A Mondesi's House Spinoff

Patrick Sehn joined the Mondesi's House team this January and has done a great job chronicling all things Pitt. But a funny thing happened along the way: he started to catch the writing bug. A weekly column could not quench his thirst to blog.

What happened next? That would be the first spin-off blog from a Mondesi's House Team member: "The Mosh Pitt". So check it out and show your support. I'm sure it will become a "must" destination for the Pitt fan in no time.

Pat will continue to write for Mondesi's House, and I wish him all the best with his new site. With the Big East tournament, March Madness, and spring ball around the corner, there's certainly no shortage of material.

The Mosh Pitt: A Blueprint for Success

by Patrick Sehn

psehn29@yahoo.com

Welcome back to the Mosh Pitt, where we don’t have mid-season slumps.

Is the men’s basketball season is over?

I hope this group finds a way to gel and become a complete team in the waning days of the regular season, because right now they are certainly missing something. They found a way to come together in the wake of losing Levance Fields and Mike Cook in back to back games, so who’s to say Pitt can’t find a way to overcome adversity once again? I applaud Jamie Dixon and this coaching staff for finding a way to make this team competitive in a very difficult Big East, but let’s face it: the way they’re playing, Pitt won’t be a contender this March.

Turn this around, Pitt. I’ll even give you a simple blueprint on how to do it:

Step 1. Protect the defensive boards. Dejuan Blair and his 7 ft. wing span has been relatively consistent as far as rebounding goes, but it pretty much stops with him. During the last four games, including Wednesday night's win over Cincy, Pitt's been a train wreck under the basket. Players are finding themselves out of position when shots go up, often leaving opponents unchecked and open for rebounds. Pitt has not out-rebounded another team in over two weeks.

Step 2. Either limit the number of threes you take, or, well, make them. I have no idea why Sam Young leads the team in three point percentage, but he does. Something is wrong when your #3 guy is leading in that statistical department. Ronald Ramon is shooting just over 35% from behind the arc, and it’s not for a lack of open looks. Fields, Benjamin and Brown have been just shy of awful in this category as well, going 27%, 38% and 24% respectively. Shooting their way out of this slump isn’t going to work; driving and pulling up from shorter range might. Pitt needs to find a way to draw big men off the blocks and free up the front-court from the constant double teams they’re running into. Missing threes isn’t getting that done.

Step 3. Light a fire under Sam Young when the game is on the line. Granted, the Notre Dame game was probably already over when he missed that dunk and then took a blatant dive on an ensuing defensive possession, but has anyone else noticed he disappears or plays worse when the outcome is yet to be decided? As Lee’s Tunnel Vision pointed out a few weeks ago, and I have recently started to notice, Young is a very unemotional player.

Step 4. Keep the turnovers down. This is one area where Pitt hasn’t struggled, especially lately. Sam Young leads the team with 63 TOs, but he touches the ball on almost every Pitt possession. Ramon has turned the ball over less, which was inevitable with the return of Levance Fields. It’s encouraging to see these numbers stay low; they trail only WVU and DePaul in the Big East in that category.

Step 5. Did I mention the need to start making shots? The low amount of turnovers means you’re obviously getting some shots. Blair is as good as it gets under the boards, but he leads the league in offensive rebounds because he gets so many chances. That’s not necessarily a good thing.

Step 6. What happened to the defense? Marquette made Pitt’s defense look silly, Notre Dame put up over 50 points in one half and Cincy hit shots at a 48% clip. Only one time since Janurary has Pitt held an opponent to under 60 points, a number Pitt opponents reached with much less consistency over the last 7 years. Easier said than done, but step up on D.

None of this is groundbreaking, and most of it is fundamental. Find a way to make these things happen, and you’ll find you’ve got a pretty solid foundation to contend in March.

Football schedule released

The Panthers' 2008 football schedule was released this week. Some highlights:

--Pitt plays Notre Dame again this year in November. Here’s hoping that, unlike Tyler Palko, Pat Bostick can mind his manners during post game interviews when Pitt pulls off the win.

--I’ve been a proponent of NOT playing the Backyard Brawl over Thanksgiving weekend, and was happy to see them get away from doing that recently. Apparently, actually having students at the game didn’t appeal to Pitt or the Big East. What a joke.

--Finishing out the season with UConn is just as ridiculous. Why is the WVU game not that weekend?

--Everyone needs a cupcake or two at the beginning of the year, (except for Michigan. Zing.) and a good non-conference game or two, but Iowa? Really? If we’re gong to play a Big 10 team, let’s stop playing Michigan State and give the Iowa rivalry a rest and get a governor to force Penn State to play us, a la WVU/Marshall. Is that a viable way to renew the rivalry? Is JoePa old and senile enough that someone could trick him into scheduling Pitt? Why haven’t we tried this?

