SB Nation New York: All Posts by Anson Whaley

Previewing Steven Adams for the Atlanta Hawks

2013-05-24T12:00:05Z

Meant to get this earlier, but I had a pretty cool opportunity to preview Steven Adams for the Atlanta Hawks' official blog through Hawks.com.

I don't know where Adams will end up, but the Hawks have two first-round picks and could be the team that ends up with him. NBADraft.net has Adams going at No. 15 to the Milwaukee Bucks a few picks ahead of the Hawks' No. 17 and No. 18 selections. That may not be too far off based on Adams' big NBA Combine performance.

At this point, he has to be one of the biggest unknowns in the draft. So much upside, but so little is known of his offensive capabilities at this point. We all know he'll get better - but the question is how much?

In the preview, I talked about his strengths/weaknesses (including, ironically, his lack of a jump shot), an NBA comparison, and a lot more. Be sure to head over and check out my preview on Adams if you've got a minute.

Be sure to join Cardiac Hill's Facebook page and follow us on Twitter @PittPantherBlog for our regular updates on Pitt athletics. Follow the author, the manager/editor of Cardiac Hill, @AnsonWhaley

Pitt baseball loses to Notre Dame; falls to elimination round in Big East Tournament

2013-05-24T01:06:26Z

No, I've not forgotten about Pitt baseball. Just been crazy busy and with games during the day, I've not been able to pay that much attention.

But in case you've missed it, after winning the opener against St. John's, the Panthers lost to Notre Dame on Thursday, 5-3. Pitcher Matt Wotherspoon took the loss, but went 7 2/3 innings, struck out seven, and gave up only two earned runs.

That knocks Pitt into the elimination round where they'll now face Seton Hall. That game will be on Friday at 3:00 p.m. The winner will advance to play the Irish on Saturday morning.

The loss isn't against a terrible team - the Irish are well over .500. But with Pitt presumed to be on the bubble, a second straight tournament win would have helped their chances. And the issue now is that the Panthers will face a very good Seton Hall squad.

A silver lining is that a win over the Pirates would give Pitt another quality win. But the Pirates won't be an easy out.

Be sure to join Cardiac Hill's Facebook page and follow us on Twitter @PittPantherBlog for our regular updates on Pitt athletics. Follow the author, the manager/editor of Cardiac Hill, @AnsonWhaley

Larry Fitzgerald named Athlon's top BCS wide receiver

2013-05-23T12:00:03Z

Whenever you see college football lists of all-time receiving greats, you can bet that former Pitt star Larry Fitzgerald will be somewhere near the top. That was again the case as Fitz topped Athlon's list of top 50 BCS-era wide receivers.

We all realize Fitzgerald was one of the best, so there's no sense in rehashing his monster stats in his two years in the program (okay, why not - 161 receptions, 2,677 yards, and 34 touchdowns). He beat out Calvin Johnson for the top spot in the article.

But Fitz wasn't the only Pitt star on the list. Checking in at No. 27 was Antonio Bryant. Bryant won a Biletnikoff Award and had 161 catches, 2,805 yards, and 26 touchdowns, so he was plenty worthy, too.

Athlon actually went on to list a second group of 50, but no other Pitt players made it. You could probably make a case for Jonathan Baldwin or Greg Lee near the bottom of the top 100, but it's easy to see how they were left off, too.

Also of note, was their list of top running backs - Lesean McCoy finished No. 64.

Be sure to join Cardiac Hill's Facebook page and follow us on Twitter @PittPantherBlog for our regular updates on Pitt athletics. Follow the author, the manager/editor of Cardiac Hill, @AnsonWhaley

Will work for rival: Finding a rivalry for Pitt in the ACC

2013-05-22T18:00:07Z

I've got to say, I've been so preoccupied with Pitt's move to the ACC, potential games against Penn State, and talk about getting the Backyard Brawl going (or not), that I've not given much thought to the idea of a conference rival for the Panthers.

