Pitt basketball Q&A with Ray Fittipaldo

Friday, January 06, 2006

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Q: How is it possible that Pitt failed to foul a Notre Dame player with six seconds left and a three-point lead at the end of regulation? Jamie Dixon should have called a time out and instructed his players to foul the first person who touched the ball. This is not the first time Dixon has had a mental lapse at the end of a game.

Ray Kinzer of Concord, N.C.

FITTIPALDO: I had the exact same thought after Colin Falls made the 3-pointer to send the game into overtime, Ray. There is no way a team should lose a 9-point lead with 45 seconds remaining. Granted, Notre Dame made a bunch of clutch shots, but Pitt needed to do a better job of closing out the game. I asked Dixon after the game about fouling, and he said he considered it. Dixon said, as a rule, he does not consider fouling in that situation, but was thinking about it because Notre Dame was on such a roll. It's a tough call, I suppose. You have to remember that Quinn made that four-point play moments earlier when Antonio Graves fouled him after he drained a 3-pointer. Pitt fans would really be complaining if someone fouled Falls, and he converted a four-point play to win the game in regulation.

Q: Why is Antonio Graves still playing in key situations? He single-handedly tried to lose the Notre Dame game. He thinks he's a scorer and took three or four horrible shots in the first half. I saw Carl Krauser yelling at him for doing so. Then in the second half he missed key foul shots and played no defense. Why can't Dixon see that he's not any good? I think Keith Benjamin needs to start getting some of Graves' minutes. What do you think?

Ryan Lucas of Martins Ferry, Ohio

FITTIPALDO: Graves had a bad game against Notre Dame, Ryan. There is no disputing that. And he is struggling to adapt to his new role this season. When he was starting and playing more minutes last season, he was a 3-point threat and someone the Panthers could look to for key buckets. But his shooting is not up to his previous standards, and he does not seem to be a player who flourishes off the bench. The fact that Graves is seeing fewer minutes this season is probably an indication that Dixon believes he has better options. But I know Dixon still has a lot of respect for Graves' game and believes he can help the Panthers win some games. A few weeks ago, I asked Dixon who he thought was his third scoring option. He said Graves because he has the ability to shoot and create some shots for himself. He's not playing well now, but he does have a track record, and that's why Dixon is going to stick with him.

Q: I went to the Wisconsin game when Aaron Gray and Levon Kendall got into foul trouble. Sam Young and Tyrell Biggs came in and played really well. Is there any chance those guys can come in and unseat them?

Pete Buccieri of Aspinwall

FITTIPALDO: There is absolutely no chance that Gray will be unseated as the starting center. He is averaging a double-double (12.8 points and 10.3 rebounds per game) and his defensive presence in the middle is something opponents have to account for. I think Young has a chance to steal more playing time away from Kendall. Young has been too productive in the limited number of minutes he has played for Dixon to keep him on the bench. Look for Young to get more playing time as the season wears on. If you noticed, Young was playing a lot in the overtimes against Notre Dame. He had seven of his 15 points in the two overtimes. That's a good indicator that Dixon is getting comfortable playing him in crucial situations.

Q: Could you ever see Pitt scheduling a non-conference game with Ben Howland at UCLA?

John Foley of Bellefonte, Pa.

FITTIPALDO: It's not going to happen, John. I have asked Howland and Dixon about the possibility, and they both can't say "no" fast enough. They are adamant about it. Dixon and Howland still talk almost every day. Howland told me that it's just not any fun going up against your best friend.

Q: Just some clarification about the RPI as it affects Pitt's chances come NCAA tournament selection time. Isn't Pitt's RPI higher this year than it has been in the past? Is the RPI based on what the rankings of a team were when Pitt played them? Or does the RPI fluctuate based on how that team does after the game?

Ed Kuznik of Jeannette

FITTIPALDO: The RPI is adjusted throughout the season, Ed. That's why you hear coaches rooting for teams they just played. You want them to do well the rest of the season because it will help your RPI. Pitt's RPI is better than it has been, but I maintain that it's way too early to be looking at the RPI now. I think you have to wait another month or so before examining what it means. You have to wait and see how some of these teams perform in their leagues.

