Great. Just great.

Pitt announced today the suspensions of senior cornerback Aaron Berry, senior defensive tackle Tommie Duhart and sophomore offensive lineman Wayne Jones for violation of team policy.

There is no one thing.

Wannstedt declined comment but issued a release which said the three were suspended for unrelated incidents which were “violation of team policy”

All three are out for the rest of spring practice including the Blue-Gold Scrimmage on Saturday.

No official word as to what. Academic issues are presumed for the majority.

Tommie Duhart has been in and out of Coach Wannstedt’s doghouse for at least the past year or so.

Aaron Berry is a starting corner. Trying to get some consistency. He’s been getting a lot of work against Jonathan Baldwin.

Wayne Jones was in the mix at center.

Not happy about this. The good thing is that Coach Wannstedt remains very dilligent and not afraid to suspend players who don’t meet the standards. You prefer to not have to have it as any issue, but that is just never going to happen anywhere.

A little bit of a surprise. Bill Self at Kansas has cleaned up on coaching awards this year. Coach Jamie Dixon was named the Naismith Coach of the Year.

The award is presented by the Atlanta Tipoff Club and selected by a panel that includes a collection of leading basketball journalists, coaches and administrators from around the country. The other finalists were Oklahoma’s Jeff Capel, Louisiana State’s Trent Johnson and Kansas’ Bill Self.

Dixon led Pitt to its first-ever No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and its most victories (three) in tourney play. He also set an NCAA Division I record for most career victories after six seasons as a head coach, with 163.

“Pittsburgh had a tremendous season and much of that success goes to Jamie and the wonderful coaching job he did with this team,” Atlanta Tipoff Club president Gary Stokan said. “During his six seasons he has built a solid program that continues to produce wonderful results, both on and off the court.”

Technically it is Coach Dixon’s second coach of the year award in 2009. He also received the Phelan mid-year coach of the year award.

Apparently there will be a 4pm presser at the Pete to announce the award. Coach Dixon was a distant second in most of the other awards to Bill Self.

Just one more thing about this season and how much Pitt ended up accomplishing.

It always has. I’m not talking about moving a guy from middle linebacker to weakside — like Max Gruder.  That’s akin to moving a guy around on the lines. That’s shifting a title but keeping the player in the same unit. Nor am I talking about changing positions for freshmen. That’s typical. A player has speed or size to play somewhere else at the collegiate level that better uses his abilities.

Making a change after a couple years in the players career/development, though, makes me nervous. Especially when it comes to changing offense to defense or vice versa. Add in some player resistance, and it really strikes me as a big mistake. Not to mention not actually having a clear plan of development with the player. (See also, Dickerson, Dorin)

Sometimes it is inevitable, but just needed a little time to penetrate.

Shayne Hale was lured to Pitt with the promise that he could play middle linebacker, and the U.S. Army All-American from Gateway High School intended to hold Panthers coaches to their word.

Despite possessing prototypical size to play defensive end, the 6-foot-4, 245-pound redshirt freshman long resisted recruiters’ efforts to convince him to line up in a three-point stance and transform into a pass rusher.

The Panthers took a passive approach, and let Hale decide on his own.

“We told him, ‘You’re playing linebacker, but if you change your mind and want to take a shot at end, that’s up to you.’ We stuck to it,” Pitt defensive line coach Greg Gattuso said. “He came halfway through (last season) and said he thought he’d be a better defensive end. We took him immediately. It had to be in his heart. If he wanted to be a linebacker, so be it, but I think everybody felt he had a chance to be a good end. And he does.”

That makes sense. Hale is a top-talent and in HS he was convinced that he was best at linebacker. And his production reinforced it. Even as every college coach recruiting him was talking to him about being a DE.

Or seeing Greg Williams embrace the conversion from a crowded backfield to linebacker as a redshirt freshman. I get that. He had played a bit of safety in high school. And most importantly, he embraced the change. He was redshirted and saw the depth at RB. He understood how far behind he was.

