259 thoughts on “Pitt at Vandy Basketball Thread”

  2. Not basketball related but this is the latest thread. Will they structure NIL deals so the player has to finish the season? Meaning no opt- out and no portal until after a bowl game.

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  5. Obviously Vandys strategy is to play slow and deliberate and slow down Pitt’s run and gun. Gotta make our shots and GET REBOUNDS

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  6. I’m not an attorney but I’ve been to a few hearings w my AAU attorney layers and they can be moved at a moments notice or if there’s a plea deal.

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  8. Typical announcers …. Spend time talking about themselves or Vandy. It’s like Pitt isn’t even playing.

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  9. SEC boys….good ole Southern boys. Pitt looks like it is hustling, but too early to tell what kind of game this will be. Benches behind the baskets …wierd.

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  15. Pitt with 14 shots from the field at this point and Vandy with 29,,,, and Pitt up!!!!

    Elliot is still hearing my stinging words in his ears, and I’m still eating every disrespectful word,,,, and liking that I am!!!

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  18. As sloppy as Pitt is they better make their shots. This is a big test for Pitt playing a slow deliberate team.

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  20. Vandy taking Pitt’s inside game away. Pitt overpassing and turning the ball over at an alarming rate.

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  22. One fundamental that has never changed is you NEVER pass off your own dribble! You are telegraphing it every time! Very ugly half by Pitt.
    Lucky to be tied.

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  23. Not sure but quite possibly Dior Johnson may have had a continuance ( not unusual to have 2 or 3 occur during the process ) – kind of like a rain delay in baseball . Great day for Pitt fans on Friday , 12/30/2022 : PITT vs. UCLA in the Sun Bowl & Pitt vs. UNC basketball
    game at the PETE later that evening ! On a side note , with Jurkovec on board – Narduzzi needs to go hard after a big time 4 or 5 star tailback recruit for next year regardless of what Izzy does – ( I remember we had 5 Parade All- American RB’s on the roster at the same time once upon a time : Heyward , Gladman , AB Brown , Eugene Napoleon & Brian Davis !! )

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  25. This is the kind of game which can haunt us if we are not lucky. Relying on 3 pointers and turning cold can easily lead to Vandy running off big numbers against us on.

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  40. No offensive boards to speak of. Their half court offense is stale with nothing down low. They can’t win this game only with 3s.

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  47. We have been sloppy in every aspect of the game tonight, except for shooting. So it’s very misleading that we are within 5. Hughley has been terrible.

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  49. Pitt beat up and down the floor, underneath and outside. Exposed for who we are. A sloppy undisciplined run and gun team.

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  51. Pitt is exposed as having some 3 point shooters but not much else. They need stops now but all they can do is foul.

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  52. couple of phantom calls against Burton

    D is not looking like they had last 2 games

    and yes, the turnovers are back!

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  53. Lot of blame to go around but Elliot is the little girl w the curl. Nice shooting but non existent defense and team play.

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  69. 1,000 times over the years, I’ve watched Pitt run a shot clock to 10 and then run their play…For some reason tonight they take an elbow shot at 10 seconds that would have been there at 3 or 4 seconds…Nonetheless, the team played with a lot of resilience tonight and did a great job to get within one shot at the end.

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  70. Pitt has to improve in many areas. The offensive rebounding is bad, and way too many turnovers for a senior laden team. They can’t be one dimensional and get by on shooting 3s.

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  71. Two stats that jump out to me after the game – Hugely with zero rebounds and team FT shooting 14 of 21.

    I think I heard the announcer say at the end of the first half that Pitt had (1) offensive rebound.

    Capel teams have always been turnover machines and that definitely was a factor in last nights loss as well.

    OT: I heard on XM 84 College Sports Talk Radio last evening that psuX Joey Porter Jr opted out of the Rose Bowl – the commentators used the phrase “quit on his team” instead of opt-out.

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    1. Knee injuries can be tough to come back from – it seems Capel is trying to play Big John into shape.

      He looks gassed and has no hops right now.

