ESPN has released its crews for the upcoming college football season.

Pam Ward is still employed.

Doug Flutie and Bonnie Bernstein are out of the picture. As is Paul McGuire.

Matt Millen for some inexplicable reason will be doing college football analysis on ABC afternoon games with Sean McDonough.

Jesse Palmer is getting more exposure.

Bob Griese is fading. Down from the ABC afternoon games to the ESPN noon games with Chris Spielman and Dave Pasch.

Erin Andrews will be on the sidelines for Thursday and Saturday night.

College GameDay is unchanged with Fowler, Corso and Herbstreit with Howard hanging around.

Studio shows College Football Final will remain unchanged with Rece Davis, Lou Holtz and Mark May.

Big East regional games will be Mike Gleason and John Congemi with Quint Kessinich on the sidelines.

ESPNews Overdrive show will include Dari Nowkah, Shaun King and Kordell Stewart.

Anything else will probably be a trickle that will end up in a general clearance post down the road. There are a few stories to get out there.

Good god, but the Kiwi sportswriters have some major man-crushes going on Coach Jamie Dixon. There was the piece earlier, now for the departure.

He’d masterminded a long-overdue gold medal for the USA at the Fiba world under-19 men’s basketball championships in Auckland – and he’d done it in the country that had set him down the pathway to his position now as one of the preeminent coaches in American hoops.

It was little wonder you could not wipe the smile off the likeable American’s face at the North Shore Events Centre on Sunday night.

Dixon, after all, had first realised his ambition and aptitude for coaching during his two years as a star import for Hawke’s Bay in the New Zealand NBL back in 1989-90.

To return 20 years later, having grown into one of the highest-rated coaches in American college basketball, and claim a world title his country hadn’t taken home in nearly two decades was almost a dream come true for this Pat Riley-in-his-heyday lookalike.

…

Now ensconced as the head coach of the powerhouse University of Pittsburgh programme, his success in bringing the sought-after world under-19 title back to the home of hoops would have further enhanced his status in the American game.

It probably helped that Dixon had no shortage of praise for New Zealand as  a place and the people. Always the gracious guest.

Not that Andy Katz was too far behind in the praise-heaping. It just got spread more among the players and coaches.

The Americans won all nine games in New Zealand. They outscored their opponents by an average of 22.2 points, holding teams to 66 points a game, 38.2 percent on shooting overall, 30.7 percent on 3-pointers. They also outrebounded their opponents by eight a game.

If this sounds familiar then it should. This is exactly how Dixon’s, Painter’s and Lowery’s teams win at Pitt, Purdue and Southern Illinois, respectively.

“They’ve had two years together and we had one month,” Painter said by phone about the difference in preparation. “They all accepted their roles.”

This squad won it without the best available players committing, and a head coach who was put on the spot late.

Pitt’s Dixon, who replaced Davidson’s Bob McKillop to make his coaching debut for USA Basketball, confirmed that 22 players from around the country had declined invitations to play in New Zealand. That number included Connecticut’s Kemba Walker, who was the MVP of the McKillop-led American team that won the silver medal at the qualifying event last summer in Argentina. In fact, not a single player from last summer’s qualifying team in Argentina was in New Zealand this summer. Walker declined to play for the team again this year to attend summer school.

Wake Forest’s Al-Farouq Aminu, a projected lottery pick in 2010, was invited but declined to play for personal reasons.

If you review the USA team’s roster, the only player on that list that was a highly sought recruits were Howard Thompkins, Georgia, Darius Miller from Kentucky and  Tyshawn Taylor from Kansas. None of these guys were even considering going pro after one year — and probably not after two.

But no one may have gained more out of this trip than Pitt’s Ashton Gibbs. He has to replace Levance Fields at the point for Dixon. In nine games, he had 20 assists and just six turnovers to go along with seven steals.

“It’s a credit to Jamie that there was no ego with this team,” said Lowery, who along with Painter (whom Lowery was an assistant under at SIU) handled the substitutions. “He kept telling them how good we could be.”

Dixon said he stressed to the players how the Americans hadn’t won this event since 1991. The pride in the achievement of claiming gold didn’t take long for them to appreciate.

Whether Gibbs is the starter to replace Fields or is just filling all roles in the guard spot, he has more confidence and experience.

This team, by the way, won without a true PG on the team. Some of that may be the international game, but it is also a pretty good testement to the coaching job that the team was able to win the whole thing despite that.

Brief aside since inevitably the comments will once more turn to Pitt’s PG situation for 2009. We are a little spoiled. It has been a long time — Brandin Knight’s freshman year (1999-00) — since Pitt has been without an experienced, true PG. It really has been a remarkable run at that position. Knight, Krauser, Fields. All stayed four years. All unquestioned team leaders. Each transitioned to the next. There are few squads — regardless of their pedigree — these days that can point to that kind of run at the point guard position.

