Josh Lay was the only Pitt player picked on Day 2 of the NFL draft. He went to New Orleans in Round 5 (#174). Players like TE Erik Gill, K Josh Cummings, S Tez Morris, RB Ray Kirkley and DT Thomas Smith will be looking at free agent possibilities.

This also includes WR Greg Lee who to some surprise went undrafted. There were 32 WRs drafted over the 2 days. Lee was not among them despite being considered a 4th-6th round pick. Somewhat surprising, but when you consider that he lacked great breakaway speed and showed disturbing lapses in concentration — how many drops? — not so much.

At first I thought that he blew it and would have been better served by coming back for his senior year. But really, I doubt it. This season, he would have been competing for time, receptions and attention with a very good crop of freshmen receivers: Dorin Dickerson, Elijah Fields, Tamarcus Porter; along with redshirt freshmen and sophomore receivers trying to make an impact. Odds are, his numbers would have fallen further.

Really, the problem was he peaked a year too soon. If he could have come out after his sophomore season, he probably would have been no worse than a 3d round pick. His junior season exposed his flaws a lot more. It’s one of the reason pro teams love having players stay at least that long. It narrows the gap between reality and perceived potential for more players.

Charles Spencer was the only Pitt player drafted on day one of the NFL Draft. Not exactly a shock. Actually, almost as expected. It was a little surprising that he was the very first pick of the 3d round, going to the Houston Texans. Not a lot said one way or the other about him, essentially that he had potential, but it might be a reach to be the top of the 3d.

Just a couple other draft thoughts. Seemed the Steelers gave up a little too much to get OSU WR Santonio Holmes — switching spots in the 1st plus a 3d and a 4th round pick at that point struck many as excessive. Of course how hard do you argue with the decision making of the defending Champs? But I did like the grab of Syracuse Safety Anthony Smith in the 3d round.

Not an impressive first day for the Big East. Only Spencer, Smith and Center Jason Spitz from Louisville were drafted. All in the 3d round. Not that it means that much considering how many players from the ACC were drafted in just the 1st round and that conference’s showing during the season.

Kind of surprised Louisville DE Elvis Dumervil didn’t get drafted, but apparently he didn’t do well at the Senior Bowl or at the combines. Same that South Florida RB Andre Hall didn’t get picked — though it seemed running backs were kind of devalued in the first day of the draft.

LeBron James may be in DC playing in the NBA playoffs but the inaugural LeBron James AAU Tournament — King James Shooting Star Classic — is underway in Akron, Ohio. Unlike last week’s split of AAU talent between Pittsburgh and Houtston, this tournament really seems to have brought a bigger confluence. Both Adidas and Nike sponsored teams are in attendance, meaning lots of top talent on hand. Of course, that includes Pope, Pryor, Blair and the rest of the Pittsburgh JOTS team. It also means top talent like O.J. Mayo and Derrick Rose are playing.

That much talent in one place also means lots and lots of coaches to come and watch.

The three-day event, which features more than 300 teams from across the country, will showcase some of the nation’s top high school players.

More than 250 college coaches are expected to attend.

Earley said he has heard from several big-name college coaches, including UCLA Bruin’s men’s head coach Ben Howland and Texas Tech men’s head coach Bobby Knight.

The tournament is one of the premier stages where players perform and coaches can identify and evaluate potential college recruits.

Most local hotels are booked or on the brink of it.

Akron’s Courtyard by Marriott sold out in December, said assistant general manager Laura Valiante. “We’ve been turning people away ever since.”

Earlier this week, the Hilton in Fairlawn had four rooms available and the Hampton Inn in Stow had “a limited number” of smoking, king-sized rooms. Both venues were booked by Thursday.

All of that is exciting for Dru Joyce II, the St. Vincent-St. Mary High boys coach who spearheaded the tournament.

Have to believe Coach Dixon is at this one as well. Not to mention that Jerome Lane still lives in the area. I would expect him to be around, and hopefully encouraging kids about Pitt.

Bruce Feldman of ESPN.com (Insider Subs.) still believes in Coach Wannstedt for the long term.

Paul (San Diego): What do you see from Pitt this year? Anything at all?

