Just because there is always some sort of domino effect, even if it isn’t actually related. Pitt has yet another commit for today. Greg Gaskins out of York, PA gave a verbal to Pitt. Gaskins is a center and considered by PantherLair.com (Rivals.com) as the 32nd best player in the state. The 6′ 4″, 290 pound center also had an offer from Maryland. He was starting to draw interest from BC, WVU, PSU and Rutgers but not offering yet.

No rhyme or reason to the commits by way of geography, but over the last couple days the theme has been O-line. This is a good thing. Geez, this is a good thing.

All condolonces to Northwestern University football and the Walker family. Randy Walker, well to be honest I know nothing about the man himself, but he was a hell of a good football coach. The job he has done at Northwestern in the Big 11 has been extremely impressive.

Much closer to home, a good friend and commenter here, Shawn, just lost his mother to a heart attack this week. Norma Jean Furey was 61. There are never any good words. Just letting you know we are very sorry.

If nothing happens from now through the July 4 holiday, I would still say that Pitt has had an excellent recruiting week. Now comes news of 2 more recruits.

The big one (in more than one way) is Dan Matha out of Erie, PA. Matha is the top rated OT in Pennsylvania. PSR has him at #16 overall in rankings of players in Pennsylvania. PantherLair.com (Rivals.com) puts him as the 14th best player in PA. Scout has him as a 3-star recruit. He had offers in hand from Maryland and WVU, and was drawing interest from Penn St. and Notre Dame.

The other verbal comes from a kid out of Santaluces HS in Lantana, Florida (not Texas). Nick Krupa is a 6’3″, 225 pound TE. He’s (hopefully) something of a sleeper. Pitt appears to be the only one who offered so far, but it would appear he had interest from Auburn, Miami and UCLA among others.

Houston has finally confirmed that it will host a bowl this year.

The yet-to-be-named bowl, which will replace the financially strapped Houston Bowl, will be held Dec. 28 at Reliant Stadium. The game will be managed by Lone Star Sports & Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Texans. Under the four-year agreement, the bowl will rotate in teams from the Big 12, Big East, Conference USA and Mountain West conferences.

Details have not been finalized, but this year’s game tentatively will feature the Big 12’s No. 8 team against the No. 4 Big East team, according to two college football officials. C-USA would provide a team at least twice during the four-year agreement, conference commissioner Britton Banowsky said.

The title sponsor and broadcast partner could be named later this week. The game is expected to be televised in prime time on the NFL Network.

The payout was dropped from $1.2 million to $750,000. The bowl still owes around $1.2 million to the Big 12 and Mountain West for this past year’s Houston Bowl. There’s no guarantees that they’ll ever see that money. Still the Big 12 continues to participate because they aren’t going to give up their “turf”.

As posted late yesterday, Myles Caregein out of Keystone Oaks High, gave his verbal to Pitt.

Myles Caragein has played virtually every skill position on a football field, but his prowess on a wrestling mat had college coaches dreaming of the Keystone Oaks star playing defensive tackle.

The sport has taught Caragein an understanding of leverage, and he used his considerable talent to draw 30 scholarship offers from schools in the Atlantic Coast, Big East, Big Ten and Pac-10 conferences.

The 6-foot-3, 270-pound Caragein ended his recruitment Thursday by making a verbal commitment to Pitt, choosing the Panthers over North Carolina, N.C. State, Northwestern and Purdue. Clemson, Iowa, Maryland and Stanford were among his offers.

“I’ve been thinking about it the last couple weeks, and it just came to me that I wanted to go to Pitt,” said Caragein, who has a 3.7 grade-point average and was recruited by Greg Gattuso. “The hometown atmosphere, good academics and, more importantly, the coaching staff – I fell in love with them.”

Caragein plays DE at Keystone, but will move to DT at Pitt.

“It became very clear to me that coach Wannstedt was the coach I trusted the most,” said Caragein, who stands 6 feet 1 and weighs 265 pounds. “Once I established that, I figured it was time to end the recruiting process and start focusing on Keystone Oaks getting a WPIAL championship.”

Caragein, who is rated the 15th-best prospect in Pennsylvania by Rivals.com and the 11th best by Scout.com, had offers from a number of schools, but the ones he considered most were from Iowa, Purdue, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Stanford and Northwestern. He carries a 3.8 GPA and said academics were a big part of his decision.

