I took several days before deciding to waste some time on this. There was the Pitt-Penn State Golf Challenge. Joe Starkey decided he’d be the one to write the article on renewing the football rivalry (and hey, what about the fact that PSU has now wussed out on the basketball part as well?).

The topic has been beaten beyond recognition, but doesn’t deserve to die. There is no good reason why such a historic, natural rivalry shouldn’t be revived. It’s maddening to look at the teams’ non-conference schedules and see The Citadel, Youngstown State, Akron, Toledo, Central Florida and Temple, but not each other.

[Subtext reader] Not to mention that it’s June. Steeler minicamp is over. Nothing to say about the Penguins at this point. There are only so many ways to say that the Pirates suck. So, by God, I need to fill a column and this will do. [/end subtext reader]

“I’d love to see it come back,” former Penn State linebacker Mike Zordich said. “If you ask a lot of guys here, they’d say the same.”

At this point, it’s useless to assign blame, though most of it clearly rests with Penn State coach Joe Paterno, who never got over the fact that Pitt joined the Big East basketball conference in 1982 instead of joining him in an all-sports Eastern conference.

Pitt hasn’t avoided pettiness, either, packaging tickets to the 2000 game at Three Rivers Stadium with a Temple game and thus jacking up the price for Penn State fans.

None of that matters now. What matters is finding a solution. Here’s an easy one: The state legislature should force the schools to play each other.

“The legislature could do that, seeing as both schools enjoy getting money from the state,” said Walt Bielich, who played offensive line at Pitt half a century ago and now is the executive director of the Pitt Varsity Letter Club.

“I think the state should get involved,” Zordich said.

Johnny Majors cites the fact that Iowa had a similar issue with Iowa and Iowa State. Other state government involvement has included Alabama (Alabama-Auburn), Florida (Florida-FSU), and most recently the WV Governor stepped in to broker a deal with WVU and Marshall. So there are precedents.

The approach would be similar to the way that the federal government compels states to control speed limits, legal drinking ages and what level you are driving drunk. Tie money to following certain restrictions. The states don’t have to do what the federal government wants, but then they don’t get that pork federal transportation funds for all the other goodies.

Since both Pitt and PSU are state schools and receive state funding, they could easily tie all or a portion to resuming the annual game. There have been attempts and far more talk of such in the past, but the legislature has never acted on this. You can believe PSU would capitulate (and whine a lot) really fast if that happened. The fact that a Paterno couldn’t win an election to the legislature could be considered a good sign.

There would be plenty of editorials and freaks who don’t like sports to decry this as valuing football and sports over education and sending a bad message to the children. Because, it is always for the children when an argument is struggling (see also, drug war).

Unfortunately, I don’t see it happening. Not enough will in the legislature to do it.

Orlando is over. It officially ended Friday. Most of the scouts and NBA people, though, got out before the final day even started. Here are some final thoughts on Krauser. From NBA Draft.net.

Krauser was the most enthusiastic player in camp, rooting on his teammates and showing his great leadership ability. For many teams he actually gives a better bench player than the more talented Darius Washington.

From Hoopsworld.com, Steve Kyler continues his advocacy for Krauser in this note after his mock draft.

Two guys to look for in the 2nd round – Jeremy Kelly from Tennessee Martin, and Carl Krauser from Pitt. Jermey was part of the AJ/Hollins workout, and more than a dozen executives asked about him, and Krauser looked good running the show for his Pre-Draft team and played some good defense – one of the few players to get down in a defensive stance while guarding his man – its those little things that stood about Carl.

It’s encouraging to see a fair amount of positive coverage of Krauser’s game, and practically no mention of age issues. Very different from last year.

Smizik goes old school grandpa today.

Mike Rice and Pitt, at least to a certain segment of the population, don’t go together. To understand the full enormity of Mike Rice working at the University of Pittsburgh, let alone being a member of the basketball coaching staff, you need a little history.

Rice is the son of Mike Rice, a former player and coach at Duquesne. The elder Rice was a good player in his day, which was the early 1960s. It was a time when the Dukes were still in their glory and the dominant basketball program in town.

