147 thoughts on “Pitt at Boston College Basketball Thread”

  2. Alabama and 4th year coach Nate Oats is clobbering the defending national champs, Baylor in one of the many SEC vs Big12 games this weekend.

    Good basketball entertainment.

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  3. Lastrow you are correct – game is moved to Sunday at 4pm.

    Jamie Dixon’s TCU Horned Frogs beat #19 LSU Tigers by a wide margin today. Jamie has his TCU boys at an impressive 14-4.

    Liked by 2 people

  4. Having a fun debate over this song:

    One toke over the line sweet Jesus
    One toke over the line
    Sittin’ downtown in a railway station
    One toke over the line

    Awaitin’ for the train that goes home, sweet Mary
    Hopin’ that the train is on time
    Sittin’ downtown in a railway station
    One toke over the line

    Whoooo do you love, I hope it’s me
    I’ve bin a changin’, as you can plainly see
    I felt the joy and I learned about the pain that my momma said
    If I should choose to make a part of me, surely strike me dead
    Now I’m one toke over the line sweet Jesus
    One toke over the line
    Sittin’ downtown in a railway station
    One toke over the line
    I’m waitin’ for the train that goes home sweet Mary
    Hopin’ that the train is on time
    Sittin’ downtown in a railway station
    One toke over the line

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    1. So the debate has ended –

      Barnes was “one toke over the line” when he allowed Dixon to leave without paying the huge buyout and then hired Kevin Stallings.

      Jamie Dixon’s time at Pitt reminded us of Stevie Ray Vaughn Live at Montreux – consistently great!

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  6. I read an article about Our Lady of the Sacred Heart setting a new WPIAL record with 53 straight wins. What caught my attention was that OLSH’s 6’3” senior Jake DiMichele scored 35 points, including nine 3-pointers. I read that he also recently went over the 2000 point mark for his high school career. I tried to find Jake’s star rating but couldn’t find it. 247Sports lists their top 321 recruits going down to 2 star ratings.. He wasn’t there. What would a consistent 3-pt shooter be worth on a team like Pitt’s? Surely more that a 2-star rating. Makes me wonder whether solid players who specialize in making 3-point shots are recognized through the recruit ranking services in relation to the value they would bring to a college team? Surely you could find a spot in a 13 man roster for a sharpshooter or two.

    Liked by 4 people

    1. Maybe, Mark. I can’t pretend to understand how the recruit rating system makes any sense. But draining 3’s should be the same in any class, in my mind.

      Liked by 1 person

  11. Erie, Stevie Ray is one of my all time favorites…
    And he was booed mercilessly the first time he played Montreaux.
    I have a great 2 disc video that has both concerts…courtesy the great Scooter.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Love SRV but his guitar work is most difficult to play. Even Jimmy Page licks are easier.
      SRV the king of Texas Blues!

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  12. So we have a Coach Cignetti at Pitt and a Coach Cignetti at James Madison. Might we see some portal action between the schools?

    And, of course, our very own Mike Shanahan is the OC and WR Coach at JMU.

    And I had forgotten that the schools have get another connection — Tino Sunseri is the QB Coach and Passing Game Coordinator at JMU!

    Which brings me to this question — why is QB Joey Yellen still at Pitt? With the crowded QB room, why isn’t the portal calling to him?

    Go Pitt.

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    1. John – I may be wrong but I believe Yellen is currently trapped at Pitt due to my understanding of the transfer portal rules. It is my belief that the transfer portal only allows 1 “free” transfer. He has already used it when he came to Pitt.

      If he transferred this year (2021-22 cycle), he would have to sit out a year at his new school. Most schools want a transfer that can “help” immediately.

      Now if he graduates from Pitt, he can transfer without having to sit out a year. If he gets his degree after the 2022 season, he can once again hit the TP and play immediately with 2 years of eligibility.

      I think Pitt will allow him to stay at Pitt for another school year to graduate. Then he can transfer or get
      on with his life’s work.

      Yellen is an example of the unseen side effect of TP that doesn’t go as planned.