Q: Pitt has not had a consistent outside shooter since Jason Matthews. Paul Evans used to run sets just to get him open in the corner. His ability to shoot helped Brian Shorter down low and opened the lane for Sean Miller to penetrate. Why doesn't coach Dixon run more plays to get Ronald Ramon more open looks for 3-pointers? He is a streaky shooter, but he can be a force from the outside. Establishing an outside scoring threat other than Carl Krauser will help Gray and Kendall down low, but more importantly would give Pitt an opportunity to be a legitimate threat in the Big East

Mark Piraino of Syracuse, N.Y.

FITTIPALDO: Dixon didn't design the winning play against Notre Dame for Ramon, but Ramon got open and made a great shot in a clutch situation. Ramon needs to continue to make shots from behind the arc. He made 33.6 percent of his 3-pointers last season and is shooting 31.6 percent this season. Part of the problem is the thumb injury that limited his ability to practice shooting for much of the fall. Ramon has told me that he is still trying to find his shooting groove. Plus, I think it's hard to design plays to get your point guard open 3-pointers. When he made the winning shot against Notre Dame, Ramon was playing shooting guard because Carl Krauser had fouled out. Levance Fields was playing point guard. Most of the time, Ramon is playing point guard, though. It's easier to create shots for a shooting guard like Matthews or Krauser. Ramon's 3-point attempts this season seem to come within the flow of the offense. I think he will get better as the season goes on. Krauser is shooting 39.5 percent from 3-point range and Fields has been a nice surprise, making 52 percent of his 3-point attempts. If Fields and Ramon can combine to make 40 percent of their attempts from beyond the arc, I think Pitt will have sufficient production from their outside shooters. And I maintain that Graves will work his way of his funk soon. He made 46 percent of his 3-pointers last season.

Q: Why do you think Aaron Gray will play in the NBA for 10 years? I like his height, but he has not dominated anyone yet.

Avi of Squirrel Hill

FITTIPALDO: NBA scouts have told me he is someone could have a long playing career in the NBA. You hit the nail on the head when you mentioned his height. Gray is 7 feet tall, and as they say in the NBA, you can't teach height. In addition to his body, Gray has soft hands and can run the floor well for a big man. I don't know if he'll ever be a starter in the NBA, but he can be a role player for a long time.

Q: With Pitt's recent success, I don't understand why Pitt can't play in any of the holiday tournaments (Maui Invitational or Great Alaska Shootout) or other big non-conference television games in December on national television.

Chris Braszo of Severna Park, Md.

FITTIPALDO: Dixon has been asked many times about the quality of Pitt's non-conference schedule, and he always points to several things when discussing it. No. 1, he said he likes to keep Pitt at home during December because the Panthers miss more school than any other team in the Big East because of the way Pitt's semesters are arranged. No. 2, scheduling is complicated. Dixon said it took two or three years to get that home-and-home series with Wisconsin. There are a lot of variables that go into it with dates and such. No. 3, the way those holiday tournaments are set up now, only one team from any conference is allowed to participate. Most of the time, those tournaments are going to pick Connecticut or Louisville or Syracuse over Pitt. In short, there are lots of reasons, Chris. But I just don't see Dixon changing his scheduling practices much. He has watched his team get the shaft from the selection committee a couple of times now, and he has not been moved to make changes. When you look at his record in and out of conference, it's hard to argue with his philosophy. Pitt has finished undefeated twice in non-league play and with just one loss the other year in his three seasons at the helm. And in his first two seasons in league play he was 23-9.

Q: Who has Jamie Dixon signed for next season? Any more scholarships to give and which position is he looking for?

Matt Stokan of Pittsburgh

FITTIPALDO: Dixon has signed two players for next season and has one more scholarship to give. Gilbert Brown, a 6-foot-5 guard/forward is finishing up a year of prep school and is regarded as one of the top swing players in this recruiting class. Dixon also signed 6-9 forward/center Austin Wallace out of New York City. Wallace is only 17 and has lots of potential, but he is a player the coaching staff is going to have to work with when he gets here. As most Pitt fans know, the Panthers are set at the guard position for next season, so the final scholarship, if given, likely would go to another forward or center.

Q: I am interested in what happened to former Pitt coach Paul Evans. Is he still coaching?

Paul from Hampton

FITTIPALDO: Colin Dunlap, a Post-Gazette freelance writer and former Pitt ball boy during the Evans era, reports that he is selling real estate and operating s successful deli in Annapolis, Md. Up until a year or two ago, I know he had been helping out with a local high school team in the area as well.

First published on January 6, 2006 at 12:00 am