ESPN looked at it recently and offered some options including Virginia Tech, Boston College, Miami, or Georgia Tech. I don't get the Yellow Jackets - at all. Miami and BC could be options, but Virginia Tech is the obvious one simply because Pitt has given them so much trouble over the years.

Frankly, I'm not sure how Syracuse isn't given much more consideration (and to be honest, they weren't even mentioned as a possibility, which is odd). ESPN looked at rivals for Pitt and Syracuse, but in reality, Syracuse could be a good one for Pitt. The Panthers have dominated them in recent years, but there's not only the Big East history, but the schools are also a bit closer than some other opponents.

I don't know - the whole Pitt-Syracuse thing never really took off in football since Pitt has always had West Virginia (and previously, Penn State). But with those games gone for the near future, that could change a little. The problem is that rivalries aren't built overnight and Pitt will resume a series with Penn State in a few years. But if we're talking in-conference rivals, the Orange could a possibility.

And also, looking ahead, Louisville could turn into a nice rivalry for the Panthers as well. Especially because the Cardinals are an upcoming program.

Virginia Tech's probably my pick for now, but Pitt and Syracuse/Louisville could have some interesting games as well.

Be sure to join Cardiac Hill's Facebook page and follow us on Twitter @PittPantherBlog for our regular updates on Pitt athletics. Follow the author, the manager/editor of Cardiac Hill, @AnsonWhaley

Pitt will participate in 2013 Legends Classic

2013-05-22T12:00:09Z

Pitt's basketball non-conference schedule for the upcoming season got a bit of a boost when it was announced the Panthers will play in the Legends Classic. It's actually been known for a while that Pitt would play in the event, but the opponents were announced on Tuesday. Joining Pitt will be Stanford, Texas Tech, and Houston. Depending on the outcomes, Pitt will play two of the teams.

The games will be played at the Barclays on November 26 and 27. As part of the event, Pitt will also play two 'regional' games at home between November 17-21.

Let's be honest, here - this isn't likely to boost the Panthers' RPI a ton. But there is a bit of quality here and that could help Pitt out a bit. Texas Tech was awful last year, but Joe Lunardi has Stanford as an NCAA Tournament team in his latest Bracketology rankings and Houston won 19 games. If the Panthers draw those latter two teams, that won't be bad.

This may not seem like a great event, but keep in mind that it's also difficult to get into marquee tournaments year after year. Pitt was in the NIT Season Tipoff event last season and will be in the Maui Invitational next year.

Be sure to join Cardiac Hill's Facebook page and follow us on Twitter @PittPantherBlog for our regular updates on Pitt athletics. Follow the author, the manager/editor of Cardiac Hill, @AnsonWhaley

Joe Jordano named Big East Coach of the Year; Several players named to All Big East teams

2013-05-22T00:26:08Z

Pitt's baseball team had the best year in school history in terms of regular-season wins in 2013. On Tuesday, many of its members were rewarded with Big East honors.

Most notably, head coach Joe Jordano was named Big East Coach of the Year. Jordano certainly deserved the award leading Pitt to a school-record 40 wins despite the Panthers not being given much respect in the preseason Big East polls.

Several players were named to All Big East teams, too. Pitcher Ethan Mildren, catcher Elvin Soto, and outfielder Casey Roche were all named to the first team. Five players made the second team including pitchers Matt Wotherspoon and Rhys Aldenhoven, designated hitter Boo Vazquez, and outfielders Steven Shelinsky and Stephen Vranka.

None were really big surprises and all deserved to be on the teams in some form. You could make an argument for Shelinsky to have made the first team since he led the conference in home runs and hit over .300, but other than that, hard to complain too much.

Be sure to join Cardiac Hill's Facebook page and follow us on Twitter @PittPantherBlog for our regular updates on Pitt athletics. Follow the author, the manager/editor of Cardiac Hill, @AnsonWhaley

Payback's a %*&#: Sheldon Jeter reportedly blocked from transferring to Pitt?

