Yogi Roth said his good-byes to the Pitt faithful back in February. The guy is one of those overachievers, making the rest of us who lack that motivation look bad. He’s still at it. Just, now he’s doing it at Southern Cal.

It’s also an energy that made Pete Carroll offer Roth a position on his staff, even though Roth was more seriously considering pursuing a career in sports broadcasting. Roth accepted Carroll’s offer and hasn’t looked back

Originally hired in February of 2005 to work under Dennis Slutak, USC’s director of football operations, as the assistant director, Roth was soon asked to help the coaching staff. The move was largely because of his knowledge of football, enthusiasm, work ethic and ability to relate to student athletes.

Because NCAA rules limit the number of coaches on the field during games, Roth’s primary responsibilities this season will be behind the scenes, where he’ll compile video for the coaching staff and serve other administrative roles. But that hasn’t stopped him from working as hard as possible.

“Yogi’s like an animal out of his cage,” Slutak said of Roth’s work with USC’s summer camps. “He’s so passionate and has a really good knowledge of the game.”

Roth will have the opportunity to observe coaches, chart plays, learn the offense and grow in his overall knowledge of the game. It’s not a bad place to be: The last four graduate assistant coaches at USC — the next possible step up for Roth — have moved up to full-time positions. Current quarterbacks coach Steve Sarkisian held Roth’s position five years ago.

I have no doubt we will be reading more about Roth in the next few years.

Less than a week to the NBA draft. Taft is all over the mock draft boards. How about the Sonics at #25?

He was never the caliber of prospect (hyped as a possible Top Five choice or better on some Internet mocks) as proclaimed by some this season. Hence, his stock really hasn’t “fallen” to the degree that some are speculating.

Maybe the Indiana Pacers at #17?

Team: Indiana Pacers Pick: 17 Player: Chris Taft (Pittsburgh) Pos: Forward Notes: Taft will give the Pacers some flexibility up front.

He’s being considered there because:

Indiana needs help up front. It could use a big man that can rebound and block shots. The Pacers will miss the leadership and the skills of the sharp- shooting Miller, but Jackson should be a suitable replacement.

With the 17th overall pick in the draft, the Pacers could have their eyes on Chris Taft of Pittsburgh, North Carolina’s Sean May and Wayne Simien of Kansas.

How about out of the 1st Round (Insider Subs.)?

Taft professes to have no idea what has happened.

Paging Hercule Poirot. Calling Sherlock Holmes. On a misty Tuesday morning, the New York Knicks worked out probably the two most mystifying players in the 2005 NBA Draft at their Madison Square Garden Training Center.

“I’m the most controversial player in the draft,” 6-11 Pitt power source Chris Taft flashes an inscrutable smile. “And I have no idea why.” That’s another mystery because the reasons appear quite apparent: after the end of his freshman season, the rock-like Taft was tagged as a surefire lottery selection as perhaps the nation’s most promising young big man. A year later…well, people just don’t know.

The article may very well sum up the Pitt fan’s view of Taft’s past season, and suggest why he will drive his future NBA team nuts.

As good as Taft was as a sophomore, when a kid this gifted and this big gives you just 13.3 points and 7.5 rebounds a game (as well as less than 2 blocked shots) it’s difficult to get rid of that pesky he-should-have-been-better feeling.

It’s not the talent — he’s as quick and agile as any big guy around and then some. It’s not the build — the sculpted 260-pound Taft owns a body from God. Still, for whatever reason, this personable and well-spoken center/forward has not been consistent as a college player at Pitt and really hasn’t developed anything resembling a go-to post-move.

“What you must understand is how much I’ve improved my offense SINCE my season ended,” says Taft, joining the ever-growing number of Knicks-workout participants (Allan Anderson of Michigan State, Northwestern’s T.J. Parker, et. al.) who feel that they were somehow held back — or at least haven’t had their chance to show their real stuff — in their college system.

Which is something of a semi-mystery in itself.

“Just check with the nine teams I’ve worked out for,” stresses Taft. “My offense is coming along real well — sky hooks, jump-shots, either hand, things like that. I’ve worked on my game so much with my trainer I don’t understand how anyone could have a doubt. He’s worked me out so much and so hard, I’m prepared for any eventuality. NBA three-s, college three-s, off dribble pull-ups, pick-and-rolls, post-moves, I feel comfortable. You name it.”

