Author Topic: Pittsburgh Pro-Am Summer League starts June 18  (Read 12776 times)

Offline ysuindy

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Pittsburgh Pro-Am Summer League starts June 18
« on: June 12, 2012, 04:25:04 PM »
Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette sent a Tweet

Looks like full participation from WVU, Duquesne, Robert Morris and Youngstown State, too. FIrst game is Monday, June 18 at 7 p.m.

We can use this thread to following the YSU players through the summer.

You will recall we read a few stories last year about how good some of our guys were doing - and it carried over to the best YSU season in recent memory.  I am excited to see how well the Guins do this year.


Offline ysuindy

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Offline OleYSUfan

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Re: Pittsburgh Pro-Am Summer League starts June 18
« Reply #2 on: June 18, 2012, 01:11:03 PM »
This league is very good and allows the players to gain valuable playing time with excellent competition. It's great to see 10 YSU players participating; including Kamren Belin. This should improve each players ability and give us a competitive team this fall. :)

Offline ItalianPenguin

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Re: Pittsburgh Pro-Am Summer League starts June 18
« Reply #3 on: June 19, 2012, 11:07:33 AM »
Went last night and with ElPenguin and others and offer the following thoughts: 1) Kendrick Perry is a special player whom we should all appreciate before he graduates. He hit 3 free throws after time expired in regulation to tie the game and his team won in OT, 2) Blake Allen is just a good basketball player. Smart and talented. We have quite the guard tandem, 3) Belin held his own (especially defensively) and will be a good addition. He did miss some open shots, but he is going to help this team. Should be an overall upgrade from Brooks, 4) Podolsky will get some PT this year--he has gotten better each year, 5) Larson and Chojnacki are what they are--back-ups to give you a few minutes a night, and 5) DJ Cole is lightning quick and makes good decisions with the ball. He still needs some help with his shot, but he'll see alot more time this year, IMO. Eargle and Amaker's team was not scheduled. Remember, this is street ball, but there were several players from Pitt, West Virginia, Duquesne, and Robert Morris there both current and recently graduated, so the competition is top-notch.

Offline ysuindy

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Re: Pittsburgh Pro-Am Summer League starts June 18
« Reply #4 on: June 19, 2012, 12:04:55 PM »
Thanks for the update IP. 

Found this preview from last week's Tribune-Review

http://blog.triblive.com/college-locker-room/2012/06/12/pro-am-summer-league-team-by-team-breakdown/

Pro-Am Summer League team-by-team breakdown
June 12th, 2012
The 2012 Pittsburgh Basketball Club Pro-Am will begin on Monday at the Green Tree Sportsplex. Rosters were released this week. Pitt’s J.J. Moore and Tray Woodall are recovering from injuries and won’t play. Based on the rosters, two teams, PGT and SPK, look to have a slight edge. But it’s the summer league. You never know.

Here is a look at each team.

PGT

Pitt players: Steven Adams, C, Fr.; James Robinson, G, Fr.; Trey Zeigler, G, Jr.; Lamar Patterson, G/F, Jr.

Other top players: Lucky Jones, G/F, Robert Morris; Darryl Webb, F, IUP grad

Under the Radar: T.J. Heatherington, G, Point Park

Outlook: This team is definitely the early favorite. Adams and Robinson, Pitt’s star incoming freshmen, and eligible transfer Zeigler will get to work together and are joined by Patterson, who shared Pitt MVP honors last season after a breakout year. Robinson will miss some action while playing for the USA Basketball U18 team in Brazil through June 20. Throw in RMU’s Jones, an NEC all-Rookie team member last season, and Webb, a former Division II national player of the year at IUP, and this team is as good as anyone. And don’t forget about Heatherington, an NAIA Division II first-team All-America after averaging a nation-best 24.5 points per game for Point Park.

UPMC

Pitt players: Malcolm Gilbert, C, So., Cameron Wright, G/F, Jr.

Other top player: Sean Johnson, G, Duquesne

Under the Radar: Blake Allen, G, Youngstown State

Outlook: This team could have trouble finding scorers. Wright, a rising redshirt sophomore, averaged 2.2 points per game last season and Gilbert (0.5 ppg), a 6-foot-11 sophomore, is a defensive specialist. Maybe this will force the two develop more of an offensive game (Wright shot 35 percent from the field last season and 3 of 18 from 3-point range). Johnson was Duquesne’s second-leading scorer last season at 13.5 ppg, and Allen was second for YSU in scoring and assists.

SPK

Pitt players: Talib Zanna, F/C, Jr.; John Johnson, G, So.; Chris Jones, G, Fr.