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      1. at first(games ago) I thought we’d be good when he comes back, the way he looked last night now I’m thinking if

        it looks like he doesn’t have a feel for the pace of play

        as a team we don’t pass extremely well but John has seemed particularly weak with that part of his game(now and in years past) and yet has some amazing flashes – the one hand catch and push pass to the corner 3 was a flash of beauty by him

        this really would’ve been a great game to win with the solid talent and size Vandy has and the fight back was so great

        John should be better at this point if not completely in conditioning at least in some parts of his game, the + and – by John and Federico says a ton

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  73. I still have hope for a decent season, however, our problems are so obvious they flash in bright colors like a Times Square advertising sign. So, instead of rehashing turnovers, etc, etc I believe that somehow what appears to be very good team chemistry will drive us to improve in future games. The question that we ask ourselves is>>>>> Do Capel and his sidekicks have the capability to eliminate our stupid mistakes.?

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  74. I thought the ACC announcers were much more fair handed towards Pitt than the ACC dudes.
    Also more knowledgeable about the players which was surprising. They said it all when they said that Vandy was fighting harder for the 50/50 balls. As I said last night they outhustled us in many ways. The passing was also more lazy than it had been in the last two games.

    One has to hope that Hugley comes around soon to take care of the rebounding problem, but that was an excellent big man last night and Hugley at 50%. It is a good thing that Federico’s game seems to be improving, but doesn’t have the hand strength or anywhere near the physicality of our big man.

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      1. not sure if he would’ve made a difference but I thought he should be in on that last defensive play

        Cummings shooting SOOO early was disappointing but still….

        one big problem John has is that he faces no one in practice that can push him physically and he faces someone(or two) like that every night in real games

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  76. Narduzzi is recruiting some really good guys that could make a major difference. Who will actually come?

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  78. The most encouraging thing about this team is the number of guys that can score. I don’t remember any Pitt team that had this many guys that can hit threes. If they can improve defensively they should be pretty competitive.

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  79. So WVU gave JT Danials six figures and most likely more for a crappy year of football. These NIL deals will need to be performance based.

    “ One of the prospects for Daniels was Oregon State, where he visited with his father during one of the Beavers’ spring practices.

    According to John Canzano, a sports columnist and radio host based in Portland, Oregon, Daniels asked for multiple exuberant commodities when negotiating an NIL collective — a four-bedroom house, capable of withholding a gym and space for family members when they came to visit, and a personal chef, on top of a six-figure endorsement deal.

    Daniels’ father led the discussion, and the talks quickly faded out. Daniels transferred to West Virginia shortly after the visit, and still received a six-figure NIL deal without having yet played any games for the Mountaineers. The former five-star and No. 14 overall recruit got his money based on past reputation and what could he possibly do for the program.”

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  80. So if a player gets a six figure NIL deal to transfer to a team, what is the impact?

    The coach has to start him. Otherwise it is wasted money and he probably angers some rich alumni that ponied up money.
    The SO or JR at the position that thought they had a shot to start after putting in the years of work get a raw deal and probably transfer out.
    If the player getting the money fails, does that NIL money start to dry up. Once bitten, twice shy.
    Huge impact on team chemistry. The NIL privileged handed a starting job vs the high school recruits trying to develop and work their way up the depth chart.

    I guess these kids are getting an early life lesson, LOL.

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  81. Last nights game breaks down very simply. Pitt played one on one street ball and Vandy played team basketball running precise sets and plays.

    Pitt got crushed on the boards and our guards were no match for Vandys. Still … we damn near won.

    Hope this is not a start to a bad run by VB and Soccer.

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  82. Hopefully this team is good enough to get decent crowds at the Pete so we can get the home field advantage that has been missing since Jamie left.
    I feel much better about the season tickets, was really concerned after WV and Michigan.

