You know all of these combines and high school scouting events that are going on right now? They will be changing mightily starting August 1. The NCAA changed the rules a few months ago to prohibit college coaches from attending the combines and preventing them from being held on college campuses. This has been talked about for some time, and with the blessing of college coaches.

It also turns out that coaches like lively debate. I realized this while sitting in on a meeting of Division I-A assistant coaches. They debated the merits of attending “combines” for high school players (not much of a debate, actually. They want to make it a violation for coaches to attend them).

“By 2007, we will be out of the combine business,” said Notre Dame assistant coach Rob Ianello, who is a Stepinac High grad (a rival of my St. Francis Prep) I must point out and is greatly respected as the leader of the assistant coaches organization.

Mike Farrell of Rivals.com, while partially acknowledging his self-interest, declares that the combines are “for the kids.”

So is this new NCAA rule a good or bad thing? From my side of things, it’s bad. Of course I agree that the NCAA needs to keep sponsors from being involved in the recruiting process, and no one wants street agents in college football recruiting, but overall this ruling is hurting the one thing the NCAA seems to care about — the kids.

For every Jimmy Clausen, the Notre Dame quarterback commitment who has been known in football recruiting circles for years, there is a Robert Vaughn, a Massachusetts kid who was a complete unknown defensive back before the combine circuit last year. Vaughn came away with offers from UConn, Temple and Wisconsin in large part because of his impressive showings at the Elite College Combine (held in New Jersey) and the NIKE Camp at Michigan in May of 2005. An unknown kid from an area that doesn’t get a lot of attention getting a full ride at UConn (where he signed) is one of the feel-good stories these events create.

…

Next year and beyond there will still be camps and combines and kids will show up, but without college coaches getting to see them go through drills, test in different areas and play in one-on-ones, they likely won’t bring them the same attention.

So after attending the Elite College Combine this past Monday in New Jersey and NIKE Camps at Ohio State and Penn State this weekend, where hundreds of coaches were present at each event, and following that with a Sunday NIKE Camp at Rutgers where coaches couldn’t attend (another NCAA rule about evaluating on Sundays), two things are clear to me. First, the presence of college coaches brings more talented kids, which, in turn, brings out the best effort in everyone and makes for a great evaluation of talent. And secondly, the sheer mass of coaches the Elite and at OSU and PSU leads me to believe that coaches love this one-stop shopping approach for players.

And as sure as I got sunburned this weekend, there will be players who come away from these recent camps with offers, offers they might have never received had it not been for such events. And that to me is enough reason to think that the NCAA’s ruling is putting a good thing on the endangered list.

According to the coaches, themselves they don’t like the combines much. I would imagine they feel compelled to attend since other coaches are attending and everyone has to protect their turf.

Farrell makes an interesting point about the coaches self-interest in making their own coin with their summer camps. I think that is a factor.

Of course Farrell glosses over his own self-interest. Conceding that it is there, but not getting too deep. It isn’t about Rivals.com or Scout.com sponsorship. It is about making connections with the high school prospects. Trying to get inside information about where their interest is. Getting the cell phone number and contact info.

The recruiting sites make their coin from this information. Where the top prospects are leaning and what is happening. The combines are a great, to use Farrell’s own term, “one-stop shopping approach” in collecting the info needed for the rest of the year. Usually the high school coaches attend as well. More contacts. More information to collect and gather.

This, of course, is something the college football coaches would also like to limit. They want less public information. They want less knowledge of their recruiting efforts and what kind of attention the kids are receiving. They also doen’t want the kids to know who else they are after.

My thought is that technology has changed everything. The recruiting sites can still do the combines. In fact, they can use them to generate a new revenue stream. Directly from the schools even. If the one-stop shopping is so valuable, then how much would the coaches be willing to pay for full, unedited DVDs of the Combine of all the players and their times and scores? Seems like quite a lucrative money-maker.

