So Coach Dixon topped all wage earners at Pitt last year (and probably this year as well).

Dixon earned $1,296,482 in salary, $39,690 in employer contributions to benefits plans (a category that includes deferred compensation where applicable) and $13,227 in expense account and other allowances in FY 2007.

…

Dave R. Wannstedt, head football coach — $823,733 in salary, $29,396 in employer contributions to benefits plans and $18,526 in expense account and other allowances.

This was for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2007. In other words, what he got for the 2006-07 season. I wish there was more of a break down to see actual base salary plus the bonuses/incentives. The salary listed obviously includes the usual performance bonuses — making the NCAA Tournament, winning two games in the NCAA Tournament,  20+ wins, getting to the Big East Championship game, finishing in the top-25 rankings, finishing in the top quarter of the Big East.

As for Coach Wannstedt, that, um looks mostly like base salary.

A couple Q&A interviews to pass along.

DeJuan Blair spoke with Alex Schwartz at Northstar Basketball a couple weeks ago.

NB: What do you think the team will be capable of accomplishing next season?

DB: A lot of things, [with] everybody coming back, and plus the recruits we [are] getting in. We [will] just keep working hard. . . . I believe they picked us to be third in the nation, so that’s a big honor for us, so we just got to keep going.

There’s also one with Associate Head Coach Tom Herrion on the official Pitt website.

During your time as head coach at the College of Charleston, what insights about coaching were you able to obtain and bring with you when you arrived at Pitt?

“Well, most importantly you gain experience. As a coach, you see different situations wherever you are coaching and try to take those with you for the future. It’s my 19^th year of coaching so I try to take a little bit from each of my stops.”

Neither interview provides groundbreaking material, but you take what tidbits you can find at this point.

Way late to get to this, but with news scarce, allocating posts is now a careful process.

Mick Williams, if he can stay healthy, can be a big factor on Pitt’s D-line. He was one of three players givn the Ed Conway Award for most improved player after spring practices this season.

“Mick was a dominant player this spring,” Gattuso said. “He has really matured. He has a world of talent and was almost unblockable throughout our 15 spring practices. Mick was playing at a high level at the end of last year and it has carried over to an impressive off-season for him. We are all excited about what he can achieve in 2008.”

Two years ago, Williams, the top reserve at nose tackle behind returning starter Rashaad Duncan, made two tackles during the first three games of 2006 before the season-ending left shoulder history. After off-season surgery, he missed all of the 2007 spring drills to focus on strength training and rehabilitation. He was a 2005 redshirt.

As for another Williams, Mo may have some work to do off the field.

University of Pittsburgh wide receiver Maurice Williams has got some work to do in the classroom if he plans to do work on the football field this upcoming season.

The Strong Vincent graduate will attend summer school in an attempt to become academically eligible to play this year.

“Maurice Williams’ status for the 2008 season is dependent upon him meeting a number of academic requirements,” said E.J. Borghetti, Pitt’s associate athletic director for media relations.

This could be nothing. Just a freshman getting caught up with classes over the summer. But it should be noted so it won’t necessarily be a surprise if at the start of training camp Mo Williams name comes up by Coach Wannstedt as a player not yet on the field.

Dead period for recruiting. No organized practices permitted. Spring semester long past. That means it’s time for coaches and ADs to hit the chapter functions.

There’s the Mon Valley Panther Club holding its 25th annual banquet tomorrow. The three major coaches — Wannstedt, Dixon and Berenanto — are expected to attend.

A couple weeks ago, AD Pederson went to the Johnstown chapter’s banquet which returned after a 9 year break.

“These last six months have been pretty amazing,” Pederson said. “My first day here was the day we beat West Virginia (in football). A few days later we were beating Duke at Madison Square Garden (in basketball).

“We went through the tough injuries in basketball but (coach) Jamie Dixon did an unbelievable job of pulling everything through some tough times and getting us through a Big East championship,” he added. “(Coach) Agnus Berenato takes the women’s team to the Sweet 16, the first time in our history. Then, we had the only wrestler in the United States that goes wire to wire. Keith Gavin was the only undefeated wrestler in all of Division I wrestling.”