It’s part of why reading about Greg Cross being put at WR, still bothers me. Even if he’s great about it.

“Any way I can get on the field and help my team out, I’m willing to do it,” said Cross, who is on track to graduate next spring and emphasized the importance of a Pitt degree to him and his family played a part in his decision to stay. “At first, it was a little frustrating, knowing what I could do. During the season, I had to take a step back and look at the bigger picture and understand that (Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt) was going with this guy.

“I had to grow up and swallow my pride and stick with the team. It was about being a team player and not so worried about myself.”

Such unselfishness should serve the soft-spoken Cross well with the Panthers, who believe he has the potential to be a dynamic threat in a variety of ways. Wannstedt has discussed with Cross the possibility of returning kickoffs and punts, as well as covering them.

Wannstedt initially contemplated switching Cross to safety because of his size and speed, but opted to keep him on offense for the sake of familiarity and depth to a position that lost starter Derek Kinder to graduation and reserve T.J. Porter to an indefinite suspension after two DUI arrests.

“From a depth standpoint, we use three or four receivers. He could get in a two-deep on offense tomorrow, where on defense he’s not going to be,” Wannstedt said. “Watching him catch the ball, he’s got better hands and some skill running with the football. It gives us a chance to utilize that.”

Cross is at least an athlete. Moving a QB to WR is not uncommon. It happens at all levels with athletic QBs — especially with pro-football oriented coaches. I’m just in the group that feels like Cross was completely wasted last year by a coaching staff that never had a real plan with Cross. They just got caught up in the idea of spread and wildcat formations, but realized how much it went against their core beliefs in football.

That brings me to Myles Caragein. He will be a redshirt sophomore and has the chance at being the starting nose tackle after playing TE and DE in high school.

“I had a talk with him about pushing himself further, not being content that he’s doing well,” said Gattuso, Pitt’s defensive line coach. “I definitely think he has another gear to go, and I told him that. I want him fighting for a job. I don’t want him to be a caretaker waiting for a senior to come in. He’s good enough to go out there and start and play for us.”

If there is a sense of urgency on Gattuso’s part, it’s because Pitt’s coaches believe Caragein’s combination of smarts and strength make him an ideal candidate to move to the offensive line. For now, Wannstedt has been convinced to keep Caragein in his tattered blue practice jersey.

“It’s always up to the head coach and what’s best for the team,” Gattuso said. “But we feel the ability to have explosive defensive linemen is important. He has a chance to be a starter for us.

“He’s got the perfect size, strength level and quickness to play nose guard. He’s a little different than Rashaad Duncan, but I think he’s going to be just as effective.”

Pitt coaches long viewed Caragein’s wrestling background — he was a two-time WPIAL champion and finished with a 138-18 career record — would allow his transition from playing tight end and defensive end at Keystone Oaks to battling on the interior defensive line for the Panthers.

“It’s completely different,” Caragein said. “I like it down there because you’re in the trenches. You’re able to read the blocks a little more to see what’s happening. I think wrestling (prepared) me for nose guard because I’m used to pushing around bigger, heavier guys. Wrestling helped me a lot with hand work, leverage and giving me that attitude of never giving up.”

I’m sure Caragein would say all the right things if he was switched sides. That said, given, the very strong belief in him at being the NT by Gattuso says something.

To say nothing of Coach Wannstedt and Tony Wise’s approach with the O-line to play the best players and make sure they can play all over the line — and valuing experienced players. Well, as smart as Caragein is, he would still see another year lost trying to learn to play O-line. At best, he might start getting on the 2-deep by 2010. It really would waste two years of his development, without a clear plan.

Big thanks to Jonathan Givoney at DraftExpress for giving the heads-up.

DeJuan Blair will officially announce his intentions to enter the NBA draft in a press conference at Pittsburgh tomorrow, a source close to the situation tells DraftExpress. Blair will wait on officially hiring an agent for now, but is not expected to return to Pitt.