And yet he never worked any further at his game at Pitt.

It’s been a few weeks since anything was heard regarding the schools former Tennessee QB Brent Schaeffer was considering. Now it appears that Pitt is no longer under any consideration.

In other news, Chandra Schaeffer, the mother of former Tennessee quarterback Brent Schaeffer, said her son won’t decide where to transfer until the end of July.

Schaeffer has narrowed his choices to USF, Clemson, Texas A&M and North Carolina.

It was an outside shot. I’m surprised UNC is still on the list.

There is a lot of buzz that Dorin Dickerson will announce verbal commitment to either Pitt or Michigan tomorrow. The scuttlebut is that he is going to say “Pitt.” This is also what appears to be the feeling of Michigan partisans.

Dickerson goes to West Allegheny High. He’s considered one of the best players in the country. Rivals.com has him at #82 in their Rivals100. They also consider him one of the top “athletes” in the country. Dickerson, apparently had one of the best hits caught on tape this past spring.

I try not to get too caught up in recruiting stuff, especially this early. What can I say, I’m still very gun-shy from the summer of 2003 giddiness to the crushing reality of February 2004.

I know, different coach, different circumstances. Yada-yada-yada.

So why am I bringing this up, if I have all these hang-ups? Optimism and excitement.

If Pitt lands Dickerson, this is a big score for Coach Wannstedt and Pitt. It lets all the schools — Michigan, WVU, OSU and PSU — that recruit in Pitt’s backyard know that Pitt is not only serious about protecting the turf, but that things just got a bit more competitive.

There is also the domino effect. In recruiting, it always seems that once you start pulling in a top player or two, more seem to follow. In that respect, Pitt probably needs some early success to build buzz and momentum. Get the coaching staff’s foot in the door with more recruits for this year, and meet the high school coaches at other places for the future.

Of course, this is all contingent on Dickerson actually picking Pitt. Finishing 2nd in this instance does Pitt no good. Maybe some of the fans try to take the “moral” victory of being the final choice rather than Penn State or another school, but it means little beyond that.

Guess we’ll learn tomorrow.

I freely admit to going round and round on Krauser and what comes next. I have legitimate worries about what he will do to the team and program if, after a few weeks of thought decides to come back to Pitt.

Will he be controllable. Will Pitt end up with what happened in Maryland with John Gilchrist? A talented point guard who butted heads with his coach all season because he was more concerned with his own glorification and looking good to NBA scouts than helping the team win. Ultimately it cost a fairly talented team an NCAA bid in a deep ACC (2-0 vs. Duke but 0-3 against Clemson?). That managed to happen at a stable, successful program with a coach who has won a national championship and with complete job security. It can happen just about anywhere.

At the same time, Krauser is a clear talent. A scorer and a guy who can dish the ball. Not only is he the “floor general” on a young team, he is a clear leader of the team off of it. You need that. Unlike the last few years there are no other upperclassmen who can clearly step up to lead the team. Right now, about the only safe bets to see as starters are Gray, Ramon and Graves. None of whom exude presence and leadership at this time.

Without Krauser, this team will struggle. There is a good chance that a true freshman will be the starting point guard. In a conference that has coaches like Pitino, Calhoun and Boeheim, looking to exploit, pressure and trap on defense there could be some real ugliness. Experience matters.

Year 3 of the Jamie Dixon era was shaping up as a critical year for Pitt basketball. This would be Dixon’s squad. Krauser is/was the only player on the roster when Ben Howland was in charge. These are all Dixon’s recruits. It’s his team. There are no seniors (unless Krauser comes back) to help keep clubhouse order. The pressure is going to be on Dixon this year to show that he is a head coach. A coach capable of getting the assembled talent — and there is definitely talent — to play as a team, improve during the season, and move forward.

Well, maybe not back to Pitt for Krauser.

Pitt guard Carl Krauser withdrew his name from the NBA draft yesterday, but that doesn’t mean he is returning to the Panthers for his final year of eligibility.

In fact, it is very likely he won’t return to Pitt but instead will head overseas to play professionally in Europe next season, then re-enter the draft next year.

