Khem Birch Signs LOI

Thoughts on the two games in MSG coming up soon, but some big recruiting news has swiped the spotlight tonight. Like many suspected, Khem Birch, one of the most highly regarded prep players in the Class of 2012 and Pitt commit has changed his mind. No, thankfully, Birch isn't backing out on playing for the Panthers. Instead, the explosive 6-9 PF has decided to decided to forgo his postgraduate year and signed a Letter of Intent with Pitt to enroll for 2011.

Above all, this is terrific news for the Pitt Panthers basketball program. Birch easily represents the most highly regarded recruit of Jamie Dixon's tenure, a likely one-and-done prospect who can fill up a stat sheet and dominate games, especially on the defensive end. The prospect of having Birch play alongside then-senior Ashton Gibbs is a tantalizing prospect for Panther fans, and if everything checks out, then Pitt should probably enter 2011 as a top-five preseason team as well.

ESPN.com scouting expert Dave Telep describe Birch in these glowing terms

"Birch has the makings of a young Derrick Favors. He's a long, angular shot blocker who patrols the paint, has good touch, can run and rebounds. Like Favors, there is work to be done on the offensive side. Part of our evaluation with him consisted of tracking his improvement. We've now had a year of his tracking shaved off the evaluation process and we'll slow play his ranking, while continuously evaluating his development based on this recent change in status."

Favors, by the way, was the third overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft.

Unfortunately, some concerns still remain. There are lingering questions about whether or not Birch will pass the NCAA academic clearinghouse, the trouble stemming from credits he took in his native Canada and how they transfer to his current American high school. In addition, this puts the Panthers two scholarships over the limit for 2011, with no obvious candidates from the current team our recruiting class to leave the team.

While these issues may not be resolved as quickly or neatly as everyone would like, the fact remains they're the kind of problems you love to have if it means bringing a talent like Khem Birch into the fold.

Slam Online has an excellent article today about Brandin Knight and his evolutionary effect on the Pitt basketball program. Although it will take some more postseason success for them to move into the next level of hoops powers, there's little doubt that Pitt right now is one of the top 10-15 basketball schools in the country. Ignoring head coaches, I'm curious how many other schools on that list have a person as directly tied to their success as Knight is to the Panthers.

Perhaps the most telling quote in the article comes from Knight himself, as he attempts to define the types of players he recruits.

“We look for kids who have an edge to them about certain things,” says BK. “Namely, caring about winning, willing to compete and willing to do what it takes to get better.”

Those words are fitting of course, because they defined Knight as a player, and because of his leadership and legacy, have come to define the Pitt program. As an assistant coach now, he is recruiting high school kids that fit the mold for success that he created.

My favorite Brandin Knight memory comes from the 2003 Big East Tournament title game, when Pitt finally broke through and beat UConn for the championship. In the closing minutes Pitt had pulled away big and the outcome was no longer in doubt. UConn, with desperate hopes of a comeback and facing light full court pressure from Pitt was rolling the ball to center court on in-bounds plays, trying to preserve precious seconds. The third or fourth time the Huskies did this, Brandin Knight had seen enough. As a UConn player casually rolled the in bounds pass, Knight, fighting a bad ankle, sprinted all the way down court, diving hard to the ground to cover up the ball and secure the steal.

I like to think about Knight's thought process in those closing minutes; watching the Huskies still trying to come back, knowing that as long as they were rolling the ball in they still had a flicker of hope they could win the game. The second time they do it, he calculates what it would take to make a play for the steal, where he'd have to position himself to look coy, but still be close enough to grab the ball. The third time they do it, he almost breaks, but thinks better of it at the last minute, playing it safe. The fourth time, Knight's seen enough. By then instinct just takes over. "No more of this," he says to himself. And with that, he makes his break up court, ankle aching, throwing himself on the floor to break the will of his opponent.

It's pretty cold-blooded really. Maybe there isn't a better trait for a signature player to distill onto a basketball program.

In the Books: Pitt 97, UIC 54

Now that Pitt has destroyed their first token middling mid-major, I feel like we can all have a little bit more of an appreciation for the close call against Rhode Island on Monday night. I know that may sound a little counter-intuitive, but let me explain.

It's refreshing, of course, to watch your team run another off the court with shear based on shear talent, as Pitt did to Illinois-Chicago on Wednesday. While it hardly sets this Panther team apart from the other members of the top-25, it's still something a team with championship aspirations has to be able to accomplish. I guess you could say it's almost like one of those eligibility boxes you have to check off when applying for for financial aid. Want to get a student loan? Check off that you're a U.S. Citizen. Want to have a chance to play in the Final Four? Check off that you can blow an inferior opponent off the floor.

However, another one of those check marks for playing until the last weekend of March Madness is an ability to win when you're not at your best. That was the case against Rhode Island on Monday. Perhaps it was the sloppiness and nerves for the Panthers in their first real game. Perhaps it was the Rams shooting the lights out unexpectedly and out of character. Or perhaps the reasons for malaise and underwhelming play weren't even that specific. Whatever the reason, it was a struggle. But Pitt prevailed. Now, that they've flashed an ability to school an opponent they should, a sloppy win doesn't seem so bad.

Really, it's a good thing. Two games down, two boxes checked.

In the Books: Pitt 83, Rhode Island 75

Well, that was a little different.

It certainly wasn't the cakewalk, breathe easy by the first media timeout, glorified skills showcase that have marked so many home openers during these "golden years" of Pitt hoops. The Panthers 83-75 win over Rhode Island last night was definitely closer than it should have been for longer than it should have been. While it might have been nice to postpone the nail chewing for at least a couple more games, a close early game like that opens the window a little wider on what you can expect from a team in the coming season.

Five thoughts:

- Pitt rose to national prominence running a slow, grind-it-out, halfcourt offense, and it seems there's still a perception that that continues to be their method of operation. At this point, nothing could be further from the truth. Pitt's been a more aggressive offensive team for several years now, and the roster dynamics this season may make it their most up-tempo squad yet. There were run outs last night that turned into odd-man breaks because the Panthers depth of quality athletes kept them fresh, while an undermanned Rhode Island couldn't keep up.

- The other staple of Pitt's rise to the top of the college basketball world was smothering defense. While allowing an opponent to shoot 14-of-28 from three-point range can in no context be called smothering, I thought there was much to like from the Panthers on their own end of the court. Gary McGhee continues to be a force down low, and Brad Wanamaker, even while carrying the load offensively, did a great job shutting down Rhode Island's Akeem Richmond in the second half.

- I have no idea why Pitt didn't close out better on Rhode Island's three-point shooters. When it became apparent that the Rams were content (and having success) chucking from all spots on the floor, you would like to see the Panthers play tighter on the perimeter. Given the blocked shots and active work by Pitt's post defenders, it would have been okay to risk a little more dribble penetration by Rhode Island.

- Talib Zanna, at some point, will become the next Panther to win the Big East's Most Improved Player Award. The way he sealed off an inexperienced Blake Vedder on offense was a very polished move for a player seeing his first real D-I minutes.

-Ashton Gibbs supposedly worked a lot on becoming more of a slasher this offseason. It showed a bit last night, as he scored 22 points while going just 2-for-7 from three point range.

On to Illinoi-Chicago which hopefully provides fewer frayed nerves and a chance to see some of the freshmen in action.