Exhibition win plays out like it should for Panthers
There are any number of sayings about the meaning and value of a first impression, about how an initial peek at something can provide important clues on what that thing ultimately is.
If an exhibition game counts as a first impression, the Pitt men’s basketball team — with five new scholarship players and, more notably, a new coach and staff — provided indications that the upcoming season may, in fact, be the start of a new, more prosperous era in the program’s history.
Four players finished in double figures on a night in which 10 different players scored for the Panthers, helping lead them to a comfortable 78-59 victory against Pitt-Johnstown Thursday at Petersen Events Center, giving them a taste of victory in their first public outing under new head coach Jeff Capel.
“We know the competition level will become greater,” Capel said. “We understand that. We’re trying to develop and build good habits. It’s good to see us in this type of environment. We did some really good things out there and we have to build off those things as we go forward.”
Such showings, as Capel alluded to, should be measured and evaluated appropriately, all placed within the proper context.
Coming off a 15-12 finish last season, Pitt-Johnstown was picked sixth in their eight-team division in the PSAC’s preseason poll. Perhaps the first sign of trouble for last season’s 8-24 team was that it struggled to put away Slippery Rock in a preseason exhibition. By contrast, Thursday night was largely devoid of those worrisome signs.
After falling behind 10-7 in the contest’s opening four minutes, Pitt surged ahead. The Panthers scored 37 of the next 51 points, giving them a 20point lead at halftime and turning an exhibition game into what exhibition games often are. The lead would get as large as 27 in the second half.
“When they get into league play, they’re going to be giving up a lot of size, but I’ll tell you what, some of the big guys are going to have a tough time guarding those four guys on the perimeter,” Pitt-Johnstown coach Bob Rukavina said.
Maybe more notable than any scoring line, rebounding total or shooting percentage were the more qualitative, rather than quantitative, aspects of the game. Pitt, with its newcomers and some improved returners, looked like a different (and better) team than last year’s.
Freshman point guard Xavier Johnson was electrifying, regularly blowing by defenders and getting to the basket while showing a soft outside touch.
Fellow freshman Trey McGowens, the Panthers’ highest-rated recruit in six years, also showed tantalizing flashes, displaying speed and athleticism that was most visible when he dunked emphatically over Pitt-Johnstown’s John Paul Kromka. In all, newcomers finished with 47 of the team’s 78 points.
Malik Ellison and Sidy N’Dir, both players with experience at the Division I level, helped bolster a perimeter defense that was sieve-like at times last season.
Jared Wilson-Frame, the team’s leading returning scorer, who has lost 27 pounds since May, showed the improved swiftness for which his teammates lauded him in the preseason, impressing even when his shots went awry, like when he was short on a 3-pointer but raced down the court to block a layup in transition.
That’s not to say the team didn’t struggle in certain areas. A small, guardoriented team struggled rebounding at times, finished with only one fewer turnover (17) than assists (18) and shot just nine of 19 from the free-throw line.
Not all returning players showed signs of progress, either, as Shamiel Stevenson, the team’s second-leading returning scorer, played just two minutes and, according to Capel, was not injured or ill.
“We need everyone on our team, and it’s not just for Shamiel, to play with energy every day, to compete every day and to come to work at a high level every day,” Capel said. “It’s never about one person. I’m never going to single out or talk about just one person. Shamiel is a good player, he’s a talented player and we need him to be a good player for us.”
However, on a night when and in a situation in which the result for the Panthers could have ranged from good to disastrous, it was decidedly the former.