:10—First of all, let’s be very clear here. There will be no Steelers talk here. For one reason and one reason only…they lost man! It’s over. Finished. End of the road. Now get over it! Wait, my bad…there are three quick things. #1—Ben will not retire. Too much money on the table. #2—No one in their right mind will trade Antonio Brown and live to tell about it! #3—If your head hurts…your knee hurts…you’re still smokin’ the no-name cigarettes, your fingers are broke or any other lame excuse for not getting on the field, you may hear your number called, but it won’t be to go in…it’s going to be to go home. Hoo-Ray!!!
:09—Now to the special part. But allow me to qualify a few things. First, let me qualify me. Some may know, some may remember and most don’t care, but I’ve been involved with the fabulous game of basketball for “40 years.” It all started with “The Express,” the intramural team at Slippery Rock University in 1977 that sold out the arena for a game against Phi—something—something. Yeah, we did, and we lost…only by two. Larry Baxter, Bill Odom, Ron Hunt, Jerome Plint, Sam Burns, Larry Adams and yours truly made a statement that things will never be the same at “The Rock” again. (Things = black-white on campus respect. Are you paying attention here? Do I have to spell everything out for ya?) Anyway, that ignited the flame. From a two-year stint with the great Jeff Lake at New Castle Youth Development Center where I learned the heart and soul of the game and assistant at Slippery Rock High School, two amazing privileged years with the legendary Tim Grgurich and Cle Edwards at Pitt who taught me both the x’s and o’s, the 1-3-1 defense and the toughness of the game, two years at Point Park College coaching women, and the icing on the proverbial cake… “25 years” coaching the likes of Connie Hawkins, Kenny Durrett, LeRoy Freeman, Larry Harris, Clyde Vaughn, Kevin “Drk” Walls and others in the top ten nationally ranked Connie Hawkins Pro-Am Summer Basketball League.
:08—By now you surely want to know why I’m boring you with my days-gone-by basketball bio. Well here’s why, now shut up and listen! You know it. You love it. You never get enough of it! It’s your top ten man! The top ten things about the failing Pitt basketball team you think you know…but not really. (Oh, I told you all that stuff so you know that I know what I’m talking about.)
#10—Let’s be fair out the gate. Team losses are just that. Not all the players fault. Not all the coaches fault, usually.
#9—A new coach steps into one of the nation’s best basketball conferences. No day at the beach to be sure.
#8—Please stop throwing the players under the bus with this they quit nonsense. Athletes don’t get to this level by being quitters. It’s not how they’re made. Not in their DNA.
#7—Speaking of which for the very few of you that suggest they’re not acting “like men”…Be careful about questioning someone’s “manhood”…If you know what I mean. I mean if you really know what I mean!!!
#6—Now that being said, clearly there is a disconnect somewhere. Doesn’t mean they quit. In the words of the late great Paul Newman movie, Cool Hand Luke, “What we have here is a failure to communicate!” Now to the x’s & o’s Part of It
#5 – There is no true point guard. As great a player as “Jordan” was, he could never be as great a point guard as “Magic.” You’re born with it. It’s an instinct. You don’t just become it overnight. If Artist is being asked to be the point for the betterment of the team, so be it. But it does make him a less better 2 or 3 player. And if you’re asking a scorer to get the ball to someone else when someone needs to score…it ain’t gonna happen…that’s not in his DNA. He’s shouting! And case in point. Clemson had two very good guards and for that matter not as bad a team as their record would suggest. And trust my “40 years” when I tell ya…Jaron Blossomgame is going to the NBA!
#4—No inside presence. You don’t need a lecture on that. You know how valuable that is and I know you want Young to be your center, but he’s not a center…not really. And won’t be at the next level. And yes, that does matter.
#3—No dis-respect, really no dis-respect, but at this level you have to have a bench. They may not be as good as your starters, but they can’t be that far off. You gotta have horses in the horse race if you expect to win!
#2—Once again, no dis-respect, but…subbing your entire starting five for your bench five: “That Dog Won’t Hunt.” That’s a high school move that sends a black message to college players.
#1—And last, but not least, for all you knuckleheads out there who have never played any game other than checkers, please stop with the, “It’s Jamie Dixon’s fault.” You had no trouble with Coach Dixon while he kept your Panthers in the race going down the stretch every year! Now you got what you wished for!!!
~ GAME OVER ~
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