform well against our Panthers.

      Don’t be fooled by the run stats.

      Liked by 2 people

  108. I did get into PSN just now(had trouble getting yesterday). The Salem visit with TE Koontz is something to behold. Narduzzi is scheduled to visit him next week. If I were Narduzzi I’d cancel the trip right now because there ain’t a snow balls chance in hell he’s coming to Pitt after what I read. Yikes! Is Salem for real or just plain stupid to be only talking about the Pitt run game and nothing about the TE in the pass game to any recruit?

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  109. Here’s the puzzler for me. This past year I understand (i don’t do twitter) that at least a few PITT players suggested in the social media that they may have made a mistake or were told false information when being recruited. Backlash ensued afterwards about bad recruiting techniques by the PITT coaching staff. Now a PITT coach gives it to the recruit straight (Koontz), that’s wrong as well. I agree it doesn’t sound good but I can appreciated a coach giving the recruit the straight scoop. However, I would have included we may use the tight end a lot more next year as it is an unknown at this time.

    Liked by 1 person

  110. Just heard that a 2020 4 star OL recruit de-committed from OSU. Is this Paris Johnson, son of Pitt Coach Johnson? That would be awesome. At least one other recruit de-committed today as well from there.

    Is our recruiting pitch disjointed?

    As far as Canada – bring him back, stat! Check the ego at the door. We need ingenuity and smoke and mirrors. Smoke and mirrors works well against better talent and since we ain’t recruiting better talent then our opposition, let’s go for it. It’s only money, Pitt and I am sure that Canada is still getting paid from LSU and or Maryland, so he can take a hit to the pocketbook. Be creative, Pitt!

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      1. He was downgraded to a 4*. If he decommited and chose Pitt, he would become a 3*.

        Just one man’s opinion…

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  111. I agree Huff because in addition to the play calling Canada would bring our starting QB needs some coaching he is clearly not getting from the current staff.

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  112. I tried PSN a few minutes ago. Was able to get to site but with a cravat – the site’s articles are all dated 12/2 and before.

    I am on charter (spectrum). Is this the common internet for all having problems?

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  114. You guys are cracking me up.

    Canada hit the freakin lottery when he came to Pitt then cashed in.

    He had a ready made O-line, a touchdown machine in Conner, a decent QB in Peterman, recruited by Chaney by the way, decent receivers, solid tight end. He got lucky that O’Neil was a future pro and was smart enough to see that Henderson was a fast and elusive runner. Also a stud named Aston was here.

    He left for big bucks and also, half the Line, Conner and Peterman were leaving.

    I don’t think he recruited one guy of note while he was here. I don’t know who he recruited since then, but they didn’t save his jobs.

    He was fired after a year at LSU and after two at Maryland, hardly a juggernaut program.

    Watson has had 10% of the weapons that Canada had. He has had two crap lines, without an above the line QB, middle of the road receivers and no tight ends this year. He made the best of the two above average running backs. I am not sold on Watson, but having a new OC every year is not the answer.

    The problem is recruiting. Without enough quality linemen we are just going to be treading water.
    If guys are capable of executing them, the finest of play calling is meaningless.

    Seriously, Pitt has a bad record of retreads. If we do get any new coordinators, they better be able to recruit.

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  116. Richard my good buddy from South Carolina, so I let PSN sit on my screen for awhile and it finally popped on but the format was screwy. Later on in the day in straightened itself out. After looking into the problem I think it may have something to do with your neck tie?

    cravat = a short, wide strip of fabric worn by men around the neck and tucked inside an open-necked shirt. •a necktie.

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    1. Well after hearing from Mark, GC & you, PSN is now working as expected. I guess I didn’t have my caveat tucked in correctly. D**n it Jim, I’m an accountant not a spelling bee champion.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Hey Richard, no one makes more grammatical and spelling mistakes on the POV then me. The edit button was once my friend. (:

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  117. Hey MM …. just a heads up on the new signing schedule

    Division I Football (Early Period)
    December 19, 2018 -December 21, 2018

    Division I and II Football (Midyear JC Transfer)
    December 19, 2018 – January 15, 2019

    Division I and II Football (Regular Period)
    February 6, 2019 – Division I: April 1, 2019

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  118. Jrnpitt, Canada is a good coach, but who could trust him? That sleaze ball would be looking for his next job while working his current one. How much recruiting effort would he give Pitt while looking to jump to a HC job? Face it, he is radioactive and Pitt should stay away.

