Yardbarker: DeJuan Blair

PITT-BINGHAMTON PART OF 24-HOUR HOOPS MARATHON

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:42:00 -0500

ESPN is running an ambitious event on Tuesday featuring 24 straight hours of live college basketball, and the Pitt Panthers will be part of the festivities.The 1-0 Panthers have a rare 5:30 start for their contest with Binghamton on Tuesday night, and Andy Katz did not have many kind things to say about their opponent in his "24 things for the 24-hour marathon" article:14. The imploding program: Binghamton. This almost feels like slowing down to see the damage left by a wreck on the...

PITT EDGES...WOFFORD?

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 17:12:00 -0500

While many of us were distracted with Cincy-WVU or thinking ahead to this weekend's buffet of great sports TV, the Pitt Panthers officially opened their 2009-10 campaign at the Pete against Wofford. And it wasn't particularly pretty.Down by as many as 13 in the second half, the Panthers rallied behind 6'10" junior Gary McGhee, who scored two huge baskets on offensive rebounds down the stretch, to beat the Terriers, a veteran team returning all five starters. Wofford went 16-1...

DEJUAN BLAIR TO DECLARE

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 20:46:30 -0500

Bob Pompeani announced tonight on the 6 PM KDKA news that Pitt's DeJuan Blair will declare for the 2009 NBA Draft, forgoing his final two years of collegiate eligibility. From the KDKA website:"My sources have confirmed that Dejuan Blair has made up his mind...and will turn pro after two years with the Pitt basketball team. I expect an official announcement within the next week to ten days."The bigger news would be if Blair decided to come back, but I think that ship sailed some...

DeJuan Blair Is Considering a Future in Football as a Backup Plan

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 02:50:50 -0500

DeJuan Blair knows how skilled of an athlete he is and how rare his wide and bulky 6′7″ 265lb frame is. He thinks it could give him a career in football if the whole basketball thing doesn’t work out.

MEMPHIS' LOSS, PITT'S GAIN?

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 21:29:24 -0500

Now that former Pitt assistant coach John Calipari has accepted the Kentucky job, a few shockwaves will undoubtedly be felt. Obviously, Memphis is going to have to look for a new coach. And they might have to find some new players, too.KDKA is reporting that Pitt could possibly have a shot at landing one of the top Juco players in the country, 6'9", 230-pound power forward Will Coleman of Miami, Florida. Coleman signed with Memphis in August, turning down his only other offer, which ...

THE PITT WOMEN LOST TOO

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 15:32:11 -0500

Tough weekend for the Pitt basketball programs. The men's team got its heart ripped out in front of a prime-time, national TV audience on Saturday night, and the women's team got bounced from the Sweet 16 with a 70-59 loss to Oklahoma last night on ESPN2.The Panthers accomplished their mission of stopping center Courtney "Daughter of Bubba" Paris, the player who famously said she would give back her scholarship if Oklahoma failed to win the national title this year - a bet w...

Naismith Finalists Announced - Should We Even Bother?

Sun, 22 Mar 2009 20:51:58 -0500

The four finalists for the Naismith Award are out. You can't really argue the four names that are included: DeJuan Blair, Blake Griffin, Tyler Hansbrough and Hasheem Thabeet. Isn't it a lock the award goes to Griffin? Although, the fans can sway the vote as their tallies make up for 25% of the voting.

PITT'S FIRST HALF: VERY UGLY

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 15:27:13 -0500

AT THE HALF:2623A #1 seed is playing a 16-seed, and for the first half, it's been hard to tell which team is which. In Pitt's case, they're trying to avoid history as the first #1 seed to lose to a #16. At the end of the first half, they've outplayed that 16-seed...to the tune of three points.Despite holding ETSU to 24% shooting from the floor (and 1-13 from three-point land) and a first-half double-double from Dejuan Blair (11 and 11), Pitt's been unable to get in any sor...

I DON'T LIKE THIS...

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 14:42:23 -0500

"The refs, they have it out for me, I guess," he said. "They want to get DeJuan Blair out of the game."Ugh. That's a direct quote from Dejuan Blair in Ron Cook's PG column today, and I have to admit, I don't like it. I'm as big as a Dejuan Blair fan as you'll ever find, but I don't like the paranoia, I don't like the third-person, I don't like the blame shifting. Hopefully it was merely a case of a young man speaking out of frustration and n...

PITT'S OUT

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 21:26:06 -0500

By no means does it erase the memories of 13-9, but fans of the West Virginia Mountaineers will surely gloat over their 74-60 upset victory over #2-ranked Pitt in the first round of the 2009 Big East Tournament for quite some time.The time-tested formula for beating the 2008-09 Panthers was on display once again, and that would be getting Dejuan Blair into foul trouble early and often. The big guy was mostly a spectator after picking up two fouls in the first four minutes, ultimately fouling ...

Breakfast of Champions: 2/25 Friar Tuck Edition

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 18:15:42 -0500

Providence 81, No. 1 Pitt 73 Another day, another bubble team deciding to save their season with a huge home conference win. With the upset win, the Friars have also cracked the Pitt code: Force Pitt into 17 turnover and get DeJuan Blair to foul out Easy, right? And kudos to Friar fans for quite ...

Scout’s take on: Sam Young, Dejuan Blair, Thabeet, Lawson, Curry, etc…

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 17:52:09 -0500

CNNSI.com sits down and gets a ?Scouts View? of some of the top NCAA hoopsters.? Take a look at what they think of the A.J. Abrams, 5-11 senior guard, Texas: ?He?s OK, but he?s a midget. He?s a great shooter, but it?s going to be hard for him to defend point guards in our ...

UConn/Pitt: Hasheem Gets Tha-Beasted

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 13:49:12 -0500

I have enjoyed watching UCONN play this season as they rose to the best team in the nation with a number one ranking. I also thought that their center, the 7'3" Hasheem Thabeet, has had an outstanding season as he has really developed into an All-American-type baller this year. That said, this guy Thabeet is cocky. With this in mind, you can imagine my joy last night as Pittsburgh not only defeated UCONN, but Panther center DeJuan Blair just destroyed Thabeet dropping 22 point...

College Hoops Perfect Chances

Sun, 30 Dec 2007 05:19:39 -0500

In light of the New England Patriots finishing the regular season 16-0 tonight, FIO staff writer Dan Rossi ponders whether or not some undefeated teams could come out of college basketball this season. Will another squad be able to match the 1976 Indiana Hoosiers?