Head over to pittblather.com to get some more insight into this. They’re a great resource for all things Panther.

Who else can’t wait to see McCoy back in action next year?

OK, folks. I’m out of here. Send me some emails. Let me know how I’m doing. Until next time, Hail to Pitt.

"The Mosh Pitt": A Weekly Wrapup of All Things Panther

by Patrick Sehn
psehn29@yahoo.com

There's an old saying. When you get thrown out of the mosh pit, you get back in the mosh pit. So, after a week's absence, it's on to round 2. We've cleaned our bruises, the swelling's down, let's get right to it. First off, it's time for reader mail.

The Jason Mailbag
Our first ever email comes from Chris in Nebraska. How exotic. He writes:

"I'm a Steeler's fan out here in Nebraska. So, of course I'm a Husker fan. Now that the Steelers' season is done (damnit!), I was wondering what Pitt fans think of Steve Pederson. When he got sacked here, it was similar to Saddam getting overthrown. All we had to do was track down & eliminate his lackeys, which we did. I'll admit he got some things done & built, but he created an atmosphere where longtime Nebraska employees could not stand it anymore.

All I've heard about him at Pitt is that he didn't like the term "Pitt." Also, he may be the reason Mark May was so anti-Nebraska for a long time."

It's funny. Plenty of people were upset to see Pederson leave Pitt when he did. However, the reaction from most people when he came back ranged from surprise to confusion to anger. I, for one, can tell you how shocked I was that they hired him so quickly. Did the powers-that-be even look elsewhere? Who else was interviewed? This was confusing to me. I know Peterson, who's from Nebraska, wanted to take a job back home, but he jumped ship. In turn, we rewarded his betrayal and completely miserable failure at another job
with another job offer. This angered me. Then he immediately extended Wanny's contract. This didn't assuage my anger. I guess what it comes down to is this: Pederson did a pretty good job here his last go 'round. He helped put the football program back on the map, and the basketball team hasn't missed an NCAA tourney since before the Peterson Events Center was built. Give him the benefit of the doubt, for now. Keep in mind though: he couldn't push Nebraska, an already established program, to where they needed to be. I'm not so sure it will be any easier this time at Pitt.

Next email:

I think you're really sexy.

Sincerely,
Stephanie

I swear to you, I found that in my inbox the day the last Mosh Pitt went live.

Lastly, the Duke from Dukes Court was kind enough to write and offer me some suggestions to make the column a little better. I'm extremely greatful. I'm going to end the first installment of the Jason Mailbag by following said advice.

"Add more pictures"

Mondesi is also a strong advocate of pictures. So since everyone wants something to look at, here's Pictures for the Sake of Having Pictures:

Terrelle Pryor was spotted at another basketball game this week. This time in Michigan, again with Chaz Batch.

Probably a couple years old, but what are Chevy Troutman and Carl Krauser up to these days, other than the occasional XPlosion game? Where are their shirts? Is Jeff Reed hosting this party?

Very random, I know. I just think it’s important to know that Orlando didn’t always wear a bow-tie.

One last flashback pic. I think it’s fair to compare Blair to Mobley. Mobley had a couple inches on Blair, but they’re both aggressive big men who play the same style of basketball.

-Men’s hoops had a fairly interesting week. We saw a completely uninspired showing against Cincy, followed by a dominating performance against St. John's in the Garden. It’s encouraging to see Sam Young step up and take over a game like he did on Wednesday night. Let’s hope he can carry that performance through to the rest of the Big East schedule.

-I saw “There Will be Blood” at the theater. Not as much blood as you would think. I will say, it kind of reminds me of the way I’m looking at next football season. Wanny gets this year and maybe next to prove he can do more than recruit, or else...

-Here’s a couple of links I came across this week:
-This one is actually a link to the Pitt library system. It has the media guides for football and basketball from 1950 until now stored digitally and free to download. Sweet. You know you’re geeked on Pitt sports if you spend more than 5 minutes on there.

-Rivals.com predicts their NFL all-pros for the year 2017. A couple of current and future Pitt players made the list.

-Go to a Pitt basketball game this year, you’ll be sure to encounter someone handing out flyers in support of the Pittsburgh Xplosion. Apparently John DeGroat had a pretty good week. His three game scoring total was 76. That was enough to earn him the coveted "CBA player of the week" award, the second consecutive week he's taken home that honor. He'll be representing Pittsburgh at the All-Star Classic Tuesday night in Yakima. Good seats still available.

OK, ladies and gents. Have a good week. Hail to Pitt!

