A couple stories that are connected by ties with Pitt. The ties of family and history.

Bret Gunn, the stepbrother of linebacker Adam Gunn, wants to come to Pitt. He plays both Safety and Running Back. Given his speed — he’s a top track guy — I’m sure Coach Wannstedt would love to see him at safety. What the younger Gunn has to do if he wants to go to Pitt — or anywhere — is get to work on the grades.

According to Scout.com, several colleges are showing interest in Gunn, including Buffalo, Connecticut, Florida State, Ohio State, North Carolina, Pitt, Syracuse and Virginia. But the speedy, 5-foot-11, 165-pounder has no scholarship offers yet.

“At this rate, (the colleges) are going to stop looking at him,” Ed Gunn said. “If he doesn’t pass summer school, he could miss the early part of the season.”

Ed Gunn wanted to share his son’s situation, much like Tonie Clemons, the mother of former Valley receiver/defensive back Toney Clemons, did.

…

“Bret and I had a long conversation about (grades),” Kiski Area first-year coach Harvey Smith said. “I tried to explain to him where he stands and the opportunity before him. He needs to do what he needs to do.”

Bret Gunn has made strides at improving much in his life. His family life is much more stable, but he still has to make his choices.

Recent Pitt verbal, Juantez Hollins had another story last week. I realize Aliquippa has produced some of the best Pitt players. Still, the whole meme gets a bit tiresome and perhaps a bit of a burden for players.

While Hollins concedes he needs to become much stronger, his play, as well as the interest he received from colleges, has been fueled by his quickness.

“They like the way I move, and they love my footwork,” Hollins said.

Agility has been just as important to Hollins as size, some of which has likely been sharpened by his experience playing for Marvin Emerson and the Quips basketball team.

“That’s probably his best attribute, his ability to run,” Zmijanic said. “There are a lot of big guys out there, but that’s what separates him from the others.”

What didn’t separate Hollins from many of the Aliquippa standouts who preceded him was his commitment to Pitt. Aliquippa has sent several high-profile players to the school — particularly in recent years — and Hollins said he liked the fact he will be reuniting with former Aliquippa players Brandon Lindsey and Jonathan Baldwin.

Said Zmijanic: “I just think most of our kids are homebodies and don’t want to travel too far. They feel real comfortable with the people [at Pitt]. Plus, with all the guys that have been there before, they feel comfortable.”

The familiarity and ties to present and past players helps. It just seems that sometimes the Aliquippa lineage is a little overplayed. Not to mention undue pressur on the kids.

That Hollins already has good footwork and agility is most promising. The strength will come. Especially when Buddy Morris gets a hold of him.

Pitt still hasn’t listed it. Not everything is finalized. Still here’s what we know at this point.

Duquesene

Robert Morris

Legends Classic — 2 home games and 2 in Newark (Nov. 20-29)

Vermont (Dec. 6)

Maybe Memphis (Madison Square Garden, Dec. 17)

That’s 8 games, so that leaves about 4-5 left that are unknown.

Figure a couple more cream-puffs on the home slate. I have to believe at least an A-10 team to come to the Pete. Otherwise the home non-con is on the weak side as far as fans go.

Get a big recruit, get some local press coverage. Both papers have stories on Dante Taylor’s verbal. One of the big memes is that Taylor has an excellent chance at being selected this year as a McDonald’s All-American. Something that Pitt has never had many in the history.

Taylor is considered Pitt’s top recruit in at least two decades. He was rated the No. 23 player in the country by Rivals.com in their most recent rankings, and that was before an outstanding summer season with his AAU team. He could be a top 15 recruit by the fall and is in contention to become a McDonald’s All-American.

Pitt has not had a McDonald’s All-American since Brian Shorter and Bobby Martin in 1987.

Taylor chose Pitt over Kansas and Memphis, the two teams that competed for the national championship in April, as well as Connecticut, Syracuse and Villanova.

“I decided on Pitt because I felt like it was a good fit for me,” Taylor said. “I like the way they push the ball. They have some great guards. I like the way they use their [forwards and centers].”