Both Coach Wannstedt and Offensive Coordinator Matt Cavanaugh were at the Central PA Chapter event last week.

He is confident in his university, his program, his team.

And, apparently, he sells that as good as anyone sells. Certainly, his first three recruiting classes have been applauded by the national experts, including the one two years ago that landed quarterback Pat Bostick from Lancaster, running back LeSean McCoy from Harrisburg and even William Penn offensive lineman Greg Gaskins.

Cavanaugh just watched the coach work the room Wednesday at Heritage Hills.

“I know what’s in his heart,” Cavanaugh said. “He said, ‘The one goal in life I’ve got remaining is to bring my alma mater back to national prominence.’

“He’s got no aspirations of going back to the NFL. He doesn’t want to work at another university. He wants Pitt to get back on top and that shows in everything he does. How he motivates the team, how he recruits, how he handles the media, how he talks to alumni.

“I believe it’s going to happen.”

So, yes, Lindy’s came out yesterday. Pitt’s Athletic Department was ready. Not surprising. They receive advanced copies of these preview guides for a reason.

That helps in getting out the press release the same day as the newstand sales begin.

The Pitt football team will feature two of the nation’s finest players this season according to Lindy’s 2008 College Football Preview.

Senior linebacker Scott McKillop has been named a first team All-American by Lindy’s, while sophomore tailback LeSean McCoy was named a second team All-American. McCoy additionally was named the Big East’s Offensive Player of the Year, while incoming freshman receiver and Aliquippa High product Jonathan Baldwin was named the conference’s Newcomer of the Year by the magazine.

In its preseason Top 25, Lindy’s rated Pitt No. 23 and wrote, “Given how strong the defense should be, if the offense comes together quickly, the Panthers could challenge for the Big East title.”

What they don’t mention in the press release was the overall theme on Pitt.  It is pretty much summed up in their capsule take in listing the top 25. For Pitt:

OUR CALL: No excuses. No excuses for anything less than a 4-0 start. No excuses for not going to a bowl. No excuses for nothing less than a full-hearted effort at the Big East title. The pressure is on Wannstedt.

As much as there is a lot of national, positive press for Pitt. A lot of “darkhorse” tags being put on this team. There is still the question of whether there will be a payoff.

To me, that is not at all unfair. I think we can expect to see a lot of that theme in the previews as the counter-balance to the expectations being put on this team.
The recruiting has been almost everything that could be hoped to see. The adjustments to the college game from the pros is long past. The development of depth and a team has progressed. All the injuries from last year are over. There was even a significant shake-up to the coaching staff with the DC and 3 assistants taking new jobs. It is time to start actually winning the games.

The good news about the passing of the Memorial Day weekend, it is the point when the previews for the 2008 college football season starts. Lindy’s will kick things off on the magazine previews this week, followed by Athlon. Sometime in June, will be the Holy Grail of college football previews — Phil Steele (who has Pitt listed at #25). There’s actually one less preview mag this year as Street & Smith’s was bought out by Sporting News (also late June).

As for online previews and punditry, they are already happening. Sunday Morning QB has his preview for Pitt.

If you want one big, optimism-fueling, over-the-rainbow moment, though, it’s obviously the season finale over West Virginia, a sudden display of ball-hogging physicality and defense that set the Mountaineers a-cursin’ their coach right out of town. This was a B12 shot not only for turning the tables on a rival set to play for the mythical championship, but for turning them with defense after a pair of unholy beatings the previous two meetings – White and Steve Slaton alone had 440 total yards in 2005 and an unseemly 639 in 2006, back-to-back 45-point efforts by WVU that could have been much worse. It was, you know…

He’s got some skepticism, and I keep thinking it is warranted. As much as I want to believe this is the year, and the idea that the WVU game will be the springboard, the defense will remain as strong, that the O-line will come together, and the QB issues will be solved. If I was saying this about another team other than Pitt, objectively I’d probably have a lot of doubts.