Both consider Caragein a 3-star prospect. Additionally Chris Dokish for PSR has Caragein as the 12th best prospect in the state.

The day before, OT John Fieger committed, and PSR has him as 33d best in the state. Fieger likes the idea of being part of something with the class that is coming in for 2007.

Fieger is projected to play left tackle, where he has been a two-year starter for Upper Perkiomen, a District 1-AAA school in Pennsburg. Fieger spent time at Pitt’s skills camp with two Panthers recruits, Keystone Oaks offensive guard Chris Jacobson and Manheim Township quarterback Pat Bostick.

“Knowing you’re going to have the best quarterback in the state going to the same school, I’d like to block for him and help him win championships,” Fieger said. “Pitt is going to be on the rise. I’d like to be a part of the program and help build it.”

Amazingly, and somewhat rare to read, he seems patient about when he gets out there.

“There really was nothing not to love about the city, the campus and the coaching staff,” said Fieger, who is the first player from Upper Perkiomen to receive a Division I scholarship since 1968. “I really fit in well there. I know they are trying to rebuild the offensive line and hopefully I can be a big part of that.”

Fieger benches 280 pounds 18 times and squats 475. He had offers from Akron and Temple and also was attracting interest from Virginia and Connecticut.

Fieger’s commitment means the Panthers are halfway to finding four offensive linemen for the class of ’07.

“I think early playing time wasn’t a big factor — I’d probably rather redshirt because I think that’s what is best for a player at my position,” Fieger said.

Just nice to see the lines starting to fill.

Well this is a nice thing to read before bed. Courtesy of the Pittsburgh Sports Report e-mail and Chris Dokish.

The University of Pittsburgh has landed 6’1″ 270 pound defensive lineman MYLES
CARAGEIN of Keystone Oaks High School. Caragein, one of the top dozen prospects
in Pennsylvania, is also considered one of the best defensive end prospects in
the east. Blessed with very good athleticism and excellent functional strength,
Caragein was recruited by the Panthers as an end. A national Greco-Roman
wrestling champion, Caragein could very well grow into a defensive tackle. He
had numerous offers, including North Carolina, N.C. State, Clemson and Iowa.

More in the morning, but definitely some good news on the recruiting front heading into the holiday.

Tyrone Gilliard has decided to give football another try.

An impact player is defined as someone who can make an immediate and definite impact on a team. For the 2006 Bluefield Barons, Tyrone Gilliard could be such a player.

“He makes us a lot better at defensive back,” said Barons head coach Bill Dudley. “We have some good ones, but that was probably the weakest part of our defense.”

That defense dominated the Alliance Football League in 2005. In the meantime, Gilliard was taking a one-year hiatus from football. However he continued to train and eventually chose to return to the game.

Gilliard’s pedigree is just as impressive as that of his new defense. Gilliard was an all-state running back for Princeton High School and was a three-year starter at the University of Pittsburgh, including his final game, 35-7 loss to Utah in the 2004 Fiesta Bowl.

“What made me come out here was me wanting to go back and play ball,” Gilliard said. “After I was done and I was out for a year, I decided I had enough already and I wanted to play.”
…
“One of my teammatesm — who was out for two years — he went to NFL Europe this past spring,” Gilliard explained. “He said I needed to go, so I came here to get in shape and get ready for NFL Europe in the spring.”

Bluefield is actually Gilliard’s second stop this year. In January, he tried out and made an Arena Football 2 team. However, Gilliard much prefers the outdoor game to the indoor game.

“I did play Arena in January,” Gilliard said. “I just didn’t like it. The rules, the short field so closed in, it wasn’t a good feeling for me not to mention that I hurt my foot first day on the Astroturf.

“Just being out here where it’s grass, a hundred yard field, it’s comfortable for me.”
…
“I’ve got an education. I’ve got years to make money,” Gilliard philosophically noted. “I’m young. You only get so many chances to play ball.”

No, I never heard of the Bluefield Barons, let alone the Alliance Football League either. Not surprising since it is semi-pro. Good luck to Tyrone Gilliard for taking a shot at playing football a little longer.

Now here’s the part I’m really confused about. Bluefield, WV is no where near NYC. The Barons play in (a nice) high school stadium. Yet there is an announcement on their site that the Barons will have their games streamed live on the internet in a deal with ESPN 1050? Is there another ESPN 1050 I don’t know about?