He was a talented player. If he played today, he’d be a shooting guard or a small forward. He could slash from the wing. He wasn’t necessarily a star, but no one was surprised when he scored 20 or 25 points in a certain game. He twice went over 30 in his career.

But despite his ability, he was better known for other things. To call him a scrapper would be an understatement. He was as ferocious a competitor as you might see. He was the kind of player you loved if he was on your team and hated if he was on the other.

Mike Rice would do anything to win, and the word “anything” is not used lightly.

On-the-court brawls were not uncommon for Rice, and, if memory serves, he lost a couple of teeth in one.

In those days, the Pitt-Duquesne rivalry was the fiercest in town, and, needless to say, it brought out the best — or worst — in Rice. There is nothing he liked more than to beat Pitt.

It was the same when he became the Dukes’ coach in 1978 — he would do anything to win. At the same time, Tim Grgurich was the coach at Pitt. The two had competed as players in the intense Duquesne-Pitt rivalry.

Grgurich was the same type of scrappy competitor as Rice, although with not as much talent. He likely wasn’t as willing to do “anything” to win. The two men did not like each other — they once were thrown out of a summer league for fighting — and their personalities enhanced the rivalry about tenfold.

I don’t mind the history lesson. It’s good to read about the past. And since he uses the hiring of Mike Rice, Jr. as a jumping off point to talk about Mike Rice, Sr. and when Duquesne used to be relevant. I’ll use the story as a jumping off point to bring up the fact that Tim Grgurich has been conspicuously absent from any association with Pitt for over 20 years.

A player, alum, coach and in the last 10 years I’ve yet to read or see one thing hinting that he even gets invited to the school. To meet with the players and coaches. He is considered one of the best assistants in the NBA.

Hell, Grgurich runs a summer camp out of Las Vegas where he lives for NBA Players. And while I’m sure the lure of Vegas is a hell of an enticement, it does draw top talent to come and work.

He hopes to fill out the staff with a coach or coaches who specialize in working out and developing young players, “guys who can be on the floor every day.” The Denver Nuggets have such an assistant in Tim Grgurich, known for the popular workout camp he organizes every August in Las Vegas that regularly draws NBA All-Stars, including Paul Pierce.

How can Pitt not be actively trying to bring Grgurich back into the family? The idea of him being able to offer advice, maybe even put the players through some of the drills he puts the pros through. It just seems like not trying to use a great asset and one of the few NBA ties Pitt has.

Back to the article that is more about Rice, Sr. than Jr.

He hasn’t threatened to disown his son.

In fact, he is pleased and proud, although still holding out a bit.

“He said he’d send me a Pitt sweatshirt. I’m not sure I’ll wear it.”

But the dad knows this is best for the son. Being who he is, he has followed events closely in Pittsburgh. He knows what’s happened to Duquesne, he knows what’s happened to Pitt. He knows this is a great deal for his son, a former St. Joseph’s assistant.

“If you look at Pitt since I left, it’s pretty remarkable what’s happened. When I left they were Eastern Eight. Then, they made the move to TV land [Big East Conference], and that was one marvelous thing. Pitt’s done a great job with its basketball. If you’re an assistant coach, it’s a plum. That’s where you want to be.

“I’ve never seen Mike so excited about moving to a new job as he is right now. He’s very good. It’s in his blood from day one. He knows basketball. He’s lived it all his life.”

Rice, Sr. calls games for the Portland Trailblazers. He knows bad and good basketball very well.

While Pitt hasn’t put out it’s non-con, presumably because it is still being finalized, other schools have made announcements and there are set games. It looks like Pitt will kick off the season against Delaware State on November 14.

So, here’s what I am sure is part of the non-con right now. Most of the dates are unknown.

Delaware St. — Nov. 14

Robert Morris

Duquesne

Dayton

@ Auburn

@MSG, South Carolina — Dec. 21 (or 23)

@ Wisconsin

Am I missing some others? Penn State is done. As is usual, they don’t like voluntarily playing games where they are clearly inferior.