      Then again, he may have a girlfriend on the gymnastics team.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Thanks Richard – with all the movement, I forgot about that “one-time” provision in the small print.

        “Trapped at Pitt” starring Joey Yellen and Jeff Capel coming soon to theaters near you! 😊

        Go Pitt.

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  13. Very interesting – Paul Chryst has hired Bobby Engram as his new OC. Engram coached the WRs in PC’s first two years at Pitt. Bobby left Pitt for a job with the Ravens – where he coached WRs and then TEs…

    Joe Rudolf had been the OC at Wisky but he left to be the OLine Coach at VT. Barry A. mustn’t of been happy with Joe…😊

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Godfather Barry retired in June 2021 and Chris McIntosh (former Badger FB player) is the new AD.

      There were calls for “Joe must go” from the fan base early in the Fall of 2021 when their offense struggled – Joe left Wisky as the Oline Coach so he was demoted at some point by HC Chryst.

      Although Barry could be lurking in the background pulling the puppet strings to keep his legacy in tact.

      I guess Paul will teach Bobby how to be the OC, kind of like he did with Joe?

      Pretty neat stuff…

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    2. Paulie calls the plays and always will. Those gents are OC in name only. Rudolph is a very good recruiter and OL coach. He went for the pay day and new opportunity.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. And now we will be recruiting against Rudolph and probably Bobby Engram in some of our recruiting areas…

        Bobby Engram is putting together a nice resume. Seemed like a really good guy when he was at Pitt.

        I could see him as a Head Coach somewhere in a couple more years…

        Go Pitt.

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  14. A brief follow up to a post I made yesterday. I read this morning that OLSH beat Shadyside Academy yesterday, 81-54. DiMichele scored 51 of his team’s 81 points. No mention of how many of those were 3’s. But the kid has to be a shooter. We rip on Buddy Boeheim like all opposing team fans do but I bet most of us would welcome him on our Panthers team in a New York minute.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Its always interesting to hear what impresses these young guys.

      The number of comments about the Cathedral was interesting. And references to grad rates and academic support.

      I had a laugh about the nationality rooms and the small class sizes. In 4 years I think I might have had one class in a nationality room. I’m guessing the auditoriums in Lawrence and Langley Halls weren’t on the tour 🤔

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Your comment brought back memories. I entered Pitt in 1959 and had most of my classes in The Cathedral. My science classes were in Clapp Hall. The addition of new academic buildings, the new library, and the dorms have changed Pitt into a school that has a unique campus like none other in the U.S. I am positive that when recruits see our shared training facilities with The Steelers they are blown away. It is up to our coaches to sell the football program because Pitt as a school sells itself in many positive ways.

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    1. I really would like to see AD get that Super Bowl Ring. Although he does not need it to get into the HOF.
      Unfortunately, I believe that the lack of a super bowl ring has kept Reuben Brown out of the Pro HOF, he is a College HOF, but the guy made nine Pro Bowls. One of the best O-linemen ever. Do you think Alan Faneca was any better?

      Liked by 1 person

  21. I asked this in the last string. Will again. So, it’s called Junior Day and kids from lots of grade levels show up. I guess that makes sense, maybe. But, are they invited or is it an open door for anyone who wants to attend? And, the kid comes from Miami. Does Pitt pay his travel expenses?
    pmdH2P

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  22. Liked by 1 person

    1. Not much of a resume – WR coach at Lafayette in 2018, Offensive specialist for the Miami Dolphins in 2019 and WR coach at Rutgers 2020-21.

      He was drafted in the NFL 7th round after his college playing days at Rutgers as a WR. He does know how to catch the ball…

      He should be able to strengthen his resume with the (3) WR studs on Pitt’s roster – some say lateral move, I say step up.

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    2. We poach another Coach…

      Tiquan is from NJ and played at Rutgers. 7th round draft pick by Jaguars.

      Some info:
      Underwood also played for the New England Patriots, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Carolina Panthers in the NFL. He made his CFL debut for the Hamilton Tiger Cats in 2015. Underwood is known for his distinctive hi-top fade hairstyle.