"The Mosh Pitt"

by Patrick Sehn

psehn29@yahoo.com

--Pitt beats Georgetown 69-60

Not long after the Dayton Flyers ran through Pitt in the worst loss of the Jamie Dixon era, Sam Young was asked when Pitt would feel comfortable again as a team. "I don't know" was all he could muster. That night, experts and fans alike began writing the '08 Panthers eulogy before the Big East schedule even began.

Fast Forward to Monday night. With Fields and Cook looking on (Levance, you need to get yourself a Pitt or Oakland Zoo t-shirt, stat), the Panthers took care of the visiting Georgetown Hoyas in a game in which Pitt never trailed. Ask Sam Young that same question after Monday night and I'm sure he'd have an answer.

DeJuan Blair has become a force inside. It's nice to see a big man make lay-ups (I'm looking at you, Aaron Gray). His contribution to this team can not be understated. Sam Young has averaged 18 points per game, as he continues to blossom into an NBA talent in front of our eyes. Ronald Ramon is coming around. His shoulder seems to be bothering him less, he's regained his touch, at least for the last couple games.

And if anyone has stepped up and filled the shoes of Fields, it's been Keith Benjamin. In the last 5 games, he's averaged more points (17) than Fields did in his 5 games leading up to Dayton (14.6). More importantly, he's freed up Ramon to play his natural position, which, as we found out, is not at the point. The depth on the bench has become less of a weakness with solid playfrom Gilbert Brown and Brad Wanamaker.

I can honestly say I never thought I'd have to say those words during their freshman seasons, but a lack of guards on this team is a glaring vulnerability. Look, Pitt is not out of the woods yet. The Big East schedule is still daunting. Because of the nature of Pitt's physical play, it's not out of the realm of possibility that one of the players listed above will find himself sitting next to Cook and Fields. But if they can stay healthy, and Fields can rejoin the team for a stretch run, all will be well. Then, we can organize some sort of Mondesi's House field trip to Madison Square Garden for the annual run at the Big East Championship. Then and there, Mr. Young, I think you'll find your answer. Pitt will feel comfortable again, where we, as Pitt fans find comfort most. Playing in the Big East championship and losing to a mid-major team in the sweet 16.

--Pitt Girls crack the top 25

I know what you're all thinking...girls play basketball? Well, apparently they do at Pitt. And apparently they're not half bad. But temper your enthusiasm: they play #5 Rutgers, #15 Notre Dame, #14 West Virginia and #1 UConn in 4 out of 5 games starting on Feb 2nd. If anyone wishes me to write regularly about the women at Pitt, I'll make a deal with you: if they can win any 3 of those games, I will follow them through the tourney at the end of the season and report on what I see. Sans sarcasm.

--Some dude who follows college football too closely ranks Pitt (pre-signing day, mind you) #22

Mark Schlabach of ESPN decided that he would waste my insufficiently alloted web surfing time at work and make available an article listing his very early season top 25 for 2008. He put Pitt at #22. Hooray!

Kidding aside, It's nice to see Shady McCoy get some love. 1,328 yards this season, and he was a freshman with more heart than LaRodStephens-Howling will ever show. I see a Curtis Martin-like career for this kid. Derek Kinder will be back next season, which will help the progression of Pat Bostick, and more importantly will instill some confidence in the coaching staff to open up the offensive playbook a little more. IfI have to hear Wanny tell the press that Pitt needs to "simplify" the offense again, I'm going to cry. Like a baby. Is that what you want Dave? Loyal fans to have to watch your press conference with a box of tissues handy?

--Notes

After getting in a few last visits to Ohio State and Michigan, Terrelle Pryor will be forced to make a decision to either defect to the Big 10 or Pac10 or stay at home with a Big East squad, namely Pitt, by February 6th. The best recruiting job for Pitt so far was the crowd chanting his name at the Georgetown vs. Pitt basketball game Monday night. Pitt would immediately be a conference favorite by landing the highly sought-after Pryor in next year's wide open Big East.

I'm thinking about naming this portion of my column something other than "Notes"...possibly "Weekend at Wanny's," or "Livin' la Vida Dixon." Your thoughts and suggestions in the comments, please. I'd also like you loyal readers of Mondesi's House to send emails to me with tips, suggestions, thoughts or insults. I'm thinking of calling that section "The Jason Mailbag"

--My fiance and I have tentatively decided on Heinz Chapel for our wedding on October 4th of this year. She nearly subsequently broke off the engagement after I suggested that the wedding colors would be Royal Blue and Gold. Apparently she isn't as much of a fan as me, or her father for that matter. My future father-in-law, Paul Liberati, was inducted into the Pitt Athletic Hall of Fame a few years back. He was recognized as one of the best soccer players in the storied history of the Pitt program. It's a foregone conclusion where the kids will end up going to college.

OK guys and gals. I'm out of here. Until next week, Hail to Pitt.