Bruce: I think Pitt should be a little better because Palko will win some games for them and their LBs are very good, but unless one of the frosh TBs shines right away I don’t see them winning more than 7 games this fall. Having said that though, I think Wanny needs time. He is recruiting very well, but the system change from what Walt did is pretty significant. I believe he will make them into a top 10 program at some point. They have everything you need to win big there.

Only a handful of national writers are still publicly saying things like that. Most bailed from the Wannstedt bandwagon after the ND debacle — defaulting to “Wannstedt is a loser headcoach” position.

Incoming Freshman RB Kevin Collier will be in Pittsburgh as soon as he can.

Churchville-Chili senior Kevin Collier won’t have much time to relax this summer.

He graduates on June 24 and leaves that night for the University of Pittsburgh, where he’ll continue his stellar football career in the fall.

Collier, the Press-Radio Club’s Local High School Male Athlete of the Year, leaves Churchville-Chili as Section V’s all-time leading rusher (5,402 yards). He admits he hemmed and hawed between Pitt and Syracuse before deciding to join the Panthers.

“Those were the only two schools I visited,” he said. “It’s a new area for me. I had a prior relationship with David Walker (the Pitt running backs coach and former Irondequoit and SU star) and he’s a great coach. He’s going to lead me where I need to go.”

Collier expects to major in sports journalism and hopes he can play right away and not redshirt.

“You’ve got to work to get what you want,” he says. ”

Unless he somehow bombs in fall practice, there is little doubt that he will be playing early.

Finally in Joe Starkey’s look around the Big East for ESPN.com, he lists pros and cons as to why a team will or will not be better.

Why they’ll improve: 1. More speed on defense to complement linebacker H.B. Blades and cornerback Darrelle Revis.
2. Big year from quarterback Tyler Palko, who feels much more comfortable going into second season with offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh.
3. Talented crew of true freshmen, including potential playmakers in the likes of receiver Dorin Dickerson and tight end Nate Byham.

Why they won’t: 1. Like last year, too many question marks on both lines.
2. Too much dependency on inexperienced players; as many as 10 true freshmen could see time.
3. Place-kicker Josh Cummings’s accuracy hard to replace.

Major spring development: A healthy Clint Session, in his final year of eligibility, re-emerged and grabbed hold of the strongside linebacker position.

I probably don’t even need to repeat it, but: line play.

No burying the lede here. What will keep Aaron Gray in the NBA draft past the June 18 deadline to withdraw?

Emotionally, Gray said, making the decision to leave Pitt would be “incredibly tough.” But that aside, his decision will come down to this: ‘Go’ in the first round, ‘stay’ in the second.

“The only way I’d consider [leaving] is if I have a pretty good indication I’d go in the first round,” he said. “If not, then it would be a pretty easy decision.”

First-round picks receive guaranteed three-year contracts which, a year ago, ranged from $3.6 million for the No. 1 pick to $717,800 for the 30th and final pick in their first season.

Second-round contracts are not guaranteed.

Gray is confident of what he can do, but knows he will need to show the NBA scouts and GMs more.

“I think I showed a lot this year,” he said. “I put up 25 and 12 [points and rebounds] against a UConn front line that has three NBA-caliber people, and I was the leading rebounder in the toughest conference in America.

“Plus, I’ve gotten so much better and better every year I’ve played basketball.”

Still, many of those same reports say Gray, who has a reputation as a tireless worker, lacks the athleticism needed in today’s NBA.

“Absolutely that’s one of my weaknesses,” Gray acknowledged. “It’s something I have to get better at, but it’s also something I have gotten better at. It’s just another reason to continue to work hard; that’s the only thing I can say about that.”

I don’t know how many of you are watching the NBA playoffs right now. Consider that Chris Kaman, the starting center for the Clippers, could be considered one of the better centers in the league. Hardly a stud, and yet among the best. And he was drafted 6th in 2003. Whether that speaks to the low level of expectations for centers in the league, how much height pushes a player’s stock in the draft, or the fact that it was a selection by Clippers is not completely clear.

Arguably, it also means that as maybe the 5th best Center in the draft, Gray’s chances of going in the first round are not that good. The counter argument is that in the same 2003 draft Michael Sweetney, who is seeking to eat his way out of the league, was the 9th pick by the Knicks. The lesson being, never underestimate what bad GMs will do when they see 6’11” or more on the measurement stats.

As always size is an enticement.