That same technology also benefits those kids who aren’t getting noticed. Schools put together DVDs of their players quite easily and affordably these days. Send a bunch to various coaches and see if you can get any interest.

Idle thought. I wonder if they can still have combines at the South Side UPMC facility? I mean if they use the Steeler portion? Probably not, but that would be a hell of a loophole.

Looks like the AAU binds on Luis Colon will be the deciding influence. Colon is visiting K-State today.

Luis Colon, a 6-foot-10 senior at Krop High School in Miami, is scheduled to make a visit to K-State today, his high school coach Shakey Rodriguez said. According to him, Colon most likely will decide among the Wildcats, Connecticut, Duquesne and Massachusetts.

It sounds as if K-State assistant Frank Martin has been diligent trying to put Colon in purple.

“He’s been very, very active with Luis. He’s made the kid aware how much they want him,” Rodriguez said of Colon, who averaged 16 points and 10 rebounds.

Colon’s AAU Coach Art Alvarez is good friends with Martin. Not to mention ties to Duquesne Coach Ron Everhart. Duquesne has 1 scholarship left after signing 3 more JUCOs.

J.J. Horne made an impression at the Cowboys at the tryout.

J.J. Horne, who earned Pitt’s Special Teams MVP honor this past season, has signed with the Dallas Cowboys as a free agent.

Horne, a four-year letterman, started all 11 games at the weakside linebacker in 2005. He was the team’s third-leading tackler with 52 stops and also had 4.5 tackles for losses, one sack, two interceptions and a fumble recovery.

He joins tight end Erik Gill as one of two Pitt rookies to sign free agent deals with the Cowboys this year.

If Horne and Gill make the team, that will make the Cowboys a team with 4 Panthers. OT Rob Petitti and FB Lousaka Polite are already on the team.

Andy Katz notes that there is a proliferation of tournaments for 2006 in light of the NCAA rule change.

The eradication of the 2-in-4 rule, limiting teams to two exempted events in a four-year period, has spawned all sorts of tournaments at various campus sites. Basketball Travelers is organizing a slew of them. Some, though, still are searching for teams.

Fresno State needs two teams to join it and UC Irvine; Old Dominion is hosting a four-team event but needs one more team to go along with Clemson and Monmouth; UNLV is hosting a four-team event and has Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Norfolk State but is looking for one more.

What if a team hosted a tournament and no one came? Well, BYU is hosting one of these four-team deals but doesn’t have anyone signed up yet.

No excuse for Pitt not to go to a non-con tournament this year.

Mike DeCourcy looks at the list of early entrants for the NBA draft and divides them into 4 categories: Studs, Realists, Fools and Dreamers.

Qualifications: Borderline first-round ability that could blossom with the right NBA team; curiosity about draft prospects and how to improve; wisdom to protect NCAA eligibility.

Examples: C Aaron Gray, Pittsburgh; PG Mustafa Shakur, Arizona; PG Jordan Farmar, UCLA; SG Shannon Brown, Michigan State.

Those who enter the draft as juniors — or, in Farmar’s case, as a sophomore likely to play only one more college season — are risking little to gain a lot. It’s possible one or two could surge into an advantageous first-round position. From the 2004 draft, Nevada’s Kirk Snyder and Saint Joseph’s Delonte West are excellent examples.

But most guys in this category are likely to wind up back in college in 2006-07, and they’ll probably be better for having tested their worth. The draft process can be educational — it demonstrates to players some flaws in their games and possibly ways to address them. It also can be humbling.

Carl Krauser was a better teammate and leader at Pittsburgh as a senior after a tough run through the draft entry process last spring. It could work that way for Shakur next season.

This was obvious the Realist category.

New NCAA Rules will go into effect for 2006-07. No tights or “compression leggings” will be permitted. A fashion trend that needed to be snuffed quickly.

Also going out of style, calling time out while in mid flight trying to keep a ball from going out of bounds.

