The b-ball schedule was released. Pitt won’t even leave Pittsburgh until a few days after Christmas. Then, not again until mid-January.

The first real game is on November 19 against St. Peters. Practice begins on October 15.

Right now there are only 4 games on ESPN: hosting DePaul on Jan. 12, home against Syracuse on Jan. 23 and both WVU games (home, Feb. 9; away, Feb. 27).

Right now there is no indication as to whether CBS will air any of the games, or which games Fox Sports Pittsburgh is carrying.

No. No one committed. All stuff from the Trib.

A story on recruiting and text messaging usage by coaches. What? Doesn’t this story belong some 6 months ago? Man, it turns out that they use this thing called e-mail too. Amazing.

In more useful information, the courting of High School Juniors has officially begun for college football coaches.

Paskorz, a 6-foot-2, 215-pounder who led the WPIAL in rushing as a sophomore, received letters and yearbooks from Pitt, Penn State and Ohio State on Thursday and Michigan, Notre Dame and UCLA on Saturday.

Other top juniors to get personal letters were Gateway receiver Jon Ditto from Pitt, Penn State, Michigan and Notre Dame and Valley receiver Toney Clemons from Pitt.

They also list the top WPIAL CBs. No shock that Darrin Walls is at the top of the list.

Expect to see the defense shuttle more people in and out of the line-up to try and find players on the D-line.

Additional personnel could be used. Rhoads, like Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt earlier this week, noted that freshmen Mick Williams and Gus Mustakis earned more playing time on the defensive line against Ohio.

Freshman Tommie Campbell, Aliquippa High School graduate, played on special teams against Notre Dame and also earned additional time this week, Rhoads said. But freshman Craig Bokor, a Hopewell graduate who enrolled early and practiced with the Panthers in the spring, has contributed primarily on the scout team.

“He’s probably behind some of those other guys right now, but he’s given us a great look in our preparation,” Rhoads said. “But he’s probably not yet pushing for playing time (at defensive tackle).”

After the ND game, an opponent like Ohio will probably afford the opportunity to see what some of the other kids on further down on the depth chart look like. It also gives the coaches a chance to get the younger players an actual taste of the game and playing.

The Ohio U paper has a brief piece on Coach Wannstedt with some comparisons to the situation with Frank Solich.

Consider these comments from a top University official.

“If we are concerned with our public image, and indeed, we are,” he said during that interview in August 2004, “we have to pay attention to our athletics. … (They are) as important as any other aspect of the university, because when people learn about a university, often they learn about it through athletics. They are looking at TV, they listen to the radio, they read the newspaper.”

No, that didn’t come from Chancellor Nordenberg or anyone from Pitt. It came from Ohio University President Roderick McDavis. It’s a column exhorting Bobcat fans to pack Peden Stadium on Friday. A chance to show off the school, the fans and the team.

Students, faculty and Athens residents alike need to pack Peden.

This game is essentially a three-hour commercial for OU. Everything the cameras pick up -and that includes far more than just the team and its performance -will reflect back on the school. The signs and the tailgaters will be important. So will the stadium’s atmosphere and the number of bodies in its seats.

It’s the first time Ohio U football has been on any ESPN channel and the first time they have been shown beyond local community cable access since 1969.

What they needed to do was get one of their famous alum in for the game. They needed Peter King.

Well, I’m glad the players (at least publicly) aren’t being overconfident about the game against the Bobcats.

The idea that Pitt playing at Ohio tomorrow night might serve as a breather on the schedule is one embraced by no one from Wannstedt to the last man on the Panthers’ depth chart.

“We better be hungry every week,” quarterback Tyler Palko said. “It shouldn’t take a loss to make anybody more hungry or less ready to play.”

Leave the overconfidence to the fans.

Palko, apparently wants to have a much more efficient offense, this game.

There will be pressure on Pitt’s defense to play better, regardless of the opponent.

“We should be scrutinized,” he said. “I mean, 500 yards? I think the last time I was close to giving up 500 yards in a coaching day was [1991] when Warren Moon was the opposing quarterback [for the Houston Oilers] and I was the defensive coordinator for the [Dallas] Cowboys [in a 26-23 loss in overtime]. I don’t remember another day like that.

“So we should be scrutinized, everybody on defense, because that is unacceptable.”

Yeah, the more I read in his comments, the more I can see Coach Wannstedt taking over the defense by next year. He’s taking problems on the defense very personally.

Ohio, though, is a very young and inexperienced team. Not to mention a new coach of their own.

