News is really light in case you hadn’t noticed, so a little bit of how Aaron Gray doing a good job in the summer league.

Gray has impressed coaches thus far with his size, physical play and toughness.

“He has a big body and isn’t afraid to use it,” coach Scott Skiles said.

Skiles is watching league play courtside as assistant Jim Boylan runs the team.

“I think Gray’s movements can be deceptive,” Skiles said. “He can appear to be slow. But he is covering ground. He has a chance because he has legit size and he plays like a big man. He likes to use his size and rebound. He has made good decisions with the ball.”

Gray finished with 15 points and four rebounds in 23 minutes against the Heat, not that he’s impressed with anything he does in summer league anyway.

“I’m more trying to learn our system and the defensive principles,” Gray said. “I’ve felt good getting up and down the floor, and I grew up hitting people because I played football. You learn quickly it’s better to hit than get hit.”

Yes, summer league doesn’t mean much as far as the numbers. For Gray, though, playing well means being on the roster in the fall. After both summer league sessions, Gray will be heading to Las Vegas for a big man camp that is run by Pitt alum and former Pitt coach Tim Grgurich.

There’s also a great Q&A (puffer) with Gray on the Bulls.com.

Bulls.com: You were named the Big East’s most improved player in 2005.06. What allowed you to go from a guy coming off the bench to the team leader that year?

Gray: “The main thing was having more of an opportunity to play. My coaching staff always believed in me and so did my teammates, even when I wasn’t playing a lot. Chris Taft (selected with the 42nd pick of the 2005 NBA Draft) was ahead of me and I had to wait for my time. When he left to pursue the NBA, I was ready. Coach Dixon didn’t go out and recruit three other seven-footers because he was confident in me and my abilities. I knew I was able to step up into a bigger role, and going against Chris Taft and Chevy Troutman and players like that every day in practice only helped me improve my game. When my time came, I was ready.”

…

Bulls.com: After considering leaving school for the draft last year, you decided on another year at Pitt. What factored into that decision?

Gray: “In looking ahead at the rest of my life, it just wasn’t an opportunity I could pass up. Maybe I’d have been drafted higher last year and I’d be in a position to make more money, but it was more of a life decision for me. I’d have always wondered how good we could have been or how far we could have gone. We went to the Sweet Sixteen and I got to be a part of that. We had a good team with a lot of guys back and I really enjoyed college. I love the University of Pittsburgh; the people and the city treated me great. I kind of felt like I owed it to them a little bit to come back for another year.”

[Emphasis added.]

Looks like we know how Pitt will be starting the season this year. Hosting the Hispanic College Fund Classic. Last year, it was held at UConn. There’s no announcement by Pitt, but St. Louis has released their non-con schedule to give us the info.

The Majerus era begins as the Billikens open the regular season playing in the “Hispanic College Fund Classic” an exempted tournament hosted by Pittsburgh. The Billikens face North Carolina A&T on Fri., Nov. 9, and Houston Baptist, which was 22-7 and is making the transition to Division I, on Sat., Nov. 10. SLU closes out the tournament on Sun., Nov. 11, against the host Panthers, who are coming off a 29-8 record.

So, now we know three more teams Pitt will have on its non-con St. Louis (making it 3 A-10 teams played this coming season) and NC A&T and Houston Baptist as part of the cream-puff portion.