Back to the story, I do love that Coach Dixon had no problem emphasizing to the team that no USA U-19 had won it in 19 years. He didn’t try to hide the pressure from them. He didn’t try to downplay the expectations. He got them to use it as further motivation. Nothing upsets me more than a coach that tries too hard to downplay the big games or the goals. It just never works well with that approach.

Mike DeCourcy at the Sporting News also praises Dixon.

His heart was broken in March by a coast-to-coast Scottie Reynolds drive that allowed Villanova to walk over Dixon’s Panthers and into the Final Four.

But Dixon was smiling at the end of this one. Unlike the Olympics, they give the head coach a gold medal, and he certainly earned it (with considerable help from assistants Chris Lowery of Southern Illinois and Matt Painter of Purdue).

With no international experience and late notification he’d be needed, Dixon took a near-starless team to New Zealand.

Which is part of why the performance by Dixon and the assistant coaches is considered so outstanding. Not only did they snap a long drought in the U-19, but they did it with a very unheralded group.

It’s no wonder Duke Coach Mike Kryzewski chose to show up at the Peach Jam in Georgia wearing his Team USA shirt rather than a Duke shirt. Makesure to remind the recruits about the bigger goals.

A perfect 9-0 run through the FIBA U-19 World Championships capped by a 88-80 win over the Greek team to give the USA team the Gold. The first time the USA team has won it in 18 years.

The teams were tied 19-19 after the first quarter but the United States gained a crucial break with an outstanding defensive performance in the second period, outscoring Greece 27-11 to lead 46-30 at halftime.

Greece made a concerted comeback in the third quarter, outscoring the Americans 21-14 to cut their lead to 60-51 at three-quarter time. Taylor kept his team’s hopes alive during that period, breaking a brief scoring drought, and was prominent as the United States drew away again in a 29-28 last quarter.

The United States opened a 10-point lead early in the final period and shut down any threat of a Greek comeback with two critical outside shots from Klay Thompson and Ashton Gibbs. Thompson’s long three-pointer gave the United States a 13-point lead and Gibbs’ had them ahead by 12 points with 5:10 remaining.

The United States was still ahead 78-63 with two minutes left and though Greece finished strongly the gap was too great to bridge.

Gibbs finished with 13 points, Thompson 10 while Arnett Moultrie had 10 points and nine rebounds. The depth of the United States’ scoring was reflected in the fact Gordon Hayward, their top scorer throughout the tournament, failed to score Sunday but others in the strong winning lineup took up the slack.

Gibbs also led the attack to bust the game open in that second quarter.

The USA opened some breathing room after running off a 16-1 offensive onslaught over the course of the second quarter’s first five minutes.  Ashton Gibbs (Pittsburgh / Scotch Plains, N.J.) started the run and accounted for six of the team’s first eight points in the spurt, then Terrico White (Mississippi / Memphis, Tenn.) finished it off with a fastbreak basket and a 3-pointer that left the USA holding a 35-20 lead with 5:07 to play before half.

Gibbs didn’t shoot a great percentage (PDF Box Score), only 4-12, but he led the team in crucial points and what was interesting about the tournament for Gibbs was how much he seemed to be attacking and driving to the basket rather than always spotting up for shots. Obviously with him handling a lot of point guard duties, he would not get that chance as much.

In this game, the US team only attempted a total of 15 3s. Their lowest number in the whole tournament. Prior to the Championship game, the US team averaged nearly 28 attempts per game.

And so, with a perfect run while every other team finished with at least 2 losses, the USA team was clearly the best.

The Americans ended an 18-year drought at the age group tournament by tipping over the European champions 88-80.

It maintained their unbeaten record after nine matches in the 16-nation tournament, meaning there can be no questions about their dominance.

The USA team celebrated on the court.

And as the clock finally wound down at a packed NSEC, with a fabulous crowd of over 4000 enjoying the finale, it was finally time for some celebrating. Finally these Americans on a mission could let their emotions out of the bag as they realised the only colour medal they’d come here to collect.

And while New Zealand did not make the U-19, they could at least take pride in the USA team’s coach.

It should be noted, too, that they were coached by a guy – Jamie Dixon – who cut his coaching teeth in New Zealand way back in 1989 when he was an import with Hawke’s Bay in the NBL. That stint coaching juniors in the region, he said, set him on the coaching pathway. For that the USA is now no doubt eternally grateful.

Dixon said it had been extra special to win this title in New Zealand, and he was full of praise for the way in which his team of collegiate talents brought into the collective goal.

