Pittsburgh News, Ray Mernagh

FAITH IN THE PROCESS ESSENTIAL THIS TIME OF YEAR

New-look Pittsburgh working to find new identity in early season exhibition

by RAY MERNAGH

The expectations of college basketball fans tend to be way out of control on both sides of the spectrum at this time of year — either your squad is going to win the Big East on its way to the Final Four, or they’re going to flame out and join DePaul’s 2008-09 infamous (read winless in league play) juggernot.

A prime example of this is the 2009-10 Pittsburgh Panthers. A model of consistent improvement over the last ten years, Pitt is in a sort of limbo right now thanks to an injury (Jermaine Dixon) and an academic suspension (Gilbert Brown). Both Dixon and Brown will return at some point before Big East play but it’s the road leading to that point that’s got everyone confused.

I’ve thought since the news about Dixon and Brown came down that, in the big picture, it might be in the best interest for Jamie Dixon’s bunch to travel that bumpy road before welcoming their two vets back. And here’s my point about this time of year as it relates to me as a supposed unbiased observer: After the Blue/Gold scrimmage last week I was questioning a whole lot of things, including Dante Taylor, in my mind. I understood intellectually that they’d only had ten practices and that they would improve from day-to-day, never mind week-to-week.

That’s why I decided not to write anything at that point. I wanted to watch them again the following week in a more realistic game setting. Then I watched the first five minutes of the Panthers scrimmage against Slippery Rock yesterday afternoon and thought “how are they going to beat anybody?”

I watched as a 6’5″, 220-pound post player pushed around a 6’10″, 250-pound one and a kid from Delaware by the name of Jabril Bailey channeled Ray Allen. But then the glimpses came.

Travon Woodall got into the lane and fed Gary McGhee for a dunk. Dante Taylor came in and beasted that same 6’5″ 220 pound post player — just basically took the ball from him on the offensive glass, moved him out of the way, and scored. I envisioned an athletic/quick five comprised of Dwight Miller, Brad Wanamaker, Chase Adams, Woodall and Taylor giving some teams fits.

Dwight Miller made an impressive block, hit a surprising three, then left Bailey alone to get an offensive rebound that resulted in Jamie Dixon screaming “DWIGHT!” with his hands spread apart.

Taylor, who told me the previous week that the coaches are really accentuating the need for him to concentrate on — “running the floor and running right to the rim” — did just that and caught a difficult yet gorgeous bounce pass through traffic from Woodall for a dunk before letting out a roar that was probably more relief than anything else.

Woodall hit a teardrop off penetration that recalled Mark Jackson in his prime. Then he threw an ill-advised behind the back pass that looked like it hit Taylor in the butt — which resulted in a predictable result (he was subbed out of the game).

This was the situation that I wanted to see. As Woodall left the floor I wondered if he’d return or not. With 8 minutes or so left he did. And that moment, as little as it might have seemed, was huge. For this team to be as good as it can be Dixon might have to pick and choose his battles. He might have to look the other way on occasion as long as the effort is there from his youngsters, because they’re the ones on his roster with the talent to make plays in a high-level game come January. Woodall is the one point guard that isn’t scared to make plays, or more succinctly, he’s the one that making plays on the break and in the half-court comes naturally to. He’s the point guard. He has to be.

Ashton Gibbs is solid spotting up, his strength as a player is catching or taking a bounce or two following a head fake and rising up for a mid-range jumper that’s always true. But if he’s trying to do things that don’t come naturally to him it effects what he does best (make shots) negatively. Chase Adams seems to be a good shooter. He’s capable of making a decent pass in the half-court if it’s an obvious play. He’s hesitant to make a pass in transition. Woodall has no such hesitancy.

His confidence will grow the more he plays and he’ll cut down on the mistakes the more Dixon yells about them. But he’s the only one that’s going to thread the needle to Taylor and Miller when they’re running and Pitt needs them running.

Taylor will be fine. He’s very, very talented physically and he has the desire needed to maximize that talent. It will be a roller coaster, but it will be fun.

That’s where, if you’re a Pitt fan, you have to have faith in the process. The schedule is such that they might lose a game or two (or three) before they get Dixon and Brown back.

Yet the improvement in one week was remarkable (especially in Taylor). Wanamaker, Gibbs and Nas Robinson are going to be steady — if not spectacular — game in and game out. The foundation for molding a team that’s maybe 9-1 or 11-2 when they start to reintroduce Dixon and Brown should make things interesting.

So kick back and enjoy watching a staff earn its money, and remember that 5-Star Factories like UConn and Syracuse have missed NCAA’s in the last five years. Pitt, with all their good basketball players, hasn’t. Nobody knows anything right now, no matter what we write or say …except that all these preseason All American teams without Devin Ebanks on them are a joke (but that’s the next column).

Have some faith and quit worrying…this guy will handle that for you.