Other top players: Jakim Donaldson, F, Edinboro grad; Juwan Staten, PG, West Virginia

Under the Radar: Damien Eargle, F, Youngstown State

Outlook: Another squad with a mixture of experienced and new Pitt players. Zanna and Johnson are joined by Jones, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard from Teaneck, N.J. They have an excellent team around them. Donaldson is the reigning league MVP and Staten, who sat out last season at WVU after transferring from Dayton, was named to the 2011 all-league team last summer. Eargle was third in the nation in blocked shots last season at 3.74 per game. He also averaged 11.1 points and 7.5 rebounds. With a summer league legend (Donaldson), a quality point guard (Staten), a top shot blocker and a trio of Pitt players, this team is a factor.

SCT

Pitt players: Dante Taylor, C, Sr.; Durand Johnson, F, R-Fr.

Other top players: Coron Williams, G, Robert Morris; Russell Johnson, F, Robert Morris

Under the Radar: Nick Novak, G, Pitt-Johnstown

Outlook: Taylor should be one of the top inside players, if not the best, in the pro-am. He was among the leading rebounders last summer and entering his senior season at Pitt, should have his most productive pro-am to date. Johnson didn’t a whole lot last summer as a new freshman, but after a redshirt and a year of lifting – and getting praise from coach Dixon for his practice – it will be interesting to see how much he has progressed. This team also has two of the top players from a 26-win Robert Morris team — Williams, who averaged 10.8 points and was the only player to start all 37 games, and Johnson, a high-flying 6-6 wing who was outstanding in this league last summer. Novak was a first-team all-WVIAC guard after averaging 19.4 points for Pitt-Johnstown.

DA

Pitt players: Aron Nwankwo, F, So.

Other top players: Jarabi Hinds, G, West Virginia; Lance Jeter, G, Nebraska grad

Under the Radar: Matt Humphrey, G, West Virginia

Outlook: The only Pitt player on the team is a walk-on, but Nwankwo has good size (6-7, 205) and contribute in this league. Jeter and Hinds give DA one of the top backcourts in the will lead the way. Jeter, a former Beaver Falls and Nebraska star who plays overseas in Holland, is a regular on the all-summer league team. Hinds, a sophomore averaged 7.4 points and led the Mountaineers in assists (108) and steals (46) last season. Humphrey was the second-leading scorer at Boston College last season before transferring to Morgantown. This team also has WVU’s Kevin Noreen, coming back from a season-ending ankle injury, and a quartet of Duquesne players, including Marvin Binney, a 6-2 transfer from New Mexico Junior College for first-year Dukes coach Jim Ferry.

Center Court

Pitt players: None

Other top players: Velton Jones, G, Robert Morris; Kendrick Perry, G, Youngstown State

Under the Radar: Derrick Colter, G, Duquesne

Outlook: There are no Pitt players on Center Court, but they have a pair of first-team all-conference guards in Jones and Perry. Jones was a first-team all-NEC selection after averaging 16 points per game for Robert Morris, and Perry, an all-summer league pick last year, netted all-Horizon League honors averaging 16.8 points and 2.4 steals for YSU. Colter, an incoming freshman, is a quick 5-10 guard who averaged 22.5 points per game as a senior last year in suburban D.C. They have size with 7-1 Duquesne center Martins Abele, and quality forward/wings with Duquesne’s Jerry Jones and RMU’s Lijah Thompson.

Offline ysuhoops24

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Re: Pittsburgh Pro-Am Summer League starts June 18
« Reply #5 on: June 26, 2012, 05:37:57 PM »
not sure if it's been mentioned, but 18 teams have released non-conference schedules, and we are on South Florida's for Dec. 18th. 

Offline ysufan0505

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Re: Pittsburgh Pro-Am Summer League starts June 18
« Reply #6 on: June 26, 2012, 07:02:08 PM »
not sure if it's been mentioned, but 18 teams have released non-conference schedules, and we are on South Florida's for Dec. 18th.

