One of the things Coach Dave Wannstedt also hit on while doing interviews last week, was that several of the incoming first year players were already taking classes.

Quarterback Pat Bostick from Manheim Township (Pa.) High School, linebacker Max Gruder from Charlotte (N.C.) Country Day School, wideout-kick returner Aundre Wright from Perry Traditional Academy High School in Pittsburgh and Milford Academy prep school in New York, defensive tackle Tommy Duhart from Glades Central (Fla.) High School and Coffeyville (Kan.) Community College, and running back LeSean McCoy from Bishop McDevitt High School in Harrisburg, Pa. and Milford Academy prep school on their classwork and working out with the Panthers.

Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt noted that all the incoming recruits, except for possibly one that already had a family vacation planned, should be enrolled for the second summer session that begins in mid-June.

The common theme for all is that they are all in the mix for starting job or at a minimum #2 on the depth chart. It’s also worth noting that 3 of the players have been itching to get to a D-1A campus for at least a year. Wright and McCoy had a year of prep school and Duhart was at community college. That the NCAA legislation that is about to go into effect to shunt any kid, who goes to a prep school for a year after high school, to community college would have been brutal for Pitt.

Of course getting all the players on campus as early as possible means they can at least begin the strength and conditioning program and bond with their teammates.

On the injury side, it  seems MLB Greg Webster is still trying to find the physical balance as he copes with Crohn’s Disease. He’s taking classes and can do normal things, but getting the physical conditioning and medical clearance for football just has not happened at this point. As much as LB is a concern and depth issue, Webster shouldn’t be rushed.

DE Doug Fulmer is still recovering from surgery on a torn ACL suffered in spring practices. He likely won’t be cleared to practice until at least September. Mike McGlynn, surgery on a torn labrum went very well and might actually be in for August training camp. Where on the O-line he will be playing is a different question.

Last week’s NBA Draft Lottery was a huge surprise. I was about as shocked by that as I’ll get for anything related to the NBA. With all of the teams set in their draft spots (and as I write this I’m laughing at the Celtics), it’s much easier to accuartely predict where draft prospects will go once the order is known. Teams with needs at a certain spot who draft higher will allow a player to rise a few spots.

With that, it’s time to look at where old friend Aaron Gray is predicted to go. With the draft about a month away, he rose from the mid-late 2nd round all the way to the first pick of the second (and final) round. That pick belongs to Seattle, who is either going to land Greg Oden or Kevin Durant based on who Portland takes. Simply put, if Durant goes first and Oden falls to the Sonics, Gray won’t being their second round pick. Chances are, however, that Oden goes #1 and Seattle picks up Durant who will be playing the small forward spot in the NBA.

Again, this is all speculation and guesswork. It’s pretty safe to say he won’t be going Top 10 though, like some thought he might before the 2006-07 season tipped off.

This one is called the Tournament of Champions in Chapel Hill. A darn good reason to be there is that one remaining scholarship in 2008. The one they are holding for Eloy Vargas. And Vargas looked good once more.

It seems that every time Eloy Vargas steps onto the floor, he gets better. On Friday night, the 6-foot-10 forward from Team Breakdown was knocking down three-pointer after three-pointer, showing off good ball-handling skills and a skilled inside post game.

Vargas, the No. 46 ranked player in the country, matched Terrence Jennings, a top 10 prospect step for step and did a fine job against the bouncy 6-foot-9 forward. Vargas tallied 25 points to Jennings’s 16.

The list remains the same (and long) for Vargas. Pittsburgh, Maryland, Clemson, Louisville, Miami, Florida State, Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, Indiana and Minnesota were all mentioned by the four-star prospect.

Pitt has a lot more competition for his services, now that his stock has continued to rise. Like DeJuan Blair, he is only looking better and better the more he plays top competition. I’d be thrilled if he verballed now, but it would still be nearly 6 months until the early signing period.
There was also a Connecticut Shooting Guard who Pitt and other teams are starting to notice.

Gibbs had help on his side as fellow guard Chris Prescott did some damage. Slick with the ball, the 6-foot-2 guard from Northwest Catholic in West Hartford, Conn., scored over 20 points in the victory.

He said he has offers from UMass, Rhode Island, St. Joe’s and Fordham while Seton Hall, Wake Forest, Pitt and others are looking at him.

Looking to 2009, Pitt may have lost David Cox and his DC connections when he took the Georgetown assistant coaching job, but that isn’t stopping them from pursuing DC area players.

Those in the D.C. area that watched Jeff Green grow into a projected lottery pick say they are seeing similar traits at the same stage in 2009 forward Wally Judge.

While not the perimeter threat that Green showed he can be at Georgetown, Judge is a terrific rebounder like Green. The 6-foot-8 big man from Bladensburgh (Md.) High School scored 20 points in the heated game between Team Final, a team DC Assault played tightly in Pittsburgh.

Much like their spring pairing, this one went back and forth and Judge showed flashes of why he recently found himself in the five-star range for the 2009 class. Judge is good around the basket and showed off nice versatility with both hands. He finished everything inside and ran the floor like a guard.

Clearly a high-major prospect, Judge will certainly be a must-see guy for the ACC and Big East come July. He said Georgetown, West Virginia, Maryland and Pittsburgh are the highest on his list.

Gluing all of the talent together beautifully for the Assault was mighty mite point guard Daryl Traynham. The throw back floor general did a little bit of everything in the victory. Offensively, he was knocking down midrange jumpers and a pair of three-pointers. He directed the offense with poise and commanded the attention of his teammates with vocal leadership and patience in a heated game. Defensively, the 5-foot-7 guard got into his man and forced early turnovers and bad shots.

He may be small but his basketball IQ is off the charts and guys like playing with him. Judging point guards, what else do you want in a guy that has the ball in his hands at all times?

Traynham said he has an offer from St. Joe’s while Maryland, Pittsburgh and Xavier are recruiting him early.

…
When it comes to shooting, Rodney McGruder was the go-to guy for the Assault. The 6-foot-4 guard from Archbishop Carroll scored 19 points in the victory. He was solid at the foul line and knocked down his shots on the wing. McGruder said he is hearing from Seton Hall, Clemson, Georgetown, Buffalo and Pittsburgh.

Judge, for the record, is already listed at #23 in early lists of top 2009 players.

Out of the NYC area, Pitt is apparently showing some interest in 6’5″ forward Kevin Parrom. So far only Dayton has offered him, but schools like Pitt, UConn, Memphis and NC State are in the “evaluation” phase.

There are very few fans that would be against a return to the script Pitt and colors from Pitt’s better days. There’s been plenty of discussion about it and I don’t care why we’re not wearing it, whether it be something legal or someone just making an executive decision about it — I just want to see a return to those colors.

Are we going to see that soon? Well, there are some seemingly small changes being made according to Sitting Ringside.

The “PANTHERS” across the chest will be replaced with “PITT” and blue pants will return for the first time since 2003, when they were worn against Virginia Tech.

It seems like we’ll never get to the point where we see the same jerseys that we wore against Youngstown State in that throwback game. Thankfully I picked mine up in that auction of the game-used jerseys because we might never see them on a Pitt team regularly for a while.