GREENSBORO, N.C — I looked at Pitt coach Jamie Dixon and saw former Pitt football coach Dave Wannstedt. I watched Dixon’s lips move and heard Wannstedt’s voice.
“We just gotta run faster.”
That was Wannstedt’s infamous halftime assessment on national television during Pitt’s game at West Virginia in 2005. Unfortunately for the Panthers, he couldn’t make that halftime adjustment and West Virginia went on to win, 45-13.
The Pitt basketball team needs to run faster. In basketball terms, it needs to be quicker. Opponents with foot speed — especially in the backcourt — have tortured the Panthers all season. It happened again Wednesday night at Greensboro Coliseum when North Carolina State bounced Pitt — quickly, of course — out of the ACC tournament, 81-70. It was Pitt’s fourth consecutive disheartening loss on its way to the NIT (Not Important Tournament).
So how exactly does a team get quicker? The answer to that question by Dixon is critical. Pitt has a chance to build a really nice team next season around Mike Young, Jamel Artis, Sheldon Jeter and Durand Johnson, who is expected back after a yearlong suspension. But unless Dixon finds a way for Pitt to stop penetrating guards, its season again will end much sooner than it wants.
“There are different ways to do it,” Dixon said 15 minutes after this latest loss, still down and shaken after watching North Carolina State play at warp speed. “You get more experienced. You get smarter. You get better. You improve. Your team defense gets better.”
Dixon has harped about Pitt’s defensive deficiencies all season. It’s the biggest reason it will sit out the NCAA tournament for just the second time in his 12 seasons as coach. Dixon admits to being so frustrated that he often goes to bed thinking of ways to make Pitt better defensively. That can’t make Mrs. Dixon’s night.
“We knew what our challenges were,” Dixon said. “It’s been pretty clear to me from the start. We just weren’t able to get it done.”
Pitt was helpless trying to stop North Carolina State guards Anthony Barber and Trevor Lacey, who combined for 55 points and 10 assists. If Barber wasn’t blowing by Josh Newkirk and going under Young for a reverse layup, Lacey was cruising by Chris Jones and rolling in a scoop layup. If Barber wasn’t getting to the basket and passing out to Lacey for a wide-open 3, Lacey was rolling past James Robinson and finding Lennard Freeman for a layup. Robinson, Newkirk and Cameron Wright all took turns against Barber and had little success as evidenced by Barber’s monster line: 9-of-13 shooting, 4 of 5 on 3s, 12 of 12 free throws and 34 points.
“The biggest thing was [Barber’s] speed,” North Carolina State coach Mark Gottfried said. “I thought they had trouble containing him and stopping his penetration.”
Have we seen that movie before with this Pitt team or what?
Dixon is right about one thing. Pitt’s team defense has to get better. Yes, quickly. It had no inside presence this season to discourage penetration by opposing guards. Maybe next year it will. One of Pitt’s recruits is Rozelle Nix, 7 feet, 320 pounds, from Pensacola State (Fla.) Junior College. At the very least, he’s a big body. That has to help the defense, right?
Dixon also has recruited a 6-foot-5 guard, Damon Wilson, who is from Georgia and plays at a prep school in New York. Word is he can shoot; everyone knows Pitt needs a shooter, for goodness sake. But can Wilson defend? Is he quick enough?
Pitt’s improvement might have to come from within. Jones, Newkirk and especially Robinson will be back next season with a ton of experience. “We’ve just got to grow,” Dixon said.
After watching Barber and Lacey destroy Pitt, that almost seems like an impossible challenge. But there are seven months before the start of next season. That’s a good thing. Dixon has much work to do.
All is not hopeless, though.
Go back to Wannstedt for one second. You might remember what happened the next time the Pitt football team went to Morgantown. It was Dec. 1, 2007, and the players ran a lot faster. Pitt beat No. 2 West Virginia, 13-9, in one of the great games in Pitt history.
No need to thank me for pointing that out.
Just trying to be positive.
Ron Cook: rcook@post-gazette.com. Ron Cook can be heard on the “Cook and Poni” show weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on 93.7 The Fan.
First Published: March 12, 2015, 4:14 a.m.