There’s always a need for big men because there’s not a whole lot out there, but it doesn’t mean that’s what teams want,” said Ryan Blake, assistant director of NBA scouting.

While Blake is not permitted to discuss specific prospects, he spoke in general terms of teams considering a variety of sources for the draft.

“There’s free agency, players overseas and possible trades for better players,” he said.

Unlike high school or Freshmen big men, Gray is not as much of a project to NBA scouts so he may not be worth a high draft pick to see how he develops.

According to one prominent NBA scout, Gray has a chance to vault into the first round with a strong month of workouts. The NBA frowns on employees commenting on underclassmen, so he asked to remain anonymous.

“This year, like most other years, there are very few quality centers available,” said the scout, a 20-year NBA veteran. “For a player like Gray, who has reached a certain level … he was dominant at times in the Big East. At other times he wasn’t. But at times he was the best player on the floor in Big East games. That’s something people are looking for.”

The scout said Bradley’s Patrick O’Bryant, who thoroughly outplayed Gray in an NCAA tournament game in March, is the only true center rated ahead of Gray going into the workouts. He said Gray’s commitment to get into better shape, his ability to rebound and his soft hands are enough to make him someone NBA teams will covet in the June 28 draft. At worst, he said, Gray would get drafted in the second round.
…
But, the scout said, Gray has the potential to be a high first-round draft pick a year from now, which is something he will have to contemplate seriously. The No. 10 pick in the first round last season was guaranteed $4.9 million over three years.

“If he improves from this year to next year the way he improved from last year to this season, then he might be able to be a top 10 pick,” the scout said. “He probably won’t be a lottery pick no matter what he does in the workouts this year. He’s got a real decision to make. He’s got a commodity. If he improves … that’s what these workouts and predraft camps are for. He’ll listen to the GMs and they’ll tell him the truth. Teams don’t want to mess up with centers. They want to draft them when they’re ready to play. We’ll see if Gray is ready to play.”

And of course, if he improves like that Pitt would also be very likely to be playing deep into March and maybe April.

After last year’s complete whiff by NBA draftniks on where Chris Taft and many other kids would get drafted, there seems to be a slightly lesser amount of attention to the draft boards. Especially before the Orlando draft camp. That seems to be why the range for discussing Aaron Gray seems to vary from mid-1st to late-2nd. Or it could simply be that it is only the end of April and there’s nearly 2 months before the draft.

Gray is still listed as the 5th best Center (Insider Subs), but is now dropped to 44th overall best prospect as other kids (like Kyle Lowry of Villanova) declare. The deadline to declare is on Friday. Chad Ford gives the pros and cons for Gray in the draft.

He has the size and strength to be an NBA center and his physicality is his greatest asset. As a prototypical big man, he uses his size and bulk to push people off the block. He’s also an excellent rebounder, especially on the offensive boards.

He’s still not polished on the offensive end of the floor, but he does have a nice short jump hook that he uses when he gets deep position, and he’s a good passer out of the block.

The obvious concern with Gray is his lack of athleticism. He’s a groundhog who doesn’t really move up and down the floor that well. He’s also very foul prone, which hurt Pittsburgh in the tournament.

Given the dearth of centers in this year’s draft, combined with his solid play this year, his stock might never be higher.

He’s still on the first-round bubble, but on draft day, size often seems to trump other factors — giving him a legit shot at the first round.

Size tends to trump. That may be the one thing that gets him to stay in the draft. I don’t think Ford has a real sense on Gray, because it is arguable that his offensive rebound stats are a bit exaggerated from following his own misses. Not to mention, nary a word about his turnovers.

It’s an interesting thing about all sports. As much as it is about the athleticism and doing the extraordinary, there is a hard bent of conservatism when it comes to how a player should look or style at a position. A comfort in the Center in basketball being a big, slow space-eater of a guy. The QB being a drop-back, pocket passer.

Press release from Pitt.

University of Pittsburgh junior center Aaron Gray announced Thursday that he will make himself available for the 2006 NBA Draft. Per NCAA rules, Gray will retain the option to withdraw from the draft and return for his senior season at Pitt since he will not sign with an agent. The NBA Draft Early Entry withdrawal deadline is on June 18, 2006, one week before the NBA Draft (June 28 at New York’s Madison Square Garden).