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    1. it would have, yet a very good big would’ve made last night a blowout

      Federico is good, John could be very good but IS NOT even close(now)

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  85. Hugley’s minutes need to be drastically reduced until he’s in shape. Borderline embarrassing and the worst part were how lazy his passes were. He’s lucky there weren’t more turnovers than their were. That said, every team will have games like this. It was interesting to look at their schedule and see that they also lost to VCU but barely beat Wofford and Temple. This win looks like the best one they’ve had all season as they could easily have come into this game 2 – 6. We’ll be lucky to finish at .500 this season. I suppose that is going to be the new standard.

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  86. Pitt will become very easy to defend. Once teams start to shut off the 3s, the obvious answer is to work the ball inside. But Pitt has no inside game. Playing good defense will cover up some deficiencies, but last night exposed how non-existent their inside game is with a weak Hugely not contributing. They get no second chance points with no offensive rebounds. If 48% from behind the arc is not good enough to win then Pitt will be lucky to finish at .500.

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  87. Dear Coach Capel

    When contested at the rim one on one, your entire team is not athletic, strong or crafty enough to finish.

    That’s why there were 12 blocks against Pitt last night.
    That’s why we made numerous backward passes resulting in easy turnovers.

    How about running an offense that facilitates more back door looks ?

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  88. Yes you would think the coaches would have told their guys not to challeng Robbins a prolific shot blocker.

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  89. Please do not kid yourselves, the way they have played this year is exactly, exactly what bad teams do. Win and lose some they shouldn’t, be basically unsound with fundamentals, and give that little tease before they fall flat. I’ll leave the reasons for this up to the readers.

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    1. While that is true, a team without a point guard or a big man is going to be inconsistent, especially when the shots aren’t falling.

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    1. We can have the best of both worlds. They can lose out and KP plays very good. They are not above a late season defensive collapse.

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  91. This team will have the same crappy year unless big John returns to form.

    That being said, we don’t know the condition of his knee. After how good he was last year, I am thinking it is not close to 100%. He may not be even practicing full time. If he’s still experiencing pain or swelling it would explain a lot.

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  92. The only answer for Hugely at this stage of the season is to let him play a reduced number of minutes to try to get some positive production for brief periods. As he hopefully works his way back to decent condition and a modicum of production, his role could be expanded. Until then, other players must carry the load, which means better defense, a better transition game and figure out how to get at least a few offensive boards.

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  93. Our Lady Panther Volleyball team is scheduled to play Florida at 3:30 pm on ESPNU. That match is preceded by the Baylor – Louisville match which was scheduled to begin at 1:30. However, the Baylor – Louisville match just began a minute ago at 2:45, for some reason. I doubt ESPNU will switch to Pitt at 3:30. If you have ESPN+, you might be able to stream it there in it’s entirety. Otherwise, you might be hosed.

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  94. ESPNNews channel does not have any live sports events scheduled during the Pitt volleyball game. Maybe they will start the broadcast there. We’ll see.

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  95. I, for one have seen enough of the Capel era. I had high hopes. I was terribly wrong. It is time for the Brandon Knight era to begin. He’s now paid his dues. He will be a head coach next year, it’s just where. If he can recruit at Rutgers, well, let’s see. I just get sick watching this mess. Good man, good assistant, bad head coach.

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  96. Any well coached team has the fundamentals down. They are disciplined. They play as a team. Capel is not HC material. He’s a career assistant who can recruit. Heather blew it. She might be in need of a list soon. Just sayin.

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  97. Heart breaking loss to Vandy but Pitt played gritty and hard-nosed. I think the rotation was too limited tiring out the starters and explaining the lack of aggressiveness on loose balls.

    Capel has to expand his bench if he’s going to survive the ACC schedule. Sibande was invisible on or off the bench. Federicko has been a pleasant surprise.

    If there is any doubt concerning Hugley’s health then he’s got to sit and wait till next year because he’s a liability on the floor now. If his knee is 100% then he’s got to play himself into shape over the next 2 games to get ready for the ACC, and to heck with OOC win/loss.

    No matter how good and deep their shooting, especially 3’s might be, they won’t be better than .500 without some presence inside, particularly on the defensive glass.