Okay, first the priorities. I went with the bourbon. A nice dollop of Makers Mark by my side.

Just hit refresh periodically.

Missed the first 10 minutes of the prelims as I had to drive back and got caught in a t-storm. Crap if ESPN isn’t doing it’s damnedist to suck the life out of this right away. Everyone is earnest and serious about it.

Jeez, Dick Vitale shouting from a camera in Tampa with some god-awful red curtain behind him. Dan Patrick really needs someone to crack some jokes for him. He looks like he wants to say something, but there is no one to help him. Maybe they can check in with Olbermann over at his MSBC show.

Hmm.Celtics are trading with the ‘Blazers.

Just to let you know my biases. I’m a Sixers fan. Living in Cleveland, I feel bad for the Cavs and their history. I would actually like to see them succeed with LeBron James.

7:23: Okay, J.J. Redick interview. “How have you dealt with the DUI?” Answer: “I hired a lawyer.” Now that’s the way to respond. Sorry, with the back injury, I guess the only thing I can think is that he’s just a pedigreed Luke Jackson.

7:26: I don’t really care about the Rudy Gay interview, but really ESPN needs to pan to all the tables to spot the hot girlfriends, wives and escorts of the “invited” draft prospects.

7:30: Adam Morrison ad for an EA NBA game encourages people to weep openly. I think I now dislike him more than Redick.

7:33: David Stern managed to work a plug for the WNBA in his introduction. Jeez, talk about flogging a dead horse. Toronto is on the clock.

7:38: Toronto takes the Italian as everyone knew they would. How many Benetton stores are left in the US. So that’s the new hat from Adidas. Curious how some of the others will look.

7:44: Chicago is trading the #2 pick LaMarcus Aldrige (Texas) and somebody for the Blazers #4 pick and a 2nd round pick next year. Only the Blazers could be this active in this flat of a draft without any real “must take” picks.

7:50: The Bobcats do go with Adam Morrison. No one thought MJ would dare take a white guy who doesn’t play defense. Maybe he doesn’t have as much influence over the picks as was reported.

7:55: Portland (for Chicago) take Tyrus Thomas. Jay Bilas is trying to avoid using the term “long” any more. Choosing “freakish” as his key word of the night.

7:59: Atlanta on the clock with Pitt great Billy Knight in charge. The reports are Sheldon Williams. Crap. It is.

You want to see the Pitt guys do well, but Knight is one of many GM jokes in the NBA. He’s not helping disprove the case. Picks a guy who is maybe a 12-15 pick at best.

What a shock that Vitale loves a Duke player. Go figure.

8:05: The less said about Stuart Scott interviewing the guys after they have been drafted, the better.

How has Brandon Roy slipped this far already?

8:09: Minnesota take Roy. A big whiff by the Hawks, and a great pick for the Timberwolves.

8:17: Celtics suck! But they are picking for the Blazers who apparently hoped to get Roy here. Shocking that the Blazers effed up their projections.

(Dang, did anyone see the watch on Rudy Gay? Someone raided the Liberace museum.)

Randy Foye from Villanova gets picked. Eh. Seems to be getting way too much credit. Just not that wild about him. Especially the way everyone keeps bringing up Wade. He’s no Wade. He’s not even a poor man’s Wade.

8:20: T-storms in the area are continuing. Power has been knocked out twice.

8:22: Houston is apparently trading the pick at #8 — Rudy Gay — to Memphis for Shane Battier. It’s official, Jerry West is just plain desparate to try and win outside of LA. I suppose you could argue Gay has just always been eyeing the NBA all this time and that effected his college game. Or he could just be another Darius Miles type.

8:27: Everyone is blasting Houston for the apparent deal. Either I’m an idiot or Steven A. Smith. I like my chances.

8:30: Golden State takes Patrick O’Bryant as expected. I don’t think I can say anything here that won’t sound bitter. Of course, Chris Mullins has been doing such a great job at drafting. Continuing the Warrior tradition.

8:34: Portland apparently had to make a deal with Minnesota to get Roy. The team sucks, and they are trading even more of the future for now? Wow.

8:38: Seattle reaches for a HS/foreign Center from Senegal — Sene. The last HS project Center from Senegal drafted was DeSagna Diop by Cleveland. That worked out well… for Dallas. He’s the type of player that may eventually succeed with another team. It’s why teams wanted the age limit imposed. Too many of the HS players took so long to develop and eventually needed to go elsewhere to thrive.