One thing I can say that SMQ got dead wrong — but I think we will read a lot of this summer — that if Pitt doesn’t deliver Coach Wannstedt is on the hot seat. Not true. There will be fan discontent and anger.

But hot seat to me means job in jeopardy. That isn’t happening. Not with his new contract. Not with the administration and wealthy alumni in his corner. It just won’t happen.

Interestingly enough, 2004, the year Harris took Pitt to the Fiesta Bowl in a very bad year for the Big East might play out again this year. No team in the conference looks particularly dominant or starting from a position of strength. Every team has questions. New coach (WVU), loss of key players (Rutgers and Louisville),  was it smoke and mirrors/can they do it again (Cinci and UConn), who will fail to qualify academically (USF). So, I have to agree with Stewart Mandel at SI.com when he says the Big East is wide open.

That said, if you were to ask me, “Who do you predict will win the Big East,” I would say … probably not West Virginia. Much of that is based on my aforementioned lack of faith in the Bill Stewart regime and the entirely realistic possibility of that program suffering a Louisville-type implosion (though that would more likely come next year), but it’s also because there are a whole bunch of other Big East teams sitting on the verge of a breakthrough. I’m just not sure which one it will be.

Pittsburgh is certainly one of those teams. As inexplicable as the then-4-7 Panthers’ Championship Saturday upset in Morgantown seemed at the time, the result wasn’t entirely fluky. (Remember, Pitt also beat 10-3 Cincinnati prior to that.) The Panthers’ defense was tremendous all season, finishing No. 5 nationally in yards allowed, and anyone who’s watched McCoy knows he’s an All-America-caliber back. The problem, as Pete noted above, was the absolute lack of a passing game. It’s no guarantee, but the return of last year’s opening-day QB Bill Stull and All-Big East WR Derek Kinder from injuries could help solve that.

More later.

Still no word about who John Calipari plans to hire as his new assistant.

I doubt Pitt is considering Kevin Parrom any longer after his altercation with his coach, Oliver Antigua. Who just happens to be the brother of Pitt assistant Orlando Antigua. Parrom, not surprisingly, was done with St. Raymonds and vice versa after that.

Being the multiple media outlets of NYC, one paper reported that Antigua might lose his job over it.

While athletic director Ron Patnosh refused to comment on Antigua’s job status, saying that he would wait until the legal process was over, sources inside and outside the Bronx school said that Antigua’s days with the Ravens could be numbered.

“It’s 50-50 right now,” said one source. “It doesn’t look good. The school and the league aren’t happy about any of this.”

But, then, maybe not.

One final word on Kevin Parrom incident: We understand the CHSAA has opted to take no stance in the matter and the St. Raymond’s administration will apparently back current coach Oliver Antigua.

Given the latter bit came from Dick Weiss, I’ll guess that Antigua is safe.

Not sure if you’ve ever seen the show on HGTV or Fine Living called, “What You Get For the Money.” It’s a half-hour show that goes to houses around the country with the same market value. Usually 4-6 different spots, with a focus on a few of the homes.

It’s one of the shows my wife will watch. She called me out on one episode because it included a home in Pittsburgh. It was a $300,000 remodeled row house on the South Side.

Turns out the home is owned by Matt Cavanaugh and his girlfriend. Highly amusing since you know it wasn’t his idea to do be on the show. Awkwardly pointing out his four framed NFL jerseys with a team picture in each. I didn’t see a Pitt jersey on the wall, though.

I just wish they would post the video clip. I’m not sure how I could upload the clip from my DVR. Everything I read on that says that the USB port on it won’t let you actually move or copy video from the DVR hard drive (legally).

Anyways, if you have Fine Living Network, it airs at 11:30 Monday morning.

It won’t happen for a while. And I’m starting to think BE Commish Mike Tranghese might have actually had a plan.

