Recruiting never ends. What about 2009?

“Compared to last year, it’s going to be off,” Metro Index scouting director Joe Butler said. “You’re not going to have the number of national recruits, but more Mid-American Conference-type recruits, which is still really good football. Last year, we had an unbelievable number of high-end talents. There’s not as much high-end talent, but there are a couple kids that are exceptional.”

That’s no surprise to WPIAL coaches, who realize that ’08 wasn’t your typical recruiting class. Of the 31 Division I-A recruits, 22 signed with BCS programs. Pryor, named national player of the year by PARADE, was one of four WPIAL stars to play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. Three others also played in national all-star games.

“I don’t know if there will ever be another group like this past group: You’re looking at five kids nationally ranked in the top 100 by some service or another, then having the No. 1 kid,” Gateway coach Terry Smith said. “I think there’s a chance for two or three kids to be in the top 100 this year. It may be as strong a group from A to Z, but not top end.”

It’s only fitting that recruiting analysts believe the top three prospects in the WPIAL are players who were overshadowed this past season by star senior teammates: Gateway linebacker Dorian Bell and receiver Corey Brown and Montour all-purpose back E.J. Banks.

Dorian Bell is a top-20 recruit nationally. Bell and Brown already have offers from Pitt. Looks like Pitt is going to have look harder at the rest of the state and outside Pennsylvania to pull in a recruiting class comparable to this past one. Winning a lot more games would definitely help that process.

I had been unaware that new Linebackers Coach Joe Tumpkin was actually hired by Central Florida in January. Barely a month on the job before he got a better offer and a chance to work with his old boss.

Well, it’s not like Pitt could avoid playing 1-AA teams for too long. New Hampshire will be coming in 2010 for a $300,00 pay out.

Mark Schlabach at ESPN.com has a revised, way-too-early top-25. Pitt clocks in at 22.

After beating West Virginia 13-9 in one of the biggest upsets of 2007, the Panthers finally seemed poised to turn the corner under coach Dave Wannstedt. QB Pat Bostick and tailback LeSean McCoy both played remarkably well as freshmen, and the defense showed some bite at season’s end. If the Panthers can learn to win close games — they lost four games by seven or fewer points last season — they might be one of the country’s biggest surprises.

How about just blowing some teams out, so it becomes a moot point?

On Friday night I made the trek five minute drive to North Allegheny HS for the WPIAL basketball playoff game between McKeesport and Upper St. Clair. Why go? The answer is not too easy to miss on the court — 6′ 11″ center Zeke Marshall. There’s tall people and then there’s tall people; he’s tall. According to Scout.com, Marshall (currently a junior, class of 2009, 3 stars) has an offer from Pitt as well as Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Akron, with interest from a few other schools. If the kid has an offer to play at Pitt and he’s right in my backyard, I figured I’d take a look at him.

Of course, I am in no way a scout. I have, however, enough common sense and seen enough basketball to make a few observations on basic skills. First off, as soon as you see him you’re going to notice a lack of real bulk and muscle. He’s tall but also skinny. Offense and defense are two different worlds for Marshall.

On offense, he has trouble really getting good position and lacks the strength to make a strong move to the basket. With the ball, he looks clumsy and sometimes forgets he’s so much taller than his opponent — where he could hold the ball up high and get an uncontested shot, he brings the ball low and makes himself smaller.

Defensively, he’s solid. He blocks shots well and his timing and coordination seems improved when going for the blocks. He can grab rebounds and has better hands than Aaron Gray but nowhere as good as DeJuan Blair. Again, he doesn’t have enough strength to completely hold off other big players and he’s not quick enough to close out on a shooter, even on short shots from the foul line.

He’s definitely a project for Jamie Dixon if he ends up at Pitt and I’m not sure how well he can stack up with very good big men in the Big East. Not to be harsh on a high school kid, just doing my best as a creepy guy who monitors every move a recruit makes. In reality, isn’t that what high school scouts are?

No denying that Pitt hasn’t had any luck with JUCOs lately. I know, personally, that I would just as soon Pitt not bother any more. JUCOs are so hit or miss given the competition and coaching questions.
That hasn’t stopped Pitt from getting a verbal from Jermaine Dixon. A 6’2″ guard for the Tallahassee Community College Eagles.
If you believe Pitt is due for a JUCO recruit to pan out for the first time since Ontario Lett, then this might be it.

If you believe in bloodlines, then this is a great recruit. Dixon is the younger brother of former Maryland great Juan Dixon — now with the Toronto Raptors. Dixon was also being recruited by K-State and Arkansas.

According to the numbers he’s the leading scorer and rebounder on the team. He’s shooting 48% overall, but only 27% on 3s. He appears to be a good free throw shooter — 78%. To this point, he’s also taken more than twice as many shots as any of his teammates. His assist to turnover numbers are not pretty 89-82. He does have 69 steals, though.
In December he was named co-NJCAA Player of the Week. He’s been the best player on this team.
He’s listed as a point guard, so I thought he was being brought in to provide more depth behind Fields and perhaps serve the transition for the following year. The thing is, he was just moved there this year.

His role has evolved from shooting guard to running the point for the Eagles. Even so, Jermaine often finds a way to demonstrate the kinds of skills that can’t be taught.

It’s not unusual for him to come off a screen to find an opening, often firing up shots that seem to be going nowhere before they suddenly rip through the net.

“That’s what I knew growing up — shoot the ball,” he said. “You just have to stay focused on the rim. If you’re focused on the rim you can get it.”

While Jermaine got better at perfecting the difficult shots with help from his brothers, he wasn’t always considered the best on his high school teams. But he wanted to be and by his senior year at Maine Central Institute he was ranked the sixth-best shooting guard in the state.

For some reason being the 6th best shooting guard in Maine isn’t totally reassuring.

This one is a head scratcher to me. Dixon seems more like a combo or shooting guard. Definitely not a pure point guard which I could better understand. The bright point is that he can shoot well off of screens and appears to be a slasher to the basket.