Pitt could have gone to Berkeley this season if things had broken differently.

Many years ago, Cal contracted to play three games with Louisiana Tech, the second of which was scheduled this year for Sept. 16 in Berkeley. In November, Tech officials told Cal that in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the state of Louisiana was cutting Tech’s operating budget by 10 percent. They desperately needed a “guarantee game” and asked out of the 2006 date so they could play at Auburn for between $600,000 and $800,000.

Louisiana Tech agreed to come to Berkeley in 2007 (the third meeting is at Cal in 2010), but Cal was missing a 2006 home game.

“Now, you scramble because it’s November, less than a year from the opener,” Cal schedule-maker Steve Holton said.

He sent e-mails to every Division I conference in search of a school with the same open date, or one willing to shuffle commitments in order to play Cal. “We had no response from Division I-A teams,” he said. “There were 8 to 10 teams from I-AA teams that were looking for a good payday. Our preference was to stay at the I-A level.”

A few I-A schools were open on Sept. 16, but Indiana officials made another commitment before Cal could approach them, and Wyoming and Pitt decided to use the date to book home games.

The home game that day will be with Michigan St. Wonder what year the return game with Cal would have been scheduled.

It’s over, and victory can be announced.

While there are still a few donation checks to come in, it is so close that I’m certain those will push it over the top and the target amount will be reached and possibly exceeded. Rest assued that any excess will be spent on booze for the upcoming football season and tailgating.

Thank you to everyone who contributed. It has really meant a lot to me to get this support.

I’ve already got the hosting service picked out, and will be getting the laptop very soon. I figure on building the site a bit first before taking it online and doing the full migration.

The site, hopefully, will be up and running by mid-May. In the meantime, things will continue as (mostly) normal on the present site.

Saturday’s practice was also a day for recruiting.

Pitt coaches got what they hope is a glimpse of the future when Manheim Central quarterback Pat Bostick, who is one of the Panthers’ top priorities in recruiting for next year, visited practice and spent most of his time with three of Pitt’s incoming recruits, West Allegheny’s Dorin Dickerson, Duquesne’s Elijah Fields and Gateway’s Aaron Smith. At one point, Bostick tossed a football on the sideline with the three future wide receivers. … Bostick was one of a large group of junior prospects to visit Pitt yesterday as part of the Panthers’ annual “Blue Chip day.”

Apparently what they saw was the defense control.

Pitt’s defense dominated yesterday in the Panthers’ final scrimmage before the Blue-Gold spring game Saturday at Heinz Field.

The Panthers’ defensive line overwhelmed the offensive line and rendered the offense virtually powerless. Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt heaped praise on his defense and the line, which has been scrutinized and criticized this spring.

“We didn’t get much of anything done on offense today. We didn’t make many first downs” Wannstedt said. “This was by far the best the defense has looked all spring. We’ve been making progress with our defensive line and the guys are starting to really move around well. They are starting to grasp the concepts of making plays — they are not just out there to take up blocks.

“To play this scheme effectively, our down guys have to be playmakers. I was encouraged.”

Not good news with regards to Pitt’s O-line. Not unexpected. Defense is usually in better shape than offense in the spring. It is a good confidence thing, though, for the D-line that is undersized, but faster than before.

That’s why former linebackers Chris McKillop and Charles Sallet are Pitt’s starting defensive ends, Doug Fulmer is a key backup and safety Tommie Campbell, among the fastest Panthers, recently was moved to outside linebacker during spring practice at the UPMC Sports Complex.

“There’s not one thing that you can coach about speed other than getting it in the right place and heading in the right direction,” Pitt defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads said. McKillop is listed at 6-foot-3 and 245 pounds, while Sallet is 6-foot, 235 and Fulmer is 6-3, 210. Campbell is 6-2, 190.

“If you’re explosive, then giving up 20 pounds doesn’t necessarily mean that much in a matchup,” Rhoads said.

Of course that actually means you need to have an aggressive defense, not the read-and-react/bend-don’t-break style that Rhoads has been pushing since coming to Pitt. Will Rhoads actually let the defense do that come actual games? Or will he fall back to his “don’t give up the big play, just let them get 4 to 7 yards at a time” philosophy. That is the question.

Gattuso and defensive ends coach Charlie Partridge primarily have been schooling their linemen on fundamentals. With better technique, and an infusion of speed, the defense could be much better.

But what happens when a power offense is across the line? That could be a bad matchup.

“Fundamentals?” You mean like actually tackling rather than just hitting? Tell me that isn’t just some crazy dream.

Final piece is a puffer on TE Darrell Strong having the “lightbulb” go on.

Strong has perhaps the best hands on the team, but he admitted he wasn’t interested in becoming a good blocker last year. He didn’t improve much in that area and played almost exclusively in passing situations.

In the offseason, after thinking things through, he has had a change of heart and attitude. That has left the Panthers with potentially a dominant player who can play in every situation.

“This offseason it just clicked for me. I got a lot bigger, a lot stronger and lost a lot of body weight,” Strong said. “I feel like I’ve become a better blocker this spring and that’s my number one goal. I want to be a dominant blocker. My heart is in it, I want to be a true tight end. I don’t just want to be a H-back or a glorified receiver. I want to be a tight end and I feel like a true tight end.

“My days as a receiver are over and so are my days as a quarterback. I’m a tight end now and I know I can be a great blocker as well as do the things I’ve always done catching passes.”