8:44: Magic go with the pretentious Dukie, Redick. This means Vitale will be brought in to rave about him. Yep. Not even a doubt. Not that I’m actually listening.

He can’t create his own shot. He’s going to be a poor man’s Steve Kerr (at best).

Hell, Jay Bilas in defending him said he’d be better than Trajon Langdon (picked 11th by Cleveland — unknown if he’s even playing anywhere in the NBA or NBDL). Talk about damning with faint praise.

8:50: Hornets of wherever picks Hilton Armstrong. 4th Center picked. Think Aaron Gray isn’t starting to have just a twinge of doubts about his choice? I’m not complaining. I’m just typing.

8:57: Philly picks some guys with corn rows from Switzerland. I’m not even going to try and type that. Um, okay, Katz is reporting that the pick will be traded to Chicago and Philly will pick at 16.

I hope they trade Iverson for future picks. It’s the only way they can even come close to getting value. Potential chances over whatever scrubs they would end up with.

They horribly teased us by announcing the Blazers-Celtics trade first. Telfair and Ratliff w. 2nd round 2008 pick for Foye, Dickau and LaFrentz.

9:00: David Stern does his best to try and loosen up the ESPN crew. Utah picks Ronnie Brewer (Arkansas). That’s a nice shade of blue for his suit.

Bilas makes his first “length” comment of the night with regards to Brewer.

9:05: Commish make its official for the Minnesota-Blazers trade.

The Hornets of somewhere takes Cedric Simmons of NC State. Guess it worked out for him that Sendek left for ASU.

9:10: Chicago picking for Philly. Rodney Carney (Memphis). Crap. Hate this pick for Philly. Just not a fan for Philly. The fit is wrong.

By the way, I switched to Jim Beam about 40 minutes ago.

9:21: Indiana takes Shawne Williams (Memphis) who wasn’t even invited to MSG tonight. Can we now start questioning Larry Bird’s draft accumen?

The ESPN crew is asking lots of questions about why Marcus Williams hasn’t been drafted. I have to let Bill Simmons sum it up:

Unfortunately, he has a few things working against him: the incredible laptop scandal (Red Flag No. 1); UConn’s stunning exit in the NCAAs (Red Flag No. 2); the whole “I have no problem being overweight and out-of-shape for these pre-draft workouts” (Red Flag No. 3); major questions about his outside shot (Red Flag No. 4); his defensive ability (Red Flag No. 5); and his attitude (Red Flag No. 6). In other words, just call him Six Flags.

All that’s missing is a DUI or marijuana bust.

9:23: Wiz pick some Ukaraine player called Pecherov. A chance for most of the crew to just kind of pretend they know something about him when they clearly don’t.

9:30: Sacremento grab Quincy Douby from Rutgers. Not there, and didn’t spring out of the crowd. I like him a lot better than someone like Redick. Went a little higher than expected.

9:35: Excitement time at #20. The Knicks are finally picking. The crowd is now loud. The mere mention fo Isiah Thomas’ name elicited a cascade of boos. Party time.

Stern fully there to deadpan. Announces a trade first — the Philly-Chicago trade — Philly also gets a 2007 2nd round pick and cash.

Renaldo Balkman (South Carolina) is picked. Naturally, plenty of boos and the good news is Balkman wasn’t there. That would have been a reach at the end of the 1st. To say this pick was panned was being kind. The funny thing is, Isiah hasn’t actually sucked in drafts, but now…

9:43: Go Boston. Andy Katz syas Boston wants to get Rajon Rondo (Kentucky) with a deal with Phoenix. Rondo is a bad pick that will go no where.

And the Suns do indeed pick Rondo. Anything that will help keep the Celtics down, and Rondo will. A workout stud, but a brick shooter as a player. Heh.

9:48: The Nets grab Marcus Williams as the heir apparent for Jason Kidd. That couldn’t work out better for Williams for his future. Knicks fans are ready to slash their wrists.

9:52: Nets have this pick as well. Wow. They pick Josh Boone. Same team and back-to-back UConn players. He had been rumored to be promised by the Knicks at #29. 2 years ago I wouldn’t have argued. Now, I just question his desire and interest.