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  98. And sincere kudos for anyone attending the sun bowl. No way I’m paying over $400 to fly there or travel ten hours by car to get there.

    No star player is playing. The game is an exhibition. Completely meaningless. And I’ve been to El Paso. We have better cuisine and entertainment in DFW. Plus it’s much safer.

    The mountain trails and vistas are nice. The game itself won’t be as nice.

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  100. Pitt was much better with Hugely on the bench and Freddy squared playing against NC State.
    Hugely is vastly overrated. With his size, HE’D BE IN THE NBA ALREADY, if he was any good.
    He has little to no lift at all. So he gets out jumped by a player 3 or 4 inches shorter.
    He mostly only has a good game if the opposing Center is a real stiff. His only 3 games in double digit scoring were against basically D2 teams. Alabama State (lol), FDU & W &M.
    IN THE LAST 2 GAMES, HE HAS ZERO REBOUNDS ! LOL

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  109. set 2 up 13-9 after tight back and forth early

    much better blocking by Pitt today both this game and first!!!

    they look confident and while Florida looked supremely confident in the first set, Pitt is matching them and looking good
    mo can change quickly but hoping/thinking Coach Fisher has the advantage IN PITT LADIES HEADS!!!

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  120. isnore is correct about the commentator/s – announcers called it the WRONG way on the Fisher challenge then Pitt wins the next final 2nd set point

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  123. 3rd set getting behind while UF is trying to “serve” error us to a win, I think they’ve missed on 4 or 5 while we’ve had one serve error this game

    down 9-12

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  124. Announcer said he was a Tarheel, so why would he root for an SEC team. The young lady commentator should wave a Florida flag👹👹

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    1. Florida is, after all, a 3 seed. Can’t exactly expect them to roll over. Here’s to taking them out NOW!

      H2P!!! TGFV. GMS.

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  148. Tough gutsy win. Wish our BBall and football reams had half the game that our VB ladies show.

    And all of it with Penn State sitting in the stands !!

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  152. Can’t take two cliff hangers in a row. First BB and now this! I think the heart is okay, but we need a few blowouts to calm down!

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  153. Next match for our Lady Panther Volleyball team is Saturday evening at 8 pm on ESPNU. Ike will have to postpone date night.

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  154. Pitt has announced the game time for the Pitt home basketball game against UNC as 12 Noon on December 30th. That forces those of us who live outside the city to choose between attending the basketball game or staying home to watch the bowl game that starts at 2 pm. I don’t understand why the basketball game was not scheduled for 7, 8, or 9 pm? Sucks!

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  156. It would probably be UNC requesting the time slot change if it would happen at all. Pitt holds no power for things like that.

    UNC is probably happy these games overlap – split the fanbase.

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    1. I can, for them then to be shredded by our Lady Panthers!!!

      I’m ok with them winning a game

      Wiscy looks good but not much better than UF looked early on

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      1. Coach Fisher did a great job in scouting the Florida team and preparing a great game plan to beat them. Pitt executed that plan very well for 3 of the four sets. Nwokolo’s legs started giving out in the third set, so Starks played most of the last part of it.

        Wisconsin has problems with serve receive in with certain back row combinations. After watching the Penn State match just now, I feel less intimidated by the Badgers. Unless Fisher has been sandbagging with Dalton, we are going to get out blocked with our smaller lineup on Saturday big time just as Penn State was tonight.

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  159. I saw on the Lair where Pitt football will open next season against Wofford on Sept. 2.

    Sounds like a good move by Pitt.

    BTW, Wofford is now coached by Duzz’s old buddy Shawn Watson…

    Go Pitt.

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  160. Narduzzi is being paid to win. Meaningful game or not. With or without his stars. He can’t take the day off. I don’t have to watch a lousy game or coaching effort.

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  161. The psuX VB team took the Badgers to a 5th set.

    Duzz will have his hands full coaching against the 2nd team of UCLA with very little tape to watch.

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    1. Penn State really was giving Wisconsin all they could handle with their serve game. Pitt with Buzzerio has one player that can go head-to-head hitting over most of Wisconsin’s players. As I said before, never underestimate a team coached by Fisher!