“In discussing my options the last couple of weeks with my family and Coach Dixon, I feel that it is in my best interest to declare for the NBA Draft,” Gray said. “I will not hire an agent, leaving me the option to return to the University of Pittsburgh for my senior season. The draft process will provide me a great learning experience and will help me become a better player. Academically, I am well on my way to graduating and earning a degree and that is a priority for me. I want to thank the administration, coaching staff, my teammates and fans who have all supported me over the last three years. No matter how much money the NBA offers, that amount won’t be able to buy back my senior season at Pitt.”

“Aaron carefully considered this decision and sought the right information before making it,” Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon said. “We’ve been counseling him each step of the way and will continue to do so over the next two months. This is a logical step for Aaron to take and we will support him wholeheartedly.”

A move that shocks no one. There is no reason not to do this. If you are a potential 1st or even 2nd round pick, it makes perfect sense to go through the process and find out more information.

My feeling has always been that he will do this, but ultimately come back for a final season to make himself a 1st round and perhaps lotter pick lock.

The outrage, just seems… a little lacking.

About 30 students marched on the Penn State University president’s office yesterday, demanding the dismissal of women’s basketball coach Rene Portland.

The group, which found itself locked out of President Graham Spanier’s office suite, also read a letter demanding changes in the way the university responds to issues involving gay people and other minorities.

The school concluded a half-year internal investigation last week by announcing that Ms. Portland discriminated against former player Jennifer Harris and others she perceived as lesbians.

Penn State fined the coach $10,000 and ordered her to take diversity training.

That doesn’t go far enough, said students and others who marched yesterday, including representatives of gay political action groups, an AIDS education group, the student black caucus, the undergraduate student government and the graduate student coalition.

They started with a 15-minute rally at the student center and then marched to the administration building. When they tried to enter Mr. Spanier’s offices, however, they found the double doors locked and were told he was out of town.

A rally of 30. Sure they just weren’t meeting for lunch? So, with at least 5 different student groups represented and the best they could do was 30 people? On a campus the size of Penn State? Was this really a protest or just some prank?

They said their concerns go beyond the women’s team and athletics and extend to academic and campus life issues.

Obviously it resonated throughout the campus.

Greg Lee won’t get drafted until Day 2 of the NFL Draft. Of that, I feel fairly confident. The more I have thought about it, the more I think he didn’t really make a mistake coming out early.

He wasn’t going to get much faster. His route running would stay consistent. The only issue with Lee is holding on to the football and/or focusing. Sad to say, I don’t think that would have changed much if he stayed.

Lee said a lot of factors contributed to his decision, but the biggest two probably were economics and the pool of receivers in the draft. This year is not considered to be a very strong year for receivers, and the crop next year is projected to be considerably stronger.

“There is a small group, maybe two or three, big-time receivers, and then there is a larger group of receivers a lot like Greg right behind them,” said Joe Butler of Metro Index scouting camps. “With that second group, it all comes down to what a team is looking for in a player as to who they pick, so it is hard to say how high or low any of them will go.”

Lee said, “that right there — the other receivers in the draft — really played a lot into my decision. I feel like I am as good as any of those guys and I feel like I proved that at the combine.”

Most analysts and scouts don’t agree with him.

Former Cowboys general manager Gil Brandt, now an analyst for NFL.Com, doesn’t rank Lee among the top 15 receivers in the draft, and Scouts Inc. has him listed as the 18th-best receiver, five spots below Penn State’s Michael Robinson, who played quarterback most of his career.

Unlike the NBA draft where if you’re in a pool like that, you have a good chance of being drafted higher because there always seems to be one NBA GM who will rank something about the player higher and take the chance. The NFL draft is generally more rigid in its settings and there aren’t many reaches — definitely not many big reaches.

It’s no secret that the Big East didn’t exactly reload on signing day in February. Pitt was the only school to crack the top-25 with regards to the various recruiting class evaluations. Louisville was close to the top-25 and in one or two rankings. The rest weren’t close. So, it is no surprise that when you look to teams and players in the Big East who will have an impact right away, that Pitt and Louisville are the teams with the juice. Tom Lemming (disclaimer of questionable reliability alert) lists 5 freshmen who could be expected to have an immediate impact in 2006. 2 from Louisville (DE Deantwan Whitehead and WR Josh Chichester). Pitt had the other 3 players: TE Nate Byham, DL Jason Pinkston and Dorin Dickerson (who he sort of lists as a linebacker?)