Strong has worked hard on his blocking and has had plenty of opportunities to test his newfound skills.

Strong should have every opportunity to win the starting TE job over Senior Steve Buches and incoming Freshman Nate Byham.

Well, at this point, there is only one player to watch. Tyler Smith. But don’t expect him to decide right on Wednesday when signing period begins.

Iowa is still recruiting Tyler Smith, a 6-7, 210-pound small forward from Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia. Smith initially signed with Tennessee but elected to attend the prep school after high school.

“They are still in the top two,” Coleman said of the Hawkeyes. “It’s them and Pittsburgh leading Kentucky and Memphis. It’s the same four schools. I think Iowa, sometime in the next few days … is going to be in to talk to him.”

Iowa coach Steve Alford is in Virginia already to watch seniors Jeff Horner, Greg Brunner and Erek Hansen compete at the Portsmouth Invitational pre-draft camp.

Coleman said Smith, a Rivals.com four-star prospect, may not make a decision on Wednesday. The signing period lasts into May.

And Kentucky is trying to put a late run on Smith.

Tyler Smith, a 6-foot-7 forward from Pulaski, Tenn., appears to be a prime target for UK. After serving as co-host for Rajon Rondo’s farewell announcement, UK Coach Tubby Smith went to Pulaski to talk to the prospect.

Other coaches who went to Pulaski last week were Steve Alford (Iowa), Mike Anderson (Missouri) and Rick Stansbury (Mississippi State), said Billy Smith, the prospect’s father.

The perceived leader, Pittsburgh, had used all its visits.

Billy Smith did not offer any hint on when his son would commit.

And you can just bet there will be whispers in Tyler Smith’s ear that Barry Rohrssen — the primary assistant to recruit him — will not be with Pitt very much longer, perhaps not even this coming season.

Kentucky is in desperate need of talent with Rondo going into the NBA draft, with an agent, and freshman Adam Williams transferring out of the school. They don’t just need talent, they are going to need some bodies.

With Maggie Dixon’s wake tonight and the funeral tomorrow, lots of arrangements are being made. Both the DePaul and Army women’s teams are flying to California for the funeral as noted in this story on the Roundball Classic in Chicago.

A sobering thought throughout the weekend was that the game lost someone whose life embodied the joy for the game.

The teams at DePaul and Army, and the game as a whole, suffered an incomprehensible loss when 28-year-old Maggie Dixon died Thursday.

“While we’ve been here, Pam [his wife] and I have gone to bed crying,” [Sonny] Vaccaro said. “We knew her. We knew her dad. And we know her brother [Pittsburgh coach Jamie Dixon]. It’s so sad. That really hit home. What basketball does is connect us. How do you celebrate when this happens to a 28-year-old kid? The answer is you have to keep living and put on a happy face. If all we do is give pause to her memory, she will never leave us.”

The DePaul and Army women’s basketball teams will fly to California for a wake tonight and the funeral Tuesday. DePaul coach Doug Bruno and athletic director Jean Lenti Ponsetto plan to attend the burial on Friday at West Point.

“It’s hard to imagine Maggie with the generals,” Bruno said.

It’s just hard to imagine, period.

Of course, Barry Rohrssen will be in attendance, even though it could affect his chances for the Manhattan job.

All eyes now turn to Manhattan, the MAAC regular-season champ which lost Bobby Gonzalez to Seton Hall. Rohrssen is a strong candidate but could be out of play until Wednesday, as he is in Los Angeles for the funeral services of Army women’s coach Maggie Dixon, the sister of Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon.

It probably won’t make any real difference in his chances, and it might help if this time a school talks to some other candidates before Rohrssen.

Joe Starkey is a good columnist, but needs to remember that people read more than the local news.

Are you ready for some spring football?

Me neither. I’d forgotten Pitt even had a football team until Tyler Palko bounced into the room, hat spun backward, playbook in hand, adrenaline visibly coursing through his veins.

Fifteen minutes later, I was ready to charge onto the field and block for the kid.

Either he’s been holding this column for a couple months or he assumes no one has been aware of the fact that he’s been the stringer doing spring football reports on the Big East for ESPN.com since about the end of February.

Maybe I was just being anal, but that opening really distracted me from what was otherwise was a good piece (even if it was slightly derivative of another piece he did this past week for ESPN.com). Anyways, here’s the rest of the new stuff he lets free.

The roster is riddled with question marks, which isn’t exactly what Palko would have hoped heading into his final season.

Not that he’s complaining.

“We would have loved to have everything set up, all the pieces in the right place at the right time and go out contenders for the national championship. But things don’t work out the way you want all the time,” he said. “And who’s to say, at the end of the season, we’re not competing for a big spot?”

You never know. Palko, H.B. Blades and Darrelle Revis give Pitt enough veteran star power to scare people, and the schedule isn’t exactly riddled with national-title contenders. Plus, the final two games are at home against Big East favorites West Virginia and Louisville.

Palko laughed when I asked him to transport himself back to his senior year at West Allegheny.

What was he thinking then?

“In my mind, I’d come in, start four years, win a couple of championships and go to the next level,” he said. “Whether you want to call it a bad arrogant or good, that’s what I was thinking. Ignorant might be the thing, saying nothing bad’s going to happen.”