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  162. Penn State really was giving Wisconsin all they could handle with their serve game. Pitt with Buzzerio has one player that can go head-to-head hitting over most of Wisconsin’s players. As I said before, never underestimate a team coached by Fisher!

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    1. She must have read my remarks and upped her game. 😉 It was good to see and she’ll need to keep up the effort to give us a chance going forward. She does move very well for a tall player going after digs and covering tips.

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  165. I know nothing about Volleyball but it seemed to me today that this Pitt team is better able to dig out the opposing teams spikes and keep plays/volleys alive better than I have seen them able to do in the past.

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    1. He used Sabrina Starks in two sets to give the middles some rest. That was the only backup that was in the match. Starks did not contribute at all on the stats sheet.

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  168. John’s comment above about Annie is exactly what I thought about blocks and specifically Buzz when she got a couple(?)

    I thought it’s almost as if Buzz flipped a switch that was already in place to do THAT too

    .

    Pitt looked as athletic as I’d ever seen them and against a team that looked very athletic too so it wasn’t just the contrast making it look that way

    one camera angle from the floor which they don’t show often on television made Serena Gray’s jump look amazing while hitting a big winner and Nwoko and a few others seemed to have that extra few inches of bounce come out that I recall the 2nd Louisville game where the Cards seemed to have that jumping ability advantage all over their side of the net

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      1. our work here continues 🙂

        Elliot read ME and he’s been a new man for Capel

        not sure what the heck happened with Slowvis and our WR crew, must not read here 😉

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  169. I thought Pitt volleyball had height with two 6’5” players. Then you watch 6’9” Smrek for Wisconsin! And she is not a stiff. She can really play the game. Going to be a tough match against the defending National Champs.

    I read where a team is limited to 15 substitutions in a set. I can’t keep track of them but a question for John or Annie: Have you seen Pitt matches where that limit affected Coach Fisher’s ability to do what he would want to do? Like being forced to allow a player to serve when she is not a strong server or being stuck without height in the middle because you are out or almost out of subs in that set? Just curious.

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    1. Last year in the semifinals against Nebraska Pitt had to use Nwokolo to serve near the end of one of the sets. Nwokolo hardly ever serves. The only reason she did in that critical match was because Pitt was getting close to the 15 substitutions limit.

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  170. I have been saying for years that Pitt needs to value all sports. For pretty much the first time in Pitt History we are seeing what being competitive in a “non-major” sport especially a women’s team can do for the overall culture of a University and it’s sports fans.

    These Ladies deserve all the credit in the world for their achievements as do the Women’s and Men’s soccer teams for elevating Pitt’s status in the ACC and the Nation.

    Belonging to a P-5 conference has been a large part of this and Heather and the athletic department are to be congratulated for this progress.

    Hopefully this will also provide motivation for local high school programs and their players to look at Pitt as a favorable destination for their talents in all sports. But the recruiting of players from all over the country if not the world is a thing to behold. These coaches are outstanding.

    H2P!

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    1. I promise you the women’s lax program has quickly/immediately become a part of the buzz here in what might be the epicenter of that sport

      not sure anything other than the strength of the ACC in that sport made that a possibility and I don’t know much about the facilities or coach or transfer players that are the keys but it could be another focus for Heather

      PSU’s women’s lax program is rather young too and yet already a force

      I know these minor sports don’t really move the needle financially and in fact are net negative so while I’m a fan, the emphasis needs to be returning to BB success and FB, so let’s get Hugely back on track or otherwise get him transferring to the gridiron and helping out HCPN strengthen FB for 2023 🙂

      oh, and if a VB player uses up scholarship eligibility in one sport, can they get another 4 years in a second sport? Buzz or VVG to the women’s hoops team? 😉

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    2. Pitt is the only school to have womens soccer, mens soccer and vb all make the Sweet 16 this year. Quite an accomplishment and Heather should get credit for keeping these coaches happy and emplyed by Pitt.

