This is day 2 of the pledge drive for PittBlather.com. For those who don’t remember why I ask for support, here’s why. When I started writing PittBlather (and its predecessor PittSportsBlather), the deal with my wife was that this would not cost anything other than time.

Keep in mind that your contributions to PittBlather.com can help to indoctrinate the next generation of Pitt fans.*

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As per Andy Katz at ESPN.com (Insider sub., hat tip to Matt O.), Pitt appears to be one of the participants in the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic supporting Coaches versus Cancer.

Matchups for the Coaches vs. Cancer and CBE tournaments will be determined soon. But one juicy rematch could occur in Madison Square Garden next November.

If the four hosts advance to New York for the CVC, the likely semifinals could be Duke vs. Pitt and UCLA vs. Michigan. Duke is scheduled to play Michigan a week later, so that would detract from a Duke-Michigan semifinal and set up a likely Duke-Pitt rematch of a dandy game last December at MSG. Assuming UCLA wins, then you’d either have a classic UCLA-Duke final of the event with two of the best name programs in the game, or a UCLA-Pitt game, which pits two top 10 teams and two best friends in Ben Howland and Jamie Dixon of UCLA and Pitt, respectively.

The CVC is run by the Gazelle Group. They don’t list this year’s participants yet, but the “Regional Rounds” (read: campus locations of the 4 favorites) are scheduled for November 10-14. Everyone will be in fear of being “Gardner-Webbed” this go round.
The Semifinals are at MSG on November 20, with the Championship on November 21. The site has a sign-up page for e-mail updates and to enter to win free tickets.

The Tom Herrion media appreciation continues. Jeff Goodman at Fox Sports lists his top-20 assistants at “high-major” programs. Herrion comes in at #11.

Herrion jumped on Jamie Dixon’s staff prior to last season and was recently promoted to associate head coach. He was previously the head coach at the College of Charleston for four years and averaged 20 wins per season in his tenure. The 40-year-old also worked for Pete Gillen for eight years at Virginia and Providence.

Goodman moved Pitt to #11 in his updated early pre-season top-25 after the declarations of early entry.

The Panthers lose senior guards Ronald Ramon and Keith Benjamin. While both are replaceable, Jamie Dixon will need to find someone who can shoot the ball from the perimeter. Pittsburgh has point guard Levance Fields back and healthy and Sam Young and DeJuan Blair are a force up front, while guys like Gilbert Brown and Tyrell Biggs showed flashes.

From the Big East, UConn #3, Louisville #5, ND #7, G-town #13, ‘Nova #17, Marquette #18, WVU #21.

The meme that — the Big East is a loaded beast of a conference this year — has already started will only get stronger after the summer and the draft returnees. That of course will create the backlash and contrarian arguments for the ACC or Pac-10.

Rivals.com, has Pitt way up in their really early poll (#2). One of their writers has Pitt as his #1 pre-season team.

Here is what Pittsburgh has returning: one of the nation’s best point guards, one of the nation’s best forwards and one of the nation’s best centers, not to mention one of the nation’s best coaches. And that’s just for starters. The Panthers also hope to have back a fourth starter, swingman Mike Cook, who suffered a torn ACL in the 11th game last season. Cook was a senior, but he has applied for a medical redshirt.

…

When Connecticut beat Pittsburgh 60-53 last season in the teams’ only meeting, in Hartford mind you, neither Fields, who was out with a broken foot, nor Cook was available. When Fields returned after a 12-game absence and regained his stamina, the Panthers ripped through the Big East tournament to claim the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. They beat Louisville, Marquette and Georgetown on consecutive days.

That’s the Pitt team I expect to see this season. From November into April.

Here’s hoping the players don’t start buying into the hype and their own press-clippings.

It’s that dreaded time again. It’s been two years and now it’s time to ask for donations in support of PittBlather.com. Unlike the last time, this go-round has modest goals. I’m just looking to take care of server costs for the next couple of years along with getting some work done on the site.

I’m as uncomfortable about asking as you probably are reading this.

As usual, all the contributions during this week will be plowed directly into this site.