Bad happened. Good happened, too. Palko injured a hand early in his first year and backed up Rod Rutherford. He redshirted the next year before beating out Luke Getsy. Since then, he has fought through a coaching change and inconsistency with his line, running game and receivers to pass for the fifth-most yards (5,472) in school history.

No matter what, Palko has etched his place in Pitt football lore. Five touchdown passes at Notre Dame will do that for a guy. So will a dramatic, game-winning drive against West Virginia.

Now, he is aiming for a redemptive final season followed by a lot more football.

For Palko to do that, he’ll need a significantly improved offensive line.

It is going to be a long, hard road.

Last season, the offensive line was inexperienced and inconsistent. Only twice did a Panthers running back crack 100 yards in a game. Rutgers held Pitt to minus-11 yards on 25 rushing attempts. Quarterback Tyler Palko was sacked 30 times.

By the end of the season, the line appeared to be playing better. Line coach Paul Dunn said the unit is ahead of where it was this time a year ago.

“I think we’ve taken a giant leap toward understanding the offense a little bit better,” Dunn said. “Last year at this time, we … we just weren’t where we needed to be. Now, it’s a matter of guys competing a lot better and doing the things they need to do to be a winner.”

You mean like, I dunno, blocking? Not being completly overwhelmed and swallowed at the line of scrimmage? Anything like that?

Krauser had a pretty good showing in Portsmouth. He averaged 15 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.6 steals for the Tournament. DraftExpress, which has covered the Tournament and evaluated each players’ performance each time, thinks Krauser has earned an invite to Orlando. In his final game he had 20 points (8-13 shooting), 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals and 4 turnovers.

Krauser put in another strong showing to go along with his first game performance and solidified himself a spot in Orlando in all likelihood.

The most impressive thing about Krauser’s game is his vocal leadership. Krauser could even be heard from the bench encouraging teammates to do well in the brief moments he was out of the game.

Krauser showed decent range tonight on his suspect jumper, enough so that it looks to be workable if Krauser is willing to put in the time. Krauser also passed the ball decently, though his assist opportunities must increase before anyone will consider him a legit point guard prospect.

Krauser makes quick decisions with the ball and doesn’t waste too much time or energy fooling around with the ball even when he is in possession of it for significant lengths of clock time.

His team is better with him on the court than without him, and that’s the best thing that can be said about any prospect that’s participated here in Portsmouth.

As a well documented Krauser partisan, there isn’t anything there for me to really disagree

As I noted before, there really aren’t that many stories to tell during Spring Practice this year, so there are a fair amount of repeating by different writers.

Have you heard? There’s competition for the kicking duties this season. As usual, not a lot. They expect it to go down to the wire. Not much on Connor Lee, and plenty of recap of David Abdul’s last few years.

The depth chart that comes out of Spring Practice will be written in pencil, to give plenty of opportunities to the incoming freshmen and 2 JUCOs.

Pittsburgh head coach Dave Wannstedt wants to give incoming freshmen a chance to compete for starting jobs in training camp before finalizing his depth chart.

“I probably won’t do that until two weeks before the season begins,” Wannstedt said. “The best guys will play.”

He said he expects to have a workable depth chart ready for the annual Blue-Gold game on Saturday at Heinz Field
…
“I think that we’re still doing a little bit of experimenting with some players and moving them around,” Wannstedt said. “But that’s probably going to be a work in progress until a week or two weeks before that opener.

“We’ve got to continue to evaluate and create a real sense of competition to have every player go out and play as good as they’re capable of playing. But we are ahead of last year, at least from a coaching standpoint, in knowing what our players can do.”

Most of the kids will be here for the summer.

Wannstedt said at least 23 of the 25 incoming freshmen have enrolled for classes during the summer semester.

“We (won’t be) practicing, but at least it gives them an opportunity to get on campus, and be running, lifting and training with our players,” Wannstedt said. “That’s a big advantage.”

It is expected that many of the rookies will battle for starting jobs right out of the chute. The coaching staff already has decided which freshmen will be slotted for which positions.

Tamarcus Porter, for example, will be a wideout instead of a defensive back. Dorin Dickerson, the multi-dimensional crown jewel of the class, will begin his career as a receiver.

“Or tailback … or quarterback,” Wannstedt said with a laugh.

Duquesne High grad Elijah Fields told the coaches he wants to start at receiver. But, Wannstedt noted, the depth chart is getting awfully crowded at that spot.

So, it’s a good bet that Fields will start his career as a defensive back?

“It, uh … we’ll see,” Wannstedt said, grinning.

This notebook article also repeats the now common refrain that last year had too many players with their own agendas that hurt the team. Got to admit, I’m getting real sick of hearing that excuse. Wonder if the beat reporters who keep writing about it realize it makes them look like they helped cover that up from being reported or they were incompetently unaware of it?

It won’t be Fairfield that is Associate Head Coach Barry Rohrssen’s first head coaching gig.

Fairfield University has offered its vacant men’s basketball coaching job to Boston College assistant Ed Cooley, according to a source familiar with the situation.