ESPN Sportscenter’s “Sunday Conversation” for May 14 will be with Coach Jamie Dixon.

The Big 33 game, such as it is at this point, looks to be changing dance partners.

Big 33 game officials have been told that Ohio wants to remain Pennsylvania’s opponent in the annual high school all-star football game.

However, Big 33 executive director Mickey Minnich said his organization will not decide on an opponent for the 2007 game until it meets with the Pennsylvania State Football Coaches Association on June 24 in Altoona.

Minnich recently met with the Maryland Football Coaches Association and said Maryland is eager resume a Big 33 series that ran from 1985 through 1992.

The Ohio Football Coaches Association’s executive committee voted unanimously to continue taking part in the Big 33 game. However, Minnich previously criticized Ohio’s selection process for the game after its coaches decided to pick the top 44 players for their own North-South game before choosing the Big 33 team.

Ohio coaches have agreed to alter the selection process for future games. However, Minnich had already initiated contact with other state associations, including Maryland, New Jersey, Virginia and Michigan.

Not to mention the Big 33 game is doing what it can to keep interest in a dying event. Changing opponents is a decent short-term option.

Last year, the seeming dominos of big recruits hit in June. It is mid-May and it is underway. Jared Williams made his verbal to Pitt. Williams is a City League player at both Running Back and

Cornerback.
“I’ve gone to camp [at Pitt] the last few years, and they started showing real interest in me last year,” Williams said. “I didn’t think they were going to offer, but they did.”

Pitt was the only school to offer a scholarship so far, but other Division I colleges were showing interest. The Panthers recruited him as a cornerback.

“He’s a speed burner and very, very explosive,” said Perry coach Bill Gallagher. “Plus, he has a real nose for the ball.”

Not yet ranked, Scout.com does mention that he may be the best player from the Pittsburgh City League. Pitt has been the only team to offer at this point but he had interest from Penn State, Syracuse and WVU. Rivals.com also lists some interest from BC, Michigan, Ohio St. and Iowa. ESPN.com/Scouts, Inc. also lists FSU, Miami and Virginia. None of the recruiting sites have any actual evaluations on him.

His parents were a major factor in his early commitment.

Williams is the first Perry player to pick the Panthers since quarterback Rod Rutherford and receiver-cornerback Robb Butler signed with former coach Walt Harris in 1998. Williams said his parents, Irving and Janet, pushed him toward Pitt.

“They wanted me to stay home,” Williams said. “My family meant more than anything.”

Pittsburgh Sports Report, listed Williams as the 19th best overall player in Pennsylvania.

19. JARED WILLIAMS, CB: Perry Traditional Academy (Pittsburgh) – Williams is the total package at cornerback at a muscular 5’9 1/2″ and 190 pounds, with top level speed and athleticism. He is also an excellent return man with game-breaking ability. Pittsburgh was the first to offer and is the current leader, but Ohio State, Iowa, Virginia, Michigan, and Virginia Tech are just some of the big programs involved.

Pitt got him early and he gets to stay local.

“Coach Wannstedt sat me down and said that they want me to play at Pitt,” said Williams after receiving his offer. It looks like the Pitt coaches got what they wanted.

Looks like the period before Memorial Day could be quite busy.

Here’s the problem when you write about only one sport. When you try to use a different sport’s procedures, you show your ignorance.

You have to appreciate the NCAA men’s basketball rule that allows those who enter the NBA draft but don’t sign with an agent or sign a contract to return to school if they’re not drafted. Only now, the NCAA must go one step further with respect to football — the sport that fuels revenue streams for every sport on campus.

Those who apply for the NFL draft and don’t sign with an agent or sign a contract should be allowed to return to their teams as long as they aren’t selected on the first day of the draft. In other words, if a player is picked in Rounds 4 to 7 — or not at all — he can skulk back and work that much harder for respect or to prove everyone wrong or to turn doubters into believers or any other cliche-driven theme that ignores the fact he can’t run a 4.4 40.