“It just wasn’t a good business decision for me to go to the NBA right now. I will decide to go back to school or go overseas in the next couple of weeks,” Krauser said.

“It will be a hard decision because I love Pitt and my teammates. However, I’d like to continue the professional level of competition that I have experienced the last couple of months. The way I see the game now is totally different. My whole mind-set is different.

“I love Pitt, but, if I go overseas, I will be able to play at the professional level.”
…
Krauser’s decision yesterday represents a dramatic change of heart. He had said many times he would not consider going overseas or to a minor league (like the National Basketball Developmental League) and that his decision was the NBA or Pitt.

He said there were a number of factors that led to this shift. After working out at the NBA pre-draft camp in Chicago, it became clear he was not going to be a first-round pick. But he played well enough to attract the attention of a number of European scouts and he spoke with enough people to realize there is some good money to be made overseas.

Also, if he goes overseas and makes improvements to his game and gets experience against professional players, he believes he’ll be in a much better position to be a first-round pick next year. Plus, the crop of point guards in the draft next year will not be nearly as deep.

“I was thinking about keeping my name in the draft, but I just realized I have to look at the long term for my family,” Krauser said. “There are a ton of point guards in the draft. I’m not going to get caught up in the crossfire, I’d rather be sure that I am going to be drafted. It is better for me to wait on the NBA now.”

I’ve been saying for almost 6 months that he needed to wait a year, just because of the sheer volume of point guards.

This situation is not good for Pitt. He’s going to drag this out much longer than is healthy. Pitt won’t know if it has an open scholarship until it is just about useless. The rancor and animosity this could build in the locker room and with the coaches could be ugly, real ugly.

It is Krauser’s right and career, but there does come a point where it just reaches absurdity. Still, I’m surprised we don’t hear about more players considering this multi-track plan. There is a selfish logic to it.

I’m not sufficiently knowledgeable on the NCAA rules, but Pitt and Coach Dixon almost have to consider giving him a shorter decision deadline or pull his scholarship — if this is allowable. There might be some fallout as viewed by potential recruits for coming down like this on Krauser, but this is uncommon territory.

I said earlier that I think Krauser should go because it is what he wants. The quotes from this article are reinforcing it. If he comes back to Pitt, then it is based on getting him more exposure and showcasing himself for the NBA. He could easily implode this team.

And I thought things would get simpler after today.

Pitt QB Tyler Palko is on the early list of players to be watched for the Maxwell Award. This is the college player of the year award.

Then there is this from Matt Hayes of the Sporting News:

Please, oh giver of truth, a Heisman Trophy sleeper?

A: Pittsburgh quarterback Tyler Palko. First-year coach Dave Wannstedt is stepping into a good situation: Pitt is loaded, and the schedule is favorable. And the fiery Palko has two key games in the first month of the season — vs. Notre Dame, at Nebraska — that could vault him all the way to second banana behind Southern California’s Matt Leinart. Because, really, unless Leinart is injured, he’ll win it again. And so will USC.

I don’t know if Palko will be up there, but I’ve got a Jackson on the field over Leinart. I just don’t see them wanting to give the Heisman to him a 2nd straight year.

Just when you think he’s out…

University of Pittsburgh junior point guard Carl Krauser sent in his paperwork and withdrew from the June 28 NBA Draft.

“I pulled my name out,” Krauser told CBS SportsLine.com.

Welcome back Carl.

The Beano Cook column also has a little note worth hyping separately.

The Pitt-Notre Dame game (and Charlie Weis’ debut) probably will be the site of the first “GameDay” weekend, followed by Texas at Ohio State. Bring your pencils, Lee Corso fans.

By the way, Beano, it is also Coach Wannstedt’s debut — at home, the place you once worked and god help us the Pete has a media room named after you.

Sorry, once you get best the Domer love (as opposed to the usual Paterno love) from Cook, we can focus on the fact that GameDay will likely kick off at Pitt.

It makes sense. Night game. Shown on ABC, and probably the most interesting game of the opening Saturday.

