Everyone is focused on the Blue-Gold football scrimmage. The Pete, meanwhile hosted the Pittsburgh Jam Fest. Courtesy of Big East Basketball Blog, there are reports on the games and players. The observations came from Anthony Jaskulksi, who covers high school basketball for Pittsburgh Sports Report.

From Day 1, Lamar Patterson continues to show that Pitt recognized him before many others did.

Patterson can have an off-game and still be a dominating presence, whether it comes from his ability to find the rebound on both ends of the floor, his shutdown defense, his mobile ability on offense used to nail even the toughest of shots. Patterson showed moments of fatigue in the first half tonight (i.e. slow up and down the court, front-of-the-iron jumpers and tough passes leading to turnovers). Entering the second half, Patterson was a different player, showing powerful moves to the hole, resulting in beautiful finishes and crisp passes that got his teammates easy layups. Patterson did not shy away from the defensive end, as the Pitt recruit harassed defenders, muscled up for strong rebounds, and looked up for smart half-court passes to wide-open guys.

There are some other targets for the 2009 class. Power forward Dante Taylor seems to have Pitt and Maryland at the top of his list.

Taylor showed the ability to handle the ball facing the hoop, as well as backing defenders down, working fundamental big man moves inside the paint. He has great court vision which leads to impressive passes and off-the-ball moves to get wide-open looks. Taylor impressed the crowd with a great back-to-the-basket, turnaround power step and jam late in the game, which shows the big man can be a versatile player, handling the ball and the strength to reach the basket. Taylor’s perimeter shot was as crisp as one could be for a power forward. His hustle and ability to finish the game is a superior asset for him on both ends of the floor, and proves he can be useful in clutch situations.

Taylor is a 4-star recruit and a consensus top-50 player for the class of 2009 from Maryland. From Scouts, Inc./ESPN.com:

Taylor is a strong, physical rebounder who enjoys tough competition. Dante can handle, run the floor, and plays within himself. He is a very intense player with a high learning curve. More comfortable facing the basket, Taylor needs to work on one or two solid low post scoring moves to go along with his mid-range jumper and power dribble moves on the baseline.

He seems to be a little raw from the evaluation, but the “upside” and “learning curve” are very attractive for the 6’8″ junior.

Another player with reported interest from Pitt is point guard Antoine Allen (grainy highlight reel video) who apparently has that gritty, aggressive thing in spades.

Local product Zeke Marshall, was apparently overmatched by the higher competition, as “the seven-foot junior finished with just six points and five rebounds, and fouled out halfway through the 2nd half.”

On Day 2, there were plenty of other players Pitt will be pursuing or looking closely for 2009 that performed. This included Andrew Fitzgerald, Dominic Cheek, Erique Gumbs, and Brian Oliver.

For Day 3, there were reports on two shooting guards that Pitt covets. Maurice Creek and Omari Lawrence. Creek showed that defense is not something he always cares about. He’s still a 4-star recruit and a top-20 shooting guard nationally. ESPN.com/Scouts, Inc. doesn’t seem quite so high on him.

Must continue to work on his ball-handling skills because he is much better right now off the ball. Must also consistently play with more energy. He seems to go as his offense does. If he is scoring, he appears to be more into the game and play harder at the defensive end of the floor.

The main target, though, is likely Omari Lawrence who is much more polished. There’s some discrepancy between Scout.com (4-star and #9 SG) and Rivals.com (3-star) at this time. ESPN.com/Scouts, Inc. comes down on the higher side listing him as the 46th best recruit in the 2009 class.

Lawrence has an incredible feel on the defensive end, and brings great intensity to every possession. His court vision works on both ends of the floor, giving him an exceptional ability to make impact plays. He is a finisher that with the help of a better passing game can become a full-package star. His shot selection was at its best, and he proved he can hit the long-range buckets as well as the short-range jumpers.

Locally, Schenley Guard Deandre Kane remains in limbo. He is awaiting his latest SAT and/or ACT scores and Pitt and other interested schools are unsure he will finish the school year with sufficient grades.

If anyone knows who Jamie Dixon owes a favor to in Bemidji, Minnesota please let me know just to satisfy my curiosity. In May he’s going to be a guest speaker at the 2008 North Central Basketball Coaching Clinic at the Bemidji Middle School. That’s just weird.