FoxSports.com has reported that Cooley has accepted the job, and that a news conference will be held Tuesday at 11 a.m. to officially introduce him as the Stags’ new coach. Officials at Fairfield had not returned calls to the Connecticut Post Saturday night confirming that Cooley had accepted the job. According to a source, Fairfield athletic director Gene Doris and the search committee had finished meeting on Saturday and decided to offer the job to Cooley. Other candidates who had been rumored to be in the running were Boston College assistant Bill Coen, UConn assistant Tom Moore and Pittsburgh assistant Barry Rohrssen. Another source said that Larry Shyatt, a Florida assistant, was a finalist for the job. Shyatt’s name had not commonly come up in speculation as a job candidate.

Rohrssen had been the front-runner, and Coen was supposedly their other choice. News stories, though, indicated Coen bombed his interview, and Fairfield just decided to take a look at Cooley who wowed them in the interviews.

Fairfield University is in Fairfield, CT (go figure) which is just about 50 miles or so from NYC. So while they definitely recruit very strongly from NYC area, Cooley had more ties that spread throughout the New England area for recruiting as well.

I’m not sure if the Manhattan job opening and the potential interest in Rohrssen made them change their minds, but I wouldn’t be surprised.

Pitt finally has a press release regarding Maggie Dixon. The funeral is set for Tuesday in North Hollywood.

The Dixons have asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Notre Dame High School or the Army Athletic Fund. Arrangements for Notre Dame High School can be made by contacting Sharon Marciniak at 818-933-3600 or 13645 Riverside Dr., Sherman Oaks, CA 91423. Donations to the Army Athletic Fund can be made by contacting Matt Borman at 845-938-2322 or 639 Howard Road, West Point, NY 10996.

“The entire University of Pittsburgh community shares the Dixon family’s deep sense of loss,” Pitt chancellor Mark Nordenberg said. “We applauded Maggie Dixon’s successes when she was an assistant coach at DePaul, we shared in the joy of her magical season at Army, and we now mourn her passing. Maggie was not only an exceptional basketball coach. She was a warm, energetic, upbeat person, and she will be sorely missed.”

“Maggie Dixon was truly an inspiring example,” Pitt athletic director Jeff Long said. “She was bright and driven and always had a kind, welcoming smile. Those qualities helped her achieve so very much at a young age. Maggie embodied what is so great about the coaching profession. She has left a wonderful legacy with the many people and student-athletes she touched. We share the Dixon family’s grief and pray for their comfort during this difficult time.”

Everyone is still trying to figure this out. The cause is known.

Almost everyone has had an arrhythmia — a sensation that the heart is fluttering or skipping a beat — and it usually isn’t a problem.

But, sometimes, the heart keeps fluttering with lethal consequences, which doctors believe happened Thursday to Maggie Dixon, sister of Pitt men’s basketball coach James Dixon.

Cardiac arrhythmias occur when the heart beats chaotically — often at 300 beats per minute, rather than the standard 70 — and blood can’t reach other organs and the brain.

If victims’ hearts aren’t jolted back to normal within a few minutes, using either an electrical defibrillator or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, they die.
…
It is rare for young people to die of arrhythmias, though slightly more common in athletes because physical activity causes their hearts to speed up and slow down, Ward said.

Dixon, 28, was coach of the Army women’s basketball team and was physically active. Preliminary autopsy results show that she had an enlarged heart. That condition likely caused an arrhythmia, said Dr. Christopher Bonnet, head of electrophysiology at Allegheny General Hospital, North Side.

Of almost 40,000 annual deaths directly attributed to arrhythmias, less than .5 percent of the victims are people age 25 to 29, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

From 60 to 75 percent of the people who died of an arrhythmia had a genetic predisposition, according to a recent study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

But by all accounts, there was no genetic history towards this. It seems there was nothing.

Mitral valve prolapse involves a bending back of the mitral valve toward the upper chamber of the heart, said Dr. John R. Ward, chief of cardiology at Mercy Hospital’s Heart Institute. It is common in tall, thin women and generally is not associated with serious health problems, he said.

Ms. Dixon likely had an arrhythmia in a lower chamber of the heart that kept it from pumping effectively and led to decreased blood flow to her brain, Dr. Ward said.

What might have caused her enlarged heart is unclear, he said, though it could have resulted from a number of factors, including a virus.

Medical tests might have identified a problem before she collapsed, he said, but there would have been little reason to conduct them in the absence of symptoms or a family history of similar problems.

None of it helps make any sense. She played competitive basketball. Went through the rigors and stress of coaching for a season. Then suffers the attack while visiting with a friend? Stories abound in the locals, the NY Times, Washington Post, and other place.

Up in New York, near West Point the local paper has several pieces. This collects various quotes from Maggie Dixon, and others about her. A timeline of her time at Army. There were rumors that schools like Purdue were targeting Dixon to take over their program but she wasn’t interested.

Maggie Dixon stopped by Army athletic director Kevin Anderson’s office on Wednesday and informed him that several schools were trying to lure her away from the Academy.

Dixon told Anderson not to worry. She had no plans on leaving the program. A day later, shockingly, Dixon was gone.

“It was Maggie’s big heart and love that finally gave out,” said a teary-eyed Anderson during Dixon’s memorial service at Chapel of The Most Holy Trinity yesterday. “God took her to coach for his team and you can’t fight that fact.”

The chapel, not surprisingly, was packed.

Superintendent Lt. Gen. William J. Lennox Jr. is the most powerful person here on post.

He is intense and commands respect. His demeanor is often stone-faced. But there was Lennox yesterday, holding back tears, as he spoke to mourners gathered inside Chapel of The Most Holy Trinity at the U.S. Military Academy for a memorial service for Army women’s basketball coach Maggie Dixon.

