Khemical Waste

10 games. That's is all it took.  Khem Birch, the highly touted freshman recruit, has decided to leave Pitt just 10 games into his rookie campaign.  Birch was just the second McDonald's All-American coach Jamie Dixon has ever recruited to Pitt and great things were expected from him from the moment he signed his Letter of Intent last year.  When Birch reclassified from the 2012 class to this years 2011 class, Pitt was ecstatic to be getting him a year earlier than expected.  From early on this season, you could see that Birch just oozed athleticism and given the right amount of time to adjust to big time college basketball, he would be ready to thrive possibly as soon as Big East play started in late December.

When Dante Taylor was injured for a few games earlier this season, Birch was called on to start and filled the void very well.  His breakout performance was against Penn where he had 15 points and pulled down 10 boards in 28 minutes.  Birch has shown flashes of brilliance and was ready to make the jump to the next level, but in the blink of an eye he was gone.  Birch blind-sided his coaches, his teammates, and the Pitt fans with his decision to leave the team and head back to his native Canada.  Twitter nearly broke with all the speculations and rumors floating around Thursday night, but all were confirmed when Birch did not attend practice Friday and bolted home later that day.  Dixon has the reputation to make his freshman wait out their time on the bench and earn their playing time, and when they finally have earned it then he has given them the chance to get on the floor.  Birch, being a freshman, did not see the minutes he thought he deserved.  He was still growing and Jamie would have rewarded him with more and more minutes if he continued to improve, but he didn't want to stick around to find out.  Sam Young almost transferred to Memphis after his sophomore year because he wasn't getting the time he wanted, but he sat down with Jamie and trusted his opinion and continued with the gameplan.  This worked out pretty well for Young who went on to tear up the Big East in his junior and senior seasons and lead Pitt to their first elite 8 in many years while averaging 23.5 points in 4 NCAA tournament games.  He helped his draft stock mightily and was taken in the 2nd round of the NBA draft by the Memphis Grizzlies.  

If Khem just would have trusted Jamie and the coaching staff, he could of had the same fate.  He could of had a solid freshman season, chipping in when called upon, and waiting his turn to become Pitt's next great star.  Next season would have been a breakthrough year for him, and it still might be, but just not in a Pitt uniform.  Apparently, Khem never really got accustomed to Pittsburgh and was very homesick.  This, along with the lack of playing time, are the only 2 reasons uncovered so far.  Khem was starting, on a top 15 team, in the best conference in all of college basketball, but that still wasn't enough for him.  Even his high school coach at Notre Dame prep stated, "This situation is painting him as something he is not.  The problem is he is being led down a road by so-called advisors.  It's going to end poorly for Khem, and that is sad for me because I care about the kid.  This is not going to end well for him."  No-one knows if Khem plans to transfer or if he plans to enter next years NBA draft, but this I do know.  Pitt will win with or without him.  His loss.

This is the Year: Pitt Basketball

The backcourt lost a key component and its main facilitator with the departure of Brad Wannamaker. Travon Woodall, a redshirt junior who has plenty of experience, must take Wannamaker's place in the offense.  Woodall has shown flashes of greatness in the past, i.e. the game tying shot agianst St. Johns at the Garden last year, but he has been very inconsistent throughout his career.  He will change that this year.  He will finally have the ball in his hands and he will make plays.  It's now or never for Mr. Woodall.  Next,  their are only two people in this world that I believe every jump shot they take they should make.  One is Ray Allen, the greatest three point shooter in NBA history and the other is Ashton Gibbs.  With a 49% three point percentage while still maintaining 16.8 ppg, this should come as no surprise. The dude is the purest of shooters with ice water in his veins.  However, this year he must prove to NBA scouts that he can be a point guard at the next level so look for Gibbs to pass more.  With that being said, he can't stop shooting because he is the best shooter in the country, period.  After these two, the experience is minimal.  Lamar Patterson will step into a starting role this year after spelling Wannamaker and Gilbert Brown last year.  I'm hearing that he has reshaped in his body for a more prototypcial 3 guard which Pitt will need.  He can shoot, pass, and defend so watch for Patterson to be on the court a lot this year.  Jamie Dixon has said of Patterson that he is the best pure passer on the team and Pitt will need him to facilitate because passing is crucial to this teams offense.  JJ Moore, a sophomore, will likely split time with Patterson at the 3 spot.  Moore is the best athlete on the team, winning the team dunk competition the last 2 years proves this, and can really fill it up when he gets in the zone.  The good thing about Moore and Patterson is that they are polar opposites in the way they play basketball and with them Pitt can throw many different looks at opposing teams, making them a very hard team to defend against.  Also filling out the backcourt are Isaiah Epps and Cameron Wright.  Both were redshirted last year, so they spent last year practicing with the team and adjusting to the pace of Big East basketball.  They should be ready to make key contributions this year when called upon.  Epps is a pass first point guard and if Woodall is not getting the job done facilitating, then Epps will jump right in and the offense shouldn't miss a beat.  Wright is a 6'5 two guard who has the size and the overall game to maybe make the NBA if he continues to improve throughout his time here at Pitt (which most players do).  John Johnson, a true freshman, score first point guard, might also see some time at point, bringing a nice change of pace from Woodall and Epps, who are both pass first points guards.  Johnson never came across a shot he didn't like and Pitt may need someone like that to help ease the scoring load on Ashton Gibbs.