ESPN.com has a look at the Big East going into next year. Not to preview the teams so much as the nature of the new league. The success of the and ability to stay together will be tested right away in the article’s view simply by whether or not at least 8 teams make the tournament next year. If not, the schools may quickly determine that they are too big and going to be penalized by the NCAA selection committee.

BE Commissioner Mike Tranghese is dismissive of such issues (of course he is), but makes it clear how the middle/bubble teams will make the Tournament:

Greg Shaheen, the director of the men’s basketball championship for the NCAA, also met with the Big East coaches and told them that the committee will dissect their schedules, noting who the wins are against, regardless of conference affiliation.

“You can’t say we play in a great league and not play any nonconference games [of note],” Tranghese said. “I don’t know the right number, but if you choose to play no one, then you’ll pay the price. The only way you’ll get in doing it that way is to dominate the conference.”

Tranghese said the teams in the middle have to play quality nonconference teams. He understands there are rebuilding seasons, but he’s convinced the recipe to get a bid would be to play four home-and-home nonconference series: two at home, two on the road.

But that’s not necessarily how coaches who could be in that middle of the league are looking at their nonconference scheduling for next season.

“We’re looking at playing no more than one road game in the nonconference [schedule],” Marquette coach Tom Crean said. “We’ve got two contracted for next season at Wisconsin and at Nebraska, but we’ve got to be smart about how many high-powered games we play.”

Brey said he’ll still play a tough schedule, but he doesn’t want to go “crazy” with it since he “doesn’t know what’s coming in the league.”

In 2005-06, Pitt will likely be one of those middle teams. Pitt’s non-con will be vital — not for seeding as it has the last couple years — for having an RPI good enough to make the field. Pitt can’t count on the conference schedule to raise them up.

Especially now that Krauser looks to be gone, and will likely face an easier conference schedule thanks to TV. If you think I was harping on the non-con last year, you can bet I’ll be worse this year.

Beano Cook thinks the BE is just too big and it is ridiculous to do a single division with 16 teams (Insider Subs.). He recommends that the BE go to a 2 divisions or even a 4 division (2 divisions with 2 sub-divisions) format.

No actual word. Still, it is now expected that he will announce that he is remaining in the draft. Today is the deadline.

Chris Taft may be learning what even the Tick knows. Seems that Taft should not be planning (Insider Subs.) to hang out in the Green Room of MSG for Draft Night.

Pittsburgh coach Jamie Dixon keeps getting reports that sophomore forward Chris Taft is falling so far that he might sail out of the first round.

Dixon finds it hard to believe, since Taft was considered a lottery pick at one point. Taft signed with an agent, so he can’t return to school.

Still a bit of a surprise. As the cliche goes, “You can’t teach size.” If he slides even to the end of the 1st round, a team should get a very motivated Taft — for a year.

Taft is all over the various draft boards. Some have him out of the lottery, others right at the end.

That said, I don’t get this article talking about Taft as being soft.

Where Taft will go is guesswork. His stock has slipped in some eyes because of issues ranging from conditioning to a “soft” label. But he lost weight since his 13.3-point, 7.5-rebound sophomore season ended at Pitt. And he went hard at his Nets workout that also included guard Larry O’Bannon of Louisville, guard Peter Mulligan of Manhattan and Serbian forward Marko Lekic.

“[Taft’s] body’s not soft. That’s what people are saying, but he competed very hard,” said Nets GM Ed Stefanski, who noted Taft is “a legitimate four-man, size wise. He’s got an NBA body right now. He lost considerable weight since his days at Pittsburgh.”

Taft, naturally, disputed the raps, noting: “I guarantee you anybody who plays against me [doesn’t] say I’m soft because I’m going to play as hard as I can. Ask the Nets people. I don’t see myself as being soft.”

His physical conditioning was never an issue. It has always been an issue of mental toughness, motivation and desire.

I hope I’m wrong, but Taft will likely drive a team and fans crazy. He has all the physical tools. He will tantalize for spells with inspired and strong play, and then just try to coast. Not put the effort.

Pitt got a solid verbal from Linebacker Nate Nix. Nix had been favoring Pitt all along.

Nix, 6-foot-3 1/2, 215 pounds, was named to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Terrific 25 and The Associated Press Class AAA all-state teams as a junior, when he recorded a team-best 125 tackles (51 solo) in leading the Jaguars to WPIAL and PIAA championships. Nix had two interceptions and a forced fumble in the PIAA final.