It was a horrible recruiting year for the Big East — with all five of these impact players matriculating to just two different schools — but one major standout is Dickerson. This 6-foot-3, 210-pounder can do it all, having logged time at quarterback, running back, wide receiver, strong safety and outside linebacker at Imperial West Allegheny. No matter what the position, Dickerson plays like a champ.

On offense, he’s a long strider with good vision and instincts with tremendous hands. He could play either running back or wide receiver at Pitt. On defense, Dickerson was one of the most aggressive players in western Pennsylvania, showing a great change of direction and quickness to the ball. Look for this local product to do a lot of damage for Dave Wannstedt.

Dickerson’s versatility and athleticism so desperately needs to be taken advantage of — especially on offense. I really worry that Coach Wannstedt and OC Matt Cavanaugh will not be flexible enough in their game plan to do that.

Looks like Tyler Smith chose Iowa (hat tip, Ryan). It would have been nice, but not terribly shocking. Iowa can almost guarantee him plenty of playing time. They had a senior-laden team and two additional players transferred after this season. I expect he will start for the Hawkeyes come November. No such assurances could come from Coach Dixon and Pitt.

If I’m an Iowa fan, though, this is a very bad day. They are losing their AD.

Bob Bowlsby found an opportunity to head one of the most successful programs in college athletics too good to pass up.

After a three-week courtship, the 15th-year University of Iowa director of athletics was named Tuesday as the new athletics director at Stanford University, where he takes over July 1 as the head of a program that has won 50 NCAA team championships in the past 14 years.

“I look forward to the challenges and the rewards which come with the duties,” Bowlsby said. “Stanford is an exceptional academic institution which also supports a broad-based and very highly competitive intercollegiate athletics program.”

Bowlsby said he wasn’t necessarily looking to make a move but considered the chance to head the Pac-10 program “an extraordinary opportunity.”

“I’ve been to the campus a couple of times, and I’m impressed with the people I’ve met,” Bowlsby said. “It’s easy to get a feel for the pride of the university, and I was smitten by what I saw and felt even at that point.”

Bowlsby has done a tremendous job at Iowa in finding and keeping coaches. Iowa fans can only expect that rumors of Kirk Ferentz’s departure for greener pastures to only intensify this fall.

As for Pitt, I expect Coach Dixon will strongly consider a project Center with that last available scholarship. Or he just might not use it. Pitt is in a good position, really with the players. No absolute need for a position right now.

So now that the long expected departure of Barry Rohrssen has happened, what’s next for Pitt? Orlando Antigua appears to be moving up a chair to a full assistant. Right now it is not a full promotion — Coach Jamie Dixon has only told the NCAA that Antigua is filling in for the spot with the departures of Lombardi and Rohrssen untill naming a replacement. That’s important because Antiqua, along with Assistant Pat Sandle, are out on the road recruiting.

Coach Dixon released a statement in support of his departing coaches that was not exactly stunning in what it said.

“It is my desire to have assistants at the University of Pittsburgh who aspire to be head coaches,” the statement read in part. “It is a wonderful compliment to our program when other institutions are interested in our staff members for head-coaching jobs. It’s a tribute to what we’ve accomplished here not only in terms of winning on the court but also the academic achievements and character of our players.”

As the Ron Cook column notes, it isn’t like Coach Dixon won’t have a stack of applicants trying to get hired. Most of Cook’s column is just explaining that Rohrssen leaving isn’t the end of the world. (Reminder, most writers and columnists don’t write their headline. So, don’t blame Cook for the fact that the story title stresses Aaron Gray leaving as a disaster when he devotes all of 4 sentences to Gray.)

Joe Starkey’s column paints this time as new key moment for Pitt basketball. The first major shake-up to the coaching staff, the departure of Krauser and the potential loss of Gray.

Not likely. I’m betting Sandle will stick around for the job security. Gray’s probably 50-50, and lots of talent remains. But this still represents a major test. Pitt must prove it can negotiate the next turn in its development as a top-tier program.

It’s called the reloading phase.

Every successful program — college or professional — must be proficient here, because a byproduct of winning is losing good people.