Lennox paused for a moment, composing himself, as several players cried in pews right in front of him. Then he spoke directly to Dixon’s parents, Jim and Marge, and said: “Mr. and Mrs. Dixon, I really don’t think we lost Maggie. We have 20 more Maggie Dixons (her players). They are tough and compassionate like her and we will be developing more Maggie Dixons in the future.”
…
Lennox’s heartfelt tribute was one of several during the 45-minute service yesterday. Dixon’s players and peers spoke of her outgoing personality, her infectious smile and how her energy produced the most from her team. She touched so many lives in just more than six months at the Academy.

“Coach Dixon always asked us how we would react to adversity,” Army senior guard Megan Vrabel said. “Now, we are facing adversity like never before, but we are going to keep her fire ignited. We are fighters to the end just like coach Dixon.”

Added Army athletic director Kevin Anderson: “Maggie Dixon will live with these young ladies because what she shared with them in seven months they couldn’t get in a lifetime.”

More than 500 mourners, including many cadets, attended the service. The Dixons, including Maggie’s older brother, Jamie, the head men’s basketball coach at the University of Pittsburgh, sat in the front row of the chapel. In front of them, near the altar, were several pictures of Maggie Dixon and her team and the Patriot League trophy the Black Knights won last month.

On the cover of the memorial service program was a picture of Dixon, left arm raised, celebrating Army’s Patriot League championship win.

The paper has its own guest book that people signed (actually it appears to be the same one the P-G has), and a photo gallery of Maggie Dixon and the events surrounding the announcement and the memorial service.

Finally there is the column from Andy Katz who seems willing to let a veil fall away in a case like this.

I remember the first time I met Maggie. I was sitting with Jamie and Gonzaga coach Mark Few at a restaurant on Rush Street in Chicago after watching the day’s events at the NBA pre-draft camp last June. Maggie, then an assistant at DePaul, came to meet us. A tall, striking woman, she came upon us sitting at an outside table. She was engaging. She had an infectious smile. And she was so proud to be sitting next to her brother, as was he to be near her.

I’ve spoken to Jamie countless times on the phone for years, from his time at Hawaii, then Northern Arizona, and now Pitt. We have a strong working relationship. He’s a good friend, something that’s OK to say even though I cover him and the sport. He knows I have a job to do and there are times when he doesn’t agree with everything I write or say.

There are times when pretending to be objective just doesn’t work.

Some more stuff that doesn’t fit into one simple post theme.

The Paul Zeise Q&A from yesterday. Topics covered include redshirting in bulk, JUCO players impact, use of Stephens-Howling and as always the incoming talent.

Q: What is Dave Wannstedt doing so differently that he is getting so many four-star recruits?

Zeise: I think it is a matter of commitment and effort. That’s not to say the last coach didn’t work hard, but recruiting wasn’t one of his favorite things. Dave Wannstedt lives to recruit, he loves it. He goes on the road for five weeks in the spring — something that is almost unheard of among head coaches at BCS schools. Some go out for a part of the time or for a few days — Wannstedt will spend the entire spring recruiting period on the road, knocking on doors, meeting people, etc., etc., Most head coaches have no idea what a text message is (some can’t even use their cell phone or retrieve messages from their voice mail) and they have their flunkies texting and e-mailing kids. Wannstedt texts and e-mails prospects all the time. He is really into it and he has a tremendous personality. He is a guy that is very easy to like and it is clear he is very passionate about what he is doing.

The best way to sum it up is this: One of his assistants, who has been around the block a time or two and has been around a lot of coaches, said Wannstedt is the “most competitive recruiter I’ve ever been around and there isn’t a close second.” I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again — if this regime ultimately fails, it will not be because of a lack of talent. That will not be the issue because this guy is going to get players. If he wants someone, he goes after them and makes it very clear they are at the top of his priority list. That makes a huge difference.

Zeise is exaggerating the supposed ineptness of college head coaches with tech. In the last year, especially, there has been no shortage of stories around the country of head coaches and their comfort and use of tech and texting. This is especially so at the schools with top programs — the place Pitt wants to get. Other than that, I can’t disagree.

Darrelle Revis joins in the growing, after-the-fact chorus of players and some sportswriters who write off last season as having selfish players not on the same page/selfish playing/not adjusting to the new coach.

“We’re together all week, every day, from 7 o’clock in the morning (at breakfast),” Revis said. “And it’s real fun. You can tell that this football team is a lot closer than it was last year.

“There was a lot of pointing fingers and stuff (last season), but this year everybody helps each other up if they have a bad play or anything. We’re a lot closer, and we’re a better team for it.”

Revis, an All-America candidate and defensive leader, won’t guarantee a level of success for the Panthers this season. However, he’s certain that the way things were last fall — the first for Wannstedt, offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh and a few other coaches — cannot be repeated.

“I think we were one of the worst teams with that last season,” Revis said. “Guys just weren’t focused on the big picture. Guys were not communicating right, and there was just a bad vibe throughout the whole season. And we couldn’t get a feel for each other. That made it tough.”

Joe Starkey for ESPN.com (Insider subs.) writes about H.B. Blades and Tyler Palko determined to go out on a strong note this season.