For the record, I’ve switched to Yuengling Lager at this time.

9:57: Memphis grabs Kyle Lowry (Villanova). This is a good pick. He’s got energy, scraps and has talent.

10:03: Okay, time to see what Cleveland can do with this pick. They need a point guard (Jordan Farmar — UCLA). Ideally, someone who can help right away, but at a minimum someone who can start within a year or two. Or do they go with a power forward/center? Someone like Paul Davis. Depends in part with what they think they can get in the 2nd.

The pundits talk about shooting. Yeah, but, they really need defense as well. Damon Jones, Donyell Marshall could rebound this season. As might Larry Hughes so there are issues.

Instead they pick SG Shannon Brown (Michigan State). I don’t like the pick. He has top flight talent. I have real doubts about his “motor.” He’s reckless and careless at times. At least with his teammate, Paul Davis (who also would have motor issues) he would provide size and depth up front.

10:10: The Lakers grab the local kid Jordan Farmar. He will work with the Lakers since all he has to do is pass to Kobe.

10:17: The Suns pick again. A trade apparently with — of course — the Blazers for cash?? to pick a Spaniard. Point Guard Sergio “Spanish Chocolate” Rodriguez.

Trailblazers = deck chairs + Titantic.

10:21: The Dallas Mavericks — a favorite for Pittsburgh area fans by virtue of Mark Cuban — go with Maurice Ager (Mich. St.) at #28. No solid opinion other than to rip on MSU for underachieving like UConn by having multiple 1st round picks and doing so poorly in college. Actually, I’d say MSU was worse. At least UConn waited until the NCAA Tournament to underachieve.

10:22: Knicks time again. Wheee. I’m betting on solid 2nd rounders Curtis Stinson (Iowa St.) or Pittsnogle from WVU just to send people into riot mode.

10:25: Stern looked like he was announcing a death. Close. Mardy Collins from Temple. Okay, a little unfair. He doesn’t suck. He actually plays defense — not surprising playing for Temple and John Chaney. Of course, the amount of time he’ll see on the court is a big question.

10:29: Portland is on the clock, officially, but I have no clue if it is actually their pick.

10:32: At #30, (I think) Portland picks Joel Freeland out of England. Whatever. Apparently he’s pasty and tall.

Now it’s time for the second round and it really moves quickly. Portland picks again to start it.

10:35: Russ Granik takes over for his final call of the 2nd round. Yippee.

Please shoot Dick Vitale. Or at least sever his vocal cords. Please. How unfair is it that Myron Cope can’t call games any longer but Vitale can.
10:39: Portland picks — oh, like I need to even make the Jailblazer crack with a Thuggins kid — James White from Cinci.

10:43: Houston takes Novak out of Marquette. Eh. He has no defense and I question his ability to generate his own shot. He took a lot of his high% shots off of catch and shoots. The Rockets are my sister’s adopted team since she went moved down there years ago.

10:45: Hawks and Knight get Solomon Jones of USF. Hey, three Conference USA Big East players taken in a row.

The commercials are really starting now.

10:50: The Clippers are picking, and widespread snickering is lacking. That’s just wrong.

Paul Davis (Mich. St.) is snagged. This actually looks like a good value pick to back-up Kaman.

Rapters take P.J. Tucker from Texas. Bilas makes a “long” reference without saying it. Talks of his wingspan instead.

10:55: ESPN pundits are trying to deal with the more rapid picks by creating pithy one-liners like they will be quoted for a movie poster.

Craig Smith?? picked by the T-Wolves. I’m thinking Chevy Troutman just broke his hand hitting a wall in furstration with seeing that. Especially the way he dominated him. Smith is a good player, but you would have a hard time convincing me that Troutman isn’t better.

11:01: Billy Knight interview pretends that they hadn’t promised that they would pick Sheldon Williams even though every news outlet reported it for the last week. Billy, Billy, Billy.

11:07: Seattle grabbed Denham Brown at #40. Another UConn player is about the only thing worth noting.

Cleveland at #42 takes Daniel Gibson out of Texas. He’s a guard with talent and questionable as to whether he’s a point or shooting guard — not to mention whether he should have returned to Texas for another season. He’s got potential, but he is a bad pick for Cleveland. They don’t need a guy with potential. If they were going to take a guard who can shoot from outside, they would have been better served with someone like Mike Gansey. Someone with range and already knows his range and is more defined in ability and role. Mistake.