Step 1: Protect the BE’s place in the BCS. Done.
Step 2: Expand both sides so that when there is a split, the two separate conferences are the ones choosing who joins in the long-term. In the short-term it provides a balance so neither side has too much power. Done.
Step 3: TV Money/exposure must improve. Done.
Step 4: Improve and expand the bowl tie-ins. The Big East will have up to 7 bowl tie-ins in the next couple of years — Done.

Step 5: Whisper, quietly nudge potential new members that they need to make sure they are getting things in order.

That seems to be what has been happening. For all the frustration I’ve had with the Big East and Tranghese, there does seem like a long-term strategy. Both sides have been strengthened and put in better position. Now it’s about getting it stabilized and established to ready for the final point where here is an amicable split and expansion.

The inevitable result has always been that the Big East will split and both sides expand/raid other conferences. It’s the timetable and manner that has been an issue.

I favored just doing it, but I’m starting to think I was being a bit impulsive to get to the natural end.

Now, here’s a well thought out, definitely not short treatise on a short-term expansion of the Big East to 18 members in.

Now which two institutions do I think would best shore up the existing alignment of the Big East for the benefit of all 16 current members? The University of Central Florida and Saint Louis University. Both institutions compliment the structure of the Big East in geographic areas containing odd numbers of current members. Please keep bearing with me.

Like I said, it’s a long piece, but actually well-reasoned. I don’t think the Big East would do it. When the time comes I expect the BE to split and expand.

I disagree with him on St. Louis, period. The Bilikens have never walked as big as they talk. They have been one of the most nomadic teams and frankly they need to go back to the MVC. Basketball could and might only expand to 10. That way they could play a true round-robin in an 18 game schedule. Xavier and St. Joe’s would be the likely options.

Football will likely add UCF, Memphis and ECU. Whether there is a 12th is not as important for the Big East football. Especially since the pool is poor after those 3 — Army, Navy, Temple, UAB, Southern Miss. None are particularly appealing for competitiveness, financial commitment and/or geography. Really, having Villanova take the plunge and moving to 1-A would be better than those other choices.

Then there’s this brilliant bit from Troy Nunes is a Magician on Big East football expansion.

There was a good question about why I wrote the prior piece on recruiting writing. We are in the dead period of college football and basketball. Outside of prognostication and puff pieces, generally the only “news” will be on recruiting. I figured it might be best to get some of my feelings out there to better clarify my biases. The info I relay does go through my filters.

We all want to know the info, but it’s not particularly sourced by it’s nature. There are general facts like which schools a kid is considering. Which schools will get official visits. Firm dates on certain events. Who teams are pursuing. After that, it starts getting hazy. No matter how certain the story reads, there is always a good chance things will change.

Getting to the verbal commitment is great, but even that isn’t much more than an early promise from a junior or senior in high school.

Heck, think back to the 2+ years of recruiting LeSean McCoy. Things change. Decisions that seemed firm once, become less so.

My way of dealing with the roller coaster of this is generally to take things lightly, with a bit of cyncism and sarcasm. So onwards.

Pitt appears interested in an option QB from Bethlehem — Bryan Morris.

“My trip to Pitt went well,” Morris said. “Coach (Brian) Angelichio is recruiting me and he took me around the facilities which were all very nice. Everything looks brand new and they share them with the Steelers, so that’s pretty cool. They also had a really cool indoor field there. I got to meet with Head Coach Dave Wannstedt briefly while I was there as well. I like that Pitt is close to home, so my parents could come watch me and also thought the players and coaches were great. I am getting letters consistently from them and had the coaches by to visit recently.”

UConn is also going strong after him. He has interest from Louisville, BC and Michigan State as well. No offers, though.

Another player Pitt is keeping close tabs on is one with family ties. Bret Gunn, who has some great speed and plays running back. He is the step-brother to Linebacker Adam Gunn, and this year took the last name of Gunn.

Gunn put on a dazzling performance at the WCCA championships, winning the 100- and 200-meter dashes and the long jump and running the anchor leg of the winning 400-meter relay.