The Steelers are well-schooled in the process. They’ve been losing coordinators and talented players for years. It was never truer than in the wake of their Super Bowl XL victory, when other teams lavished large contracts on Antwaan Randle El, Chris Hope and Kimo von Oelhoffen.

Pitt’s immediate task is to find a New York City recruiter to replace Rohrssen. The job is expected to fall to Big Apple native Orlando Antigua, the school’s director of basketball operations. A Pitt alumnus and former Harlem Globetrotter who is fluent in Spanish, Antigua seems like an excellent candidate.

Not that it’ll be easy to replace Rohrssen, whose departure could hurt Pitt in its pursuit of big-time recruit Tyler Smith of Hargrave Military Academy.

I’m not too concerned about how this affects the recruitment of Tyler Smith, if for no other reason that Iowa and Kentucky have both just shaken up their staffs as well. In the case of Smith I think it comes down to where he thinks he can start quickly and his comfort with the head coach.

Now on the speculation as to who will take the open coaching vacancies. Assuming Antigua is given a full-time assistant coaching gig with Pitt, that opens up the Director of Basketball Operations position. Chris Dokich thinks that promoting John Alesi to the gig might be likely. It makes a lot of sense looking at his resume and NY connections — including the fact that his father is the head coach at Brooklyn’s Xavarian High (Chris Taft and Levance Fields).

Dokish also speculates that Scott Rigot — recently purged from Kentucky’s staff, and a Pittsburgh native — might make a good assistant candidate (and it probably wouldn’t hurt in luring Tyler Smith). Read the whole post. Interesting and plausible.

The sidebar to this story on Rohrssen leaving, lists some potential candidates. Probably just as speculative, but worth noting that Larry Harris — former Pitt great, and someone I suggested merited pursuing — is on the list. It also lists Buzz Petersen — the former Tennessee head coach, now running Coastal Carolina and UCLA Assistants Ernie Ziegler and Kerry Keating.

Brandin Knight is listed as a possibility for Director of Basketball Operations, but I suspect he is still going to try one more run at the NBA.

The AP story on Barry Rohrssen taking over at Manhattan.

“There were such great people at Pittsburgh and I miss those kids already,” Rohrssen said. “Recruiting in the Big East and the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference have the same objective, just recruit good players who want to play at your school. Nothing changes.”

Gonzalez led Manhattan to a 129-77 record in seven seasons with two appearances in the NCAA tournament and two in the NIT. The Jaspers won two games in the NIT last month before losing at Old Dominion and finishing with a 20-11 record.

“Continuing what has gone on here means high standards,” Rohrssen said. “This school has had tremendous success and I hope to continue that.”

Three of the last four head coaches at Manhattan went on to jobs in the Big East: Steve Lappas, Fran Fraschilla and Gonzalez.

“Some very good coaches have used Manhattan as a steppingstone so we have earned that reputation as a mid-major program that provides opportunities for our coaches,” said Manhattan president Bro. Thomas J. Scanlan, FSC. “With New York City being such a big part of Manhattan College, Barry being a New Yorker was so important to us.”

You have to appreciate the candor of Manhattan. They don’t BS with expecting the coach to stay a long time. They hope he moves on to something bigger. It means they are winning.

It was also a good score for Manhattan that Rohrssen is well-liked by the local media.

The Jaspers’ job has become one of the best stepping-stone gigs in the country. But it takes a street-smart city kid who has strong ties to the high schools and the area’s powerful summer travel teams to max out its potential.

Rohrssen fits the profile.

Like Lappas, Fraschilla and Gonzalez, Rohrssen does not have any head coaching experience, so there will be a learning curve. But the formula has worked here before.

Rohrssen, though, actually steps into a situation with plenty of expectations.

Dereck Whittenburg had it easy by comparison. When he was hired, Fordham was coming off a two-win season.

Norm Roberts had it easy. St. John’s was coming off six wins, a Sexcapades scandal and a looming NCAA investigation.

Bobby Gonzalez has it easy. Even though Seton Hall went to the NCAA Tournament last season, there was more buzz at a silent monk retreat than in South Orange.

Barry Rohrssen doesn’t have it easy.

Not to mention the plans that are in the works for a 6000-seat facility jointly shared with Iona and Fordham in Mt. Vernon.

Rohrssen has already met with the players on the team. His first big job is to try and keep 3 top players.

Now, if he can only convince Jeff Xavier of the opposite.