11:20: Right now the slider seems to be Guillermo Diaz, Shooting Guard out of Miami. He was thought to go late in the 1st.

Hey, a Jew gets drafted. Lior Eliyahu out of Israel gets taken by Orlando at #44. He still has his Army obligation so there is a question whether he’ll ever play. The last Jewish player in the NBA, Danny Schayes. Steven A. Smith was exceptionally quiet. I’m sure it was mostly because he knew nothing about him.

11:27: I guess it could be worse. Jim Belushi could be providing color commentary.

Denver apparently can’t get enough of players with knee issues — Kenyon Martin, Marcus Camby — and now Leon Powe (Cal).

The James White era in Portland is already over. He got shipped to Inidana.

11:34: Unlike the NFL draft they don’t even bother with a little sound effect to let you know a draft pick has been made. While I’ve been ignoring the commercials, there were several picks. Once you see who they were, though, I guess ntohing was missed.

Eliyahou goes from Miami to Houston in a trade for cash. Since my sister is already married, that’s kind of moot.

Diaz out of Miami gets picked finally at #52 to the Clippers.

Who even cares that the Trailblazers move another player for a 2nd rounder. Well, Portland looks to dominate the 2nd round in 2007.

11:43: Almost over.

At #53 Yotam Halperin out of Israel gets taken by Seattle. 2 Israelis in the 2nd round. An interesting showing.

Cleveland has the 55th pick and takes some guy from Nigeria. Uh, yeah. Great. Taj Gray from Oklahoma, a small forward was still there. As was Gansey, though that would have been overkill at this point for SG. Not to mention Brandon Bowman (Georgetown) at SF sitting there. Wasted pick.

11:52: No, Carl Krauser will not be drafted tonight. Hopefully, very soon we will hear about a team signing him to a free agent deal.

The end of the draft is populated by Eurotrash picks.

An Offensive Tackle from Pennsburg, PA made a verbal today according to the e-mail update from PSR.

…Upper Perkiomen High School’s JOHN FIEGER committed to the Panthers. The 6’5″ 265 pound Fieger possesses quick feet and good athleticism, and though he likely needs to add strength, he has the makings of a top tackle prospect. His other offers were from Akron and Temple, and he there were interest from West Virginia, Virginia, Rutgers, Connecticut, Iowa, Purdue and Maryland.

Scout.com and Rivals.com both have him as a minor prospect at this time. Chris Dokish tabs him as a potential sleeper. Assuming the information is accurate about some of the other schools starting to become interested in him, then it seems very likely that there is more to him than the single star rating.

As far as I know, no one has posted the clip of Mike Phillips breaking his ankle against Nebraska on You Tube, but that image has stayed burned into my memory. The Warren, Ohio native gets a story in his local paper.

“It was tough because I had never had a major injury like that,” said Phillips, who was an instructor Monday at the Korey Stringer Community Fund football camp. “Believing in God and praying and having a lot of good people around me telling me to keep my head up. I took a positive approach to it. It wasn’t like, ‘Why did this happen to me?’ At rehab they tell me I’m ahead of schedule.”

The 2006 season could be a breakout time for Phillips, who played cornerback and quarterback at Harding. He’s been moved to free safety, where his speed and football instincts can be best utilized.

To get ready for the move, Phillips accommodated coach Dave Wannstedt by increasing his weight 20 pounds to 205. The time off the field also gave him a chance to study the entire defense.

“I believe I can provide a leadership role more this year than last year because I think I’m wiser,” he said. “Getting hurt might have been a good thing because I studied film a lot more. Before, I knew what I did and the corners. Now I know my position, the corners, the linebackers, and I want to know more about the defensive line. That will make me play a lot faster.”

The injury also seemed to effect his overall outlook.

Phillips has two more years of eligibility remaining, but he was eligible for the NFL draft this year. At this time he plans to use all of his eligibility and then see what develops concerning a possible NFL career.

Realizing how fragile an athlete’s career can be, Phillips is taking nothing for granted. He’ll graduate next spring with a degree in communications. He wants to get another major to enhance his chances of succeeding in life outside of the football lines.

“As I saw in the Nebraska game, you’re one play away from not playing again,” Phillips said. “You always have a backup plan. Football can be taken away. A degree can’t.”