That leaves about 5 more games for Pitt to fill. Unless Pitt gets into a tournament at the last minute or the rumored SEC-Big East challenge finally comes off figure on 4 of the 5 being home games (last year Pitt hosted 9 of its 11 non-cons). The majority are going to be against minor-mid-majors. Guarantee games like the Delaware St. one.

I would like to see at least one other game, though, against a major conference team. A home-and-home with Temple (or St. Joe’s) might be A-10 overkill, but I’d really like to see Pitt make an effort to play some games against the other Philly schools. Might as well make an effort to play some of the other Pennsylvania schools.

A home-and-home with Arizona St. might be fun. Maybe Missouri. Perhaps NC State would be interested? Iowa would be a good one for booing Tyler Smith.

Maybe I should have been a little more patient about getting the Gray post out there. Andy Katz has a full story on Gray, his workout, his decisionmaking and the whole shebang. He echoes the point from Luke Winn about no free lunch possibly reducing the turnout for the workout — who knew NBA folk were such moochers?

“First and foremost, we wanted to protect his eligibility, since he hasn’t decided to stay in the draft or go back to school yet,” said Gray’s father, Mike. “Doing workouts [in NBA cities] was an issue and we wanted to display him to the most NBA people as possible. This turned out to be the best arrangement to minimize the cost and maintain his eligibility.”

Yet, he is, by far, the most anticipated unsigned underclassman still in the draft. If the 7-foot Gray goes back to Pitt, the Panthers will be the Big East preseason favorite, with the only player of note not returning being point guard Carl Krauser. Losing Krauser is a significant hit, since he led them in scoring and was their leader the past three seasons, but Gray is a species that has been nearing extinction in college — the wide-body center who eats up space in the paint and alters the defensive approach for opposing teams.

Gray’s not of the new breed of center, the high-flying shot-blocking type. He comes from the era of immovable plodders who can be a pain to move out of the post once positioned. If Gray (13.9 ppg, 10.5 rpg) returns, the Panthers will feed him on the block probably have plenty of buckets being created for forwards Sam Young and Levon Kendall, who would be freed up by the constant double-teams on Gray.

Gray also would have a chance, possibly for the only time in his career, to be the focal point of his team, which could help his draft status next season. Right now, Gray is projected to be a first-round pick, but no one is guaranteeing him a spot just yet. His impact next season in the NBA likely would be limited.

Given all that, Gray has a tough choice. Should he go for the money and develop for a year or two in the NBA or stay at Pitt and be a cover boy in college for a year?

Coach Dixon agrees that the NBA teams aren’t promising a thing.

Dixon said he has received calls but the teams are keeping their options open. So, too, are the Grays. Where that leaves them is hard to say.

“This all happened so quickly for Aaron, just like it did for Chris Taft last year,” Dixon said of Taft who left after his sophomore season and went No. 42 in the second round to Golden State. “Neither were McDonald’s All-Americans. This is all new to him. He wasn’t heavily recruited. Aaron and his dad said they were going to keep their options open. This is exactly where I thought we’d be at this point. Everyone is still keeping their options open.”

Probably only for Gray and his family, is all of this occurring quickly.

Luke Winn at SI.com has a report on Gray’s workout, and just how torn Aaron Gray seems to be over staying in the draft or going back to Pitt.

It was anticlimactic. A bit of running. A bit of so-so shooting from beyond his college comfort zone. Some awkward 1-on-1 with ex-Oklahoma State stiff Frans Steyn, who was at the camp out of Southwest Baptist University and served as a stand-in opponent. Gray didn’t really hurt himself during the 45-minute stretch; scouts already knew he was a solid, workmanlike 7-footer, not a super-athlete — and that skill set will keep him in a decent position. That said, the crowd dwindled to 19 by the end of the workout, an exodus that could either be regarded as a negative sign or a result of an external factor: The league did not serve lunch. It put out a buffet for those attending the Cedric Simmons/Patrick O’Bryant/Kyle Lowry workout on Wednesday afternoon and approximately 150 scouts stayed.