Coach Dixon is apparently helping Blair set it up.

Not exactly a shock to anyone. Still, good that he is at least keeping his options open by holding off on hiring an agent.

For the Pitt seniors, it means finding out whether they can make a profession out of playing basketball.

The Portsmouth Invitational Tournament finally gets some revelance in a number of years. The elimination of a couple other draft gatherings puts the senior-only tournament back on the map.

The rosters for the 2009 Portsmouth Invitational Tournament (official site) were released today, and it appears that we’re looking at the strongest group of NCAA assembled in quite some time. Nine players currently projected to be drafted on our latest mock draft have committed to attend the tournament (scheduled next week from the 8th-11th), while we’re counting between 15-20 seniors who are strong draft candidates on the rosters as well. There are a couple of headliners as well, including Sam Young. Lee Cummard and A.J. Price, three clear-cut candidates to be the first Portsmouth players drafted since Jason Maxiell in 2006.

It’s no surprise that the PIT committee managed to bring together such a talented group of seniors—this currently stands as the one and only place for NBA draft prospects to compete in a five on five setting now that the pre-draft camp has been dramatically scaled back. The tournament is expected to draw as much attention as ever from NBA personnel this time around, for two reasons. One, due to the strength of the senior crop, and two, because of the makeup of this year’s Nike Hoop Summit crop, which doesn’t elicit the same sense as urgency as it did in the past.

Levance Fields and Alex Ruoff also will be at the PIT, as they look to get some Euro love.

Sam Young helped his draft stock in the NCAA Tourney.

Young’s excellent tournament run came to an end in a heart-breaking loss to Villanova. But over the past two weeks he has showed his ability to score from just about anywhere on the floor — he scored 32 points against Oklahoma State, 19 versus Xavier and 28 versus Villanova. He has also proven to be an excellent rebounder and his long-range shooting continues to improve.

If he was 19 years old, he’d be a lock for the lottery. However, Young turned 24 in March and teams worry about his upside. I’d expect Young to land somewhere in the second half of the first round.

Then there is DeJuan Blair. No one is exactly sure if he’s going.

DeJuan Blair is getting heavy pressure from Pitt’s coaching staff to return for another season, but is likely to announce his intentions to enter the NBA draft regardless shortly.

Or staying.

Pitt sophomore DeJuan Blair will have an interesting decision to make. He was co-Big East player of the year and created a lot of buzz this season. But there are reservations about him playing too low below the rim by NBA personnel. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he heeded the advice and returned to Pitt.

There is no reason for DeJuan Blair to at the very least not go through the NBA Draft process. As long as he does not sign with an agent, he can find out what his true situation is.

Chad Ford at ESPN.com has him listed as the 21st best player that is or could be in the draft.

Blair ended his last game at Pittsburgh on a mixed note. He had 20 points and 10 rebounds, and was 9-for-9 from the field. But for the second straight game he got off to a slow start and showed his limitations at creating his own offense. His lack of size and explosiveness hurts. So does his lack of conditioning. While some NBA executives think his raw talent will help him overcome his physical limitations, a few others keep dredging up the name Robert “Tractor” Traylor. Ouch. If Blair decides to declare, he’s looking at going somewhere between 10 and 20 on draft night.

And at other times, Blair draws comparisons to Wes Unseld and Paul Millsap.

I have to admit, I don’t think he’s going to be any higher in draft potential. If he stays, they will only pick his game apart even further and get more skittish about his size. From DeJuan Blair’s POV, coming back could be worse for him since the issue of Pitt’s point guard situation can definitely affect his opportunities to touch the ball — aside from off of offensive rebounds. Never underestimate how shaky PG can kill an offense that relies heavily on the frontcourt scoring.

And only a week of spring practice left.

I’ve followed along. I’ve read Kevin Gorman’s blog along Cat Basket for almost daily sources. I’ve read the articles in the papers. At the same time, I can’t say I’ve put much thought into spring practices.