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  171. The ACC is a huge step up from the big east in both academics and athletics.

    Since Pitt joined over eight years ago, Pitt sports has consistently sat at or near the bottom of the conference. Their teams would be top 25 percent if still in the big east. It’s all relative.

    But the acc is a true power conference. Far more competitive. Schools take Sports more seriously and have larger budgets.

    Pitt still has much work to do. You’re calling winning far too prematurely.

    Pitt has 19? Programs but only five consistently do well each year. That’s only 25 percent of Pitt sports being above average.

    You get there with better coaches and facilities. But Pitt is often too slow to act and when they do, ten years has passed by along with other acc schools lapping them.

    Example, Fitzgerald should have been moth balled twenty years ago. Pitt should have a track and field…been without one since 2000. Contract extensions are fine for your best coaches like coach J and Fisher. But for Capel? Come on man!

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    1. Does the fact that Pitt shows any level of progress hurt you somehow? I hope the rest of your life doesn’t come from the glass half empty perspective that you always have about Pitt. Nothing ever good enough, nothing ever fast enough. Does it make you feel superior somehow to always look down on Pitt’s achievements?

      Even with Capel whose Pitt history is not defensible, but has assembled the best talent since Jamie left and given Pitt a chance to compete off the bottom. Maybe small progress to most, but for those of us that put our money where are mouth is, Pitt games got a lot more interesting to attend, not just for the comradery at Hemingways.
      Will it amount to a “good” season, highly doubtful, but there is a modicum of improvement which was totally unexpected after last year.

      When you set an increasingly higher bar you will never achieve satisfaction, but I guess that is the point. I prefer to look at the bright side and as a Pitt fan any progress is appreciated.

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      1. Progress is good. But I also see the regression. Like with swimming and softball. And basketball in both men and ladies. You need to look out of both eyes.

        Been over eight years. Plenty of time to move up from the acc bottom in overall sports. Has Pitt?

        And that’s just one criteria to judge any AD. Need to look at finances, fundraising, hiring, scheduling, wins and losses, fan creation, attendance, brand valuation.

        Volleyball, wrestling, basketball, swimming, and football have always been historically strong programs at Pitt. Soccer is the one that has really excelled. Swimming and basketball have regressed.

        Mens soccer and ladies volleyball are elite programs now. What makes an elite program? Easy answer. It sure isn’t facilities.

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      2. For what it is worth, Tex is a great guy when you meet him in person. I wish he were able to attend more tailgates. He makes a great addition.

        His posting persona is considerably more caustic but I’m not sure which reflects his true feelings. I think there is a little (maybe a lot) of contrarian in him. But we’ll keep working on bringing him around.

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          1. I’ve gone over to the dark side. You can’t turn me like that feel good and fake storybook anakin skywalker. Life doesn’t work that way. It’s brutal. There’s no feel or good in me. I’m real and honest. Some of y’all would rather think Pitt is doing well across sports and is financially profitable in doing so. I’ve got news for you. Look at the acc standings. Directors cup. Acc gifting rates. Facilities. General fund subsidy. Brand equity. Real stuff won and not participation trophies.

            You can all live in denial. You know along that river in Egypt.

            You know where I stand. Always. Change culture. Change BOT by privatizing. Change leadership. Start caring and rolling up sleeves and becoming creative. You’d think the soviets were in charge of Pitt if you didn’t know better. Most of you don’t. That’s a problem.

            Show me a season when Pitt had sell outs. Show me a season when Pitt sports made money. Show me a capital project green lighted with donations. Show me a season when Pitt didn’t finish bottom 20 percent in the directors cup. Show me a season when Pitt won a Natty since ‘76 in any sport. You can’t. Deal with it.

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  172. I give Heather credit for several things like firing the swimming coach, for extending Coach Jay and Fisher. For hiring Randy. For wearing less yellow. But some things are just no brainers. So it’s not like I just bag on her.

    Same way with narduzzi. He runs a clean program and gets to a bowl most years that he loses.