I’m looking forward to seeing him back on the field this fall.

The Big East is expected to be the big conference in the draft. Specifically, UConn.

This year, the Big East figures to dominate the NBA draft. At least six and as many as eight from the Big East could hear their names called in the first round of the draft, which takes place tonight in New York (7 p.m., ESPN).

The record for first-round draft choices out of one conference is eight, set in 1995 by the ACC. The Big East established its record with six first-rounders in the 1996 draft.

“There are years when leagues dominate the draft,” ESPN analyst Jay Bilas said. “In 1986, the ACC had four of the first five players picked. I think you can look over the years and you’ll see several instances where a league had a bunch of players. The Big East was a great league last year because it had great players and this is the result.”

The Big East contingent will have a Connecticut flavor. Four former Huskies Rudy Gay, Marcus Williams, Hilton Armstrong and Josh Boone could go in the first round. Denham Brown and Rashad Anderson are potential second-round picks for an astounding six players from one team.

…

Along with the UConn group, Big East alums Randy Foye and Kyle Lowry of Villanova should go in the first round. Quincy Douby of Rutgers, Steve Novak of Marquette and West Virginia’s Mike Gansey and Kevin Pittsnogle are first-round possibilities.

The number of potential first-round picks out of the Big East would have been one higher, but Pittsburgh center Aaron Gray, who was a first-round lock, elected to return for his senior year.

Of course, the NFL Draft’s opening round was dominated by the ACC and that didn’t exactly translate well on the field for the conference this past year.

WVUs’ Kevin Pittsnogle couldn’t seem to raise his draft status from last year to this. He’s still a mid-2nd round pick. The cost of being incapable of playing defense and rebounding despite being 6′ 11″. Mike Gansey, on the other hand, has climbed to an early-2nd, possible late-1st (though I don’t believe the latter), and I have to agree with this assessment.

According to Chris Ekstrand, who is a consultant for the NBA and a draft expert, both are likely to be drafted, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if either made it into the first round.

“Mike Gansey is a throwback type of a player,” Ekstrand said.

“His greatest strength is in his ability to fearlessly take the ball to the basket, and he has enough athleticism to play in the NBA. His value will depend on the style of the team that drafts him, much like Rick Barry’s sons, who have been more useful on certain types of teams than others.”

If he makes it to the Cavs picking at #42 in the 2nd round, I could see them taking him. He’s a local product and the Cavs GM, Danny Ferry, came over from San Antonio which has used Brent Barry and players like him as important complimentary players. That is unless they take a SG or PG with their pick at #25.

As for Carl Krauser, while there’s always a chance some team may take a shot at him at the end of the 2nd, he is more likely (and probably better for him) to be signed as a free agent and play the NBA summer leagues.

“I don’t expect he’ll be drafted, but that’s not a bad thing,” said Jay Bilas, a basketball analyst for ESPN. “If he’s undrafted, it might be better for him. There are a lot of guys out there who are capable of playing in the league, even though they aren’t drafted. Carl Krauser is a solid prospect, though not spectacular.”

If Krauser, who turned 25 in May, is to make it in the NBA, his critics repeatedly have stated that he’ll need to think “pass first,” an idea that is growing rapidly on him.

…

While hearing his name called tonight would be a significant accomplishment for Krauser, going undrafted would present an opportunity for a host of teams to shop for a free agent who may best suit their needs.

“He’s helped himself, but whether he gets drafted or not, the consensus is he’s going to make the league,” Krauser’s agent Keith Glass said.

I would still love to hear Krauser’s name called tonight.

Ronald Ramon has been staying in Pittsburgh this summer. He has an internship at Fox Sports Net Pittsburgh. His roommate, Keith Benjamin, also is in Pittsburgh for the summer. I suspect most of the team stayed to take some classes and just keep working with each other.

Whenever the weekly Pitt propaganda TV show airs next, it will likely include a tour of Ramon and Benjamin’s apartment.

Nicknamed the “Young Gunz” by teammate Carl Krauser during their freshman season, junior roommates Keith Benjamin and Ronald Ramon of the Pitt men’s basketball team are key components to a program that currently ranks as high as third in national preseason polls. The two roommates have taken time out of their summer training to put together a list of their top nine songs. In addition to their playlist below, they invited FSN Pittsburgh to tour their apartment earlier this year as part of a feature on “Panthers Weekly.”