      Coaching Career — Lafayette
      Shortly after retiring from playing professional football, Underwood was hired as the wide receivers coach for Lafayette for the 2018 season. This was under John Garrett who was his wide receivers coach in Tampa with the Buccaneers.

      Miami Dolphins — In 2019, Underwood was hired by the Miami Dolphins as an offensive quality control coach.

      Rutgers — In 2020 after a season in Miami, Underwood returned to Rutgers where he played his college football as the team’s wide receivers coach under Greg Schiano, whom Underwood played for in college.

      Go Pitt.

      Liked by 1 person

  24. It’s a WR coach. You don’t need many credentials. He played for 5 years in the NFL, knows the Jersey recruiting area. Sounds like a solid hire and someone who will be able to relate to the kids.

    Liked by 2 people

  25. I thought we had reached the point where Pitt would select experienced coaches who would add value, not guys who are looking to improve their own resumes. Maybe Cignetti was high on this WR coach from Rutgers, but his resume is thin and I don’t think guys like Addison will be impressed. Even a position coach from the NFL would be better to coach receivers as to what works there, but maybe there is something special about this guy that I am missing..

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    1. Voice — Underwood played for 4 NFL teams. He should know what works. Some Rutgers fans seem to think their WR play improved a lot when Underwood was hired…

      Seems to me that at this level everyone knows what should be done – it’s all on tape. The trick is – who can actually teach it well and get the players to actually do it…. Hoping he’s a good teacher and recruiter…

      Go Pitt.

      Liked by 1 person

    2. Impressed to see Pitt continues to be the aggressor in coaching hires and not the victim. We need to continue to get good recruiters on the coaching staff. Underwood should be a good asset for New Jersey and eastern PA as well as Maryland. Rutgers’ athletics program program lost $73 million dollars last year so I doubt they would get in a bidding war with Pitt over Underwood.

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  27. If I’m HC Narduzzi this morning, I’m feeling pretty good about the 2022 season with the staff and players I have. Lock the gates and get to work. Today my D-line and DB players would be watching the Rams vs 49ers game with Partridge, Bates and Duzz. My new offensive coaches would be watching the Bengals game with the WR’s & TE’s along side Salem and Duzz.

    Build on the legacies of Aaron Donald, Tyler Boyd and K’wan Williams. All great Pitt men to be proud of. But also talk about what the current players can learn from these NFL greats – work ethic, preparedness and character.

    Go Pitt!

    Liked by 3 people

  28. Nobody wants to be a WR coach for life. Lol. Position coaches by nature, unless they’re in the twilight of their careers, will be transient and looking to better themselves. Alabama has almost 100% turnover on their staff every few years and Pitt has not reached that level. It’s just a WR coach. Recruiting is the most important part of the job. Marion looks like he had a bigger impact than he did because WR’s started catching the ball … side note … you don’t teach players how to catch … that’s comes in the job description.

    Liked by 1 person

  29. A tidbit from Football Scoop on Pitt’s new grad assistant:

    “Jonathan DiBiaso is being added as an offensive graduate assistant where he’ll served as assistant quarterbacks coach. DiBiaso has previously served on staffs at Boston College and Vanderbilt and is the son of legendary Massachussets high school coach John DiBiaso.”

    Go Pitt.

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  30. TT – well said in my opinion, I agree 100% with everything above. I do think his credentials, especially as an NFL receiver for several years combined with a little college experience coaching receivers, is more than adequate for this position, but when that’s combined with his supposed recruiting expertise in NJ & FL, I like this on paper quite a bit. Hopefully he’s comparable to Marion, as I suspect he is.

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  33. That’s 2nd quarter.

    Does anyone know how to access ACCNX ? Pitt men on at 4.

    Can’t wait to see Pitt w Horton. Should be much improved. No more sloughing off on Hugley!!