Now to a point I actually agree with Hayes that college football underclassmen have a ridiculously short time to make up their mind irrevocably to go pro. What he forgets (or conveniently ignores for the sake of making a quick blush decent argument) are the issues of scholarship limitations and national signing day.

Coaches would, in many cases, have to leave scholarships unoffered for fear that a Junior might decide to come back or pull out prior to the draft. At the very least, the first day for signing the letter of intent would have to be pushed further out. That would also necessitate an early signing period — which wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing.

I can picture some argument for an exception for players who come back as permitting the school to carry extra scholarships for the players who do come back. Of course that would just reward the bigger programs by essentially allowing them to offer extra scholarships. Then there would eventually be the Rick Neuheisel-esque coach who would persuade half his Junior class to declare (wink, wink) and then come back a month before the draft so he could offer 10 extra scholarships.

What really makes the argument by Hayes so clueless, though, is his failure to understand how much college basketball coaches hate the present system. They essentially want what college football has. A very small window to return. Maybe 3 weeks.

Why? For the same reason it ultimately benefits the college football coaches to have a small return window. They can go out and recruit the replacement. Screw the kids and “wanting what’s best for them,” they need certainties and to be sure they have the scholarship available.

Heck, last year some college basketball coaches tried to push a limit on the declaration period to 72 hours after the NCAA Tournament ended. Former Arizona State head coach Rob Evans summed up the feeling of these “molders of men,” like this:

“That would be great,” Arizona State coach Rob Evans said of the proposal. “We end up sitting there wondering if we can recruit. This idea would be much better for us.”

That’s why college football won’t change it’s system.

Aw, Pitt didn’t want him anyways (grumble, grumble) . Eugene Harvey seems set to go to Seton Hall.

It looks as if the Seton Hall University men’s basketball team has found its latest star point guard.

Eugene Harvey, the coveted 5-foot-11 senior from St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark, is expected to commit to the Pirates today or Thursday, according to sources close to the program.

The cat-quick Harvey, who led St. Benedict to the Prep A Tournamenttitle, is the top unsigned point guard in the class of 2006, according to top recruiting Web site Rivals.com.

Seton Hall was not even on Harvey’s radar until new coach Bobby Gonzalez was hired last month.

If there is such a thing as a luxury scholarship in college basketball, this would have been it. Harvey, though would have been battling decent depth at the PG position in Fields and Ramon.

Seton Hall could offer immediate playing time.

Josh Cummings was contacted for his chance with the St. Louis Rams during Commencement.

While his classmates made hushed cell phone calls and sent text messages to friends with inside jokes developed over a soon-to-be-ending lifelong career as a student, the former Hart High and College of the Canyons kicker was on the phone with the St. Louis Rams, being offered his dream job.

Not a bad way for a 23-year-old to end a college career.

“The whole graduation I was trying to be quiet about it, but I called everyone I knew and those were some of the most exciting calls I’ve ever made in my life,” Cummings says. “I ran out of people to talk to by the time it was over. The last three hours of the ceremony felt like it took 30 minutes.”

Bob Ligashesky, the Rams’ special teams coach, was the one who started the attack on Cummings’ cell phone minutes.

The coach, who had recruited him to Pittsburgh as a special teams coordinator in 2003 before making the leap to the National Football League himself, called Cummings just after the conclusion of that day’s NFL Draft, indicating his interest in Cummings as an undrafted rookie free agent.

The call came one hour into the ceremony.

“It was really out of the blue,” says the 5-foot-11, 205-pound Cummings of the Rams’ interest in signing him.

His only tryout prior to the draft was with the hometown Pittsburgh Steelers.

“(Ligashesky) just said, ‘What’s up? It’s Coach Lig. You want to play for us'” Cummings recalls. “All I could say was, ‘Yes sir.'”