    I just see the Pitt warts that many of you try to cover with makeup. They don’t go away that way.

    And yes I expect narduzzi to win the sun bowl. He gets paid to win. Doesn’t matter if it truly is a meaningless bowl and if half his players sit out. He doesn’t get paid just to show up. I won’t being showing up however. But I’m not on Pitts payroll.

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    1. I don’t think that anyone is trying to cover up anything. We all know there are plenty of warts, we just don’t get pleasure from harping on them ad infinitum.

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  173. Regarding facilities. I watched a bit of a Penn State home volleyball match a few days ago. The venue looked like an old airplane hanger. I have been to the Bryce Jordan Center numerous times, so I knew it wasn’t that. Turns out it is a place called Rec Hall. It will 100 years old in about six years.

    The main criterium I judge a facility on is the fan seating. Over the years my butt has developed a distinct bias against bleacher seating. Rec Hall appeared to be nothing but bleacher seating. I’m sure the place has been upgraded over the years but to me that screams “high school gym”.

    I noticed that the NCAA Regional at Wisconsin is also held at a facility with bleacher seating. Yikes!

    If I am correct, I believe that the best sideline seating at the Fitzgerald Fieldhouse is now chairs with arm rests. I assume the new Victory Heights building for volleyball and wrestling will also feature chair seating like the Pete. At least I hope so. I’m not sure that is a recruiting advantage. But it sure is a fan enticement advantage.

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    2. I have seen lots of volleyball matches at Penn State’s Rec Hall as my wife is a PSU alum who enjoys volleyball. It, as well as Beaver Stadium, are both in need of a big upgrades. Rec Hall is slowly being upgraded with tweeks but they need to do something on a larger scale. There continues to be a lot of bench seating in it. The concourses are also rather dark and tight.

      From a size standpoint it is an ideal volleyball arena. It can hold 6,500 fans but it reminds me of the old Johnstown War Memorial of Slap Shot fame being from that area.

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    3. Went to a lot of bball games at Rec Hall. Anyone from back in the day could tell you what a snake pit it was. One of the most difficult places to play. And that’s before the refs got involved. But back then all teams had three sets of refs. The neutral guys, the big time guys, and the pure homer crew.

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  174. Per MissingWalt. Dior Johnson pleads guilty to two misdemeanors and gets one year probation. No idea what Heather will do but if he joins Pitt. BB we will be very tough to beat !!

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  175. If Pitt allows Johnson to rejoin the team it will probably take 2-3 weeks for him to get back in playing shape. Pitt will have to monitor him very closely because this is his last chance to move forward not only in basketball but also in adult life….time will tell the rest of the story.

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  176. Was it Bookser who was involved in a police chase, car rollover or something like that? If that was not Bookser my deepest apologies. It’s been done before.

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    1. It was. People forget what Bookser and Boyd did behind the wheel and just how bad it could’ve been. Hayes was brought back pretty quickly after the charges were reduced. It was like it never happened and NO Pitt fan didn’t clap after his sack versus Miami and said “I can’t root for this kid.”

      Liked by 1 person

  177. He’s under house arrest when he goes home to California. A factor in Pitt’s decision. Pitt has taken a very hard line so far which doesn’t bode well. Id say it’s 50/50 whether Pitt let’s him come back. Per my sources,
    he expected leaner treatment by the courts and Pitt. Judge had little empathy for him. Also per my sources, this may be the kind of decision which has to be made up the ladder and will take a few weeks.

    I don’t care as much about him playing for Pitt as I do you folks getting to see him play!

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    1. I believe in 2nd chances so the person doesn’t turn bitter and antisocial. But only one chance…..AB is a classic example a guy who blew several chances in his life.

      It’s man up time Mr. Johnson! (and grow up time….)

      Liked by 2 people

  178. A real university would let this kid back at practice today instead of dragging it longer.

    So the review board doesn’t convene again until January? Talk about wasted time if it drags out that long. He should be allowed to play now.

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  179. He should be immediately reinstated. If any student not an athlete were found guilty of two misdemeanors, the school would not act on it. They most likely would not even know about it.

