Pitt Basketball Recap
Pitt Basketball is the team I've just been most passionate about in my sports fandom and it's no different this year. This Pitt team under Kevin Stallings is a squad full of veterans led by Michael Young and Jamel Artis. This tandem is averaging 41.9 points per game this year; that's the 4th best duo in the nation. However, there are three main weaknesses that I see with this year's team after I've gotten ten games to get a feel for things. 1) No real PG: I believe the lack of a real point guard on offense has caused the offense to stall at times because they don't have the true point guard they had in James Robinson anymore. It's more difficult to get a flow in each offensive possession without this, but Jamel Artis has done a great job at avoiding this most of the time as he is the makeshift PG. 2) No big center: Don't get me wrong, Michael Young is outstanding, but he is just 6-9 which is much smaller than some of the best centers he will face in the ACC. For now it isn't an issue, but when ACC play arrives, it could be something to look out for. He doesn't have the most muscle mass out of anyone his size either. 3) The lack of a true 3rd scorer: Yes, we know Artis and Young are the two top dogs on this team, but where is the 3rd? Balanced scoring throughout the season just isn't going to happen with this team; it isn't structured to allow that, but there needs to be a consistent 3rd best scorer. That said, so far this season it has been sophomore Cameron Johnson who is averaging 11.9 points per game and shooting 43.4% for three. This kid can shoot and is extremely exciting to watch when he catches fire. If he can continue to be the 3rd scorer, that 3rd weakness will evaporate, but the first two seem harder to tweak. With those weaknesses aside, I must say I am always a very optimistic fan and this team can make some noise when it gets down to conference play and beyond. Most of these kids are experienced and hungry for better seasons than they have had. They're led by Kevin Stallings who had 17 years of mediocrity at Vandy. Pitt is built with experience and freshness at the same time. They're off to an 8-2 start with a key win at Maryland, about to dive into ACC play predicted to finish 12th in the conference. When they exceed expectations as the season goes on, just don't call it an upset. Hail To Pitt.