Some of you have already hit the begging buttons this year, so thanks once more.

If you are more comfortable directly sending a check, drop me an e-mail at pittblather-at-gmail-dot-com and I’ll give you an address.

It’s with your assistance that this kind of hard work can continue.

Yes, spring practice ended over two weeks ago, but there are still old stories to rehash and things I never got to. In part, because now that we are in the dead period it’s good to hold some things in reserve.

Thinks like player (puff) pieces.

You’ve probably read most of them. Sophomore safety Dom DeCicco had a piece and he discussed a little of the change on the defense under new DC Phil Bennett.

DeCicco said Bennett left much of the defense the same and just added some new wrinkles. Still, he said that Benett’s personality is different and that Bennett is stressing a more aggressive, playmaking approach and philosophy to the defense. The Panthers were second-to-last in the Big East in both interceptions and forced turnovers.DeCicco said he would like to see himself as a player who could help be part of a turnaround in those areas.

Which, of course, is consistent with everything that has been said about the change to the defense this year. A good deal of that also has to do with more speed at all positions on the defense. I’m going to break character and skip the stock Paul Rhodes bashing. He’s gone, that’s all that matters.

Speaking of more speed at all positions, that also includes the increased depth. At linebacker, redshirt freshman Greg Williams has settled in at linebacker after a couple changes in position.

“This might be the place I’ll be the rest of my football life,” Williams said. “I’m doing well. I might have found a home.”

A cousin of Arizona Cardinals tailback Edgerrin James of Immokalee and a nephew of former NFL back Albert Bentley of Immokalee, Williams started at that position this past season. He ran for 1,481 yards and 17 touchdowns as a Barron Collier senior in 2006 and for 3,077 yards in his career.

After redshirting this past fall, he was first moved to strong safety then to outside linebacker. Being moved constantly didn’t sit well with Williams until he talked to new defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Phil Bennett, the former coach at Southern Methodist.

“At first, I was down and upset because I didn’t want to play linebacker,” Williams said. “But I’ve grown to like it because I’m fast and I know what running backs like to do.”

Of course, there might be some temptation to move Williams back to safety because of depth issues. Williams, though, impressed throughout spring practices with his play at linebacker so that doesn’t seem too likely that they coaches would keep shifting him around when he is developing an affinity for the spot.

I regularly try to praise the NBE Basketball Report for a good reason. It is one of my daily reads and has gone beyond being the best link round-up on Big East Basketball. The site also features regular and original recruiting news of Big East targets provided from the fine writers at Pittsburgh Sports Report, CAA Insider, Northstar Basketball and others. So if you want to follow the Pitt and other Big East recruiting make sure you read it daily.

Here’s a sampling of some key stuff from the past few days.

I never got around to linking to a Q&A done with Dante Taylor from Pittsburgh Jam Fest.

Chris Dokish provides a look at Pitt recruiting 2008 through 2010.

There is also a look at 2009 big man target, Aaric Murray.

A couple other big man targets include Zeke Marshall and Mouphtaou Tarou. Brian Crownover of CAA Insider has a look at how they, Dan Jennings and other BE targets did in the King James AAU Tournament.

One of the AAU teams, DC Blue Devils provided a specific report on how some of their players did. Not to mention that another member Talib Zanna — a 6-9 BF/C — is getting interest from Pitt.

Meanwhile, looking at the 2008 NBA Draft, Chad Ford lists players who are in, who aren’t really in and who should have. Sam Young makes his list of players who should have declared this year.

Young is 23 years old and coming off a breakout season. He should’ve struck while the iron was hot.

Louisvlle’s Earl Clark also falls in that category.

The Big East as Andy Katz at ESPN.com writes will be an especially brutal conference.

The Big East had only three players declare early — West Virginia junior Joe Alexander, Marquette junior Jerel McNeal and Syracuse freshman Donte Greene.

So far none have signed with an agent, meaning they all retain their amateur eligibility. Alexander and Greene are projected to go in the first round, with the chance that they could still slide to the second round. That means they may ride it out until the June 16 deadline to withdraw from the draft. McNeal is likely going to return to Marquette.