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    1. Yes. Sports players should not be held to a higher standard than a typical student. Well maybe just a smidgen higher since they get a free ride and represent the school. But come on Pitt. Stop being high on the mountain. Reinstate him. Make him earn his way back. Have him on a short leash. Heathers performance as AD is worth a suspension. Geez.

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  180. Many “real universities” would wait for the final disposition of the charges….the win at all costs is great for Alabama//not for Pitt! I know that he is an excellent player and would be a HUGE plus on the floor for the Panthers, however, he clearly has major issues…7 or 8 high schools and decommits from at least 2 other college programs. Mr. Johnson shows few signs of maturity or stability.

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    1. It isn’t win at all cost. It is treating him as he should be treated with two misdemeanors.

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  181. @tvax1

    Yes, an athlete can play two sports but it’s unlikely they’d be able to do it for four years. Remember, there are academic requirements for eligibility that they may or may not be able to meet.

    H2P!!! TGFV. GMS

    Liked by 1 person

  183. Article says Johnson had no priors and has been in counseling !!
    Word on the street is the woman involved had quite a past!

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    1. Dan, that “word on the street” is why women don’t confront their abusers and why most rapes go unreported.

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  184. Pitt needs to act quickly on this, call a zoom meeting of the decision makers and decide what happens. What is best for this kid is to get him into a regular routine so he can get his life back on track and his behavior can be closely monitored. He has been seeing a psychologist and has admitted his guilt and expressed remorse.

    Let’s hope that Mr. Johnson has learned a hard life lesson and will change for the better, his behavior is inexcusable and only time will tell whether his punishment is just.

    Liked by 2 people

  186. Pitt will shy away from admitting the financial implications of their decision, but if Johnson is as good as advertised, he will fill a lot more seats at the Pete. This is no small leverage on his behalf.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Another good thing is it looks like we will get an additional year’s playing time out of him if he gets some playing time this season. That’s assuming he was a one-and-done guy coming in this year.

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  187. Not sure why he would be out of shape. It’s not like he’s coming back from an injury like Hugley. My guess is he’ll be in the staring lineup for Pitt very shortly. That’s one game I’d watch for sure if televised.

    Liked by 1 person

  188. The whole Johnson issue has caused me to reflect about the following: Why do many young adults not seem to figure out how to behave properly even in their early and mid 20’s? After fifteen years of teaching in PA public middle schools and high schools, it is very obvious that the majority of kids get away with most rule breaking actions with little to no consequences from the school district. And some of these actions by students are very, very serious and disturbing and the district often doesn’t want to inform the local police and get them involved. Why is this you may ask? Public schools are petrified of being sued. Things get swept under the rug often hidden from the general public to avoid their anger, and teachers, lunch ladies, and janitors, are pretty much told to suck up the disrespect and disorder going on around them. These things happen regardless of if you are in an urban, rural, suburban, or private school. It now feels like the parents and students are in charge, often teachers are even told not to fail particular students even though they deserve to avoid the wrath of the parent and the potential ridiculous lawsuit. And we wonder why there is a teaching shortage and

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  189. The more I think of it this is a no brainer, what is in the young man’s best interest and what is in Pitt’s best interest? What could go wrong? (irony)

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  190. Press release from Pitt:

    “Pitt continues to follow University and athletic department protocols regarding Dior Johnson’s suspension. All parties continue to work through the process and will not comment until additional steps have been completed.”

    My guess now is he is dismissed for fear of the university’s name being soiled or because Pitt is still very afraid of the NCAA.

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    2. Would be bad timing on Pitt’s part to do that now after both the sentence rendered and the judge’s comments to him. It would be logical for him to return to school next semester and go through whatever remaining discipline the school has in place. A defining moment awaits him.

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  191. I agree with Jack. This is a smokescreen by Pitt to show their sincere deliberations over the outcome before letting him back on the team. If not for the previous two “incidents” among Pitt BB players, he would be back already. So Pitt can’t just roll over for this guy.

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