Cummings will join the Rams over the weekend in St. Louis for their rookie mini-camp as one of the team’s 10 undrafted rookies signings.

He says he will receive $3,000 to sign and will have his personal expenses taken care of in addition to some “extra pocket money” every week.

He’s realistic in knowing that a spot on the team is far from guaranteed as St. Louis already has a proven starter in 13-year veteran Jeff Wilkins.

In fact, Cummings says Ligashesky has already explained that he will likely eventually be cut before the regular season starts, as the Rams, like many other teams, only carry one kicker on their roster once the league imposes its maximum roster size in order to carry more depth at other positions.

But the Rams do offer him an enticing opportunity during the preseason as the only kicker other than Wilkins on the roster.

While the 36-year-old incumbent rests — he typically doesn’t kick until late in the preseason — the spotlight will belong to Cummings.

“I saw my name No. 2 on a depth chart on NFL.com and it was just shock and awe,” Cummings says. “To be a professional at a sport, that’s something every kid always dreams about. This opportunity to come in without a tryout is one I didn’t think I’d get for at least a couple more years.

“They told me they want me to take all the preseason kicks, all the kickoffs, all the field goals, and all the extra points. It’s all mine.”

Cummings says the Rams have told him that with a strong camp and preseason, they will attempt to sign him to an NFL Europe team.
…
[Adam] Graessle was Cummings’ holder for both of his seasons with the Panthers and one of his best friends on the team.

He was vacationing with his family in Florida on April 30, when he got the call from his buddy and heard the excitement in his voice.

“He was loud. He didn’t even care how loud,” Graessle says. “He was excited that he’s getting a chance. Getting a degree? Who cares? It’s the NFL.”

It never sucks if you can claim to have a job by the time you graduate. Good luck to Josh “Sunshine” Cummings.

The Post-Gazette picks up on Pat Bostick of Manheim-Township holding a press conference on Friday.

Pat Bostick, a 6-foot-4, 220-pound junior at Manheim Township High School in Lancaster, will hold a news conference Friday morning and is expected to announce his verbal commitment to Pitt.

Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt is scheduled to meet with Bostick tomorrow. Manheim Township coach Mike Melnyk declined to name Bostick’s college choice, but he gave a strong indication with this comment:

“I don’t want to take away his thunder and tell you,” Melnyk said yesterday in a telephone interview. “But we would love to have someone from [the Post-Gazette] here for the news conference.”

The press conference has been scheduled for nearly a week. Bostick seemingly had been to as many Pitt spring practices this past April as some of the actual players. He was a long range target of Coach Wannstedt and the staff for some time.

The closest school that had a shot was Michigan. Following Ryan Mallet’s verbal to Michigan, the road was essentially plowed for Pitt. Penn State was virtually out of the hunt right away with Pat Devlin committing. If Pitt takes any other QB in the 2007 recruiting class it will likely be an athlete-hybrid type with plans to convert him to another position.

ESPN.com/Scouts, Inc. really likes Bostick (Insider subs).

This kid gets better the more you watch him and he may be a bit unorthodox in his methods, but he is competitive, tough and shows great command of the game under center. Bostick has very good height and adequate bulk at this stage. He’s tall enough to see over his offensive line and he does a good job of finding passing lanes. He is not a great athlete and he only has decent speed, but he has very good pocket presence and does a good job of avoiding the rush. He will feel the pocket collapsing around him and will use his foot quickness to sidestep the pursuing pass rusher in order to buy himself a lot of second-chance passing opportunities. Does a great job keeping his eyes downfield under duress. … Bostick has very good physical tools, but not elite. However, it’s about more than that. It’s about accuracy, leadership and decisions and making plays. Bostick does all these things well.

Bostick is the best QB recruit in Pennsylvania. Rivals.com lists him in their “Pre-Evaluation Rivals100” and Scout.com has him as a 5-star recruit — one of only five 5-star QB recruits.