“He plays his best in the big games,” Thomas Jefferson coach Bill Cherpak said, “against the best players.”

An intense, sideline-to-sideline player, Nix has a reputation for outstanding lateral quickness. He has run the 40-yard dash in 4.6 seconds and the pro shuttle in 4.17 seconds. Pitt recruited him to play outside linebacker.

“He has that combination of size and speed,” Cherpak said. “He can run. He can play a number of places. And he has the ability to get bigger, faster and stronger.”

Cherpak said Iowa, Purdue and West Virginia also extended verbal scholarship offers to Nix, but his allegiance to Pitt caused schools to back off.

Nix said Cherpak’s influence also “played a big part” in his decision. Cherpak played offensive guard at Pitt from 1986-89 and has a close relationship with the staff.

He made the verbal while attending a 7-on-7 camp at Pitt this weekend. Nix is considered the 39th best player in Pennsylvania by Rivals and the 26th in the state by Pantherlair.

Pitt also has extended an offer to Dexter Davidson, a QB down in Florida. The article indicates he may “arguably” be the 2nd best QB in Florida. He won’t be deciding any time soon.

“I’m not completely ready to make a decision yet,” Davidson said. “I’m still uncertain about my whole camp situation. I’d like to hear from Miami (Fla.) since they are so close and I might head up to Auburn, cause they said they’d offer if I went up there.”

Davidson is certain he’ll be making a road trip at some juncture this summer to see Kentucky, Ohio State and Pittsburgh.

The only other schools to offer right now are Tulane, BYU and Kentucky. The Pitt connection is that the prep school Davidson attends is also attended by Mike Marino — Dan Marino’s son. Dan, has apparently been helping the kid and referred Coach Wannstedt to him.

Krauser worked out for the NY Knicks.

Krauser can’t be Marbury because “he’s more of a scorer and more athletic than I am,” he says with a sigh. “But,” he lights up, “my game is to create, setting the other guys up, find them in the right spots. Making everybody better, be a real team-first point guard — there’s always a need for a guy who does those types of things. And I LOVE to play defense.” Anyone who’s ever seen Krauser’s nail-chewing Pittsburgh teams tackle (and we mean that quite literally) Big East opponents over the past few years can attest to the painful truth of that.
…
“Tell all the Knick fans that if I end up playing for the team I’m going to make them so-o-o-o-o happy it’ll be unbelievable,” claims Krauser who stars as “Black Magic” in Harlem’s Rucker League every summer. “There’s going to be only one person even happier than the fans: that will be me.”

Sounds like he’s not coming back. Krauser was happy to finally meet Isiah Thomas.

Coach Jamie Dixon waxes philosophical about waiting until Tuesday to find out whether Krauser is coming back.

Said Pitt coach and former TCU player Jamie Dixon: “You can’t fight it, you have to embrace it. Going early into the draft is construed as being a bad thing. But you want kids who want to strive to be the best.

“There’s always a degree of uncertainty when you’re talking about players injured or becoming ineligible. The NBA Draft gets a lot of publicity, and it’s just something you have to deal with. There’s not much you can do about it as a college coach.”

Wake Forest Coach Skip Prosser, though, whines about the amount of time the player has to decide.

“The process is way too elongated,” said Prosser, whose team lost point guard Chris Paul but will retain center Eric Williams, who declared and then withdrew his name. “I think kids should have to make their decisions earlier, but I understand it’s a life-altering decision. But for a coach, the uncertainty is the worst part.”

When these same coaches are willing to have their negotiating windows limited and have their opportunities to capitalize on their success restrained, then maybe they can throw those stones.

Rex, I’m not trying to single you out, but since you asked “in what way do you think I’m wrong?” with regards to Krauser, I’m going to attempt to respond as a Krauser partisan.

I believe the point guard should control a game, Karl is usually out of control. When he brings the ball down the court alot of things can happen and most of them are bad. 1. turnover 2. bad shot 3. offensive foul 4. not knowing when to pass and when to shoot 5. unable to control the tempo.

