Pitt Panther Prowl

Pitt/Villanova Pt. 2: Ramon’s Redemption?

One thing has been clear in the past month for the Pitt Panthers: they really miss Levance Fields. All three of their conference losses can at least partially be attributed to the lack of a true point guard. (Against Rutgers, it was also due to lack of energy and effort.) Arguably the worst of the three losses sans Fields was the loss to Villanova. The Panthers had the ball with 10 seconds to go, down by 1, had a wide open DeJuan Blair rolling to the hoop, and we all watched as… Ronald Ramon lost control of his dribble, the ball bounced over his head, and ultimately into the hands of Villanova, sealing the loss.

In that game, Ramon’s second running the point, but first against a real opponent; Ramon finished with 3 points, going 1-5 from the field, had 3 assists and 5 turnovers. Saying that he had 5 turnovers might be an understatement, considering the fifth one cost them the game. If he finds Blair on that last play, he finishes with 4 assists and 4 turnovers, and becomes the hero. He would have been touted as doing an admirable job at point, especially given he is a shooting guard AND that he has been playing with a shoulder injury all season. Instead, destiny was not on his side. History had a different story to tell. Ramon did turn the ball over on the final possession. And we were all left with our heads in our hands, begging God to explain what we’d done to deserve losing Fields for the season.

That night; that painful, disappointing night proved to be the last time Ramon has given us an excuse to question his ability. Since that fateful night, Ramon hasn’t finished with fewer than 4 assists in a game, and hasn’t turned the ball over more than three times. Compare that to Fields’ 4 assists/5 turnovers against Duke and his 5 assists/5 turnovers against Duquesne, and it becomes clear that Ramon is actually doing a very admirable job at point for the Panthers. Of course he can’t do the things off the dribble that Fields can do. But when you put a shooting specialist at point guard out of necessity, all you are really asking for is that he doesn’t turn the ball over. It becomes up to his teammates to step up, get open, and create the kind of scoring opportunities that a point guard like Fields could create off the dribble.

In the past 6 games, Ramon has actually had a staggering 3.54 assist to turnover ratio. Compare that to the last 6 games Fields ran point, you know, the games against real competition, and Ramon has actually been more efficient than Fields was. For the season, in fact, Fields was considered (rightly so) to be one of the best point guards in the country with a 2.83 assist to turnover ratio. This makes Ramon’s efficiency all the more impressive since he is playing out of position.

There is a key difference between Fields and Ramon, however. Fields is a true point guard who controls the game for the Panthers. He is the floor general. He is the one charged with making something happen if nothing is presenting itself. And, he is the one that we want having the ball with 10 seconds left being down 1 or 2 points. Ramon, on the other hand, is managing the game as opposed to leading the troops. Ramon’s job is to minimize mistakes, because the depleted Panthers can’t afford many mistakes right now. Ultimately, Ramon’s effectiveness will be based on his good decision making and, more so, his teammates stepping up and filling the gaps left by him at shooting guard and Mike Cook at small forward. In addition, Ramon has the advantage of much less pressure on him as point guard. Consider that everyone knows he isn’t a point guard, so if he turns the ball over a lot, well who can expect a shooting guard who has never played point to step in and be effective, right?

But Ramon has played well. He has exceeded expectations. There is only one problem; he still turned the ball over with a wide open DeJuan Blair rolling to the hoop, costing Pitt a much needed road win against a ranked conference opponent.

The good news? Ronald Ramon gets his chance at redemption tomorrow night (Jan. 30) as Villanova comes to the Pete to get smacked down. I actually feel bad for Villanova. They are coming off of 3 losses in their last 5 games. They are coming into one of the most hostile and difficult environments for road teams in all the country. They are going up against a team that was utterly embarrassed over the weekend who will be looking to take that out on somebody. And, most significantly, they are facing Ronald Ramon in the one game that he knows can bring him vindication for that turnover with time winding down back on January 6th.

This game is the game that can bring about Ramon’s redemption. Having exceeded expectations as an efficient passer, in the last 6 games, Ramon has also scored 14 points or more 3 times. He appears to have worked his way out of his early season shooting slump. And that just makes him more dangerous. Not only is he a threat to find the open man, which is increasingly Keith Benjamin or Sam Young for open 3-pointers. Not only is he protecting the ball extremely well. But he is also a threat from the floor when he gets himself open. It actually seems like running the point has helped him to work himself into being open more than when Fields was healthy. Beyond that, he has shown a clutch ability to make clutch step-back threes with a hand in his face, as he did against St. John’s.

With all these things clicking for Ramon, and with that one turnover 4 weeks ago hanging over his head, I wouldn’t want to be Villanova tomorrow night. Despite what he has done, Ramon has one thing left to prove- that he can beat Villanova the same way that he lost to them. He will prove that tomorrow.