Bostick will be Pitt’s second verbal for the class of 2007, joining Chris Jacobson.

Coach Dixon made a public appearance last night at the Mon Valley Panther Club Chapter Banquet.

Dixon, spoke about the recent death of his 28-year-old sister Army basketball coach Maggie Dixon, and losing two of his assistants Joe Lombardy [sp] and Barry Rohrssen, who took head coaching jobs at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and Manhattan College, respectively.

“I received tens [sic] of thousands of e-mails and letters about my sister,” he said. “I was very proud of her and love talking about her. She was a special girl. Tomorrow is her birthday so it will be a tough day for our family.”

Dixon wasn’t upset about losing two of his aides.

“I want guys who want to be head coaches,” he said. “Where they came from being Pitt is what it’s all about. They both landed great jobs in their respective leagues.”

Coach Dixon is not permitted to talk about recruiting so there was no mention of Eugene Harvey or Luis Colon. There is a little more than a week left in this signing period and no word on either at this time as to where they are really leaning.

Colon was supposed to visit K-State this past weekend, but instead will be going this weekend.

Colon instead took a trip to Amherst to see UMass. Suddenly it isn’t just Pitt, Duquesne and K-State any longer. UConn and Jim Calhoun have also joined the chase.

“I told (Travis Ford) we have them from the highest program to the lowest program,” [Colon’s AAU Coach Art] Alvarez said. “Look at a guy like Barea, he could have played anywhere in the country and he picked Northeastern.

“With Colon, we’re going to find the right place, the right fit for him,” he said. “Just because UConn and these other big schools are recruiting him doesn’t mean he’s going to go there. We’re not going to go to the bigger school, we’re going to go to the better fit.”

Alvarez said Colon would like to play right away, and that’s one of the reasons he is visiting UMass this weekend.

His playing time at Pitt or UConn would be very contingent on the big men at those schools staying in the draft. UMass has 7′ Luke Bonner eligible this season.

Do you realize Pitt hasn’t had a starting point guard not from New York or New Jersey since Kelli Taylor was dismissed from the team shortly into the 1999-00 season? Heck, even the back-ups have mostly been NY/NJ products.

Pitt may be taking a shot at breaking that streak for the class of 2007.

“I’m very open at this point. Three schools, Maryland, Clemson and Georgia, have offered me a scholarship,” stated standout guard Malcolm Delaney (6-foot-3 inches, 195 pounds) from Towson Catholic High School in Towson, MD. “Pittsburgh and Indiana seem to have really started recruiting me hard. I like them both and hope they offer soon.”

Scout.com ranks Delaney a “four-star” recruit and the 11th ranked point guard in the class of 2007. He averaged 19 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists per game last season.

“Coach (Joe) Lombardi was the main guy recruiting me for Pitt. He accepted a head coaching position recently. I think Coach (Jamie) Dixon will continue contact with me. I like the Panthers a lot. In my opinion, the two best conferences in the country are the Big East and ACC. Pitt has been one of the best teams in the Big East. I would love to play for a team like that.”

Delaney will take the SAT on June 3rd. He is hoping to visit Pitt shortly after. Malcolm has already taken visits to Wake Forest, Maryland, Virginia and Georgetown. “I want to see what Pitt’s program is all about,” said Delaney.

The Scout.com profile points out he has very good 3-point range and will likely develop into a high top-100 prospect this year. Rivals.com only has him as a 3-star recruit and doesn’t really have much info on him.

I’m not sure how serious either side will ultimately be. A lot depends how interested he will be in playing close to home. Especially if Maryland really goes hard at him.

Talk about the backhanded compliment. ESPN.com (Insider subs) lists the 10 best undrafted.

8. Greg Lee, WR, Pittsburgh — Arizona Cardinals
Lee was very productive during his collegiate career and is a big, durable, strong athlete with the potential to develop into a sub-package possession receiver in the NFL. However, he lacks the initial burst, top-end speed and quick-twitch athleticism to transfer his big-play ability in the NFL. To make the Cardinals’ roster, Lee will need to beat out seventh-round pick Todd Watkins — among others — for the fifth wide receiver spot.