“This is so unique for us, but it really is a rewarding experience now. The whole thing has just been a great experience. We really set as a goal to win the gold medal and we also made it clear we hadn’t won since 1991. We used that as motivation throughout the month we’ve been going.”

Taylor said coach Dixon had never let his players forget the responsibility they had to end the gold medal drought at this event.

“He kept telling us, you know we haven’t won this tournament for a long time. We knew with the guys we brought, we didn’t have any superstars, we just had really good players who liked being around each other, so we knew it would be fun.”

Now that the Tournament is over, Coach Dixon has ended an apparent Twitter embargo. Praising the team and coaches and specifically Ashton Gibbs.

It’s not like Coach Dixon will have much time to relax after his flight. He’s heading straight to Augusta, Georgia to attend the Nike Peach Jam tournament.

Would it be in poor taste to head into that gym, wearing the requisite Pitt gear and a gold medal around his neck? Maybe with the trophy under an arm?

UPDATE: They just added the video highlights. Maybe it’s the lighting in the gym, but Coach Dixon looks to be graying overnight. Could we have a Grecian Formula shortage?

Coach Dixon’s USA U-19 team will play for the Gold late tonight/early this morning.  USA knocked off Croatia, 81-77 (PDF Box Score).

According to the story, the US team jumped all over Croatia in the second quarter to go up 46-33 by the half. In the third quarter the Croats came back big with a 26-11 scoring edge to take a two point lead. The USA team, though, did not wilt, retook the lead and made their free throws in the end.

American Gordon Hayward, who top scored with 15 points, went to the free-throw line twice in the last minute for four crucial points while Ashton Gibbs made two from two to seal the four-point advantage.

“They just stormed back on us and got in front but coach Dixon was great,” Hayward said. “He helped keep us calm and focused and didn’t let us get too unsettled by what they were doing.

“We knew it was loser go home and so we toughed it out. Now it’s Greece and the gold medal. We beat them earlier in the tournament but we realize we have to be better than that to win tomorrow.”

The game was won for the US at the free throw line. The Croatian team sent USA to the line 23 times, and the USA team made 18. Including those late clutch free throws.

Ashton Gibbs finished with 11 points (a perfect 4-4 on FTs, 1-3 on 3FGs and 2-4 from inside the line). He had 2 assists, a rebound and 0 turnovers. His 11 points was second most on the team.

Now the USA team gets a rematch with Greece. The Greeks stunned previously unbeaten Australia, 84-69.

The USA team had previously beaten Greece 85-69 at the start of the second round.

UPDATE: Here’s a link to the video highlights of the USA-Croatia game including a Gibbs 3 and him making the final free throw to keep the game a two possession game in the final 15 seconds.

You can watch the game live and online if you are up at 2:30 am (EST) and want to spring for the $8 (or maybe $5).

Well, the Aussies are feeling a bit cocky about their chances at winning the FIBA U-19 Championship.

And though everybody around the event is talking up the United States as a cast-iron prospect to end their 18-year drought at the tournament and finally take home the gold medals, the awesome Aussies are bristling over that.

Ellis, the team’s most polished all-round player with a nice mix of grunt and guile, reckons his team is thriving on its unheralded status and feels like they can give the confident Americans more than they can handle at the business end.

The two sides won’t meet until Sunday’s final, should they both get that far, but Ellis has sent a clear message to Jamie Dixon’s side should that eventuality play out.

“Mate, we can beat ’em – we can beat those guys” said the 2.04m forward who had 14 points and four boards in the Australians’ hard-fought 79-74 win over Croatia on Wednesday night to close out qualifying.

“We can beat anyone on our day, and we’re going for it,” added the impressive 19-year-old who hit three of his five three-pointers against the Croats.

The Australian U-19 team has been playing together year round so they do have the better teamwork, chemistry and such going for them. Like the US, they are 6-0 after the first couple of rounds.

Some interesting things from the Washington State blog, Coug Center on the U-19 team.

• This team is playing at an insanely fast pace. That 78.6 figure would have been second in the nation in college basketball last season — they play 40-minute games in international competition, too. This isn’t real surprising, given all the athletic bodies (and depth) Jamie Dixon has to work with.

• Their shooting has been excellent, as has their offensive rebounding and ability to take care of the basketball. The encouraging thing about this is that it shows this team isn’t getting by on mere athletic ability — they’re actually excelling at different facets of the game.

The latter point is not surprising. We know Coach Dixon does emphasize the rebounding and not turning the ball over. He has always coached the fundamentals well.

The point about the pace being so fast is interesting, since it seems to run contrary to what Coach Dixon likes at Pitt. As Nuss points out, though, this team is very athletic and should be running. That Coach Dixon is letting them play that way is the eyecatcher to me.