The frontcourt is loaded with size, talent, and athleticism and is the strength of this year's team.  Athleticism is the key attribute here because most Pitt teams in the past just didn't have it.  The most athletic team Pitt had in the past decade was the 2008-2009 team with Dejuan Blair and Sam Young and that team lost in the Elite 8 at the buzzer.  I won't say more than that besides the fact that Socttie Renyolds is in now playing in the country Chad.  Back to this year, this frontcourt is stacked starting with Nasir Robinson, an underrated rebounder and finsiher for being 6'5", Dante Taylor, a former McDonald's All American and my pick for Big East Most Improved Player this year, Talib Zanna, an althletic freak who can extend defenders away from the hoop with his jump shot, and two highly recruited freshman Khem Birch and Malcolm Gilbert.  Watch out for Khem Birch as a freshman.  It may be unfair for me and probably others to have such high expectations for this young man, but if you've seen him play, you know what I'm talking about.  Birch had 15 points, 10 rebounds (9 offensive) and six blocked shots at the McDonald's All-American game which is against the best high school players in the nation.  Sounds like old number 45 huh, and yes, he can be that good, maybe better.  This frontcourt has the ability to compete and win against any in the nation.  The X-factor though is Dante Taylor.  He has steadily improved his first 2 years and needs to step up and have a breakthrough year.  He has a high motor and can rebound on both ends better than most big men, but he must add a scoring touch this year.  He has blown easy lay up after easy lay up his first 2 years and I believe this has caused him to lose some of his confidence.  This year must be different.  He must regain that scoring touch and that focus that led to to be a highly touted high school prospect.  He needs to average close to a double double and finally live up to his McDonald's All-American moniker for this team to really make some noise in the Big East.

Prediction

Over the past 6 years, Pitt has been the best team in the Big East, which is considered the best overall conference in college basketball. In that time, they have earned a number 1 seed twice in the NCAA tournament, but have only made it to the Elite 8 once and Sweet 16 twice.  This team is famous for chronically underachieving when the lights shine the brightest, but I believe this year will be different and here's why.  The infusion of young talent will be the difference this year.  Sure this team still has plenty of experience, but many of their young guys will be called upon to log major minutes and they have not felt the sting of the tournament losses quite like last years class did.  With the mixture of experience and youth, this team is poised to have the perfect mix and make a deep run into the tournament and plus, Gibbs can shoot this team into any game against anyone. I believe they will finish second in the Big East in the regular season, gaining a #2 seed in the NCAA tournament.  They will parlay their high seed with the team's first Final Four since World War II.  (which really doesn't even count).  Jamie Dixon deserves a Final Four and this will be the team to give it to him.  This is the year.

Analyzing the Penguins Successful Start

Fleury has been a key contributor to the success of the Pens so far

Just in case you haven't noticed, the Pittsburgh Penguins have come storming out of the gates this season.  Through 10 games the flightless birds are 6-2-2 and currently tied for first place in the Eastern Conference with Alexander Ovechkin and the vaunted Capitals at 14 points each.  I am going to break down how the Penguins have gotten to this point and what to expect for the rest of the season.