Xavier, a sophomore guard from Pawtucket, R.I., who averaged 16.6 points this season, has a scholarship waiting for him at Providence if he’d like to transfer, sit out a season and play for his hometown Friars. The Big East might be too tough to turn down, but he is keeping all options open.

“Providence is my dream school, but I still haven’t made a final decision,” said Xavier, who will finish the semester on the Riverdale campus. “Nothing’s official.”

The same goes for the rest of the Jaspers’ Big Three – sophomores C.J. Anderson and Arturo Dubois. Anderson was the 2004-05 MAAC Rookie of the Year, but was declared academically ineligible after 16 games this season.

Keeping the talent already there is the big issue. Especially with only a few weeks left in the late signing period.

It’s never over until they issue the press release.

Barry Rohrssen has been named the 22nd head coach in Manhattan Basketball history, it was announced today by Director of Athletics Bob Byrnes.

Rohrssen arrives back in his native New York after spending the last seven seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Pittsburgh, including the last two seasons as associate head coach under Head Coach Jamie Dixon. Over the course of the last five seasons at Pittsburgh, Rohrssen was a part of five straight 20-plus win seasons, five straight NCAA appearances, and an overall record of 133-33 (80.1%), a number which ranked the Panthers among the nation’s top-five winning percentages during that span. The team was also nearly unbeatable at home, posting a 64-6 all-time record at the four-year old Petersen Events Center (91.4%).

“Barry Rohrssen brings years of successful experience to Manhattan College,” commented Byrnes. “People associate Barry with recruiting, but he is much more than a recruiter. The University of Pittsburgh teams that Barry coaches with had the Most Improved Player in the Big East in four of his seven seasons, and I believe Barry certainly knows how to make players better. In short, Barry Rohrssen is a winner that recruits winners and develops winners.”

Good luck to Barry Rohrssen. You have earned the opportunity.

The NFL Draft is this weekend. You might have heard something about it. It’s not like ESPN is running 2 hour draft specials daily and airing them 2 or 3 times a day or anything.

Pitt’s got several players who will likely be drafted, but only one expected to definitely go in the 1st day. Charles Spencer should go somewhere in the 2nd or possibly 3rd round. The rest will likely be drafted somewhere on Day 2.

Spencer is the highest rated of the three and could go as early as the second round. He played tackle for the Panthers last season, but he is a prospect at guard and his stock has been on the rise since the season ended.

The thing that has most scouts intrigued about Spencer — besides his size (6 feet 4, 335 pounds), strength and quickness — is his potential because he’s relatively inexperienced as an offensive lineman. He played defensive line his entire career until moving to offensive guard for his junior year with the Panthers. Then just about the time he settled in at guard, he was moved again, to tackle for his senior year.

“Charles really helped himself at the Senior Bowl, he was dominant against some of the top defensive line prospects,” Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said. “He’s worked out well at every step of the way. He did well at the combine and at our pro day. We had to move him to tackle and he adapted quickly and made the most of it. He’s going to have a nice career.”

At the NFL combine, Spencer’s bench press placed among the top three offensive line prospects (225 pounds 31 times.) Lay also helped himself at the combine with an excellent 40-yard dash time (4.48 seconds) and by his performance in the defensive back drills.

Josh Lay and Junior Greg Lee will probably go sometime in the 4th or 5th rounds. Tight End Eric Gill might be a draft pick at the end of the second day, but it is just as likely that he will be a free agent signee along with kicker Josh Cummings, linebacker J.J. Horne, safety Tez Morris and RBs Ray Kirkley and Tim Murphy.

On Greg Lee, he has been projected as a second day draft pick since he declared following his disappointing season. So this article including Lee among 10 draft picks who won’t live up to the “hype” seems quite odd to me (hat tip to Frank)

4. Greg Lee, WR, Pittsburgh: After a brilliant sophomore season, Lee was pegged by many observers as the next great receiver to come out of the Panthers’ program. But he dropped an inordinate number of catchable passes last season as Pittsburgh moved to a conventional running attack. Lee is another former first-round prospect who’ll be fighting for backup duty.

Exactly what hype does a 4th or 5th round WR draft pick have to live up to? Yes, his talent and potential are something else, but it’s not like he’s being projected for a 1st or 2nd round selection. Right now, he’s being projected in the draft at about the right spot.