The bitter taste still lingers for quarterback Tyler Palko and linebacker H.B. Blades, who returned to the field this spring determined to use the experience as a cattle prod, or, in this case, a Panther prod.

“I mean, that’s embarrassing for the program,” said Palko, speaking of the season as a whole. “That’s embarrassing to us a football team, and everybody should be embarrassed as individuals. You have to use it as motivation.”

He continued, animatedly.

“You’re not going to go through life and have it be peachy all the time. It’s about, can I handle the bad times with a smile on my face and say, ‘OK, I played like crap’ and get back on the horse? Not many people can do that. That’s what separates good teams from bad teams. Can you get up in front of people and say, ‘Hey, we sucked last year. We were bad, but, we’re not going to let it happen again.’

“If you can do that, you’re going to have a special group. If you can’t, you’ll be in the same boat you were in before.”

Blades watched most of the West Virginia game from the sidelines, on crutches. He injured his ankle early in the first quarter.

“It burns inside you,” said Blades, son of former NFL star Bennie Blades. “It’s in the back of my mind every time I go in the weight room, every time I go on the practice field. We all read the newspapers and see how people talk about us. We know we’re the reason why people can say, ‘Well, they can’t stop the run.’ You know, because we didn’t. We gave up over 400 yards in our last game. That’s the truth. We have to go out there and change all that.”
…
The fact that nobody expects much from Pitt is, according to Blades, another advantage. See, the last time so little was expected, the Panthers wound up in the Fiesta Bowl in Blades’ sophomore year. In his other two seasons, Pitt was ranked going into the season — and just plain rank before the end of it.

“That’s why I like us being a dark horse,” Blades said. “You know, nobody talking about us and we just creep up and surprise people. That’s the best way.”

The Panthers believe they have come together as a team under the leadership of Blades, Palko and Wannstedt.

“As a coach, you create situations where chemistry and leadership can surface,” Wannstedt said. “But, sooner or later, the players have to say, ‘This is my team. I’m one of the leaders, and I’m going to be as accountable as anybody.'”

I like, no, love the words. They do have to be backed-up by action.

He appears to be the frontrunner for Fairfield.

The search for a new men’s basketball coach at Fairfield took a significant turn Thursday when Pittsburgh associate head coach Barry Rohrssen had a second interview with Stags athletic director Gene Doris.

A source close to the situation said Rohrssen, a Brooklyn, N.Y., native who has spent the last seven seasons with the Panthers, is the clear front runner for the job as the search nears a conclusion.

Rohrssen was a candidate for the Seton Hall job that went to Manhattan coach Bobby Gonzalez on Thursday. The source indicated that Rohrssen, despite liking his situation at Pittsburgh where he is among the highest paid assistant coaches in the Big East has a desire to be a head coach and would likely take the Fairfield job if offered.

Fran Fraschilla, who previously was considered a front runner for the job, has withdrawn his name from consideration, according to a coach who attended the Final Four in Indianapolis.

Short-term, taking the Fairfield job is a loss for Rohrssen. He’d likely take a pay cut from his present salary (estimates have it around $200,000+) plus a higher cost of living, for more work, responsibility and less prestige. Long-term he has to take the job. One of the things that really cost him the chance at the Seton Hall gig was his lack of any head coaching experience at any level.

Now here’s the other problem. Fairfield appears to be at about the end of its coaching search. Manhattan is just beginning one. Manhattan is the better gig and has been the bigger springboard (though it too probably requires a pay cut).

Does Rohrssen take the Fairfield gig if offered or try to delay to see if he’s got a shot at Manhattan?

Manhattan College athletic director Bob Byrnes issued a statement noting the search for a new coach was under way. There is no timetable in place, but finding a suitable candidate in the past has required at least two weeks.

“Seton Hall is getting a spirited and energetic coach who will demand the best of his staff and players,” Byrnes said. “At Manhattan, Bobby gave us his best, and in turn, we wish him the very best at Seton Hall.”

Gonzalez put together a 129-77 record with the Jaspers, which included four 20-win seasons and two trips to the NCAA tournament.

Pittsburgh assistant Barry Rohrssen is a strong candidate to replace the reigning Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference coach of the year. He was passed over by Seton Hall and has interviewed at Fairfield, but the Brooklyn native has major-college aspirations and knows Manhattan is a springboard.

Gonzalez credited Byrnes for consistently finding sideline talent.

“Bob understands and Manhattan understands who they are, and that’s not a knock,” he said. “They understand a guy comes here and gets experience. They mentor you and they know someday you could leave the nest. And they’re proud of that.”

Tough call.

With Darrelle Revis anchoring the secondary, it feels like it is the strongest area on the defense. This despite questions as to who will be starting at the safeties and at the corner opposite Revis. Part of that is simply because Jovani Chappel has already gotten a lot of press and impressed trying to win the other corner. Then there seems to be solid depth at the safeties — it’s just figuring out who will win the starting job and the order on the depth chart. And of course, for the other corner there is intriguing, high level freshmen talent coming aboard in August.

Still in the battle to start at the other corner position, there are upperclassmen trying to make it theirs.

“We call him Mr. Enthusiasm,” Pitt cornerback Darrelle Revis said with a laugh. “He can talk and get us rowdy.”

[Kennard] Cox hopes to make a lot of noise this season. He is one of three players vying to take over the right cornerback spot Josh Lay filled last year.