Here are what seem to be the some of the main things right now.

Running Back: Dion Lewis, a freshman early enrollee, has apparently been the best RB in the spring. Either Chris Burns was simply passed, or he hasn’t shown the same fire from last summer’s practices. The battle is not settled, but it is not as expected to be Burns and Shariff Harris battling to see who starts and who spells.

Quarterback: Bill Stull will still be the starter at QB, but he is not going to make it easy on himself. No one is or should be shocked that Coach Wannstedt declared that the job was Stull’s to lose. The disappointing thing is that he has not shown much beyond being a senior this coming season and having the backing of the head coach. That’s not to say that Tino Sunseri and Pat Bostick are getting the shaft. It’s simply that the QB position will continue to be a major source of angst for Pitt fans. Interesting observation from an outsider on Sunseri:

Sunseri is the best athlete, but he’s smaller in person than I expected. He’s listed at 6-foot-2 but looks a good couple of inches shorter than Stull and Bostick, who are each listed at 6-3.

I had to go back and check Pitt’s media guide, but yeah, they do list Sunseri at 6-2. All reports I could remember when he was a senior in HS was that he was barely 6-0. In college, you can argue that is not a big deal. Plenty of players thrive despite being 6-0 or under. I would be more concerned if this was still Matt Cavanaugh’s offense. I have some concerns since Pitt does run a pro-set and therefore may not give a shorter QB the lanes to pass with the lines — instead counting on the QB to throw over the lines.

New OC Frank Cignetti is trying not to declare a starter — despite what his boss is saying — so that is still something to keep an eye on.

One interesting development with regards to Pat Bostick is this:

Bostick has looked more and more comfortable this spring, and completed 9 of 17 passes for 72 yards with a touchdown and an interception in the scrimmage.

Where Bostick has shown the most improvement is in the velocity on his passes, a credit to Cignetti. Bostick isn’t showing signs of the windup or hitch in his delivery, and threw some nice deep balls in his first series. The Panthers ran a flea-flicker to Oderick Turner that was broken up by DeCicco and then a deep sideline route that Dorin Dickerson dropped. Bostick also went deep to Jonathan Baldwin, who let the pass slip through his hands, and showed some savvy by flicking a shovel pass to Lewis to avoid a sack when Caragein was draped on his back that gained a first down.

If this is true and consistent, well, then it is a significant change in the course of Pat Bostick’s possibilities. He’s still slow afoot, but if he is able to pass effectively and with force without the hitch and wind-up it is great news.

And yes, if this is Cignetti’s work, then it is a significant indictment on former OC Matt Cavanaugh’s ability to develop, work with, and teach college QBs. Something that was obvious and a significant issue for two years with a young QB is disappearing in spring practices under a new OC that has been here barely six weeks.

Center: I admit to being a bit puzzled by this one. Robb Houser was brought in last year from the JUCO ranks and immediately became the starting center. By all appearances, he seemed to be doing a well-enough job. Definitely better than the previous year’s efforts at the position. Then he suffers a broken ankle and was lost for the second half of the season. C.J. Davis slid over and did a great job filling in.

Now, it seems Houser can’t beat walk-on Alex Karabin. Is this a lingering effect from the injury — out of shape, not all the way healthy, no effort? No clear answer. What is obvious is that Pitt is still scrambling to find someone else who can take the reigns. That may mean moving John Malecki to center.

The extent of John Malecki’s experience playing center was hiking six snaps in the first practice for the Big 33 Football Classic in July 2006. It was enough to convince coaches he was a guard.

Malecki will be a senior. This smacks of desperation. It’s also a big problem stemming from Pitt’s failure to recruit an actual center, and failing to develop one from the offensive linemen recruited. I don’t find this to be second-guessing Pitt’s recruiting priorities. There have been plenty of questions about Pitt not recruiting an actual center.

