OT: D1

[IUP CRIMSON HAWKS]

Re: OT: D1

United is expecting 13-15 kids on their WHOLE team this fall. LV is a total joke playing in that league. I wouldn't doubt you start seeing schools just forfeit that game (like Saltsburg did last year). It's a real mess. None of the schools want them in there. Their average regular season game is like watching IUP football play Indiana High.

LV also just won the Lineman Challenge at Pitt last weekend. I don't know that you could make an all-star team of all the other Heritage teams that could beat LV in football.

I know that Saltsburg had a grand total of 19 players on their rooster last year---and rather remarkably made the D-6 playoffs. Sorry, but if I'm on the school board there is no way I am allowing a varsity high school team to play with less than say 22 players. It's nuts. These local yocal schools need to start consolidating. I realize that all these have-been communities want their own hometown team---but it is just not practical any longer.

It is hard to believe that United is drawing so few kids after last season's successful season of having advanced to the district title game.

But yeah, it is just plain absurd for LV to remain in the HC. Quite frankly I don't know why they would even want to. They won't even get a real game this year I doubt.

And from a fan's perspective it just kills all interest in the conference. What's the point. It's like the New England Cheatriots playing in that pathetic division year after year. As soon as the schedule comes out in April they are already guaranteed either the first or second seed in the AFC playoffs. It's just a question of which one. Ho-hum.

You need at least some measure of parity for sports to be worth watching and following.

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[IUP CRIMSON HAWKS]

Re: OT: D1

LV just had a kid commit to Navy. Is that the player that transferred from United?


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No, OL Michael Petrof.

I see that Southern Columbia RB Gaige Garcia has committed to Michigan. Impressive backfield there when you consider that QB Stone Hollenbach made a commit to Alabama awhile back. No idea if he still plans to go there. WR Julian Fleming will very likely be going to the big time as well.

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[Bart]

Re: OT: D1

No, OL Michael Petrof.

I see that Southern Columbia RB Gaige Garcia has committed to Michigan. Impressive backfield there when you consider that QB Stone Hollenbach made a commit to Alabama awhile back. No idea if he still plans to go there. WR Julian Fleming will very likely be going to the big time as well.

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Garcia will also be wrestling at Michigan. Fleming to Ohio State. Southern Columbia will have a nice team this year.

[IUP24]

Re: OT: D1

No, OL Michael Petrof.

I see that Southern Columbia RB Gaige Garcia has committed to Michigan. Impressive backfield there when you consider that QB Stone Hollenbach made a commit to Alabama awhile back. No idea if he still plans to go there. WR Julian Fleming will very likely be going to the big time as well.

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Hollenbach took a preferred walk-on slot there. I recall that being discussed on here a while back.

That basically means he's essentially a D2 level player, that has some game, and they offer him a spot to be a legitimate scout team quarterback. He chose to go there instead playing somewhere like Kutztown or Millersville. If the experience of saying you were on Alabama's football team is enough for you, go for it. Former Indiana High School QB Jake Zilinskas is on Pitt's roster as a preferred walk on. I'm not even sure he was getting recruited by any D2 schools in the PSAC. Those guys don't ever dress, but practice every day with the entire team. 99% of them you never hear anything about. The 1% make good stories. Zilinskas will run out on senior day in two years. Won't hear him otherwise.

[IUP CRIMSON HAWKS]

Re: OT: D1

Hollenbach took a preferred walk-on slot there. I recall that being discussed on here a while back.

That basically means he's essentially a D2 level player, that has some game, and they offer him a spot to be a legitimate scout team quarterback. He chose to go there instead playing somewhere like Kutztown or Millersville. If the experience of saying you were on Alabama's football team is enough for you, go for it. Former Indiana High School QB Jake Zilinskas is on Pitt's roster as a preferred walk on. I'm not even sure he was getting recruited by any D2 schools in the PSAC. Those guys don't ever dress, but practice every day with the entire team. 99% of them you never hear anything about. The 1% make good stories. Zilinskas will run out on senior day in two years. Won't hear him otherwise.

That is all correct. I should have mentioned the PWO angle with Hollenbach.

A Pitt or Bama degree will not look bad on a resume and it doesn't hurt if you can say that you were a member of the football team.