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  34. Classic conundrum of basketball going on at Cuse. Cuse wants to run and play fast break ball and Pitt should want to play half court but Pitt ladies in-game are letting their egos rule and trying to out-run Syracuse. If Pitt can slow it down, they win. Coach White losing his mind on the sideline. Ah, the best laid plans of every coach….

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    1. It’s downright amazing how many possessions the Pitt women give away. Hard to watch.

      I think the fast pace is what Coach White wants. Notice that whoever gets a defensive rebound for Pitt (aside from the center), immediately takes off up the floor. Maybe the idea is to play 12 players, play fast, and tire the opponent out?

      Too much out of control; too many poor passes…. This team needs a new OC, IMHO..

      Go Pitt.

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      1. Pitt women lose by 8.

        Pitt was only 2 for 21 from 3. So they missed 19 three-pointers!

        Syracuse also missed 19 three-pointers. The difference was they made 13.

        Pitt had 22 turnovers. Pretty discouraging…

        Go Pitt.

        Liked by 1 person

  37. I have Dish Network and have 2 Longhorn Network Stations, 9 Pac 10, 9 Big10,
    5 SEC but only one ACC channel

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  39. Absolutely NO excuse for Pitt ladies to lose to Syracuse. None.
    Sloppy unfocused basketball! Been too much of that lately. Empty trips,
    forced shots, horrible ball handling the culprits. Coach White- you have much work to do!!

    Liked by 1 person

  40. Pitt basketball >> men or women >>turnover machines and TERRIBLE outside shooting. I know that what I am about to say may be a little off-center but, watching Coach White knocking down one coke ( or whatever is in the cup)after another is a bit concerning. I am NOT a doctor but whatever he is drinking can’t be healthy. I feel for him because I believe that he is a good coach but it is obvious that he is under tremendous stress. For some weird reason outside shooting talent does not find its way to the Pete.

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    1. Coaching is stress filled even in HS. I can not imagine the pressure White and Capel are under in college. I just chose never to show it in public. But,
      when I did, it was usually because we were not doing the things we worked on in practice.
      I’ll be extremely disappointed if our men don’t play better today!

      Might as well watch Pitt … the Pens are playing like crap and Cinncy is getting blown out.

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  42. You guys think the ladies were sloppy because you are used to seeing that tight ball handling Pitt men’s team playing…. 😊

    Liked by 1 person

  43. Our new coach learned from four NFL receiver coaches plus all his team mates.
    But most important is recruiting.

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  46. Pitt’s wrestling team getting pounded by VT in Pittsburgh right now. Several of Pitt’s ranked wrestlers lost today.

    Poor showing at home by the Gavin lead Panthers.

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    1. What makes you say it was a “poor” showing? I didn’t watch it but looks like it went as would’ve expected by seed rank.

      No. 8 Virginia Tech 24, No. 19 Pitt 12
      125: No. 21 Sam Latona (VT) dec. No. 31 Gage Curry (Pitt), 5-3
      133: No. 5 Korbin Myers (VT) dec. No. 7 Micky Phillippi (Pitt), 2-1
      141: No. 18 Cole Matthews (Pitt) dec. Collin Gerardi (VT), 8-2
      149: Sam Hillegas (VT) dec. Luke Kemerer (Pitt), 5-2
      157: No. 21 Elijah Cleary (Pitt) dec. #23 Connor Brady (VT), 5-1 SV
      165: No. 14 Jake Wentzel (Pitt) dec. Clayton Ulrey (VT), 5-1
      174: No. 3 Mekhi Lewis (VT) tech. fall James Lledo (Pitt), 23-5 7:00
      184: No. 12 Hunter Bolen (VT) pins No. 31 Gregg Harvey (Pitt), 1:33
      197: No. 8 Nino Bonaccorsi (Pitt) dec. No. 33 Dakota Howard (VT), 6-1
      285: No. 14 Nathan Traxler (VT) maj. dec. Jake Slinger (Pitt), 12-0

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      1. VT lost to Arizona State

        Pitt beat Arizona State

        No excuse losing by 12 points

        BUT, your layout of rankings tells a story too.