Solich is in his first year as the Bobcats coach, and patience is one virtue he’ll need to have to get through this season. He, too, has a young team that will go through some growing pains early on.

The Bobcats (0-1), who play host to Pitt (0-1) tomorrow night, lost, 38-14, Saturday at Northwestern, and Solich said most of their problems were because of inexperience. Ohio starts seven players who are true sophomores or younger, and only four seniors, and has 23 players who are true sophomores or younger on its depth chart.

But, they now feel more ready.

Hartke, who is a backup to senior Seth Ream, is one of five freshmen on the defensive two-deep. He said the unit got stronger as the Northwestern game went on because players started to get comfortable with what they were doing. He said playing at home this week will be a big help.

“Our first game was in a hostile Big Ten environment, so that added to it,” he said. “This week, we have the crowd on our side, we are in a familiar place, and that will make a big difference. We’re going to need it because Pitt is a big, physical team and they will present us with a big challenge.”

“Hostile Big Ten environment”? This was Northwestern. The crowd was just over 20,000 and they are not exactly considered rowdy (especially considering the lack of bars not just near the stadium, but in all of Evanston).

I mean, Ohio should have more fans jamming their own little place for the Pitt game. Afterall the Mayor of Athens, Ohio declared all Fridays “Green and White Day.”

I’m shocked to report that Pitt has returned a block of its allotted tickets to Ohio — about 1100. Let’s see… about a 3 hour or more drive as I recall — a good hour of it on rural roads — a Friday night game, no where near enough hotels in the area. Can’t understand Pitt fans not traveling to this one.

Coach Wannstedt gave scholarships to two more walk-ons. Both Seniors — linebacker/special teams specialist Doug Roseberry and fullback Justin Acierno. Always cool.

Things that accumulated from yesterday.

Well, at least now I know why it was Joe Starkey at the Trib. asking questions during the Big East Coaches Conference call rather than Mackall or Biertempfel. He’s freelancing for ESPN.com this fall with the weekly Big East Notebook. Apparently the Wannstedt honeymoon is over. Other than the fact that Pitt lost, he doesn’t really give an explanation. If you saw the streaming number of dispirited fans heading out starting in the 3rd quarter, then it might not need an explanation. He does, however, call out Greg Lee.

Junior wide receiver Greg Lee made a 39-yard touchdown reception but also dropped a potential TD pass late in the first half, making it two straight games in which he has dropped one (the other came in the Fiesta Bowl).

If Lee truly wants to be considered an elite receiver, he needs to make those catches. He is aiming to become the second receiver in Pitt history (after Larry Fitzgerald) to post two 1,000-yard seasons.

Another article about Pitt needing to shore up the D-line. I find this paraphrase attributed to Coach Wannstedt a little disturbing.

Wannstedt said the Panthers defense gave up too many big plays last season, so he determined that less blitzing would help cut down on those.

Say what? I admit that as I’ve gotten older, the memory isn’t what it was. Still, I recall the problem last year wasn’t the big play so much as the long drive because of the passive defense that allowed teams to stay out on the field picking up medium chunks of yardage. The reason was apparently to prevent the big play.

This piece is about Pitt regrouping and eager for the Friday game.

Looking for information from newspapers about the Ohio Bobcats? Yeah, me too. Let’s just say the interest is limited.

Best I can find is the OU student newspaper has an article devoted to MAC loving.

Actually, given the fascination with recruiting, here’s the “read it all” article about the “Recruiting Realities Tour.”

He was funny, sarcastic and interactive.

Most important, Jack Renkens was blunt during his Recruiting Realities Tour, which stopped in the Akron area last week.

In case you missed it, here’s a summary of Renkens’ hour-long session in 18 sweet inches.

Renkens, a former high school and college coach and athletic director, spoke at Wadsworth High last Tuesday night, Tallmadge High on Wednesday and Stow High on Thursday night. Fewer than 60 families attended the first two sessions, while nearly 300 listened at Stow.
…
He started speaking across the country in part because of the recruiting adversity he faced at lesser-known schools, but mostly because he saw a need when parents asked his advice as he watched his children compete.

Renkens’ presentation was informative and much needed.

He talked about the unrealistic student-athlete and parent. Twenty letters a week is a moderate recruit, 300 per week is a legitimate Division I recruit, Renkens said.

“Colleges recruit the world,” Renkens said. “One in 100 will get a fully funded college education. That’s the reality.”

Here’s the website. It doesn’t look like he’s stopping in Pennsylvania this month.