SB Nation Pittsburgh - NBA Draft: Ashton Gibbs Will Remain At Pitthttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48827/pitt-fv.png2011-05-09T02:46:46-04:00http://pittsburgh.sbnation.com/rss/stream/19239082011-05-09T02:46:46-04:002011-05-09T02:46:46-04:00What Ashton Gibbs' Return Means For Pitt
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<p>With the news that <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/52467/ashton-gibbs">Ashton Gibbs</a> is returning for his senior season, there was a collective sigh of relief in Oakland this weekend. What impact does his return have on next year's Pitt basketball team? Safe to say it's a pretty big one.</p>
<p>Despite all the talk about <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/26099/brad-wanamaker">Brad Wanamaker</a>'s all-around game or <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/26097/gilbert-brown">Gilbert Brown</a>'s athleticism, there was no real debate that Ashton Gibbs was Pitt's best player last season. Despite shouldering the burden of running the offense at point guard, Gibbs was still the team's leading scorer at just under 17 points per game. The biggest thing, though, was that he improved dramatically from his sophomore season. He increased his scoring average playing fewer minutes per game and despite the fact that defenders focused in on him the entire year.</p>
<p>More impressive were the jumps in his shooting percentages. He increased his field goal percentage from under 40 percent to nearly 47 percent. The rise in his three-point percentage was even more astounding, rising a full 10 percent from 39 percent to 49 percent.</p>
<p>The argument can be made that Gibbs will be hard pressed to improve those numbers, but the fact is that he has plenty to work on next season if he wants to become an NBA Draft pick. Gibbs needs to improve off the dribble and could become a better defender. Cutting back on turnovers would also help - despite playing fewer minutes this season, his 51 was an increase from his 2009-10 total of 40. Seven times this season, Gibbs turned the ball over at least three times. Much of that was due to the fact that as the point guard, he was handling the ball a lot more, though, so that total should decrease next year.</p>
<p>So Gibbs will again be Pitt's best player. But what exactly does that mean for the team?</p>
<p>Well, for starters, the backcourt will be much better obviously. With senior Brad Wanamaker moving on, having Gibbs will again assure that the guard play will be good. Gibbs and just about anyone else would give Pitt one of the Big East's best backcourts.</p>
<p>Pitt is also expected to transition <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/52465/travon-woodall">Travon Woodall</a> to the starting rotation. Playing Woodall at the point will give Gibbs the opportunity to play his natural position at shooting guard. He should continue to flourish there and without needing to run the offense, he can concentrate on freeing himself for open looks.</p>
<p>In turn, with Gibbs around, the bench depth will be helped greatly. If he decided to move on, Pitt would have been forced to likely start <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/100023/lamar-patterson">Lamar Patterson</a> in his place. With two new starters in Woodall and Patterson, the backcourt would have been fairly inexperienced. Assuming freshman <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/124156/j-j-moore">J.J. Moore</a> gets a chance to start next year at small forward, head coach Jamie Dixon would have been stuck with not only an inexperienced starting unit, but a depleted bench. With <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/100021/dante-taylor">Dante Taylor</a> also slated to start and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/100025/j-j-richardson">J.J. Richardson</a> transferring, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/100024/talib-zanna">Talib Zanna</a> could have been the only reserve with any playing time under his belt. Yes, there's incoming phenom Khem Birch, but he's still only a freshman and has yet to play in the Big East or on the college level.</p>
<p>But Gibbs' return nixes all of that. Pitt may not begin the year as a top-ten team with the losses of Brown, Wanamaker, and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/26106/gary-mcghee">Gary McGhee</a>, but the Panthers should again contend for the Big East title. More importantly, with Gibbs back, Pitt can be primed for a deep run in March. No, that hasn't happened yet, but with Gibbs on the team, it's at least possible. Without him, Pitt would have undoubtedly taken a step back next year.</p>
https://pittsburgh.sbnation.com/pittsburgh-panthers/2011/5/9/2161274/ashton-gibbs-nba-draft-pitt-basketball-sterling-gibbs-transferAnson Whaley2011-05-08T13:08:12-04:002011-05-08T13:08:12-04:00NBA Draft: Ashton Gibbs Comments On Decision