As the June 18 deadline to pull out of the draft approaches, Gray remains at a crossroads. On one side is the likelihood of late first round and a limited role as an NBA rookie; on the other is the chance to lead Pitt to a top-10 ranking and a Big East title as the conference’s premier returning player. “Every time I make a list of the pros and cons [of turning pro], I think of more stuff,” Gray said after the workout. “One of the things on there … is to come back and be the ‘man’ on campus, on a top-10 team. All the TV networks are waiting on me to make my decision [to see if they want to televise the Panthers]. It’s a real humbling experience.”

While Gray was on the floor, Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon was waiting outside the gym (he was not allowed by the NCAA to watch a still-eligible player work out). Dixon stopped to greet Gray and his father, Mike, when they left, and the coach said that the plan from here on out was simply to “continue to gather information” from NBA folks. That information will have a major effect on the complexion of the Big East in 2006-07.

Gray isn’t even pretending to be unaware of all the external factors. I don’t know if I would call it humbling, though. It must be something of a rush to know people believe you to hold the balance of power in the Big East and ESPN is waiting to find out what you do to decide their programming.

It was asked after an earlier post if Dixon’s involvement is typical of coaches. The best answer I can give, is that it is becoming more common. At least where the kid seems legitimately unsure or is simply seeing what his status is.

A big reason is to make sure the kid doesn’t get his draft eligibility screwed up because of NCAA restrictions and regulations on expenses, working out and advisors. I linked to an article about this last month, focusing on Dixon and Nevada’s Coach Fox working with his star forward, 2 time WAC player of the year, Nick Fazekas. It worked on a couple fronts as Fazekas appears to be pulling out of the draft and returning for his senior year.

I would also suggest that it is important with the unsure kid, because it sends a clear message that the coach does want what’s best for the kid and isn’t trying to replace him as soon as he shows an interest in the pros. If Gray comes back, I think Dixon’s help and assistance will be a big reason. Showing the loyalty actually can run both ways.

UPDATE: No sooner do I get this post out, then Chad Ford at ESPN.com posts on Gray’s workout (Insider subs.).

It’s not the best environment for Gray, and the workout didn’t go well for him. He’s not very athletic and doesn’t show well in drills. While Gray did demonstrate some nice footwork in the paint against Steyn, every scout I spoke to (in lieu of NBA execs, who didn’t show up for the most part) said that Gray needs to return to school.

“He’s still raw and he needs to get more athletic,” one NBA scout said. “He could really use another year of college ball.”

And yet, if he stays, someone would very likely take him in the 1st round.

That disorderly conduct charge WVU B-Ball Coach John Beilein faced from an incident at the Pittsburgh Airport has been settled.

The West Virginia University men’s basketball coach announced Thursday evening that he settled the matter by entering a “no contest” plea and paying a reduced fine.

He had been charged with parking his automobile in a “no-parking” zone at Greater Pittsburgh International Airport while loading bags after a family trip.

An officer with the Allegheny County police department also accused the coach of disorderly conduct.

“I have taken the advice of my attorney who feels this is the best way to conclude this matter and avoid further unnecessary attention to a simple parking issue,” Beilein said in a prepared statement.

“I want to emphasize that this decision is in no way an admission of guilt. I believe that the situation was misrepresented.

“There was obviously a misunderstanding that occurred in my discussion with the officer.”

As I said, it was a glorified parking ticket. It’s just damn funny. Not to mention that Beilein really felt the need to rationalize the whole thing. Especially the part about pulling the “do you know who I am?” card on the cop.

“It is important for me to say that I did not challenge the officer nor did I use my position as basketball coach for any reason other than to exemplify my respect for the officer’s position.

“In the officer’s report, he interpreted it as a lack of respect and, in fact, it was the exact opposite intention I was trying to convey to him.”

Suuuure he did. Protest. Too much. Doth. Methinks.

How did that go? How do you casually work in being the head basketball coach at WVU in the conversation with a cop telling you to move your car? As a way of “conveying” respect?

