Not a complete shock when Dominic Cheek decided to go to Villanova. They had been recruiting him the longest and they are a guard-dominant team. It makes it an attractive choice.

The choice of Cheek has meant that Pitt has returned to DeAndre Kane. Actually, Pitt had never stopped showing interest in Kane. They helped him get into prep school, and of course DeJuan Blair is a former teammate of his from Schenley. If Pitt has made a formal offer at this point, then it means that Kane has his academics in shape at long last.

Of course, if Kane were to sign with Pitt, that would leave Pitt one over on available scholarships. That fuels speculation over possible transfers or if Pitt would go UConn and push players who weren’t producing out the door. I’m not stressing over the issue at this point. More often, than not, these have ways of working themselves out.

I don’t know if Kane even fits well with Pitt. I sometimes think Pitt pursues some of the local players more out of obligation, than actual desire. That there have been so few local products in the past 20 years, that it matters in perception that Pitt keeps them here.

Pitt, though, already has several signed recruits that look really good, and there comes a time when you have to stop angsting over the ones that didn’t commit. Dante Taylor and Talib Zanna both looked great in a recent Nike sponsored event.

Dante, capable of running the floor, finishing stick backs and in certain situations shooting jumpers out to around three point land will fit in well at Pittsburgh, with not only his skill set, but toughness also. He didn’t display the low post spins in his repertoire during Festival action, but will in college.

At Pitt, expect the suburban New York City native to work on a go to move – jump hook, baseline fade, etc – and also eliminate his current desire to at times handle the ball, center position, on the break. He’ll also need to rely on more footwork and finesse then brute strength, as the Big East’s frontcourt players are notoriously strong and aggressive.

Zanna, also a forward/center, stands 6’8”, weighs around 235 pounds and is also headed to Pitt. On the way to earning first team All-Festival honors, Zanna, originally from Northern Nigeria and a member of the country’s Hausa group, illustrated not only interior strength and aggressiveness, but a good jump hook going over his left shoulder. He finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds for Bishop McNamara (MD) in a win.

Talib has improved his basketball awareness in high school, become stronger, as well as developed a nasty baseline spin move – one that wasn’t on display much in Festival play as he relayed “My coaches told me not to do it, because they may call a foul on me”.

Panther fans and haters alike will see him line up at both forward positions in Big East action, something he favorably anticipates. To achieve success, particularly at the small forward position, Zanna will have to fine tune his midrange to three ball face up shot, along with conduct continued strength, dribbling and balance development/enhancement.

The similar demands placed on ‘threes’ and ‘fours’ at Pitt should aid Talib’s utilization…

Lots to look forward to, even as this year offers plenty.