Actually a forgotten point. No injuries during his time. He came in with Terrell Allen — the more heralded receiver — but Allen couldn’t stay healthy his first couple of years. Allen had other issues this past season and transferred. Lee, though, after Coach Walt Harris called him out for nursing an injury in training camp in 2004 was always on the field.

I wasn’t going to do this, but I’ve gotten some e-mails and there really isn’t any other news to speak of today. Barring anything major happening, I’m going to avoid any speculation as to Gray’s draft position until after the NBA Draft Camp held in Orlando in the beginning of June. At that point, there will be a better idea of where Gray ranks in the list of Centers and in the draft generally.

Right now, it is too speculative but I’ll take something of a shot. I’m taking everything at face value. That means, Gray will only stay in the draft if he’s a first round pick. Obviously if Gray is drafted, the team will know that he’s a project, but the issue is how much of a project. A first round pick, even in the second-half of the round means that he is not a huge project. Afterall, let’s be honest, his ceiling isn’t that much higher. The issues are footwork, ball handling and finishing shots.

In the second half of the draft. Roughly 18-30 there is also the issue of teams drafting for need. Chad Ford at ESPN.com broke down each teams’ draft needs. Some teams are listed as needing a power forward/center. That is not Gray, because he doesn’t have that kind of athleticism. So these are the only teams that would consider Gray in the first round.

#18 Washington Wizards

Team needs: Combo guard, center

Very Unlikely. This is close to where C Patrick O’Bryant is projected and Gray is definitely behind O’Bryant. Plus, Washington is a running club. Gray would really slow them down and clearly wouldn’t be a significant upgrade over Brendon Haywood.

#19 Sacramento Kings

Team needs: Backup center, backup point guard

Possible. A bit of a reach, but a back-up would give them time to teach and coach him.

#21 & #27 Phoenix Suns

Team needs: Center, shooting guard

Very Unlikely & Unlikely. Given their running up-tempo style Gray would be ill-fitting to say the least. They would be better served with a leaner faster Center or C/F combo like Josh Boone or Hilton Armstrong.

#22 & #23 New Jersey Nets

Team needs: Center, backup point guard

Probable. In some early draft projections, the Nets are listed as grabbing Gray. He would fit their style, a more traditional game with Jason Kidd at point but with 2 very athletic wingmen in Jefferson and Carter to keep the floor open. A traditional Center like Gray would fit well in the middle.

#24 Memphis Grizzlies

Team needs: Point guard, center

Possible. Given Jerry West is the GM, I would think he would be more focused on finding a good PG. If they do lose Lorenzen Wright to free agency, though, they might have to draft a Center.

#29 Dallas Mavericks

Team needs: Power forward, center

Unlikely. Looks like they want a more athletic big man to back-up or play along side Eric Dampier and Dirk Nowitzki. That doesn’t really describe Gray.

Lottery & #30 Portland Trailblazers

Team needs: Center, upgrades everywhere else

Not a chance & Probable. Let me just add, boy I hope not. Gray would make sense for Portland at #30, but obviously no one wants a Pitt player going to the poisonous atmosphere that is the Jailblazers. Scary possibility.

Here are the top Center prospects in the draft at the moment.

Patrick O’Bryant — Bradley
Hilton Armstrong — UConn
Josh Boone — UConn
Paul Davis — Michigan St.
Aaron Gray — Pitt
Mouhamed Saer Sene — Senegal (plays in Euro League)
Ryan Hollins — UCLA

O’Bryant is considered the best Center prospect and expected to go anywhere from the end of the lottery picks to maybe #18 depending on the workouts. Obviously, the lower he goes the less likely Gray gets into the 1st round.