Taylor said he has known since early in the spring that he would be attending Pitt, but said he used the summer to make sure his choice was the right one. Pitt assistant coach Tom Herrion recruited Taylor, who said Pitt’s early interest was rewarded.

The only other McD AA’s that went to Pitt were Charles Smith and Jerome Lane.

Yes, the rule is that you can’t win the present NCAA Tourney without one — Maryland being the lone exception. I think we’re all familiar with that.

The other article is a little worrisome insofar as secondary NCAA violations are concerned. Coaches are not permitted to talk about players until after they sign a NLI. Yet the article is interspersed with quotes about Taylor from Assistant Coach Tom Herrion.

Added Herrion: “He’s a versatile, big forward who plays with a high motor. And he’s five times better a kid than he is a player. He’s a tremendous young man.”

One of the few criticisms of the Pitt basketball program under Dixon has been the inability to land the truly elite recruit.

Now, Taylor’s commitment signals that Dixon — and the Pitt basketball program — can attract the elite players and, perhaps, recruit on the same level as the national powers that routinely reload with McDonald’s All-Americans.

“This speaks volumes,” Herrion said.

It’s not a major rules violation, but it is a bit sloppy. Herrion should know better.

The number of available scholarships Pitt has for the ’09 recruiting class just dropped by one. Huge get and a bit of a surprise as Dante Taylor made his decision much earlier than expected. In an earlier interview with Adam Zagoria (which I cited earlier today) it seemed that a choice was not going to happen anytime soon.

As for when he’ll make a college decision, Taylor and his advisors say there is no rush.

“We may just wait until the spring,” Abrams said.

Um, about that whole waiting thing.

Not so much.

The 6-foot-9 Taylor, a Greenburgh, N.Y. native now at Fort Washington (Md.) National Christian, made the commitment at the Triple S Harley Davidson Shootout at West Virginia.

He chose Pitt over West Virginia, Kansas, Memphis, Syracuse and Villanova.

“Pitt was there from the beginning when I didn’t have a big name,” Taylor, who averaged 20 points and 11 rebounds last year, told Scout.com.

Taylor played well at the NBA Top 100 Camp and was recently named one of the top performers at the LeBron James US Skills Academy.

Awesome. The Triple S Harley Davidson Shootout is in Morgantown on WVU’s campus. I really doubt the kid from NY, going to school in MD intended it, but that is a fine way to go about giving a verbal to Pitt.

As Chris Dokish noted, this is the second time in three years Pitt has a top-50 recruit in the class (and Lamar Patterson still might get in the top-50 by the end of the recruiting cycle — #58 on Rivals.com and #52 on ESPN Scouts, Inc.) plus Pitt is still in play to get Thomas Robinson and/or Dominic Cheek — both top-50 recruits.

Scout.com has him as the #6 PF in the country. Rivals.com puts him at #9 and #23 overall. ESPN Scouts, Inc. pegs him at #10 at PF and #24 nationally. So, yeah. A top-25 national recruit just verballed to Pitt.

Looks like lead credit goes to Tom Herrion, but the full coaching staff committed to bringing him in.

Herrion put the full court press on Taylor ever since, and that made an impression on Taylor, who cites Pitt’s loyalty as one of the main reasons that he chose to be a Panther.

Pittsburgh head coach Jamie Dixon landed his biggest commitment yet in his time as the Pittsburgh head coach today Taylor pulled the trigger and committed to the Panthers. The Pitt staff had made Taylor their priority in the class of 2009 at power forward nearly a year ago and their hard work paid off as the entire Pitt staff had been seen at many of Taylor’s games this spring and summer, especially at the recent Reebok Summer Classic in New Jersey.

Taylor fits in well at Pitt as he is a strong and athletic power forward who is a tremendous rebounder and loves to play strong and physical near the rim.

Coach DIxon has been making the right calls on the hiring of assistants. Guys like Antigua, Herrion and Rice. They have identified talent early and done a great job on really staying on them. Finally allowing Dixon to help close the deal.