Carl Krauser has been making his case in Orlando that he should be on an NBA roster. Steve Kyler of Hoopsworld.com/Basketball News Service is now an unabashed fan.

It’s official — Carl Krauser has a bandwagon — and you are reading the leader of it… The more Carl plays, the more he looks like a NBA guard. He’s not a starter –- he is a backup point — but at a solid 6’1, 4 years of college at a major program, and some smart savvy basketball Carl looks like he’d be a value for a team in the 2nd round. A team looking for a backup guard would be smart to look at Carl. He’s not going to score a ton of points, but when its time to sit your lead playmaker, Carl is showing he can handle the job –- he admitted that maybe he’s deferring too much trying too hard to get the “bigs” on his team involved so they will rebound, but says he is doing what his coaches told him to do and he is proving that he can run a team. The Krauser Bandwagon will debut their T-shirts tomorrow (that’s a joke…).

Not quite effusive the next day, but he still likes him for a playoff team.

Carl Krauser looks like he is a 3rd string guard on any team in the playoffs, he has been unspectacular on the floor shooting, but seems to have heart and hustle and a willingness to play defense. He may go late in the 2nd, but next year there’s gonna be a guy coming of the bench for 5 minutes to spell a starter, and Carl could be that guy for a handful of teams.

Reading like coming back for his senior year worked for Carl. Actually the way Kyler waxes effusive about Krauser is what it will take for a team to take a shot on him late in the 2nd round. A scout or GM that falls in love with his intangibles and work ethic to advocate on his belhalf that the club take the flyer on him.

Ohio State football players have been disappointing this season. They just aren’t doing their job to even crack the Fulmer Cup rankings.

Not that there isn’t any shortage of idiots and perverts doing things in tOSU gear continually being caught on film. But it’s not the same. I mean, this is Ohio. There is so much tOSU crap gear being overproduced, that everyone seems to end up with at least one item whether they want to or not. Any T.J. Maxx, Gabriel’s, Wal-Mart, Big Lots and whatever is loaded with highly discounted clearance gear people can buy in bulk. It’s hard for many to resist picking up that $60 Nike hoodie for $10.

Have faith, though, Buckeye basketball seems poised to do what it can. Sure he is only a commit, but we are talking about the future.

City prosecutors will seek felony charges against Ohio State basketball recruit David Lighty, who was arrested Wednesday with two friends after a jogger was shot with a BB-type gun.

Lighty, an 18-year-old All- Ohio guard who graduated from Villa Angela-St. Joseph on Sunday, was held overnight on suspicion of assault, criminal trespassing and criminal activity on school property. Two other 18-year-old teammates — Jimmy McLeod and Darryl Rushton — were held on the same grounds.

…

The incident happened about 9 p.m. Wednesday at VASJ. James Nugent, 55, was jogging on the track when he was hit in the back by a plastic BB. He said Thursday that he heard three men in the south bleachers laughing and one said, “Oh, I hit him.”

“We were goofing around with each other and this man said he got hit,” Lighty said Thursday just after he was released. “And he called the police.

“But everything is going to be all right.”

…

Two patrolmen arrived and saw three men with guns in the bleachers. It was dusk and the officers were unsure if the weapons were BB guns or real guns.

Officers pointed their guns at the three men and told them to drop the weapons.

Lighty and Rushton complied, but McLeod said he didn’t have to drop his, police said. Officers said they shouted at him at least five times before he dropped the gun, which police then saw was a BB-type gun.

Now, understand that in Cleveland, BB guns are considered firearms. Kids “goofing around with each other” with BB guns. Brilliant.

Now think about how stupid these kids are. They not only take potshots at some guy in his 50s with the BB gun, they stay in the bleachers while the guy calls the police, then when the cops show up — and draw their guns — one of them is dumb enough to not drop his gun. The idiots are lucky not to have been shot by an overreacting/nervous cop.

Even if you think the plastic BBs are harmless, how dumb do you have to be just to hang around and wait for the cops to show? You hit the guy. Run, dummies!