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  48. It’s 4:15. Did the game start late? I’m getting a “your game will begin soon” message from ACCNX.

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  54. Interesting how Payton was the first player off the bench today, jacks up a 3 pointer and misses.

    We want Horton, we want Horton.

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  57. Just signed on to the POV. Reed has posted a small article and as Isnore said. it is terrible and sad news about his son.

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  61. Pick n roll… pick n roll … occasional 3… pick n roll. BC killing Pitt w pick n roll. Simple basketball. Plus we just can’t buy a basket.

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  63. Much like our ladies, Pitt men cannot make a shot. So many bricks, it’s hard to keep count! Pitt down 9 at half and it could/should be much worse!

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  64. Prayers to Reed, his son, and his family. May they find the strength to get through these difficult times.

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  65. So sorry, Reed. Such a sad development.

    Continued thoughts and prayers for your son, you and your wife.

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  68. Instead of playing basketball, Pitt should just weak over and beat their heads against the wall! It would be more productive than what they’re doing now. God awful offensive basketball!

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  71. How can this Pitt team be so inconsistent? This was the one game they were expected to win. The offense just stinks. Shooting 35% from the field just won’t cut it.

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  72. No excuse for either BBall loss. Worst shooting of the year for both teams. BC took away the inside with their two 7 footers and Pitt couldn’t make a single outside shot! Unreal.

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  75. Stay strong Reed and be the great leader you are.

    Your son and family will need that leadership through these tough times.

    I’ll double up my prayers for tomorrow to give you the strength to deliver the news and strength for your son to receive the news.

    I’m just a phone call away and a short drive to help.

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  77. I clicked on my Pittpov link hoping to read about Pitt’s new receiver coach, only to see Reed’s post. As s father of 4, I know how difficult it is to see our kids suffer no matter how big or small the issue may be. I will pray for your son and family Reed. May God be with you all.

    Liked by 2 people

  79. OT: with a full FB coaching staff in place and several pre-season rankings for the Duzz Panthers, I’ll roll out another “way to early” 2-deep for offense first:

    QB – Nick Patti or Kaden Slovis
    RB – Izzy; Hammond or V.Davis
    WR – Addison, Wayne and Mumpfield; Barden, Bradley and Alston
    RT – Warren or Goncalves
    RG – Minor; Jacoby
    C – Zubovic; Drexel
    LG – Kradel; Wilson
    LT – Houy; Taylor
    TE – Bartholomew; Wright

    We currently have 16 OLineman, 9 WR’s and 5 TE’s on scholarship.

    The O looks ready to roll. It will take much more thought with the D.

    Only about 75 days until the Spring game.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Switch the tackles. Houy, Goncalves on the right. That’s a lot of talent for Frank to play with. I hope he knows how to utilize it.

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  80. Prayers for Reed and his family. Such a horrible thing to have to go through.

    OT, what does an offensive ( or defensive) quality control person do? Serious question- I have no idea.

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  82. Erie, I’m wondering what the third group looks like. Do they have some young but talented players for the future in the third group?

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  83. Here is my attempt at the D 2-deep for this coming season:

    DE – Baldonado and Alexandre; Morgan and Hayes
    DT – Kancey and Green or Danielson; Bentley and Brima or Donald
    MLB – Dennis; George
    Star LB – Kamara; DeShields or Henningham
    Money LB – Simon; Lavant
    CB – M.Williams and Devonshire; Woods and Royal
    SS – Hill; O’Brien or Tallandier
    FS – Hallet; Battle

    By my count we lost (7) LB’s from last season to the portal or graduation. The back (7) seems to be the teams weak point followed by punter/long snapper and also the kickers.

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    1. The DBs just lack experienced depth. Williams, Devonshire, Hallet and Hill are solid. We will see how good Manalac coaches the LBs. Little experience at Star and Money.

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  84. Reed – Prayers and more prayers sent your sons way for Divine Healing.