The winning obviously is a huge help. Showing that this is a program that will stay near the top, more exposure. Developing players that can go to the NBA.

I do look forward to the day when I get used to the idea. When it seems like nothing strange to write about this sort of thing. At the same time, this is just so strange. Except for that brief flurry in the mid-80s of top recruiting classes — shortly before I attended — this is just uncharted territory for Pitt to consistently be pulling in talent.

For the remaining spot(s) in the class of 2009, it is clear that Pitt is focused on the front court. Dante Taylor has the love from Pitt and has Pitt in his choices, but he also appears to be in no rush to decide anything.

They came to see Taylor, who averaged 20 points and 11 rebounds last season, including the 25 he gave to Tyreke Evans and American Christian. Taylor played well at the NBA Top 100 Camp and was recently named one of the top performers at the LeBron James US Skills Academy. He is ranked No. 9 among power forwards nationally by Rivals and No. 23 overall in the Class of 2009.

Taylor said he’s looking at Pittsburgh, Memphis, Kansas, UConn and Syracuse. Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon and assistants Tommy Herrion and Brandin Knight were on Taylor all day, camping out at his games.

“The five schools are all basically the same at the present time,” said Courtney Abrams, who is helping Taylor with the recruitment process.

Said Taylor: “I want to go away from home, but I don’t want to go too far. I just want to be in between.”

If geography really means something than Pitt has a good shot. He’s actually a native of Newburgh, NY, going to school in Maryland. Some family and friends in both places. Pitt somewhere relatively close to both. Somewhere, um, “in between.”

He’s in no rush, though, to make a decision. Suggesting that he might even wait until next April’s signing period rather than in November.

SlamOnline had a rundown on top performers from the Reebok camp and listed Thomas Robinson — another top target.

Thomas Robinson, 6-8 combo forward, Brewster (NH), 2009: A DC native who is headed to prep school, Robinson’s versatility–he can post up, handle the ball well for his size and hit the occasional outside J–but his motor, athleticism and toughness on the inside made him one of the top post prospects in attendance early on.

Judging by the players Pitt is pursuing, against whom they are recruiting against and that Pitt is listed as one of the top name teams pursuing these kids, I’d say Pitt is taking another step up in the eyes of recruits. The consistency of being a top-20, top of the Big East team coupled with winning the Big East Tournament this past season has a significant impact. Pitt is not just a darkhorse competing against the blue-chip programs for top players. Pitt’s name might not be the old, established blue-chip school; but it is one of the top programs in the country and recruits know it.

Down the road, 2011 seems to be a focus on guards. We know Sterling Gibbs and Tony Cherault (2010). Another guard Pitt is already showing interest in for 2011 is Tyrone Johnson. Johnson was also at the Reebok camp.

Johnson is one of the smoothest players in his class, and looks even better when he is playing with his Plainfield teammate Isaiah Epps. However, the 6-foot-2 guard was on his own this weekend, and still held his own. He showed the ability to handle the ball effectively and run an offense, and he is certainly not afraid of driving to the basket and scoring over bigger players. He plays taller than his 6-2 size, and crashes the offensive glass. He does have to work on his mid-range game, but he knocked down multiple three-pointers. He loves driving to his left despite being right-handed, and he finishes well at the rim. Johnson also draws fouls consistently. He finds the open man regularly and has good vision.

Johnson has a couple more years, so it wouldn’t be surprising if he added a couple more inches — and a lot more suitors. Other teams already pursuing him include Georgetown and Tennessee.

It’s been a little over 5 years since Billy Gaines fell from the rafters of a church. Gaines died from the injuries sustained a few days later.

There are points when the only thing that comes to mind with Billy Gaines is that he was part of a motivational tactic used by Walt Harris before the Notre Dame game in 2004 (the ND program cover showed the Irish defense bringing down Gaines).