“I can’t stop thinking about it,” Cox said. “I think about it every day. Everybody wants to be the guy. The greatest man is going to earn the spot. That’s what it’s all about.

“To play DB in college, you’ve got to be a great athlete. You can’t be just a normal person out there, because normal people get beat.”

If Cox is going to win the job, however, coach Dave Wannstedt demands to see more than just amped-up antics.
…
Reggie Carter might end up as Revis’ backup, or he could take over on the right side if he impresses the coaches. Carter is a year older than Cox but has appeared in fewer games.

“I’ve learned from Reggie, and hopefully he learned from me at the same time,” Cox said. “We both learned from Revis — how to keep your body square, how to react faster to the ball, little things that give you an edge.”

Kelvin Chandler, a former wide receiver, and redshirt freshman walk-on Mike Toerper also are working for some playing time.

“That competition, it works me out every day,” Cox said. “There’s somebody who wants something I want. That enthusiasm, it keeps you warm.”

The wild card in the mix is true freshman Jovanni Chappel, who enrolled in January. At 5-foot-8, he is five inches shorter than Cox and four shorter than Carter. But the rookie has shown this spring that he knows how to cover — and clobber — wideouts.

No, the question on defense is up and down the line. The guy coaching the line is different from last year.

[Greg] Gattuso began his second year on coach Dave Wannstedt’s staff by switching duties. Last season, he was the recruiting coordinator and worked with the tight ends.

Over the winter, [Bob] Junko was hospitalized for a heart ailment. He is recovering, and he watches spring workouts from the sideline. Gattuso, a standout defensive lineman during his playing days at Penn State, took over as defensive line coach and handed his recruiting responsibilities to Junko.
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Gattuso hopes the line’s speed can make up for what it lacks in size. That is why he has spent every spring practice session stressing fundamentals, especially footwork.

“It’s almost as if you were teaching dance to somebody and you put the little feet on the ground,” Gattuso said. “If I could, I’d spray paint ’em on the field. We’re working on first step, second step, third step — where they’re supposed to be and how they all relate to explosion and striking ability and how the body moves.

“It takes time, and we’re struggling with that a little bit. But every once in a while you see a sign that they get it, and you see a great play. The light’s going on a little bit, and the kids are starting to say, ‘Oh, this does work. I’d better continue to try to do what they’re telling me.’ “

The speed can only be effective if they are allowed to be aggressive. Especially with an undersized line. This article lists the players and their weight and asks:

All of this begs the question how small is too small? Are the Panthers sacrificing too much size in favor of speed?

If they are, it doesn’t seem to have coaches on the team concerned.

“Obviously, size would come into play if we are lining up against a team with a bunch of 300 pounders who are lining up with two tight ends and a fullback and trying to jam it down our throats,” defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads said. “In that case, we have to do a good job as coaches creating things schematically so that we don’t have our guys getting double teamed on blocks and so they are able to use their quickness and explosiveness to beat blocks and go make plays.

“The thing I think we have is a lot of kids who are physical football players and we have more speed, we are a faster defense than we have been. Ideally you’d like to have size and speed, but speed can make up for a number of deficiencies.”

Rhoads pointed to Williams and Campbell as two examples of players who, because of their quickness, are able to make plays and get off blocks, even against bigger opponents.

That’s encouraging for the Panthers because one thing the defense lacked last year was playmakers, particularly up front, and the more coaches have watched Williams and Campbell, the more excited they’ve gotten about their potential.

“I think Tommie’s made more plays in three or four practices at linebacker than he did all year at safety,” Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said. “The moves we have made, we have gotten faster as a defense. I believe we are in a better position to make plays. We have to make more plays. Last year we were in a situation where our leading sack guy was a freshmen who had 3 1/2 sacks. That’s terrible coaching on our part. We have to do a better job of giving these guys a chance to make plays and putting our speed out there and getting our defense faster is a good start.”

So, um, the primary duties of “coaching them up” and figuring out the best schemes will fall to DC Paul Rhoads? (I just tasted stomach acid in the back of my mouth when I typed that.)

So, there were a couple recruits at practice on Thursday.

Erie Strong Vincent assistant coach Jeff Gibbens and standout athlete Maurice Williams made the two hour trek to Pittsburgh on Thursday for spring practice.

“It went well, he had the chance to talk to (Dave) Wannstedt and (Paul) Rhoades,” Gibbens said. “He walked around all practice and took everything in. he got the chance to sit in on a wide receivers meeting with Aubrey Hill.”

Pittsburgh seems to be taking the pole position in the race for Williams service’s.

Williams plays QB and DB, and might be projected as a WR in college. He holds offers from Pitt, Syracuse, Maryland and WVU. Judging by the variety of positions, he might best fall into that nebulous but always intriguing category of “athlete.”

Then there was one other recruit of substantive note.

One of the visitors to practice yesterday was Cameron Heyward, a 6-foot-7, 270-pound junior defensive tackle from Peachtree Ridge High School in Suwanee (Ga.). The last name should be familiar to Pitt fans as he is the son of former Panther running back Craig “Ironhead“ Heyward. The younger Heyward, who runs the 40-yard dash in 4.8 seconds and has a vertical leap of 29 inches, is one of the Panthers top targeted recruits for next season, but they will be in a battle with a number of SEC and ACC schools for his services. He is one of the top defensive line prospects from Georgia.