Nothing was recruited on the Center spot once more this past year. It has been a point — to blind arrogance — that the o-linemen Pitt recruits can be moved wherever on the line. It’s a great concept, but it hasn’t held at the center spot. Last year worked out with C.J. Davis, but that  was the exception. John Bachman, Greg Gaskins, and other efforts to actually move to the spot have all failed.

Sorry. Maybe I’m being a bit hard on this one. It might all work itself out,  but Center  has been a problem for all but one year so far under Wannstedt. At some point, you have to make an effort to actually recruit a real center.

Jonathan Baldwin: He looks dominant.

More Later.

Oh, the hell with it, I am.

Villanova has come out and missed their first 3 free throws against UNC. Now? Now Reynolds and Fisher miss free throws?

Dante Taylor got a good amount of love in the Washington Post leading up to the McDonald’s All-American game. This feature piece on how far he’s come since being enrolled at National Christian Academy.

“He’s changed an awful lot,” [Coach Trevor] Brown said one recent afternoon as he prepared to put Taylor and several other players through a workout. “There are a lot of different ways where he has changed — personality, social skills, academically, being more conscious of being a good student. The basketball part of it is what everybody can see. But the other stuff is what we notice around the school, who the real Dante Taylor is.”

The basketball stuff is pretty impressive. Taylor averaged 23.8 points, 13 rebounds and 3 blocks this past season and has signed scholarship papers to play for Pittsburgh. He has grown to 6-9 and a muscular 235 pounds. According to Brown, Taylor has gone from being perceived as a bully to being considered humble as he walks the halls at National Christian. And Taylor is proud of his development in the classroom, where he has steadily improved and made the honor roll twice.

“It used to be if I got a ‘C’ or a ‘D,’ I used to be happy that I passed,” Taylor said. “Now, I see that’s not acceptable.”

Taylor finished the All-American game with 15 points on 6-11 shooting and 6 rebounds. A pretty good night.

At the same time, it didn’t impress those who are looking for NBA quality players.

Dante Taylor — 15 pts, 6-11 fg, 3-3 ft, 6 rebs, 1 blk, 1 stl, 2 asts, 1 to, 15 min — Shows good size (big wingspan) and solid agility. Scored a number of baskets but didn’t stand out. Got stuffed by Henson on one dunk attempt. He scored on some jumpers and shots around the basket. A solid prospect but nothing extraordinary.

This isn’t a bad thing. It isn’t surprising to most that he’s got some things to work on.

Dante Taylor, PF, Greeburgh, N.Y./National Christian Academy, Md.
Position rank: 6
College: Pittsburgh (Signed)
Strengths: Taylor is a good rebounder and scorer in the low block. He is a solid athlete and very productive. He is one of the best low post players in the 2009 class.
Weaknesses: Taylor is a great low post player, but his game is limited to scoring inside 12 feet. That may not be such a bad thing but increased range would definitely make him a much harder player to stop.
How he’ll fit: Taylor should be a great fit at Pitt. He can either backup or take over Dejuan Blair’s role in the low post, depending on whether or not Blair leaves for the NBA. Taylor is an active scorer and rebounder on offense. He is also a good low post defender and while he’s not a great shot blocker, he is solid and will get his share.

That doesn’t make him a bad college prospect, just means the odds are not in his favor to be one-and-done. Not a bad thing for Pitt. The other good news is Taylor is saying the right things. About knowing he still has plenty on which to improve.

“Dante has a lot of potential to be a great team player,” Burrows said. “One thing I like about him is that he isn’t high maintenance. If you need him to go down low and just focus on rebounding, he’ll do it. If you need him to score, he’ll do it. If you need him to come away from the basket and provide help defending the perimeter, he’ll do it.”

There are still a lot of things for Taylor to work on, but the White Plains, N.Y., native is not waiting to get to Pittsburgh to start the process.

“I’m still trying to improve my abilities with my back to the basket,” Taylor said. “And I’m trying to improve the consistency of my jump shot. It’s pretty good right now, but it can always be better.”