Obviously there’s far more than that. There’s a moving, sad and just a touch hopeful look back at Billy Gaines’ achievements and the effect of his death on his younger brother.

Nick Gaines’s anger over Billy’s death festered during high school, though he masked it beneath a goofy veneer. He fought often and drank and drove, he said, but his senior classmates at Urbana voted him class clown, biggest flirt, most huggable and most unforgettable. By March 2007, when he walked into the party, he had become one of the most popular seniors at Urbana.

That night, Bill and Kim Gaines thought their son was sleeping at Murray’s house. Then their phone rang. “What moron is calling here at 7:30 in the morning on a Saturday?” Kim blurted as Bill answered. Gibbons trembled on the line as she explained in a frantic, high-pitched voice that Nick had slammed his truck into a tree.

Murray was dead. Nick might be.

Nick lived, and took a plea bargain to negligent homicide. He’s serving time in a work-release program and attending a community college. It appears from the story that he’s finally dealing. It took the loss of another person’s life, some loss of freedom and some pretty painful injuries to do it.

We rarely hear about the ones who survive. Most of the time we don’t want to unless it’s part of some inspirational point of overcoming the pain. A nice soft-focus piece that glosses over the pain and gets to the payoff.

Akron coach, and former Pitt WR Coach, JD Brookhart still keeps Gaines’ nameplate in his desk.

It was a minor surprise that Sam Young didn’t declare for the NBA Draft. That he didn’t even bother to “test the waters.” He had a break-out year, he’s one of the older juniors, and his knees have to be a source of constant concern.

Or perhaps he knew that he could very well go from fringe first-rounder in the mock drafts to undrafted on the day of the draft without showing some more. Maybe he realized that working the summer camps could help him as much as it does all the kids being recruited out of high school.

Following the Vince Carter camp, Young went to work at the LeBron Camp in Akron and left an impression with those that saw him. Whether it was a quick-hitter comment:

Pitt wing Sam Young showed serious inside-out game. The Panthers just always seem to find these kids, don’t they?

The inside-out game seemed to be what had all talking with regards to Sam Young.

Displayed inside/outside game unparalleled by anyone at the camp. The success of Young and Thabeet should have Big East fans pumped for an outstanding, competitive season.

Interestingly it was game performances from Young that stood out. Practice was something else.

Young struggled making shots in drills but was outstanding in the night scrimmages. When the Pittsburgh power forward is making his mid-range jumper, he is virtually unstoppable. He has patented a move that is unique to him and only him where he pump fakes with in centimeters of traveling which gets defenders well off their feet and they are completely unable to recover. It really works when he is hitting his jump shot though. He also proved he could defend players who are 5 to 6 inches taller than he. His superior strength keeps them away from the basket out the range where they are comfortable scoring.

After all of this, Young still got back to the ‘Burgh for summer league games where he dropped 40. I’m guessing the coaches are going to have to tie him down to get him to take a week or two off after the last few weeks of playing. Got to keep those knees fresh.

Of course other Pitt players were in the summer league games and Dwight Miller keeps getting rave reviews.

Miller has been a rebounding machine all summer, and on Wednesday night his offensive game was on. He finished with 10 points and 16 rebounds. The reason Miller gets so many rebounds is that he constantly hustles up and down the court. Because of his hustle and his willingness to be physical and do a lot of the dirty work underneath, he always finds himself in the right spot. Miller also blocked four shots.

I know its just summer league, but everything seems to suggest that Pitt may have found another excellent under-the-radar player in Miller.

It is the busy time for basketball recruiting and rumors. The camp frenzy has changed from glorified all-star dunkfests with sneaker sponsorships to actual skill camps with sneaker sponsorships. What hasn’t changed is the volume of coaches in the stands letting the kids know they care by being there.

The Reebok Camp in Philly has the Philly, NY and NJ kids in force. Sterling Gibbs, Aaric Murray, Dan Jennings, Isaiah Epps, Thomas Robinson and others all in attendance. ZagsBlog lists top-3 teams for many of these recruits. Interesting to see that Epps and Jennings both have Pitt in their top-3.