The main reason the Penguins have gotten off to such a rapid start is Mr. Dan Bylsma and his effective team system that shows no matter who is in the lineup the team is a threat to take 2 points at any given night.  Disco is proving to all his doubters that he was the right man to win the Jack Adams award last year for NHL Coach of the Year.  What he has done with this team the last 2 years is downright remarkable.  Let's look at last year, the Penguins were without Crosby for 41 games, Malkin for 39 games, and Staal for 40 games and somehow finished with 106 points, the second most in team history, and in a dog fight to win the division.  The Penguins fizzled out in the first round of the playoffs last year, but that does not take away to what Bylsma and the team accomplished during the regular season.  Now this year, Bylsma and his squad have picked up right where they left off last year without Sid and with a banged up Geno for 3 games and somehow still finding ways to win games.  This team has figured out how to win without their 2 star pivots and whenever they get completely healthy I feel sorry for the rest of the National Hockey League.

The next key to the Penguins fast start has been the sudden goal scoring prowess of James Neal and Jordan Staal.  Lets look at Neal first.  The Penguins picked up Neal at the trade deadline last year and expected him to be the winger of the future for Crosby and to effectively jump right into the lineup and provide the goal scoring that the team desperately needed last year.  With Crosby out of the lineup all last year and so far this year we don't know how well Neal and Crosby will work together, but Neal has finally started to find that goal scoring touch we expected out of him last year.  Through 20 games with the Penguins last year, Mr. Neal only had 1 goal and 5 assists.  We knew Neal had talent, but we just couldn't figure out why he wasn't putting pucks in the net.  Well, this year has been the opposite for Neal who, in just 10 games, has fired 8 pucks past opposing goalies and has gained the confidence that every goal scorer needs.  Goal scoring is a habit and Neal has become addicted.

Next, Jordan Staal has also had a terrific start to the season.  Like I mentioned earlier, Staal missed 40 games last year, and never really got into a groove.  Sure, he had 11 goals and 30 points, but we need more out of Staal, especially with the prolonged absences of Crosby and Malkin.  This year, Staal has been a terror in all 3 zones.  He's been that coveted stud defensive center who can also light the lamp.  It may not always seem like Staal is having a good game, but Staal does the things that don't show up the score sheet. You win with guys like Jordan Staal.  He backchecks, he forechecks, he'll shut down the other teams best center, he plays all 200 feet with no complaints.  I know we wish Staal would chip in on the scoring more often, and maybe he has heard our complaints and used them as fuel to the fire for the start he has had this year.  Through 10 games, Staal already has 5 goals and 3 assists.  If Staal continues on this pace he will end the season with around 40 goals and 30 assists and although that might be unrealistic, he still should end up with at least 30 goals and 60 points.  You might be a Staal hater, but you can't hate those numbers, and if Crosby and Malkin come back healthy this season, Staal is without a doubt the best 3rd line center in the NHL.  When on his game, the guy can do it all.

Maybe the most important reason the Penguins have flown of the gates is backstop Marc-Andre Fleury.  Fleury has been absolutely magnificent so far this season.  There isn't one game you can point out and say that if Fleury had stopped that one shot the Pens would have won.  In past years, that wasn't the case.  Fleury has maybe been a little inconsistent thoughout his NHL career, but I tell you what without Fleury the Pens would have never won the cup and would not be contenders year in and year out.  Fleury can single handedly win games for this team.  He has so much talent and when he gets into a groove , he's virtually unbeatable.  To all you Fleury bashers out there, you need to start watching another sport because you know nothing about hockey.

This team has dealt with so much adversity and so many injuries in the past couple years that if they all return healthy I don't know who can beat them.  Even though I hate being without Crosby and Malkin, it might be a blessing in disguise with the fact that this team has learned to win without them and can take anything thrown their way.  This team has learned to win no matter what the circumstance. They never make excuses, they just go out and win and in this city that's all that matters.  Pittsburgh loves winner and hates losers (ex. Pirates of the last 20 years), and with this lineup the Penguins aren't going to be caught in the latter any time soon.  I believe Malkin will be back sometime this week and Crosby following suit sometime in November.  Kennedys concussion issues have become a concern, but I don't believe he will be out long term and when Michalek comes back in a month this team is poised to make another deep run into June.  Top to bottom no team in the NHL can match our offensive and defensive firepower and if this team starts clicking on all cylinders when healthy, I like their chances to lift the Stanley Cup again for the 4th time in team history.  Let's go Pens.

By contributing writer-Jeff Gingell