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June 20, 2007

Nice story about a kid who will be a walk-on at Pitt.

[Craig] Sedunov, a four-year starter who played linebacker and various offensive positions at Yough, plans to walk on and attempt to play defensive back for the Panthers. He turned down offers from Clarion and Glenville (W.Va.) State.

“I don’t like the people at Penn State, and I’m just not a West Virginia fan,” Sedunov said. “I grew up liking Pitt. That’s why I want to play for them.”

The 5-foot-8, 185-pound Sedunov plans to begin attending classes June 25, because he wants to get with the team as soon as possible.

Sedunov will be playing in the Foothills Football Classic this weekend.

This weekend will also be the Pennsylvania Scholastic Football Coaches Association East West All-Star Football Game in Altoona. As usual, there will be plenty of players not participating because they were in the Big 33 game or simply because they have already enrolled at their college.

Maurice Williams out of Erie who will be a freshman at Pitt will be participating, but plenty of others are declining.

Donte Harden, who played with Williams at Strong Vincent High School, has already enrolled at Miami of Ohio. Meanwhile, Myles Carragein, Greg Gaskins and Dan Matha, all of whom will be incoming freshmen with Williams at Pitt this fall, also have pulled out of the game for various reasons.

Just, please, don’t get hurt.





Did you guys see this article on Herb Pope?

link to nytimes.com

Comment by scoocher 06.20.07 @ 10:11 am

Good catch scoocher. Interesting that Theus left yesterday to take the Kings job. Wonder how that will effect Pope – if at all.

Good quote in the article from Pope about his decision to tell the police who shot him.

“It was hard to tell because when you grow up in this environment, you always grow up with the mentality of, ‘Snitches get stitches,’ ” Pope said. “But at the time when it happened you’re thinking you’re going to die. I wouldn’t have told if I knew I wasn’t going to die, and then it’d get dealt with however it’d get dealt with.”

I think it’s a good idea that he goes as far away as possible. It just sounds like a bad environment and he knows it.

“Hopefully I make it there (New Mexico State University),” Pope said. “I hope nothing happens from now until whenever I’m supposed to leave to go down there. It worries and bothers me.”

Kind of kicks you back into the reality that these are just kids.

Comment by David in Orlando 06.20.07 @ 11:31 am

I’m rooting for Pope wherever he goes.

Comment by sid 06.20.07 @ 12:10 pm

Damn. Once committed to Pittsburgh. If we could have all the players that were once committed(Pope, Pryor), we might have something special.

Comment by Chris 06.20.07 @ 4:56 pm

I really think its best he is not going to Pitt. He needs to get out of the Burgh.

Comment by dan 06.20.07 @ 5:23 pm

I hear that sentiment but I find it a bit too convenient at times. I don’t doubt a change of scenery can help someone who has never known anything else. But there are bad parts of town anywhere you go. I’m sure New Mexico State provides ample opportunities to get in trouble. On the flip side, Oakland has plenty of churches and bookstores and coffee houses as well as bars. Anybody can live as clean a life as they want to just about anywhere. Pitt seems to provide a pretty good support system right now to encourage its guys to avoid trouble. Keith Benjamin and Yuri Demetris are the only remotely troublesome episodes I’ve heard of since the Howland/Dixon era.

Comment by geeman2001 06.20.07 @ 10:43 pm

Geeman – it’s really more than just wanting to change, especially with a 18 year old kid that has never known another way of life. Sometimes a geographical change, where the people in your past can’t reach out and touch you, is absolutely necessary. Maybe it’s hard for some of us that never grew up around the type of life he’s experienced, but as long as he stays in the PGH area he’ll be a target for a lot of different reasons.

I’m glad Pope seems to understand this and hopefully he can make something out of it – both on the court and off.

Comment by Reed 06.21.07 @ 7:46 am

Maybe that’s true. I’m old(er) school, about 25 years out now. I forget how kids have more access to transportation and technology (phones, PDAs) now. A distance like Aliquippa to Oakland is not the least bit significant these days. I grew up not much further than Aliquippa, yet when I went to Pitt, much of my daily ties to the old life disappeared. Old cronies (and adversaries) of mine who stayed behind wouldn’t have bothered coming ‘all the way’ to Oakland to party with (or harrass) me.

Jumping on a plane is much more common now too though, especially if you’re a big time hoops player perhaps getting perks like plane fare from boosters (let’s face reality). So it’s not like he can’t come back, or arrange for buddies to go there. Ultimately, it’s up to the individual to reform and (hopefully) there will be a support system at that school (Gawd knows there won’t be at WVU if he ends up there, per the rumors du jour).

Comment by geeman2001 06.21.07 @ 5:42 pm

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