Sterling Gibbs didn’t have his best performance at the Reebok Camp. He struggled on defense and was tentative bringing the ball upcourt.

Sherrod Wright — a guard/forward — looked pretty good at the camp.

Wright is one of those players where you pretty much know what you’re going to get every time you see him. The 6-foot-4 G/F has a great mid-range game and his very difficult to stop going to the basket because of his strength and determination. However, his perimeter shooting is very inconsistent and he tends to turn the ball over often. He can handle the ball well, and also knocks down free-throws.

Pitt has some interest — as do many schools — and may have offered the kid from Mt. Vernon, NY. Whether he plays there this year is up for debate as the school’s athletic budget may be eliminated due to school district budget problems. As a kid with a lot of potential and scholarship chances he may end up somewhere else.

Though, widely expected that Pitt will let the incoming guards battle to be the point guard for a couple years after Levance Fields graduates, and then try to get Sterling Gibbs to come for 2011, don’t discount the plan changing if Ashton Gibbs and Travon Woodall aren’t up to it. That is why PG Tony Cherault appears to be a target for 2010.

Chenault is a very solid player who does everything that a point guard should do. He can run an offense and initiate sets to get his teammates involved. He is mostly an unassuming player and does not immediately command one’s attention like some other players do. His teammate, Taariq Muhammad (a talented 2009 point guard) looked smoother and more flashy than Chenault, but Chenault was equally effective when the 6-foot-2 point guard was able to get to the basket.

While not starred yet by Rivals.com and only 3 by Scout.com, that’s just short term. According to ESPN Scouts, Inc. he “Should be a high major priority over the next two years.” He’s the kind of player that has been flagged as early as 8th grade by recruitniks.

“I’m wide open right now,” he said. “I don’t really have a top five or a top 10 (list of potential schools). A lot of schools have been recruiting me this year.
…
Though Chenault mentioned Villanova, Pittsburgh, Providence, Saint Joseph’s, La Salle and Virginia as having scholarship offers on the table, he won’t be making any decisions anytime soon.

Back to the present, and Thomas Robinson who came out of the Reebok Camp with ever improving stock.

One of the most impressive players of the day, Robinson started slow then began to show his ability. He is very athletic, which helps at both ends of the court. He can block shots consistently at one end, and is also a good finisher offensively. He is strong when going up, and can score even with contact, which explains why he gets fouled on a regular basis. He is also versatile, as he showed the ability to run the break and pass it to an open teammate. His jump shot is inconsistent, but he can take it off the dribble and drive to the basket. Robinson is active on the glass, and picked up several second-chance points.

College List: Georgetown, George Mason, George Washington, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Providence, South Florida, Maryland, Georgia, Kentucky, Texas, Pittsburgh

– Texas, Pittsburgh and Virginia are his top-three.

Robinson is a 4-star PF, with a mid-range jumper.

Pitt’s top PF targets seem to be Robinson, Donte Taylor and Dan Jennings. Given the presently limited number of scholarships for 2009 remaining (one or perhaps two left), I have to assume they will only take one of the three.

Back at the end of June, I made a couple passing mentions of how Ohio State had pulled in some of the top WPIAL talent in this recruiting cycle. Not surprisingly, there was a story on that issue.

Since Trinity graduate Andrew Sweat verbally committed to Ohio State in May 2007, four other WPIAL recruits — former Jeannette quarterback Terrelle Pryor, Jeannette running back Jordan Hall, Gateway linebacker Dorian Bell and Gateway receiver Corey Brown — followed his lead.

Again, it isn’t the volume, but the quality. The Terrelle Pryor commit in April had a significant impact. Even though he goes in as a 2008 recruit, his drawn out decision-making went on 2 months past NLI Day. But, this has as much to do with it as anything.

“When you look at elite programs in the country, there are four right now: Ohio State, USC, Florida and LSU,” Gateway coach Terry Smith said. “Ohio State is the closest to Western Pennsylvania, and Pa. kids tend to stay close to home.”