Hell, I would hire somebody like that just to have someone around the place to talk sports with.

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[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: OT: D1

Yeah. Go to Tuscaloosa. Largest collection of football-starved TENS on the planet. Tell them you're a QB. Have fun.

[IUP CRIMSON HAWKS]

Re: OT: D1

In Pitt MBB news---

-Delaware transfer G Ithiel Horton is currently deciding between Pitt and Arkansas and is expected to announce his decision sometime in the next week or so. He averaged 13 ppg last season for the Hens. He would have to sit out this season and then have three years of eligibility remaining to the best of my understanding.

-Incoming Pitt recruit F Karim Coulibaly has been playing on the Mali national team and making a good showing thus far. So far they have downed Lativia and France to my knowledge. Tomorrow they are slated to play the U.S. team at 1:30 PM. No idea if it is on the tube anywhere. But if so---it would be worth the look to be sure.

-No word on Moon Area's Puff Johnson's reclassification. Some observers feel that since North Carolina and Arizona topped his wish list for schools that he wanted to play for heading into his senior season that he may opt for the latter since his brother Cameron was recently acquired by the Suns. Stay tuned for that.

-Don't forget that next month the Pitt MBB team will be playing in Italy. It should be a golden opportunity for the new players to get some experience as well as for a young team to have the chance to play together and jell.


Edit/Add----Looks like Horton will announce tomorrow evening where he will transfer to. Can't wait to hear it. Ho-hum.

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[IUP CRIMSON HAWKS]

Re: OT: D1

Great News for Pitt tonite as Delaware transfer G Ithiel Horton has committed to Pitt! He will sit out this coming season and then have three seasons of eligibility remaining.

Looks like they are shoring up the backcourt as they may expect to lose Xavier Johnson to the NBA sometime soon. They also added another G in K.J. Marshall.

I would have posted sooner but I just woke up from fainting that they actually landed a player that they were in the mix for. Very good get for Jeff Capel.

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[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: OT: D1

Great News for Pitt tonite as Delaware transfer G Ithiel Horton has committed to Pitt! He will sit out this coming season and then have three seasons of eligibility remaining.

Looks like they are shoring up the backcourt as they may expect to lose Xavier Johnson to the NBA sometime soon. They also added another G in K.J. Marshall.

I would have posted sooner but I just woke up from fainting that they actually landed a player that they were in the mix for. Very good get for Jeff Capel.

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It has to be soooooo frustrating being a fan of the low-level D1 basketball programs.

The kids bail as soon as they taste success. Robert Morris has been decimated by such moves over the past several years.

Can't blame the players. If you can spend a year at Delaware and then get three years in the P5 ... go for it.

[IUP CRIMSON HAWKS]

Re: OT: D1

It has to be soooooo frustrating being a fan of the low-level D1 basketball programs.

The kids bail as soon as they taste success. Robert Morris has been decimated by such moves over the past several years.

Can't blame the players. If you can spend a year at Delaware and then get three years in the P5 ... go for it.

Agree. I'm surprised that we don't see more of an exodus of star D-II players movin' on up like George and Weezie to be honest.

I'm not a baseball fan at all but wasn't this the sort of thing that plagued the Pirates after the success of the early 90s when they would get a good player on the rise? They either couldn't or wouldn't pay them and they would be shipped out IIRC.

Looks like the K.J. guard for Pitt is a walk on. He went to the same high school as current Panther Au'Dise Toney.

The Italy trip is just around the corner. That is going to be a fantastic experience for this young Pitt team.

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[PSACfan1]

Re: OT: D1

Realistic expectations for Pitt this year? 20 in conference perhaps? I'm not a Pitt fan at all but I was pulling them in ACC tourney

[IUP24]

Re: OT: D1

Realistic expectations for Pitt this year? 20 in conference perhaps? I'm not a Pitt fan at all but I was pulling them in ACC tourney

It'll still be tough sledding for them to get in the top 8 of the ACC. I don't expect that to happen. They'll win more games, but not enough to reach the NCAA tournament. Capel certainly has them in the right direction, but it'll still take time. The scary part is that Xavier Johnson and Try McGowens have NBA potential. I fear if they have good years they'll both be gone which could set Pitt back in their rebuild.