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    1. VOR, Watson is toxic right now as the OC. Coming with the same scheme each and every week is my definition of “toxic in place”.

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  120. Ike please you can’t expect to recruit any TE and never talk about how he would be used in the passing game. All these recruits think they have a chance to play NFL ball some day. Just how much demand do you think there are for NFL TE’s that just block for a living? Koontz will most likely commit to Georgia if their TE declares for the NFL. Coming to Pitt to only block for our RB’s is not a good selling point truth be told.

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  122. In case you’re interested …. Farrell plays in state 1A title today on PCN at 1 pm (replay at 4). Pitt recruit Kyi Wright is QB/MLB.

    In the pet peeve department … at 7 pm, Imotep Charter plays Erie Cathedral Prep in 4A tile. 4th year in a row, these teams have met for state title. And no coincidence these teams recruit players. Also no coincidence that Prep beat Bishop McDevitt in state semis.

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    1. But kudos to Penn Hills who play for 5A title this weekend, having knocked off favorites Archbishop Wood (another recruiter) last week. And BTW, Pine-Richland got shellacked by St Joseph;s 37-0 last week.

      There are real powers in Philadelphia n both FB and BB made up of charter and Catholic schools. Of course, Philly is much bigger than Pgh, but the city league here is made up of mostly of schools with very limited budgets and facilities. I believe the only city FB on Pitt roster is Theran Coleman although there are a few Central Catholic players … but they may be from the burbs.

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      1. I am a Pine-Richland alum and watched St. Joe’s destroy us on Saturday. It was like watching an NFL team. They have Marvin Harrison Jr, Jeremiah Trotter Jr., and last year they had Hank Frahley Jr. Some people complained that their qb isn’t even a PA resident, but what can you do? To be the best, you have to beat the best.

        I just hope that PR grad Phil Jurkovec who only had mop up time in two Notre Dame games this year sees the light in the next two years and transfers to PItt. I doubt he will ever be the starting qb at Notre Dame.

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        1. FYI – Cathedral Prep is known to have players from both NY and OH on their roster on many occasions

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  123. As an alum of Penn Hills and resident of Gateway, I hope Narduzzi is maintaining relationships with these schools that have provided Pitt with some talent over the years, along with Woodland Hills. They have some quality under the radar kids. The best lineman in the NFL went to Penn Hills and Pitt.

    So important to have local kids play at Pitt if you want to get the community behind us again. Pitt won’t be back until local kids grow up wanting to play at Pitt.

    Also a shame that Pittsburgh Schools and WPIAL don’t seem to develop much P-5 talent in basketball. A few DeJuan Blairs sure would be nice every so often.

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  124. Question of the day, What can Heather do to help Narduzzi recruit elite talent?

    Second question of the day, How many Pitt Fans thought we would be playing a high profile team like Stanford in the Sun Bowl after the UNC game? I think Narduzzi and Co. should get a lot of credit for the Coastal Title. I know the last two games have been a downer and taken a lot of the luster off the season, but all things considered, the team beat expectations this year.

    It will be tough, like all of our hard fought victories, but a win in the Sun Bowl would really help in the never ending battle with SOP.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Cranberry area …. halfway between home area (Lawrence County) and downtown, also have some relatives and friends within 15 minutes or so

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  127. Gordon, you asked what Heather can do to help recruiting ….. now I don’t think this will create a big boom in recruiting nor am I aware what is permissible by the NCAA, but I always thought Pitt can offer assistance to the city league schools by donating used equipment and giving them free admittance to Pitt games. Also, maybe some free camps to city children beginning in junior high, etc.

    I do not think that the talent in the city in both FB and BB is being optimized or even close to it. And I’m pretty sure they are not getting the best coaching (although I certainly praise the coaching who are trying their best).

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