He shattered a 30-year-old county record in the long jump. The four-gold-medal performance earned him the combined Most Valuable Performer award for the second year in a row.

He scored 32 1/2 points — by himself.

“That’s a Jim Thorpe kind of day,” said Hempfield track coach Gene Brisbane, who has helped officiate the WCCA meet for 12 years. “Although, I don’t know if many of these kids today have heard of Jim Thorpe.”

And we know Coach Wannstedt loves speed. He’s listed by both recruiting sites as a WR.

There’s a couple reasons I stay away from the area of recruiting news beyond linking to info from others and basic opinion. As much as we all crave the info. The scoop. The inside info. There are days when the whole thing just makes you want to take a chemical rinse to wash it all away.

Let’s face it, the whole nature of recruiting has a natural “eww” factor. We are talking borderline stalking of young, athletic boys — by multiple parties. And fans are on websites and forums obsessively tracking and going on emotional rollercoasters over their plans. I try not to think too much about that.

From highly accomplished and acclaimed coaches doing whatever it takes to convince some kid in high school to come sign, to the recruiting sites breathlessly reporting on the latest impulses of a 16-year old boy. And so much crosses each wire. The coaches and assistants feed some info to the recruiting sites to maneuver and relay info to the recruits. The recruiting sites use that info to have scoops. Everyone knows the game and plays it. I don’t want to say all sides use each other, so much as carefully share information to maximize their own interests. Even the kids at this point. They understand. Probably better than most of us.

It also means those that do write on recruiting are generally stuck with info that comes off as vague unless it comes from the kids, the family or the high school/AAU coaches. College coaches and the assistants aren’t allowed to talk on the record about recruits. That’s an NCAA no-no. So anything gleaned from sources within an athletic department have to be protected. It can’t come back, which requires a certain nebulous quality in conveying that side of the info.

On the academic issues, there’s a lot of problems in tracking that. There are privacy/verification issues of the student. Plus, these things are fluid. Heck, I posted on FanHouse about how Arizona commit Brandon Jennings has not yet academically qualified. It doesn’t mean he won’t get qualified. But right now, he hasn’t. It has an impact on how early a commit can get on campus and people want to know. So even if ultimately it comes to nothing, it gets reported at that moment.

Pitt’s not ducking Robert Morris this year.

With RMU Head Coach Mike Rice now a year removed from being a Pitt assistant, the game is back. Apparently it might take place sometime in January. Seems odd to do it as the Big East portion of the schedule is getting underway. However, Pitt has some non-con road games and hopefully a tournament to take part — making travel and planning some games tricky. Last year the BE schedule was a little odd with some gaps and then a blitz of games. This might be Pitt’s way of trying to even out the game sched in the second half and giving greater flexibility in building the non-con.

Per Chris Dokish at Pittsburgh Sports Report, Pitt will be with the heavyweights to work on getting Dominic Cheek.

As for his Division-1 bound teammates, he says Tyshawn Taylor (Kansas), Mike Rosario (Rutgers) and Travon Woodall (Pittsburgh) all will factor in his recruiting.

“All of those guys try to recruit me to their teams every day,” laughs Cheek, who says he is equally close with all three. “I have nothing against any of those dudes and I would play with them, no problem.”

Does Cheek have any interest in Pitt?

“Oh, I’m interested in them a lot,” he said. “I definitely want to visit them.”

[St. Anthony’s Coach Bob] Hurley agrees that Pitt is a major player in the Cheek sweepstakes.

“Pitt is definitely on the list,” he said.

Cheek also has offers from Texas and Florida and can be assumed to have plenty of others as a consensus top-20 national player. According to Dokish, Pitt wasn’t looking for another small forward/swingman for the 2009 class, but the interest from Cheek and his talent makes him someone they could not, not pursue.

Cheek, by the way was invited to tryout for the USA Under-18 squad.
Nasir Robinson, it seems is not yet qualified academically. Something to watch after Dodson last year. To say nothing of the fact that if Mike Cook does get a medical waiver, Pitt is over the scholarship limit.