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<p>On Saturday, we found out Pitt's star guard <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/52467/ashton-gibbs">Ashton Gibbs</a> intendeds to return to the Panthers next season rather than declare for the NBA Draft. Gibbs, who will be a senior in 2011-2012 averaged 16.8 points per game for Pitt in 2010-2011 as well as 2.8 assists and 2.8 rebounds. He was also lethal from the 3-point line as he hit 49% or his shots from the arc on the year.</p>
<p>Given all that, Panther fans will likely be thrilled to have him back next season, but as Gibbs tells <a target="_blank" href="http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11128/1145090-175-0.stm">Ray Fittipaldo in this morning's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette</a>, it almost didn't happen.</p>
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<p>"I was very close to keeping my name in," Gibbs said Saturday night. "When I entered the draft I entered it to stay in. It's what I set my mind to. There was no point to just go through the motions. But in the end, I felt like the NBA could wait for a year."</p>
<p>Gibbs did not disclose much of what NBA scouts told him in terms of feedback other than to say he has to "work on his body."</p>
<p>"It was nothing in particular," he said. "I'm really not worried about the NBA now. Right now, I'm a college player and I'll worry about the NBA next year."</p>
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<div style="overflow: hidden; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; border: medium none;">Looks like his focus is already on improving next season as the Panthers look to rebound from a disappointing showing in the NCAA Tournament. <br>
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https://pittsburgh.sbnation.com/pittsburgh-panthers/2011/5/8/2160536/nba-draft-ashton-gibbs-pittFTG18552011-05-07T23:26:40-04:002011-05-07T23:26:40-04:00Jamie Dixon Passes On Maryland
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<p>In other Pitt basketball news this evening, it looks like Maryland expressed interest in hiring head coach Jamie Dixon for the same position in College Park, but Dixon removed his name from consideration for that vacant position according to <a target="_blank" href="http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/college/pitt/s_735991.html">Jerry DiPaola of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review</a>.</p>
<p>The Terrapins, of course, will be replacing the retiring Gary Williams and reportedly have deep interest in Pittsburgh native and Pitt alumnus Sean Miller, currently Arizona's head coach. If Miller leaves the desert, expect the Dixon rumor mill to fire up once again given his West Coast ties. Expect Dixon to stat right where he is, however. Even though Dixon has repeatedly shown loyalty to Pitt, now that he's become such a hot coaching commodity, his name will likely show up as a candidate in any high profile coaching search. Pitt fans will just have to get used to that. It's the price of success.</p>
https://pittsburgh.sbnation.com/pittsburgh-panthers/2011/5/7/2159952/jamie-dixon-maryland-coaching-search-sean-miller-gary-williamsFTG18552011-05-07T22:43:10-04:002011-05-07T22:43:10-04:00NBA Draft: Ashton Gibbs Will Remain At Pitt
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<p>It's been a rough couple of weeks for Pitt basketball fans since the Panthers' third round NCAA Tournament loss against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/teams/butler-bulldogs">Butler Bulldogs</a> back in March. From the crushing disappointment of unreached expectations to the cold, hard reality of having to replace three senior starters for 2011-2012, the days following the loss were difficult. Then came news in mid-April that sophomore guard <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/100025/j-j-richardson">J.J. Richardson</a> intended to transfer from the program.</p>
<p>Perhaps worst of all, star guard <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/52467/ashton-gibbs">Ashton Gibbs</a> has been testing the NBA Draft waters for the past few months, leaving Pitt fans wondering if Jamie Dixon and the coaching staff would have to work even harder replacing departed talent.</p>
<p>Good news came Saturday, however, as Gibbs <a target="_blank" href="http://plus.sites.post-gazette.com/index.php/college-sports/pitt/109767-ashton-gibbs-explains-his-decision-to-return-to-pitt">told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Ray Fittipaldo</a> ($) he intends to stay put in Oakland. The news will certainly make the Panthers' rebuilding efforts a lot easier next fall as they'll have a reliable shooter and proven scorer in their rotation to count on in addition to some leadership from the upperclassman.</p>
<p>Hopefully, we'll be able to get you some quotes from Fittipaldo's piece when it runs in the paper tomorrow. For now, it's behind the PG+ pay wall, so we'll have to wait. Either way, though, finally a good night for Panther fans.</p>
https://pittsburgh.sbnation.com/2011/5/7/2334842/nba-draft-ashton-gibbs-will-remain-at-pittFTG1855