As much as Pitt was his father’s school, considering the ongoing medical problems his father faces, I’m not sure whether Pitt will have a great shot at him. I would think that he might — quite reasonably — choose to stay closer to Atlanta. I don’t think anyone will begrudge him that.

The unofficial recruiting with practice theme continued with the high school road show on Friday. About 300 to 500 people showed up to watch Pitt practice. Actually pretty good considering there was a severe storm warning and the practice was actually cut short because of lightning.

Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt has made it one of his top priorities to bring the Panthers back into the community.

Last year, the Panthers had their spring game at Gateway High School and Wannstedt said public practices will be a part of spring drills as long as he is the coach.

And while there are obvious benefits to showcasing your program at the schools were prospective players play, Wannstedt insists building the fan base is a big reason he’s a proponent of public practices.

“No, it really isn’t about recruiting,” Wannstedt said. “We just want to get out to all the areas around the city and allow our fans to become more familiar with us.

“It is a neat thing to do and it is good for both us and for the high school programs around the area as well.”

Not that there weren’t some top recruits on hand or anything.

Two key recruits attended practice — fullback Henry Hynoski and lineman Josh Marks, both from PIAA Class A champion Southern Columbia.

Well, if you still want to see Pitt this spring and you have (or plan to have) your taxes done before then the Blue-Gold Scrimmage is next Saturday, April 15. It’s at Heinz Field and it isn’t free. It’s $5 to park and $5 per person over the age of 2. It is free to Pitt students.

Activities will take place on the Gate A Plaza as fans enter from 12:00PM to 1:00PM. Will include: Pitt Band, Pitt Cheerleaders and Dance Team, Roc the Panther, US Army, Chick-fil-a, Dress like a Panther, and a Football Toss. Season Tickets will be on Sale. Official Pitt Merchandise will be on Sale.

Kickoff is at 1.

The Manhattan job has been a springboard for coaches. Andy Katz concurs with earlier reports as to the early favorite (Insider Subs.).

Manhattan will call on Fraschilla but don’t expect him to go. Louisville assistant Steve Masiello will get a look to replace his former boss Bobby Gonzalez; Masiello was an assistant at Manhattan before going to Louisville. Plenty of Northeast assistants like Providence’s Steve DeMeo will be all over this gig, though.

Masiello seems to be the most likely possibility.

Via Big East Basketball Blog, I saw this piece on K-State expectations to land Herb Pope now that Huggins is in charge.

“Everyone is in on him and asking about him,” Aliquippa coach Marvin Emerson said Tuesday. “He can play anywhere.”

But Bob Huggins isn’t just anywhere. Huggins is now at Kansas State, and according to Emerson, that may make all the difference.

In fact, when asked if he would be surprised to see his standout forward wind up somewhere other than K-State, Emerson said simply, “Yeah, it would surprise me.”

Why? Because Emerson says Pope is “pretty close” to Pittsburgh AAU coach J.O. Stright, and Stright just happens to be pretty close to — you guessed it — Huggins. Pope’s ties to Stright are believed to be behind his recent decision to rescind an earlier commitment to Pitt.

While that may be great news to Wildcat fans, it is a bit disconcerting to Emerson, who is worried that Stright may convince Pope to leave Aliquippa and play for a private school next season.

“We’re hearing that he’s leaving and going to another school, and we’re not too comfortable with that because we’ve put in this hard work with this kid,” Emerson said, adding that he is unsure what will happen. “All of a sudden, someone else comes in and sweeps him off his feet and they reap the benefits.”

It’s something to wonder about. Stright’s relationship with high school coaches. It’s one thing to steer the kids to one college. But to essentially snatch them from their high schools as well could lead to a different backlash. While Stright may have the lockdown on AAU teams in the region, if he’s so willing to direct them away from high schools, who’s to say the high school coaches don’t start directing/advising the kids of AAU teams elsewhere in Ohio or around Philly?

Think Jeanette’s high school b-ball coach liked reading that Stright wants to send Terrelle Pryor to a prep school and Pryor seems amenable? If there is going to be any pushback against Stright and his AAU control, it can’t/won’t come from Pitt. It will have to come from the area high school coaches and interested parties.

Chad Ford at ESPN.com (Insider Subs.) looks at several players who will at least declare for the draft. This includes Aaron Gray:

From all indications, Gray is set to enter the draft. There is a dearth of big men in the draft, and despite a mediocre performance in the tournament, he has a shot at the first round because of his size.

It’s a question of whether he wants to be a lottery pick or a late 1st-rounder. If he tests the waters, pulls out, maybe goes to a big-man camp and has a solid season for Pitt — with the requisite deep play in the NCAA Tournament to boost visibility — he becomes a lottery pick. DraftExpress doesn’t even have him on the board right now, and seem to think the scouts are down on him.

DraftExpress has been reporting all year that Gray is likely to enter, but a disappointing end to his season being outplayed by Patrick O’Bryant in the NCAA tournament may have left a sour taste in the mouths of NBA scouts.

Of course, everyone up to the moment of the draft still had Chris Taft in the 1st round. Unlike the NFL, the NBA draft seems to be a little more unpredictable.

While linking to DraftExpress, it’s worth noting that they are covering the Portsmouth Invitational and had an evaluation of how Krauser did. It may seem very familiar to most Pitt fans. You can follow activity at the Portsmouth Invitational at their site.