“We are aware of the incident,” OSU coach Thad Matta said in a statement released through the school. “In situations like this, we always defer to the law. David is in our family and the university and I will work together on dealing with this matter.”

Everyone was going to be watching Buckeye basketball closely for the talent on the court. Now we know they will be worth watching, period.

Well, Aaron Gray’s workout yesterday hasn’t had much in the way of leaks yet. Just this.

Aaron Gray worked out against Franz Stein who happens to be the only 7-footer in the Orlando predraft camp. NBADraft.net was not at the Gray workout, however scouts I spoke to after the workout gave mixed reviews. Those who said he looked good said his foot work looked solid and foot speed has been one of the big concerns with Gray.

Those that weren’t as positive about the workout felt that he lacked defense and has trouble going to his left. Some scouts feel he should return to school as Gray is not a finished product, but with a premium on bigmen most scouts consider Gray a likely first rounder for this year’s draft.

Gray could go anywhere from 15 to 31 depending on the team, need and reach.

It’s going to be a tough call for Gray. This is a fairly weak draft. The first draft with no high schoolers, and the correction starts next draft with Greg Oden and other freshmen expected to declare in the draft. If Gray comes back and has a slightly better senior season, he still will likely not be very different in the draft expectations. Probably 12-25 range. Sitting on the fringe of potentially being a lottery player.

He and his family have about a week to make the decision.

The Bronko Nagurski Trophy is awarded annually to the best defensive college football player.

Yesterday they released their watch list — at least to the media. There are 55 players on the list. Both Darrelle Revis and H.B. Blades are on the watch list.

Carl Krauser is playing at the camp down in Orlando. He’s played in two games so far. Here are the reports on him from Day 1.

Krauser reportedly did not have a good showing last year and decided to return for his senior year. Right move. He looked great on Day 1, driving to the hoop, finding his teammates and being surprisingly vocal on the defensive end. He had a nice floater and he looked a lot better than Darius Washington. He can come in immediately to produce, but he must show that same type of mentality that made him stand out.

and

After a poor showing in last year’s camp, Carl Krauser came to show the scouts that he is a better player than that. He took the ball strong to the hole on a number of occasions, finishing either off the glass or with a pretty floater. Defensively he was active and as vocal as ever, getting in the passing lanes and firing himself and his teammates up after every stop. He fed his big guys in the post and showed excellent leadership skills throughout.

The second day, they found a little to criticize.

Krauser has become the type of point guard you want in practice. He has the ability to keep everyone going on both ends of the floor. He was able to get into the lane and create his shots. He showed off a nice floater. He also showed off a Stephon Marbury drive. When Marbury drives to the hoop, he protects it with both hands. When he does this, it’s guaranteed he will shoot it himself unless there’s someone wide open. And he’ll only pass it if he can get it there and make the Top 10 at the same time. Krauser has the same problem. He was able to get into the lane and protect the ball. But when he grasped it with both hands, he lost all ability to pass it. He was fouled the first time and turned it over the second time he did it. Overall, he’s a player worth drafting, if he’s just used for practices.

Interesting. Hate to see Marbury comparisons these days. Talk about a name near mud. There are worst fates than being drafted and being mostly on the bench, and being a guy in practice. It can still lead to a shot. Earl Boykins comes to mind.

Here’s a couple posts from last June on Krauser’s camp.

The financially troubled Houston Bowl is still that way.

The Houston Bowl is without a title sponsor and television deal, and owes a portion of its $1.2 million payout to the Big 12 and Mountain West conferences for playing in last year’s game at Reliant Stadium. The NCAA bowl certification committee has set a deadline for the end of June to decide the six-year-old bowl’s fate.

If the Houston Bowl is not played this year, there is a chance it could take a year off to reorganize and seek recertification in 2007. Weiberg said last month the bowl would have to be run by one of the participating conferences and its payout would have to be reduced from $1.2 million to $750,000 to survive.