2013-05-21T23:13:10Z

A short while back, we all had the Rushel Shell transfer to digest. Shell, if you'll recall, had had just about enough of Pitt and wanted out. The Panthers, given the history between the two, as expected, promptly blocked the running back from heading to join Todd Graham at Arizona State.

Was it fair? That's debatable. But as I said at the time, one thing that's not up for debate was Pitt's right to do so. They played within the rules and forced Shell to either pay his own way for a year at Arizona State or to go elsewhere. Shell ended up at UCLA and that was the end of it.

Enter Sheldon Jeter.

Jeter, as I wrote about recently, is transferring from Vanderbilt's basketball program, stating he wants to be closer to home. He's from western Pennsylvania and Pitt, as you would expect, was a natural fit. But word broke from the Post-Gazette's Ray Fittipaldo today that Jeter is being blocked from transferring to Pitt. Coach Kevin Stallings is the one playing the heel role here. He, for the record, had no comment earlier today.

The move appears to be a curious one and Anchor of Gold says that other transfers from Vandy have gone through without a hitch.

As you can imagine, eyes will be on Pitt fans to see how they react. A great many were fine with Shell being blocked from Arizona State, but what's the deal here?

Look, my stance remains unchanged. I said at the time that it may not be fair to Shell to not allow him to go to Arizona State, but that Pitt was within their right to block him from leaving for whatever reason. That of course holds true for Vanderbilt in the case of Jeter. Pitt fans may not be happy with it, but it is what it is and they're not breaking any rules.

That said, the two situations are entirely different.

For one, Pitt and Vanderbilt don't have any known feud - certainly not one that was so strained due to such a recent incident like the Todd Graham fiasco. As I've been over countless times, I firmly believe that 95% of other schools would have acted in exactly the same manner if they were in Pitt's shoes. So please, stop with the hypocrisy of lambasting Pitt if you're an outsider.

There could have been tampering (face it, we may never know if Pitt talked to Jeter before he officially left), but there hasn't been the evidence that existed with the Shell transfer with an Arizona State player welcoming him to the team on Twitter before he even requested his release. But if tampering did exist (and let's face it - the Jeter transfer was being rumored everywhere under the sun for weeks now), it'd be a lot easier to understand the decision to block him.

Like I said, Vanderbilt has the right to block Jeter if they wish. Maybe they feel as if he tampered. Maybe it was a messy divorce and they don't want to give him the pleasure of going to his top choice. Who really knows - whatever it is, though, they're playing by the rules. And if Jeter really wants to come to Pitt, he can always appeal to Vanderbilt (which Matt Steinbrink of Rivals tweeted he will do) or pay his own way at Pitt for his first year.

But one thing is certain - it's not the same as the Rushel Shell transfer.

Be sure to join Cardiac Hill's Facebook page and follow us on Twitter @PittPantherBlog for our regular updates on Pitt athletics. Follow the author, the manager/editor of Cardiac Hill, @AnsonWhaley

Updated ESPN Bracketology Rankings? Why not.

2013-05-21T18:00:06Z

Granted, as we're about to head into June, the last thing on your mind is likely Bracketology. But ESPN guru Joe Lunardi released an updated version of his Bracketology rankings last week and Pitt is on the move.

The Panthers are now up to a No. 6 seed in his latest bracket. That's two seeds higher than they were last month when Lunardi seeded them at No. 8.

When it comes to Pitt making the NCAAs, it's something I'm still taking a wait and see approach on. The Panthers have some talent, but there are still too many unknowns at this point. We still have to not only see if they land any of the transfers they're pursuing and if any will get waivers to play immediately.

About the only thing we can say right now is that writing Jamie Dixon off would be foolish. He's done more with less plenty of times and there's no way that I'm declaring Pitt out of the tournament for next season.

Be sure to join Cardiac Hill's Facebook page and follow us on Twitter @PittPantherBlog for our regular updates on Pitt athletics. Follow the author, the manager/editor of Cardiac Hill, @AnsonWhaley