Yep, great for both Blake Allen and KP who are both from Florida. I'm sure their families will be able to make the game and watch them play

Offline ELPENGUIN

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Re: Pittsburgh Pro-Am Summer League starts June 18
« Reply #7 on: June 27, 2012, 12:31:38 AM »
Attended last night's games with South Beach.  Standing room only with most people looking to see Pitt players dominate.  Not so. YSU was very impressive. Very pleased with all of the action and contributions by our YSU players.  the player who was most impressive was Shawn Amiker. He was very aggressive almost scoring at will.  He has bulked up and  his physical appearance is completely changed and so has his confidence.  Shawn will be a force for us this year.  Our newest player Kamren Belin would have won the game ball had it not been for Amiker's performance.  However, since playing last week Belin has become mister "give me the rock" and get out of my way.  Beelin was above the rim most of the evening rebounding and way out in front on the fast breaks.  Some beautiful dunks and put-backs.  Damien Eargle had at least 4 blocks and two beautiful fast break dunks.  Kendrick Perry had the crowd yelling and applauding with his flashes to the goal and about 5 acrobatic dunks.  Mike Podolsky has improved and proved he can play with the big boys.  Some wonderful passing and shooting on his part.  Did not stay to see Blake Allen or D.J. Cole play but observed them last week and they will be fine.  Allen will shoot well again and now he is driving to score also.  D.J. Cole showed a years maturity and he will also contribute.
We will return next week, this competition is worth a thousand practices.
"They have scalelike barbless feathers, flipperlike wings, and webbed feet and by the way also excellent athletic teams"

Offline ysufan0505

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Re: Pittsburgh Pro-Am Summer League starts June 18
« Reply #8 on: June 27, 2012, 12:15:08 PM »
Attended last night's games with South Beach.  Standing room only with most people looking to see Pitt players dominate.  Not so. YSU was very impressive. Very pleased with all of the action and contributions by our YSU players.  the player who was most impressive was Shawn Amiker. He was very aggressive almost scoring at will.  He has bulked up and  his physical appearance is completely changed and so has his confidence.  Shawn will be a force for us this year.  Our newest player Kamren Belin would have won the game ball had it not been for Amiker's performance.  However, since playing last week Belin has become mister "give me the rock" and get out of my way.  Beelin was above the rim most of the evening rebounding and way out in front on the fast breaks.  Some beautiful dunks and put-backs.  Damien Eargle had at least 4 blocks and two beautiful fast break dunks.  Kendrick Perry had the crowd yelling and applauding with his flashes to the goal and about 5 acrobatic dunks.  Mike Podolsky has improved and proved he can play with the big boys.  Some wonderful passing and shooting on his part.  Did not stay to see Blake Allen or D.J. Cole play but observed them last week and they will be fine.  Allen will shoot well again and now he is driving to score also.  D.J. Cole showed a years maturity and he will also contribute.
We will return next week, this competition is worth a thousand practices.


Great to hear!! I did see on twitter that one of the sports writers from Pittsburgh said KP was shining and putting on a show. I'm excited for this year

Offline IAA Fan

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Re: Pittsburgh Pro-Am Summer League starts June 18
« Reply #9 on: July 10, 2012, 12:06:16 PM »
Does anyone have any stats on this?

Thanks,
Dan


Offline ysuindy

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Re: Pittsburgh Pro-Am Summer League starts June 18
« Reply #10 on: July 13, 2012, 09:15:55 PM »
Dan,

found a few on the Pitt rivals site:

Scoring - 7th - Perry 16.5   9th Allen 15.4

FG % - 8th Perry 50% 34/68  9th Amiker 50% 32/64

Rebounding - 10th Belin 6.8


Offline ysuhoops24

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Re: Pittsburgh Pro-Am Summer League starts June 18
« Reply #11 on: July 15, 2012, 09:55:20 PM »
i seen we are on BETHUNE-COOKMAN schedule, hosting them on Dec. 21st.

Offline ItalianPenguin

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Re: Pittsburgh Pro-Am Summer League starts June 18
« Reply #12 on: July 15, 2012, 10:02:38 PM »
Hoops, the game is AT Bethune-Cookman and is piggybacked with the South Florida road game. B-C will then play at Beeghly in the 2013-2014 season.

Offline ysuhoops24

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Re: Pittsburgh Pro-Am Summer League starts June 18
« Reply #13 on: July 15, 2012, 10:58:34 PM »
IP, thanks for correcting me.  Yea...I read it as I was reading YSU's schedule, lol.  I'm excited about the prospects hearing you'll talk about Amiker.  I had a feeling he could be the wildcard coming into the season.

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Re: Pittsburgh Pro-Am Summer League starts June 18
« Reply #14 on: August 01, 2012, 10:28:40 AM »
Does anyone has an injury update?

Pittsburgh Post Gazette l July 19th:

NOTE -- With less than five minutes remaining in regulation, Youngstown State's Kendrick Perry went down with a left knee injury. Perry, Youngstown State's leading scorer last season, had his knee wrapped in ice.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/sports/pitt-big-east/pitts-patterson-a-summer-blockbuster-645366/#ixzz22IwS0xha