Perception wise, yeah this was a bad day for sure if you are a Pitt fan. Still, the Pitt fan in us all makes things worse than they typically are. Hell yeah Pitt has had some unfortunate luck over the past few years, but Pitt fans love the "woe as me" card a little too much. I will address each situation that has happened recently, and try to put a positive spin on all things, or for the very least, a realistic one.
Jamie Dixon signed to a ten year extension.
This one is a little ridiculous. The guy is a good coach. Is the postseason success there, yet? Not enitrely. Pitt has had some good teams, and they have been close in the past. For whatever reason, Pitt fans or whoever follows the team somehow had high expectations for this past Pitt team. Case in point, how many tweets did you see, "Dixon can't win in the postseason" "Same old Pitt" "They lost in the first round, AGAIN?" and so on and so forth. FACTS
- This Pitt team was not very good.
-They lost in a 8-9 game, not a 3-14.
Yet, people still found a way to criticize Pitt for losing. I agree, the way the lost was inexcusable, but losing in general was not. Legitimately, what made Pitt good? They had a lot of average players, and they had a lot of guys waiting for their potential to be reached. Dixon was able to gut out 12 conference wins with that unit. After the debacle in 2012, I would say that is pretty good improvment.
Enough on my little skit on why the 2013 Pitt team was average. Jamie Dixon usually gets the most of his teams. He is a very good coach, for coaching minimal talent. Seriously, the guy earned a one seed with Nasir Robinson, Gary McGhee, and Brad Wannamaker in his starting lineup. Forgive me formyth you hear about Dixon is that his system is not recruit friendly, and it can not win. NONSENSE. It most certainly can win. Look at the Elite 8 team. It had two NBA second round picks, and it was one stop away from the Final Four. You see, talent is the issue, NOT the system, and not the coaching.
saying, but that is a damn good job. Another
To be successful, Dixon needs to find a lot of guys that fit his system, but also 2-3 guys that can flat out play. He needs to take more chances with high profile guys, and sacrifice some defense for some scoring. Again, I must stress, it is not the system, it is who is in it. Pitt was very limited this past season. I think they have some pieces moving forward, but they need more athletes.
Rushel Shell Leaving.
Rushel Shell was the best High School running back from Pennsylvania since LeSean McCoy. It was absolutely a big coup to land him for Pitt. He could have gone anywhere, yet chose to stay close to
home. I'm sure the family aspect had to play a role, but he could have stayed up North and gone to another school. He took on being the hometown star role, and that is not always the easiest thing to do. By the sounds of it, Paul Chryst did not lay things out easy for Rushel Shell. He challenged him to work harder and called him out when he did not. (At least that is the perception out there) Shell was the star player at Hopewell High, he could run over any kid in Pennsylvania, but college is a different game. He needed to work harder. Plain and Simple.
The leaving aspect makes very little sense. He was the guy at Pitt. Paul Chryst knows a thing or two about churning out good running backs, and Shell was playing in an offense built for him. He was also close to his daughters. In terms of a better situation, there was not one. Playing time, level of competion, being the featured guy, and close to family. He really had everything going for him. The relationship between him and the coaching staff must have been real shaky. From player accounts, they seem caught off guard too. The really weird thing, Shell has been a good ambassador for the school the past few months. He helped recruit Tyler Boyd, and was putting in good words with plenty of top notch
The Pitt side of things, they lose a stud running back. That is the bad news. The good news is that they have some capable guys that can step in. They even better news, running backs are not terribly hard to find. Chryst made some guys out of nothing, Pitt turned Dion Lewis into a star as well. It can be done. Pitt also gets in even better standing with Shai McKenzie. McKenzie is Pitt's top 2014 target on offense, and he is a fan of Pitt. He is being recruited by everyone, but states playing time is key. Shell will not be blocking his way now. At that same time, Shell can bad mouth Pitt to recruits, but that seems very far fetched.
Trey Zeigler Transferring.
Hardly big news. Zeigler struggled mightly coming to Pitt from Central Michigan. Zeigler was supposed to come in and start, yet lost his job to James Robinson. He also got a DUI, and saw his playing time dwindle down the stretch. It was clear he did not fit in here, and it was apparent he was not quite good enough to play at the highest levels of Division One. It hurts depth wise, but Zeigler would have had to make significant strides to become a high impact player.
Steven Adams Declaring for the NBA.
This just came at a very bad time. The news of the two transfers just had the fan base that loves to pity itself all fired up as it was. This was just a bad day for him to declare, but I am glad he just got it out of the way. This is bad for Pitt, because they lose a very talented guy. This is not like Shell selfishly bailing on his team, Adams is going to the NBA. You know, something that happens ALL the time? Adams was an orphan on the streets of New Zealand to being a first round pick, are some dumb Pitt fans really going to criticize that? Please. I understand he said he was going to stay, but you should
On the outside, this is good for Pitt perception. Dixon will get his first, first round draft pick while at Pitt. That looks good to recruits, and it can get them in the door for a higher caliber of player. Adams just did not seem ready, and it threw people off. And again, the timing just seemed like another punch in the face. It may be the best option for Steve, and even if it isn't, I hope it works for him. The guy has unlimited potential. Pitt does need to replace him, and they actually have three other scholarships open. They appear to be in the works for a JUCO Center, a couple of shooting guards, and some other prospects. The roster will be filled, and life will move on.
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