That actually applies to most recruits, not just the ones in Pennsylvania.

This isn’t to say that Ohio State will now be a regular force in Western PA to contend with recruiting. Outside teams tend to go in cycles.

Just a few years back, it was Michigan that was the major national interloper. Then they faded. With DickRod now there, they might be a factor once more.

Short-term it can be frustrating and bothersome. Long-term, I’m not as worried.

Ole’ Dick Rod has agreed to pay the $4 million buyout to the Hoopies. Damn.

I wanted this to go to trial. I wanted to have his wife deposed. Pastilong. Everyone. It was just so much fun to follow, watch and laugh.

Summer camps, U-18 basketball and the recruiting battles in full swing. The time of year where if there’s a camp with top players there’s usually pictures popping-up on blogs of lots of coaches sitting in the stands in school polos, sweat suits and t-shirts watching. That also means pieces or notes on various high school kids.

Pitt has 3 scholarships for 2009 (Young, Fields, Biggs). Maybe more depending on potential transfers and the mystery that is Mike Cook’s medical redshirt status. Pitt has at least one spot filled with Lamar Patterson. There is possibly another assuming Darnell Dodson handles his second year in junior college and both sides are still committed. So, almost all the names that have been associated with Pitt are likely not coming.

Some are stories longform like this story on Dominic Cheek. As one of the best recruits in the country, not committed, and someone who shined at the U-18 USA Basketball tryouts, there will be no shortage of attention and recruiting of Cheek. He’d be a tremendous coup for Pitt — or any team that gets the wing guard/small forward — but I’m not holding my breath right now (plus, he’s not a need with Patterson).

One of Pitt’s earliest targets for this class has been 6-9 power forward Donte Taylor. He’s only seen the interest in him grow.

With scholarship offers from schools such as Pittsburgh, Maryland, West Virginia, UNC-Charlotte and Connecticut, and broadening interest from schools such as Syracuse, Kansas, Villanova, Georgetown and Seton Hall, Taylor will have plenty of attractive options of schools to visit and ultimately decide on to play his college basketball with.

One school on his list has had his attention for quite some time while growing up in Big East territory. “When I first started playing basketball, I wanted to go to UConn,” Taylor shared. “But now since everybody’s looking at me, I pretty much don’t have a favorite right now.”

Taylor says he has no favorites and he has caught the attention of many others at the camps.

National Christian’s Dontae Taylor has established himself as one of the camp’s most talented big men. The 6-foot-9, 225-pounder rattled off a list too lengthy to print.

That “camp” is the LeBron Camp all the top players attend.

Another front court target (also at the LeBron Camp), Andrew Fitzgerald, has a new suitor.

Add the name Andrew Fitzgeraldto the list of Louisville targets. The 6-foot-8 senior post from Owings Mills (Md.) averaged 22.1 points, 18.5 rebounds, six blocked shots and 5.1 assists a game as a junior. He said he has offers from Texas A&M, Baylor and Pittsburgh and is also getting serious interest from U of L and Tennessee.

Moving to 2010 targets where at the moment it appears that there is only one scholarship available (definitely likely to change). Pitt has already offered a couple players including the ever-rare, Western Pennsylvania prospect with talent — Sewickley Academy guard Tom Droney.

“Without a doubt, he’s the most highly recruited player in the area now that (Jeannette’s) Terrelle Pryor and (Moon’s) Brian Walsh have moved on,” Sewickley Academy coach Win Palmer said.

“It’s a great reminder that in today’s world of recruiting, even if you go to a smaller school, if you’re good, they’ll find you.”

Droney has certainly already been found, given the fact that he and Palmer have already spoken with coaches from Duke, Texas and Wake Forest, among others.

The junior even has his own recruit page on ESPN.com, where his strengths (ballhandling, passing, academics) and weaknesses (3-point shooting, strength) are broken down.

So what has Droney heard from some of the interested teams?