The Houston Bowl has affiliations with the Big 12, Big East, Conference USA and Notre Dame. The Mountain West has expressed an interest in joining the mix.

Everybody wants in, no one wants to pay.

The Big 12 thinks the bowl is 50-50 this year. Here I was hoping the Houston Bowl would get itself together. My sister lives in Houston which means a place to crash if Pitt ever plays there.

Orlando Antigua is moving up within the Pitt coaching hierarchy, so he doesn’t get a lot of attention in the stories today. Mike Rice, Jr. is the main guy discussed.

Rice has known Dixon for the past five years. They got to know each other when Rice worked for Hoop Group and they casually stayed in touch. Dixon and Rice first talked about the job more than a month ago at the Pittsburgh Jamfest, the AAU event held at the Petersen Events Center in April.

Rice said the reason he has ascended quickly through the coaching ranks the past few years is because of his association with the Hoop Group and the connections he made in the time he was there.

“It’s the reason I’m here,” Rice said. “If you look at my resume, I was at Chicago State and then four summers later, Phil Martelli asked me to be on his staff. The relationships you build there are invaluable. Coaches are always asking you about players. I made a lot of connections when I was there.”

Dixon liked Rice’s experiences at lower level Division I schools as well as his experience with the Hoop Group. “Every experience for a coach is a good one. That was a great way for him to develop relationships with people.

“Some people tend to underestimate the importance of evaluating players, getting guys who weren’t that highly rated has been the key to our program. Mike has an eye for those types of players as well. He’s been around a lot of coaches and has had great experience.”

Of course, getting highly rated players does help a lot. Rice is expected in Pittsburgh today, while Dixon is down in Orlando with Aaron Gray.

“I plan to hit the ground running,” Rice said. “I’m excited. It’s a challenge for me. The reason I came was to compete in the Big East and to compete for a national championship. I believe that can happen in the next couple of years at Pitt.”

Of course, St. Joe’s Head Coach Phil Martelli is disappointed to lose his assistant but happy for him.

“I desperately wanted Mike to stay,” the St. Joseph’s basketball coach said Wednesday, “but the opportunity to go to a place like Pitt, with all it has done — the Big East is a whole different world. That’s just the way it is.”
…
While Martelli was dismayed by the thought of losing Rice, whom he called “a basketball lifer,” he managed to look past a situation that is similar to that of Dixon’s. St. Joseph’s has two spots to fill after the departure of Rice and Monte Ross, who took over as coach of Delaware.

“I have high regard for Jamie Dixon as a man,” Martelli said. “He’s getting a guy, in Mike, who is relentless in the pursuit of basketball knowledge in a lot of ways. Not just recruiting information, but getting comfortable with X’s and O’s and scouting. He’s really ready, and I’m delighted for him and his family.”

Rice is expected to use his recruiting connections to work Philly (obviously), but also most of the Northeast down to Virginia.

Orlando Antigua, obviously being a NYC native and his brother being a high school coach in the Bronx, is going to be recruiting the NYC metro area.

About Antigua, Dixon said: “Orlando has played a key role since he joined our staff. He understands what type of players we look for and what type of student-athletes we want to represent the university.”

Antigua, who compiled career totals of 930 points and 409 rebounds during a four-year playing career at Pitt, was elated the opportunity to remain with the program.

“It’s great to be able to learn under coach Dixon,” he said. “It’s going to be an exciting staff.”

That gives the staff about a month to really figure out who the targeted recruits are and where for the July recruiting period. Pitt will have at least 3 scholarships to offer for the class of 2007. 4 if Aaron Gray stays in the draft.

Finally.

University of Pittsburgh head men’s basketball coach Jamie Dixon announced the appointment of two assistant coaches–former Saint Joseph’s assistant Mike Rice and Pitt’s former director of operations Orlando Antigua. Rice and Antigua will join fellow assistant coach Pat Sandle as members of Dixon’s coaching staff.

The press release has short bio summaries for each. That just leaves the video coordinator position to fill and technically/officially the Director of Basketball Operations *cough* Brandin Knight *cough*.