On draft boards, it really depends on where Gray is ranked on the board with the other Centers. Chad Ford/ESPN.com has him as the 5th best, and puts him just outside the 1st round at #31.

CollegeHoops.net on their May 1 mock draft has Gray going #20 to the Knicks? While the team drafting makes no sense given their other crying needs, what matters is that they list Gray in the draft order as the #2 Center available.

NBADraft.net has Gray going #22 to the Nets as of May 2. They consider him the #3 Center behind O’Bryant and Armstrong.

It really all comes down to the Orlando Camp and seeing the kids in workouts and playing against each other. After that everyone will have a much better sense of the order of the kids by position.

Apparently there were a couple camps this weekend at Pitt and Penn State. Adidas and Nike. Can’t say I’m shocked that the Nike camp had higher attendance and more coaches from programs watching. Name recognition and the number of coaches/schools sponsored by Nike will do that. It wasn’t supposed to be a challenge between the two, it’s just that Pitt’s UPMC facility has a lot going on.

“Obviously, there’s only so many weekends, and we scheduled this camp two months before any other camp dates were announced,” said Greer Monterastelli of Recruits Unlimited, a Lincoln, Neb.-based company which runs the adidas camps. “Pitt didn’t want us to use this facility on (NFL) draft day, and the Steelers are having minicamp here next weekend.”
…
Coaches from Akron, Buffalo, Pitt, Rutgers, Stanford and Tennessee – all adidas-sponsored schools – were in attendance. Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt made the rounds during the camp, as did most of his staff.

And there are more camps all around the country and Pitt for the next couple months.

The testing is only beginning, as May is the evaluation period for NCAA coaches. Nike has upcoming camps at Rutgers, Stanford, Florida, Clemson and Oregon, while adidas will have camps at UCLA and North Carolina State. The UPMC complex will play host to Joe Butler’s Metro Index camp over the next weeks.

“That’s the nature of the beast,” Monterastelli said. “Kids have so many opportunities that you can do some camp somewhere until the first of June. There will be a lot of kids who will be camped-out.”

And for the kids in middle school, more opportunities are coming.

Akron will host an innovative football camp sponsored and funded by the NFL in June for middle-school students.

Buchtel High will be the site for the NFL Junior Player Development Football Camp, a four-day program in which participants will be in full pads. The camp is free of charge, but limited to 180 youngsters.

The NFL will provide all the equipment. Campers will be allowed to keep their jerseys and will receive a duffel bag and football.

Buchtel coach Claude Brown will run the camp. His assistants will include Damon Beasley (East), Tony Grimes (Kenmore), Bob Sax (Garfield) and Eric Mitchell, head coach at Warrensville Heights and a former assistant coach at Kenmore this past season, along with several Buchtel assistants.

The NFL started the junior development camp to encourage more participation among middle school-age students.

Since it’s an NFL event and being held in Akron, they are trying to get certain NFL players to speak at the event. That would include Pitt alum and current Houston Texan Ramon Walker.

Earlier in the week, Chris Dokish posted that Pitt’s primary target for QB in the 2007 recruiting class, Pat Bostick of Manheim Township, would be holding a press conference on Friday May 12 to announce his choice. Oh, and Dave Wannstedt would be visiting Bostick on May 11. Kevin Gorman also reports that today.

Gorman also reports on probably the top WR recruit in the state’s list.

Valley receiver Toney Clemons also was a standout at the Elite College Combine, and his stock is skyrocketing. Clemons has offers from Akron, Colorado, Connecticut, Michigan, Michigan State, Ole Miss, Pitt and Tennessee. Although he won’t declare a favorite, Clemons wore a Michigan No. 15 jersey (Steve Breaston’s number) to the adidas camp Saturday at the UPMC Sports Performance Complex.

Subtle. Or great misdirection. Considering the way Pitt seemed to load up on WRs in 2006, Pitt should not be targeting a lot this year. That may help in recruiting him.