“Lately, the two schools that stand out are Texas and Wake Forest, they’ve been recruiting me pretty hard,” he said.

He’s also been hearing from WVU and ND.

Another shooting guard is in Maryland. Dante Holmes — a rising shooting guard out of the Baltimore area. is one of the players Pitt has an interest.

Capitol Hoops – You all are coming off a great season at St. Frances playing alongside Maryland State Player Of The Year Sean Mosely. Have you learned anything from playing with Sean and will that benefit you in your career?

Dante – Sean showed me that you have to work hard all of the time. Listen , learn and continue to work. I also acquired leadership skills from playing with Sean and will have a more active role orally on my team.

Capitol Hoops – As you enter into your junior year , what are you doing to continue to improve on your game? How do feel about having former standout Mark Karcher as the Head Coach for next season?

Dante – I am working hard on my weaknesses and overall game. There’s plenty of room for improvement. I feel good about Coach Karcher going into next year. He’s tough on us because he knows what it takes to win and get better as a player and as a team.
…
Capitol Hoops – Who are your top college choices and has anyone emerged as a leading candidate in your recruiting status?

Dante – My top college choices are Clemson, West Virginia, Tennessee, Temple, Memphis, and Pittsburgh. As of right now West Virginia has a slight advantage but it is still to early to call.

Sterling Gibbs is the big prize in 2011. Incoming Pitt freshman Ashton Gibbs’ younger brother is already considered one of the top point guard prospects in that class.

Gibbs is already starting to get looks from colleges, as many expect him to be rated as one of the top point guards in the country for the Class of 2011. He said that Pittsburgh, Florida, Maryland, Seton Hall and Rutgers are some of the main schools interested in him.

“I’m looking for a good education, and somewhere that’s not far from home,” Gibbs said. “I also need a style of play that will fit me, and a place where I will fit in.”

What about a possible reunion with his brother at Pittsburgh? Gibbs wouldn’t rule it out.

“I don’t know, maybe,” Gibbs said. “It was good playing with him in high school.”

The offers will pile up for him after this season.

Just a couple things on the basketball side that I should post, while Coach Dixon is watching Sam Young counsel and plenty of recruits play at the LeBron James Skills Academy in Akron.

Akron coach Keith Dambrot continued his vigil over 7-0 recruit Zeke Marshall, who has verbally committed to the Zips. He also had some help during the first game of the day as a few Akron players visited with Marshall’s family in the stands. A few sat with Dambrot at one end of the court while another cluster of Akron players sat above the basket at the opposite end of the court.

The story on now Director of Basketball Operations Brian Regan is interesting to me, not because of his dad being a former Pittsburgh city councilman. No, its how difficult to get and prized jobs are on coaching staffs at major conference programs — especially successful ones. Yes, I’m sure his local ties played some role in wanting to work in the area as well.

Here’s a guy who has been working through the lower-tier coaching ranks of Colgate and D-II progams. Being a top assistant, but to get to a major program at age 41 took the video coordinator job. A position in a coaching hierarchy just above paid graduate assistant. Usually filled by yonger men who make it past graduate assistant/gopher. Young up-and-comers and ex-players being groomed.

Why? Because beyond the improved job opportunities of having a staff affiliation on a major program on the resume is the money. Even getting the third assistant chair in the BCS conferences likely means a six digit salary (pdf).

Then there was an excellent human interest story involving two Ethiopian boys adopted in different parts of the US and coming to the Jamie Dixon Basketball camp as a way for to see each other as well as have fun.

But this week, Mahari and Yosef, now both 7, played together once again, trading the streets of Addis Ababa for the pristine courts of the University of Pittsburgh’s Petersen Events Center, at coach Jamie Dixon’s basketball camp.

Mahari was adopted a month after Yosef by Kim Jackson, of Leesburg, Va. The adoptive parents kept in touch — along with the new parents of a third friend, Gediyon, who now lives in New Hampshire — and decided to meet up once a year to keep the promise.