This is the perception of Krauser. (I’ve said it before, Krauser is not and never will be Knight.) To be honest, it reminds me a little of the Woody Hayes attitude towards throwing the ball. This is perception and anectodal. To respond, I would respond that the times when Krauser was out of the game and Graves or Ramon would attempt to play PG would seem to often result in being trapped and pressured and turnovers because they were unprepared for it. This is perception, and unfair. It also, to me, was a problem with Dixon not using his players in other roles to have them ready to back-up and help. But I digress.

On the Pitt team, name one player that was capable of regular success of taking it inside from the perimeter, not named Krauser? Taft and Troutman were strictly inside guys. Ramon was a perimeter threat. Graves, well, I concede my own biases against him.

Here is reality. In the only way measurable. Damn statistics.

Krauser averaged nearly 36 minutes a game, all at point guard. He is going, therefore to handle the ball more frequently than any other player.

Ken Pomeroy is the c-basketball stats guy. He does more interesting numbers like offensive efficiency and pace. This is how Pitt was ranked:

                                 [     TEMPO/PACE     ]       [OFFENSIVE EFFICIENCY]       [DEFENSIVE EFFICIENCY]     [OFF. REBOUNDING PCT]
Team (Conf T/O/D/B)                Raw (Rank)  Adjusted(Rk)     Raw (Rank)  Adjusted(Rk)     Raw (Rank)  Adjusted(Rk)        Raw (Rank)
Pittsburgh[9] (BE)                 65.2 (267)   65.9 (243)     110.1 ( 20)  112.6 ( 24)      96.9 ( 70)   93.2 ( 49)         43.1 (  1)

What this shows is that Pitt, while being one of the best teams in the country in controlling and slowing the game, was also one of the best at using each of its opportunities to score. Very controlled and efficient. An out of control point guard out there for 35.6 minutes of a 40 minute game (give or take some OTs) would not be able to pull this off.

Now, it’s time to talk regular numbers. How about the usual measure of PG, assists? In the NCAA, out of 330 teams, Krauser was ranked #21 with 5.9 assists/game. Let’s eliminate the point guards of minor and mid-major schools. Sticking to the top 8 conferences. Here’s how it looks:

1. Marcus Williams, Connecticut — 7.8
2. Aaron Miles, Kansas — 7.2
3. Filiberto Rivera, UTEP — 7.2
4. Raymond Felton, North Carolina — 6.9
5. Deron Williams, Illinois — 6.8
6. Chris Thomas, Notre Dame — 6.7
7. Chris Paul, Wake Forest So. — 6.6
8. Carl Krauser, Pittsburgh — 5.9

Well, that helps explain how he was 2nd team All-Big East. That and averaging 16 points per game. He was the 3rd leading assist guy in the Big East (all games). He was also the 7th leading scorer in the BE, 11th in FTs, 7th in steals, 12th in 3-pointers made/game, and 14th in assists/turnover ratio. You know why Krauser isn’t listed among the league or national average in 3-point field goals despite a .394 shooting? He was 4 made 3s short. You need an average of 2 made 3s per game. He shot 4.7/game and had a 1.86 average

Did Krauser average about 2 more shots per game than Taft or Troutman? Yes. Is that vastly obscene? I don’t think so. Teams would collapse in on Pitt. If you couldn’t pass inside. That meant Pitt had to make outside shots or penetrate. Once more, Krauser was the only player to regularly penetrate inside. We saw Graves try it more as the season wore on, but not consistently or often. Ramon, simply wasn’t the same shooter from the outside in the second half after hurting his shoulder. That put more burden on Krauser from the outside and to get inside.

Beyond all of that, his defense is not exactly great.

Again, anecdotal, but when he does 1-on-1, he is a shut-down defender.

He is streaky and can occasionally carry a game but when he is off its just brutal. I’m just not sure what he really brings to the team that cant be replaced.

I can’t argue with the streaky. We’ve all seen him Jekyl and Hyde from half to half. What he brings, though is experience and the leading scorer and 3rd leading rebounder on the team. Not to mention the most consistent FT shooter and the guy who best knows and feed the ball.

Does everyone like his style? No.

Just look a little more objectively and not based on the worst seen. We don’t judge Troutman by his final games. It’s unfair to judge Krauser by his worst.