For those of you who watched the game, odds are you can just nod your head with this overall observation about the players (even if it sounds a little cranky old man).

The free throw is going the way of the pass and becoming a lost art and many of the elite players cannot consistently knock them down. Young players need to spend more time honing this skill as it determines the outcome of most close games.

Meanwhile, the incoming players are eager to come in and make a mark at Pitt.

“It’s some big shoes to fill,” said [J.J.] Richardson, a 6-7 forward from Houston. “But I think we can get the job done and get Pittsburgh where we went this year, as long as we put in the work and everyone plays together.”

…

Clark Francis, editor of Hoopscooponline.com, said Pitt’s incoming class should help ease the losses.

“I love Lamar Patterson, and I think Zanna is terrific, and Dante Taylor is ready to walk in and be one of the better big guys in the Big East,” he said. “They should be fine up front.”

Top returners are sophomore Gilbert Brown, in line to replace Young at small forward; sophomore shooting guard Brad Wanamaker and freshmen Ashton Gibbs and Nasir Robinson, along with two freshmen who redshirted, Woodall and power forward Dwight Miller.

While only one of Pitt’s four freshmen (Gibbs) made any impact this season, that will change with the class of 2009.

“We just want to work as hard as possible,” Patterson said, “and make sure we battle and maintain our Big East status.”

Nothing, if not ambitious.

I am highly bemused by the fact that all the stuff over Tim Floyld leaving USC for Arizona and Jamie Dixon being pursued by USC came to naught. Floyd decided to remain with the Trojans — and in the process apparently rejected Memphis as well.

It was very educational. If you needed any further evidence about how little USC fans care about basketball, this incident proved it. The reaction from the USC blog, Conquest Chronicles — which I find to be a highly rational and intelligent blog on USC — essentially was, “Ehhh, whatever.”

At USC the Galen Center is always half full and a good portion of the fan base uses basketball as hobby between football seasons. There are some die hard basketball fans at USC but they are out numbered 3-1 in comparison to football.

There was some talk about the idea of getting Jamie Dixon, but not much. Not so oddly, Bruins Nation seeemed more concerned about all of this because they have viewed Coach Dixon as their coach in waiting when Ben Howland calls it a career or heads to the NBA. He’s an LA suburb native with family there, and a close friend/protege of Howland. I never really thought about it before, but it makes some sense

Now, before anyone flies off-the-handle in righteous indignation over this, it is absolutely no different from the way most Pitt fans look at Xavier Coach Sean Miller. No one is in any hurry for this to happen, but there is a perception/belief that Pitt would get Miller if the time came. Apparently UCLA fans feel the same way about Dixon.

It’s always that way. It doesn’t necessarily happen, though. Kentucky has failed twice in the presumption that they could get Billy Donovan from Florida when they came calling. Donovan has become entrenched and at home in Florida.

That is, in my opinion, where things are heading with Coach Dixon. He is building his legacy at Pitt. He has become increasingly entrenched and sees a chance to establish his own legacy at Pitt in the long-term.

Dixon has done more than build the program at Pitt. He has worked to make it an integral part of the campus and the community. So that the basketball program is an important thing, and not an afterthought. His assistance in making the summer league in Pittsburgh, strongly encouraging the participation by Pitt players and giving what support he is able to offer (without running afoul of NCAA issues) from the inception of it. Those are the little things that will give Pitt basketball the long term growth. In the process, so has Dixon become part of the community and the university.

The support of the athletic department and chancellor has only fostered that growth. To say nothing of being proactive in rewarding Dixon with extensions and raises that keep him from feeling underappreciated. Coach Dixon may be the highest paid employee at Pitt, but he is middle-of-the-road in coaches salary in the Big East and overall in the major conferences. Thankfully, Coach Dixon does not have his ego directly tied to his salary, so he does not seek or demand to be among the top pay of coaches.

