Jermaine Dixon just signed and LOI today to officially come to Pitt next year.
This year we most likely lose 3 (Cook, Benjamin, Ramon) and bring in 5 (Gibbs, Miller, Robinson, Woodall, and now Dixon)????
From what I figure we have an extra scholarship. Men's BBall are allotted 13 scholarships and this past year we had 12 on scholarship with a pair of walk ons. That still leaves only 4 open scholarships and 5 incoming players.
I don't know if Dixon is the type of guy to yank a scholarship for dissapointing play...see Darnell Dodson and John DeGroat most recently...so can anyone figure what might be going on? Is someone transferring? Do they really expect Sam to test the pros? Maybe someone is going to lose eligibility... I know Austin Wallace who was a project coming in was RS and then was injured out for the year last year so maybe he is deciding to hang up the shoes?
Post Gazette reports "Pitt junior center Cassin Diggs quit the team last week, a move that opened up a scholarship for another junior-college transfer to take his place."
I guess Dixon saw this coming when he recruited the other Dixon
I'll tell you what, if Dixon is the scorer (20.9 ppg) and playmaker (3.9 apg) he showed in junior college, losing Benjamin and Cook won't hurt as much. He was also a good steals guy, so his defense must be pretty good as well. Overall, I am really looking forward to this guy making an impact.
As a side note, could he be the 5th starter for us next year??? We already have Fields (PG), Young (SF-PF), & Blair (PF-C) as returning starters, and Brown (SG-SF) is expected to start. That leaves us with either a SG or PF spot open...
I think that is the hope for Dixon that he will develop into a 5th starter. If he can be that 5th starter at SG that we really need it will make this team extremely dangerous. My biggest concern coming into this year was the depth.
If Dixon can start at the 2 we could have Wanamaker and incoming frosh(hopefully) coming off the bench for the guard spots. Biggs and McGhee can rotate in @ the 4 and 5 spots with Young and Blair. Gil Brown starts at the 3 and hopefully Nasir Robinson is as advertised and can at least book some minutes off the bench. Sounds like a nasty team with at least some decent depth to me.
If one of these guards can bring a long a polished 3 pointer that would be huge, because we lose our biggest threat in Ramon.
If Sam Young leaves for the NBA, then the rotation would change. You would probably see Biggs and Blair playing at the same time. The depth would be thin in the front court. We will see what Sam is going to do. I hope he stays.
I can't imagine a transfer from junior college will put up the same numbers in D-1, BUT he's a heck of a roster improvement over Diggs, I'd say. Even if he doesn't wind up as a starter, he sounds like a heck of a sixth man.
With his addition, in my mind, our only issue is if Biggs can finally step up and contribute to the level his size and athleticism suggest. If not him, then maybe McGhee. I've gotta like our chances when we have two guys that could make a difference up front and a new guard that's this solid.
If Dixon can step in and produce as even a sixth man, I still see that as a plus for Pitt because it will at least give them some additional, and much-needed depth. I honestly don't know what to expect from this kid, but hopefully the other (Jamie) Dixon & Co will be able to mold him into a viable player--maybe even a starter.
As far as Biggs-McGhee, I really like McGhee's potential. I see him as an Aaron Gray type, who will ride the pines and not play much his first two years, then really blossom into a force in the middle his junior and senior years. The talent, size, and coaching staff is there, all that remains to be seen is if McGheeh has the heart, desire, and work ethic to get to where he could be. But thats two years away. Next year, Biggs absolutely must step up and play, well Big. (Four years and I'm still not sick of that pun!) Point being, we've all seen the dramatic finality of senior year inspire players who were mediocre at best throughout their college careers to play the best basketball of their lives, and its time for Biggs to do the same. If he can do that, then I think Pitt's frontcourt will be among the top 10 in the nation next year.