Connecticut’s Hasheem Thabeet stayed in school, a decision that Villanova coach Jay Wright said amazed him. So, too, did Louisville’s Earl Clark. Pitt’s Sam Young decided against leaving. Marquette’s Dominic James and Syracuse’s Jonny Flynn opted to remain as well. Notre Dame’s Luke Harangody, the Big East’s Player of the Year, didn’t give leaving much of a thought.

“We could have easily lost two or three more guys,” Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said. “We’re not losing guys. It’s going to be a superstrong league again.”

Of the 15 underclassmen on the first two All-Big East teams last season, 12 are coming back. Seniors accounted for only four of the conference’s top 25 scorers and three of its top 20 rebounders. And there were no seniors among the top nine leaders in assists.

The projected favorites of the league — Connecticut, Louisville, Notre Dame and Pitt — are all potential Final Four teams.

This is why Marquette has to have extra anxiety with the loss of Crean and hiring an assistant. The way the conference is stacked right now, it is really easy to get buried in the conference. Really easy.

Given the depth and number of returning players and teams nearly intact –UConn, ND, Marquette, Villanova and Pitt all only lose a couple players who seem replaceable –  it is going to be real easy to have a good season and finish 5th or 6th.

Just look at this Rivals.com top-25 projection. Pitt is 2nd. UConn 1st, ND 4th and Louisville 8th. 4 of their top 8 from the BE. Along with G-town Marquette and Villanova in the top-20. WVU is left out for now (probably pending Joe Alexander’s decision).
As you look at that depth and the fact that this season the 3-point line moves to 20-9 — a foot further out — and you do at least get why Coach Jamie Dixon decided he needed to bring in a new JUCO for the shooting guard position rather than risk relying on a freshman to be ready.

While the women’s BE schedule was announced, the men’s won’t be until after June 16 — when the conference will know about which players are staying in the draft. The TV contracts and slightly unbalanced schedule demand waiting. I do expect Pitt to have one of the toughest conference schedules this year.

I’ve been thinking about this for a couple weeks. Ever since I found out about Georgia basketball coach Dennis Felton’s pledge and follow-through.

Before a January game against Georgia Tech, Georgia Coach Dennis Felton addressed the students. He vowed to shave his mustache if the Bulldogs won the SEC Tournament.

Student interest for the basketball games were flagging — to be kind. Of course Georgia won the SEC Tournament, and Felton kept his word.

“To be honest, I seriously don’t remember making that promise,” Felton, clad in a red jacket, told students gathered around a grassy patch between the student center and the UGA Bookstore. “I’ve had this mustache since it first came when I was 3 or 4.”

Felton’s personal barber, Vernell Wilson of Wilson’s Hair World, did the deed. It took a surprisingly long time, considering the pencil-thin style of mustache Felton wears.

But Wilson, who cuts Felton’s hair at least once a week, said he never had shaved anyone outdoors, encircled by a couple hundred students with a grunge rock band playing in the background.

“I’ve never touched his mustache,” Wilson said. “He’s real particular about it. So this was an honor, and there was some pressure.”

They made it into an event.

Now this brings us to Pitt football, the students and the Wannstache. That which he grew to follow the way of the Bronson.

It’s a big season (hopefully). The team needs the students to turn out in full this year. To really help provide the the home field spark. Last year the student section didn’t even sell out.

My thought is that the Coach Wannstedt make a deal. If the student section sells out — and they attend the games — and if Pitt wins the Big East or wins a BCS bowl, then Wannstedt shaves the ‘stache.

How does that not further get things juiced for this season? How do the players themselves not want to make that happen?

You can’t tell me that Schick or Gillette wouldn’t be interested in sponsoring this. There certainly would be ESPN coverage.

I can picture it. Halftime at a Pitt basketball game. A single chair at halfcourt. A small tray with a couple razors and some shaving cream. A barber waiting. Out of the tunnel strides Coach Wannstedt.

The place would go crazy.

This has to happen.