Oh, and this from Andy Katz at ESPN.com:

Dixon had already received preliminary calls from reps of USC in case Floyd had left, according to multiple sources. Dixon may not have bit on a potential offer, but the good news for Pitt fans is he doesn’t have to even think twice anymore. He’s staying put.

Not an issue.

Here’s roughly what Dixon would have to balance, assuming Tim Floyd leaves USC for Arizona and USC comes after Coach Jamie Dixon.

Money: They would have to offer at least $2.5 million and a minimum of 5 years.

Family: If they did that, the other pros would be the proximity of his sister and parents in the area. Along with his wife being a USC grad (FWIW).

Local recruiting: Let’s face it, there is more talent to mine in LA and California than there is in Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania.

Here are the negatives:

Less enthusiastic fanbase;

Leaving a trusted relationships with both the AD and Chancellor;

In a comfort zone and happy in Pittsburgh;

Unknown possibilities of NCAA penalties from the O.J. Mayo matters in 2008;

Competing regularly with good friend Ben Howland on the court and off for recruits. Given their similarities in what they like to do, they would be battling regularly for the same type of recruits in the same places;

Starting over and leaving well-built and more established recruiting inroads in the east;

Bigger rebuilding/reloading job even if Taj Gibson and Daniel Hackett come back. He is almost certain to lose USC’s recruiting class and DeRozan would be certain to go pro.

What else?

So, let me get this straight. The coach who ended up being trashed repeatedly in no small part because he had to follow Phil Jackson in Chicago without Michael Jordan and a completely barren rebuilding team, is going to head to Arizona to follow Lute Olson and a completely barren and rebuilding team? Really? Did someone erase this guy’s memory of how well that worked last time?

Tim Floyd is a moron, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised if he does take the Arizona job. It’s not a done deal, yet. He’s mulling, apparently. The speculative reasons as to why he wants to go somewhere for at least slightly better money is that there is actual caring about the basketball program by the fans. The other is that he knows some bad crap is about to come down the pike from the O.J. Mayo stuff last year.

I don’t know, but that will re-fuel the Jamie Dixon to USC stuff.

Matt “Money” Smith during Lakers Line on AM 570 KLAC said Ben Howland protege and current Pittsburgh head coach Jamie Dixon is rumored to replace Floyd.

Dixon, with family in LA and such, will be a popular name tossed. Of course, the Trojans tried to get him to bite a few years back and he completely rebuffed them.

Still, as I cautioned, this sort of rumor stuff will be going for a bit. In fact, if Floyd does leave expect the intensity and rumors to really hit the fan. Why? All coaches and athletic directors will be in Detroit for the next several days for the Final Four.

That will mean breathless reports of clandestine meetings. Unsubstantiated rumors, sightings and pairings.

Dan Patrick did a radio interview with Coach Jamie Dixon (this should be the direct link to the mp3). Nothing about the coaching carousel. Just about the final game of the year — which Dixon said he still is not over.

The second guessing was a big thing in the Q&As the prior couple of days both with the final play and what happened to the rest of the players beyond Fields, Young and Blair.

Speaking of second guessing a guy from the Providence Journal questioned whether Coach Dixon was too amped up and it made his players too tense.

From the opening minute, intensity seemed to run off Pitt coach Jamie Dixon like sweat off the players. He was all but bouncing up and down before the game started, and every time out he would come into the huddle, his face clenched, the emotion everywhere. It never stopped, 40 minutes of frenzy, with Dixon yelling, the assistants yelling, everyone yelling, non-stop emotion. Marines running up San Juan Hill couldn’t be any more intense.

He spends the next several paragraphs conceding that all of this could mean nothing. That it may simply be the way Coach Dixon is, and that there is plenty of evidence suggesting that there is no one right way to be as a coach. Then, basically he admits he doesn’t believe it.

But I can’t help but think Pitt could have been even more successful if it had all been turned down a notch.

Er. No. Sorry not buying it. The same coach that was in charge so the team got a #1 seed. Advanced to the Elite 8. And then to say, maybe the coach should have eased back. A team that accomplished a boatload of firsts.