Ms. Jackson, a Butler native, went to graduate school at Pitt and sent out a Christmas card with her kids clad in Pitt T-shirts. It turned out to be something else they had in common with the Devanys, who live in Houston — Billy is Mr. Dixon’s cousin.

After discovering the Pitt connection, they decided to sign up both the boys for a week at the camp, the second time they have gotten together in America. Mr. Dixon, who hosted the Devanys at his home this week, even arranged to get Yosef and Mahari on the same team.

If this sort of thing shows up on a message board, it gets little credence.

You read here earlier about the importance of Pitt F Sam Young’s being invited to work as a counselor at Nike’s Vince Carter Skills Academy so he could absorb some lessons about perimeter play as he transitions from functioning primarily as a power forward. It turned out his experience there was a smash. Observers report Young dominated the other top college wings who worked the camp.

If it shows up in the Sporting News‘ Mike DeCourcy’s tidbits, it gets a bit more. Either way, it’s the sort of thing we want to believe.

In case you missed it, Stuart Mandel at SI.com listed his top-5 teams to markedly jump in number of wins this year (roughly 4-6 win improvement).

This is the season Dave Wannstedt has been building toward with three straight top 30 recruiting classes. It’s not surprising that last year’s extremely youthful team struggled, but even so, they knocked off 10-win teams Cincinnati and West Virginia. With the return of two potential All-Americas, RB LeSean McCoy and LB Scott McKillop, as well as two key players (QB Bill Stull and WR Derek Kinder) who missed last season with injuries, I expect the Panthers to contend for the Big East title.

Including Pitt on the list tells you just how high on Pitt he is. Except for UNC none of other schools have the wiggle room (SMU 1 win, ND and Ole Miss 3 wins, UNC 4 wins) to have the 4-6 win jump without it being a major impact on their conference and the top-20. (Okay, anything that happens with ND is treated by the media as having a major impact, but you know what I mean.)

Now the gamblers are hedging a bit more on Pitt with regards to winning the BE. Here’s how they see it to win the conference:

• Cincinnati +800
• Connecticut +1000
• Louisville +1400
• Pittsburgh +500
• Rutgers +350
• South Florida +200
• Syracuse +5000
• West Virginia +175

It’s interesting. Prognostications about Pitt seem very optimistic, but when it comes time to lay out the Big East order, Pitt has been coming in at 3d or 4th. Which actually says something about a bit of depth in the Big East this year.

As for Pitt, specifically.

Pittsburgh has a shot to have a lot more offense than it did last year, especially if quarterback Bill Stull, who missed almost all of last season with a broken thumb, can come back and perform. But this former Western Pennsylvania high school hero is still unproven. He gets help, though, from another player coming back from injury, WR Derek Kinder, who was a semi-finalist for the Biletnikoff Award two years ago. And sophomore running back LeSean McCoy is a stud, setting a Big East frosh record with 1328 yards. Seven starters return from a defense that ranked fifth in the nation in defense (298 ypg). This is a good darkhorse possibility.

There are two things I am very sure of, the defense will be as good if not better, but will not be ranked as highly as last year. And the offense will be better than last year — statistically and reality.

The defense will be much more consistent and (hopefully) will not have games like that Navy performance. It will also, most likely, not be prone to being unable to hold at key times like last year (Louisville and Rutgers come to mind — and heck, they nearly gave it up to Syracuse at the end).

The offense, can only be better with Kinder back and presumably Stull under center. Even if it wouldn’t be Stull (injury or being beaten out for the job) Smith, Bostick or even Cross have experience which was sorely lacking last year.

A thousand pardons for going quiet the last few days. We were visiting family in PA, and there just wasn’t any free time. Lots of family to see and there was a lot for me to do. In addition, the boy had a cold, who gave it to the wife and the day before we left the girl came down with it. That meant extra clingy, moody kids and a wiped out wife.

In the other room there is a veritable cacophony of hacking, coughing, sniffling and whining. I’m thinking about sitting up on the roof for most of the day.

Oh, and this morning my throat is feeling scratchy.