Assuming Robinson does qualify, though, Pitt comes in with the 24th best recruiting class according to ESPN/Scouts, Inc.

The Panthers received four signatures during the early period led by ESPN 100 small forward Nasir Robinson. During the late signing period, juco point guard Jermaine Dixon joined the Panthers, providing more depth and stability in the backcourt. Pittsburgh also has talented guards Travon Woodall and Ashton Gibbs in addition to power forward Dwight Miller as members of their 2008 recruiting class.

Via NBE Basketball Report, Brian Crownover of CAA Insider looks at some players from the IS8 Semifinals. Kevin Parron is mentioned, but I’m not sure how interested Pitt is in him at this point.

Omari Lawrence

The Panthers had a rough start and the big part of that was the early struggles of their talented duo. Omari miss several jumpers and a couple drives to the hoop before he really got going. He’s always looking to push that ball and did so again in this game. Omari finally got going as the game wore on. He hit a three pointer, a floater and had a beautiful play where he drove across the lane and banked home a shot. The skilled wing stilled ended up pouring in 28 points, but it came a little too late.

The 2009 guard has St. John’s, Seton Hall, Georgetown and Pittsburgh, among others, interested in his talents.

…

Sterling Gibbs

This youngster had a couple nice plays. He hit a three pointer from the perimeter as well as another jumper. He also had a nice drive and dish play. Sterling is the younger brother of 2008 Pittsburgh commit Ashton Gibbs. The class of 2011 point guard is already on the radar of many Big East schools, especially that of the Panthers.

Sterling has been on the radar of a number of schools for at least the past year. He is, by all accounts, going to be a highly sought talent.

So Pitt and Coach Jamie Dixon are going to host a Coaches vs. Cancer event in Pittsburgh this year. Along with the American Cancer Society and UPMC it will be the first ever Hoops for Hope Basketball Gala on May 31 at the Petersen Events Center.

How’s that working out for the Coaches vs. Cancer Tournament appearance?

Rich (Pittsburgh): Andy – Coaches vs Cancer or Legends Classic for Pitt? I am hearing conflicting reports on which tournament they will play in.

Andy Katz: Right now Pitt is being moved over to the Legends Classic in New Jersey. This isn’t done but that appears to be their spot.

That noise started last week. Looks like the organizers want to have better odds of a Duke-UCLA meeting. From a marketing standpoint I can see it. Michigan is a likely non-factor to challenge, but is a name school. Adding Rutgers is reasonably safe to get that Duke-UCLA match-up.

I don’t like it as a Pitt fan, and if the goal is supposed to be to raise money for Coaches vs. Cancer it’s a mistake overall.

Pitt is hosting it’s first gala in support of the charity. Hopes were being raised that the basketball team was going to be a participant in the Tournament. That kind of synergy would really help the Pittsburgh event. Now, Pitt is being pushed to a one-game neutral site. Not nearly the same.

EDITOR CORRECTION: My bad. The Legends Classic is a not a one-off game. It is a mini-tournament like the Coaches vs. Cancer. Thanks to Bethlehemjohn for the correction.

Still not particularly happy since it does at least present a perception of being shoved down a tier for the profile of the event.

UPDATE (4:36): Per Andy Katz’s blog today (Insider subs.):

Pitt is no longer a lock to go to the Coaches vs. Cancer tournament in New York with UCLA, Duke and Michigan. The Panthers are more likely to land in the Legends Classic in Newark with Texas Tech. Five schools in the mix for the four remaining spots in the two tournaments are Pitt, Mississippi State, Nebraska, Washington State and/or Southern Illinois.

Yeah. Downgraded. Definitely downgraded.

The Backyard Brawl this year will be a national telecast on ABC at noon on Friday.

OK, so what’s the big deal about that? Well, since Big East Conference football was regenerated following the loss of three programs to the Atlantic Coast Conference, the league has had only one national TV date for a conference game on ABC.

One more excuse to skip out on any “Black Friday” crap.