The main questions seem to be about the immediate future. That will be a topic that will continually come up all off-season I image. Briefly, it will be tough for Pitt to be in the top-25 to start the season. Pitt will be there in the upper 9 teams of the Big East, but next season is definitely a rebuilding/reloading season.

You just do not lose the number of senior starters and a key reserve and likely an All-American sophomore, without losing some ground. How much ground is the question.

Quick answer: NO.

The departure of Calipari fromo Memphis, raises a host of questions about his recruits (and something of a potential feeding frenzy for those that don’t follow him to Kentucky). For Pitt, the speculation seems to be about a JUCO big man, Will Coleman. Pitt had previously pursued Coleman.

First, all of the Memphis recruits have an addendum to their LOIs that allow them out if Calipari isn’t there. So, Coleman has choices.

The question, though, is whether Pitt should pursue Coleman? And if not Coleman, there is this other kid in Florida — Kyryl Natyazkho.

The reason, of course, is that DeJuan Blair is likely going pro. That would free-up one more scholarship. And of course there is this looming gaping hole at the 5 spot.

My feeling is that Pitt really should not bother with Natyazkho and I’m not that interested in Coleman. Part of it is that a JUCO is always unpredictable in how they translate to NCAA. That makes it a riskier gamble.

As for the larger picture, Pitt has plenty of guys coming in that are centers or can play the spot. They may not have the height, but Talib Zanna and J.J. Richardson are PF-Cs. And even Dwight Miller, who is redshirting.

Then there is this. Pitt only has one scholarship for 2010. Only Jermaine Dixon will be a senior. This, after coming off an Elite 8 run and a season in the top-5. That one scholarship is going to PG Isiah Epps. I think it would be best to hold any extra scholarships that open up for Pitt for 2010 and someone else.

Reports are now flying that Arizona will be making a coaching announcement in the next couple of days.

The school has narrowed down their choices and talked to four candidates, sources have told Sports 620 KTAR’s Mark Asher.

A deal is believed to be agreed upon in principle but nothing has been signed.

The names are Gonzaga’s Mark Few, Louisville’s Rick Pitino, Oklahoma’s Jeff Capel, and USC’s Tim Floyd.

The only reason I mention this is because a lot of signs are starting to point to Mark Few.

Coach Jamie Dixon has not been mentioned as a serious candidate for a while, beyond speculative wishlists. This (unsurprisingly) suggests the Chris Dokish report to be accurate, and that Dixon and/or his intermediaries had previously rejected efforts from the Arizona intermediaries.

That doesn’t end the coaching carousel. Forget Memphis. That is not a Dixon place. If the Tigers somehow got Tim Floyd from USC (which I highly doubt), that whole LA thing would begin again. Not to mention, USC has the money.

Georgia is still out there and has to be getting desperate. Couple that with a lot of money, and they have to be watched.

The Arizona thing, though, looks to be done for Pitt and Dixon.

Yes, I know Dante Taylor won the skills competition at the McDonald’s All-American competition. He’s understandibly proud.

Tonight the POWERADE Jam Fest was great because I won the skills challenge! It felt amazing to take the title because I was representing my family, friends and hometown on national television. It was also a great event to participate in because this was the first year in Jam Fest history that they had the skills challenge. I told everyone, including my teammates, from the beginning that I was going to win the skills challenge and they didn’t believe me. They acted all surprised because a “big guy” isn’t usually expected to win. I showed them all tonight!

He also swam with the dolphins at the Miami Seaquarium, and “worked” at  a McDonalds. Not to mention a trip to a Ronald McDonald House.

The game itself is tonight at 8 pm on ESPN. The rebroadcast of the Jam Fest is in the hour before hand.

Next Thursday will be the Capital Classic All-Star game, held at American U. Pitt signees Talib Zanna and Lamar Patterson are on the rosters for that one. This one has plenty of other Big East commits.