As Juniors, they will no longer will be the kids any longer. As for their playlist, well, no one really needs a white guy in his mid-30s living in Ohio commenting on music choices.

No other confirmation that Dave Cox was hired as Pitt’s Director of Basketball Operations right now. Here’s not a lot of info on the guy right now. He was a coach on the AAU team DC Assault’s Blue (17 year-olds).

On that squad includes Anthony McClain. He’s a 4-star recruit on Rivals.com. 65th best player overall and 4th best Center. Scout.com also considers the 7-footer a 4-star recruit, but maybe the 27th best overall and 3rd best Center. Other players on this AAU team of interest include Mike Davis, who is getting interest from Illinois, Tennessee, USF and VT. Jamar Samuels has interest from Duquesne, NC St., Syracuse, Clemson, DePaul and Providence. Darnell Dotson, a small forward is not considered a high prospect at this time.

St. John’s Prep., which the story says was where he was an administrator, features Chris Wright. Wright is a 6’1″ 5-star point guard recruit. His offers include ‘Nova, G-town, Maryland, Georgia Tech and Wake Forest. Scout.com lists him as the 17th best prospect (just behind Herb Pope) and 5th best PG. Rivals.com has him at #21 and also the 5th best PG.

Now, while he may have a relationship with Wright, I have to note that David Cox is not listed as being one of the coaches.

As for what else I can tell you about David Cox. He apparently attended St. John’s Prep and was a pretty good basketball player (listed in the honorable mention). Unconfirmed at this time, but the time frame fits, a David Cox played college basketball at William & Mary from 1992-1995, and it would seem by his place in their records to have been a good point guard and 3-point shooter for them.

This is a stunner (big Hat Tip to Scott) .

i95Ballerz.com would like to give a big up to former St. John’s College Preparatory High School administrator and D.C. Assault coach, David Cox. The seven year St. John’s and Assault professional shared during a recent phone interview, he is presently poised to accept the Director of Basketball Operations position at the University of Pittsburgh.

At Pitt, Cox relayed his upcoming duties as “I’ll be the fourth assistant coach” working for that program’s head coach, Jamie Dixon, while also functioning as “a liaison between the administration and the basketball office”. The position contains several restrictions not imposed upon other assistants, as during practices he “can’t supply input”, and can only “go out on the road and recruit” within a 30 mile radius of Pit’’s campus.

The long expected rumor was that Brandin Knight would be taking that job come August. Looks like Knight might be taking one more run at pro basketball. More later.

I’ve been debating about doing a live blog of the NBA draft tomorrow. I know I’ll end up watching. I always do. Sure it’s not nearly as entertaining with ESPN making it into a drone fest of seriousness, as it was when TNT did it almost with a tounge-in-cheek approach. And yes, I know the live blogging of the draft has probably been done to death.

But like I said, I know I’ll be watching it. I’ll be curious to see which player(s) will take a Chris Taft-like tumble or even fall out of the draft. Will Carl Krauser get picked in the 2nd round? Isn’t it stunning to see Patrick O’Bryant parlay that one game against Pitt into a lottery draft pick? And why did it take until the day before the draft for someone to finally write — even in a complimentary way — about that fact?

Quick thought as to why the NBA draft under ESPN sucks so bad. The obvious answer is that they treat it like the NFL draft and just don’t have any sense of humor with it. But that isn’t quite right, because there is something somewhat humorous in the NFL draft. And here’s the difference. The NFL draft takes forever and a day. There’s interminable periods between picks. People are on the set all day, and frankly, they get punch-drunk after a while. Heck, it doesn’t even take too long for the slight goofiness to kick in, when it takes over an hour to get through the first 4 picks.

In the NBA draft, though, it moves too quickly. There’s no chance for the people working the draft to start slipping and having any fun. The whole thing is over in just a few hours. There’s no chance to really get off-script. Or at least the producers won’t let them. It also doesn’t help that the ESPN personalities are generally wooden. The only wild card is the local crowd. That is the best chance for some fireworks. That they will overwhelm the mics with booing of whatever the Knicks do (and they don’t pick until #20) or a Vescey-esque chant directed towards Steven A. Smith.

So, yeah, I’m probably going to do it for at least the first round and maybe the second. Right now, my biggest issue for the draft is deciding on Scotch, Bourbon or Beer to accompany it.