I would be really thrilled to see them finish like 10th in the league, but that might still be a big stretch.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: OT: D1

It'll still be tough sledding for them to get in the top 8 of the ACC. I don't expect that to happen. They'll win more games, but not enough to reach the NCAA tournament. Capel certainly has them in the right direction, but it'll still take time. The scary part is that Xavier Johnson and Try McGowens have NBA potential. I fear if they have good years they'll both be gone which could set Pitt back in their rebuild.

I would be really thrilled to see them finish like 10th in the league, but that might still be a big stretch.

I agree. They should take the proverbial next step this year. Those two bigs have play cleaner. They were routinely in foul trouble last year.

He will definently have a deeper bench this year.

[IUP CRIMSON HAWKS]

Re: OT: D1

I agree. They should take the proverbial next step this year. Those two bigs have play cleaner. They were routinely in foul trouble last year.

He will definently have a deeper bench this year.

I think that for Capel it is not at all the starting five but rather the rotation. Okay, I guess hoops across the board is played more this way rather than the old style of your starting five and your sixth man (ala Michael Cooper of the Lakers).

Capel will be able to go pretty deep this year in his rotation---

Guards- Xavier, McGowens, Murphy

Wings- Toney, Drumgoole, Champagnie

Bigs- Brown, Kene (said to be injured rather seriously), Hamilton, Coulibaly


That's ten right there. They should have more bodies to throw into the fight this year.

After 2017-18 disaster season of 8-24 (0-19 ACC) my goal for the team last year was to simply win 10 games overall and two conference.

Well, they won 14 overall and four conference.

This year I am hoping for at least 15 wins overall and five conference wins at minimum.

But I think they can do a little better than that. Maybe 17 wins and an NIT bid. That wouldn't be bad for this young team.

I saw in the one recent poll that Pitt was picked to finish ninth in the ACC this year. They were also voted as having the ninth best ACC recruiting class and 47th overall nationwide.

They're building! It will just take some more time. If only C Qudus Wahab would have inked on.

I am really looking forward to seeing how guys like Coulibaly, Drumgoole and Champagnie do. I think they could be very good players in time.

A lot of big names already in the mix for the 2020 recruiting class. Dickinson, Timberlake, Hugley, Bagley, Gordon, Johnson, Griffin, et. al.

I get really excited that these types of guys are talking to Pitt----right up until I read about how they are also talking to Duke, UNC, and Kentucky.

Capel and staff really did work hard in trying to bring some big names to campus this past season. There was no shame for their effort to be sure. Eventually they will knock down the door here.

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[IUPTrackMan]

Re: OT: D1

I think that for Capel it is not at all the starting five but rather the rotation. Okay, I guess hoops across the board is played more this way rather than the old style of your starting five and your sixth man (ala Michael Cooper of the Lakers).

Capel will be able to go pretty deep this year in his rotation---

Guards- Xavier, McGowens, Murphy

Wings- Toney, Drumgoole, Champagnie

Bigs- Brown, Kene (said to be injured rather seriously), Hamilton, Coulibaly


That's ten right there. They should have more bodies to throw into the fight this year.

After 2017-18 disaster season of 8-24 (0-19 ACC) my goal for the team last year was to simply win 10 games overall and two conference.

Well, they won 14 overall and four conference.

This year I am hoping for at least 15 wins overall and five conference wins at minimum.

But I think they can do a little better than that. Maybe 17 wins and an NIT bid. That wouldn't be bad for this young team.

I saw in the one recent poll that Pitt was picked to finish ninth in the ACC this year. They were also voted as having the ninth best ACC recruiting class and 47th overall nationwide.

They're building! It will just take some more time. If only C Qudus Wahab would have inked on.

I am really looking forward to seeing how guys like Coulibaly, Drumgoole and Champagnie do. I think they could be very good players in time.

A lot of big names already in the mix for the 2020 recruiting class. Dickinson, Timberlake, Hugley, Bagley, Gordon, Johnson, Griffin, et. al.

I get really excited that these types of guys are talking to Pitt----right up until I read about how they are also talking to Duke, UNC, and Kentucky.

Capel and staff really did work hard in trying to bring some big names to campus this past season. There was no shame for their effort to be sure. Eventually they will knock down the door here.

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