    As far as Pitt ladies and Pitt men shooting so poorly, my hypothesis is that the air is different with people not in the stands……the ball travels thru the air differently! I am trying to help dan with a reason why they were both so bad today as he remains flummoxed as do most of us….

    Liked by 1 person

    1. That’s a theory I’ve never heard!
      But…. The air is the same for both teams right?

      Lack of talent is the culprit

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  86. “Best player in the game, best player in the past decade in Aaron Donald.”

    Michael Strahan Fox NFL Commentator and HOF NFL DE

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  87. Reed prayers for you and your family. Miracles do happen and I’m hoping that ends up being the case for your son.

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  90. OT…ACC football schedule announced tonight on ACC Network special at 7:00.
    Biggie can then start booking hotel rooms. 😎

    Liked by 1 person

  95. Pitt’s only win on the road all year was the St John’s game, so I guess we shouldn’t have expected much yesterday. Wake on Wednesday should be another bloodbath. Chance for a win on Saturday, not sure how Pitt will match up vs. VT. Will Capel be back?

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  96. Reading the PG article on the Pitt/BC game, that game never should have been played. They had virtually no practice time, no coach, and had to fly up to Boston and arrived just before game time. How can a team get prepared for a game under these conditions? From the PG article, it would have been difficult to reschedule the game, so they went ahead and played it on Sunday. It’s not clear why they just didn’t fly up to Boston a day early and schedule some practice time at a local high school if necessary. clearly, this team was not prepared to play this game.

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    1. Boston was closed because of the blizzard on the 29th. Logan was closed. I agree that the game should not have been played, however, looking ahead on the schedule we would be hard pressed to get all the games in without risking injuries.

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  97. Here’s one positive thing Capel can do to improve outside jump shots. As I painfully rewatched the BC game,
    I noticed a consistent flaw in every outside jump shot. Each player was not going straight up (like in a phone booth) but falling away on their jumps, right and left.

    This is fixable for any good shooting coach. Without going straight up you lose your shot orientation.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. You make your shot adjustment (lean r or l or back) from the waste. If you don’t go straight up you are basically just hoping it will go in. Again, hope is not a strategy.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. The hand bones connected to the elbow bown, the elbows connected to the shoulder bone,,the shoulder bone better be aligned with the hoop bone. Releasing the ball whilst in alignment with the goal….is the goal. A slight miscalculation and the shot is off its mark. Release while aligned, what a concept.

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  98. This coming from a post on the Lair, Pitt 2022 recruit Jimmy Scott 6’3″ 250 DE out of the Buffalo NY area was bumped to a 4 star by 247.—-What I found interesting from my research is that prior to being moved to DE in HS he played RB. His 40 yard time was clocked at 4.7 sec in the past. I’m just wondering if Pitt might not consider just testing him out at either the RB or FB position come next season. With his speed and size he might just be that missing power back Pitt has lacked for the last couple of years. I can remember one DE from the Erie area I believe that successfully transitioned from DE to RB after entering Pitt.

    Liked by 4 people

  100. My son’s doctor, his Mom and I told Chance that his condition is terminal today. Hardest thing I have ever had to do but he understood. I believe he knew this would be the outcome over the last two months and he handled it with grace and tears.

    He’s off all medication save pain relief and will come home, to his childhood room, tomorrow and be surrounded by family, friends and our love until the end.

    Thanks for all the well wishes…the hardest part is over now.

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    3. May you and your wife find the strength needed to help your son through this. Im so very sorry for you all and hope he finds comfort being at home and surrounded by family.

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  103. Reed, I’m so sorry. May god be with Chance and your entire family for his remaining days. I have no doubt you all will be reunited once again under much more pleasant circumstances.

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  105. Reed, words cannot express how sorry we all are to hear this news. Your son is very lucky to have strong parents nearby to be with him during this difficult time. May God give you strength to get through the difficult days ahead, and peace afterwards knowing that he is in a better place.

    Liked by 1 person

  108. Reed – so very sad. Can’t even imagine the pain and heartbreak.
    I wish strength for all of you at this most difficult time.
    Prayers for you.

    Liked by 1 person

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