That indicates a lot more flexibility from Coach Dixon regarding how a team should play on the court.

We’ve heard recruits and occasionally even Coach Dixon indicate that he is willing to run at times. I’ve been a doubter of that, as it would seem to go outside his comfort zone. This suggests that there is some truth to it. Dixon will let a team play faster if they can still do the basic things that he demands.

Obviously, if you haven’t read Chris Dokish’s latest Q&A regarding the basketball team, you are missing a lot. Too much to excerpt.

I don’t disagree that Gibbs is intended to be the shooting guard and Woodall is hoped to be the starting point. I think the plan with Gibbs — especially with the way he seems to be being used in the U-19 is to make him much more comfortable as super-sub guard and another reliable ball handler

If you assume Jermaine Dixon starts at the shooting guard, Woodall at point and Gil Brown is the small forward  then Gibbs will see almost as many minutes as all three in the rotation but in both guard spots.

Gibbs will spell Woodall at point. He will spell Dixon at SG plus Dixon and Wanamaker at times could slide over to the SF/wing spot when Brown is out. Giving Pitt a 3-guard look.

Especially when Wanamaker is on the court, Pitt will need to make sure that there is another sure-handed guard. Wanamaker keeps improving and progressing, but the glaring weakness in his game is that he gets a little loose with the ball.

Back to the U-19, the US had no problem with Canada. Rolling to a 93-73 win (PDF). While the offense was excellent for the US team (especially draining 3s), their defense was probably better. Holding the Canucks to under 40% and getting 8 steals and 7 blocks.

Gibbs was only 1-5 in 23 minutes with 2 assists, 2 boards and 0 turnovers. Gibbs has not shot particularly well in the last 3 or 4 games.

As Croatia handled Puerto Rico, the US will have its toughest game next. I fear the Croats more than I do a meeting with the Aussies potentially in the gold medal game.

As it stands, the US team is now 7-0.

Slam Online has a nice recruiting recap for the entire Big East. It’s not a ranking, but it is a good way to look over the conference to get an idea about which teams loaded up and the expected impact players in the conference.

Honestly, news of a foot injury to Jermaine Dixon in July would not normally be a huge concern. It’ two months (8 weeks) out of action. He’ll be back before practices even begin. Dixon has shown in his first season that he is well-conditioned and it shouldn’t take him too long to get back into shape.

Of course what gives pause is this ominous factoid.

Pitt doctors are very familiar with the injury. It is the same injury that forced former Panther guard Levance Fields to miss a portion of the 2007-08 season.

The dreaded fractured fifth metatarsal on Dixon’s right foot. Something that nagged at Fields for a while and kept him from getting in shape through the summer as well.

Hopefully Fields’ experience will remain the exception and Dixon will be back and ready to go.

With Coach Dixon in New Zealand with the U-19 team, Pitt is a coach short on the recruiting trail for the beginning of July. That means Brandon Knight, Pat Sandle and Tom Herrion have to get to places, be seen — coaches don’t wear those sweatsuits purely for comfort — and zip elsewhere.

The Nike LeBron Camp in Akron is actually a place where coaches aren’t allowed. So Pitt had a presence down in Cinci for an Adidas sponsored tournament at the beginning of the week with Herrion. That allowed him to get up to Cleveland on Wednesday for the King City Classic — which featured participants of the Nike Camp.

Pitt associate head coach Tom Herrion is smartly and strategically sitting between both courts watching the action with Pat Sandle. With Jamie Dixon tied up this evaluation period with Team USA’s U-19 squad in New Zealand, Herrion is heading the Pitt delegation on the road. Coach Herrion was seen jotting down several notes after a nice-looking Malcolm Gilbert turnaround jumper.

Pitt commit Isiah Epps was one of the players at the LeBron Camp.

The camp’s namesake, Cleveland Cavaliers’ great Lebron James, worked out with the first group on court one in the first session of the afternoon. Camp participants Trey Zeigler, Ray McCallum Jr and Pittsburgh commit Isaiah Epps were among the few to run drills and controlled scrimmages with James.

Epps also stood out in the evening scrimmage on the first night of the LeBron Camp.

Brandin Knight was also in Reading, PA for the Hoop Group Elite Camp watching players.

Then it was out to Philly for a Reebok Camp.

Given the sheer volume of talent and coaches watching (and making sure they were seen) it is generally unclear which players coaches take a particular interest in  — aside from the obvious ones. That becomes clearer in the month or so afterwards when offers are confirmed; and players start talking about narrowing their lists and stating favorites.

Oh, and WVU suspended Truck Bryant indefinitely. That means both point guards — Mazzulla and Bryant — are serving indefinite suspensions… In the summer. Ooooh. Cracking the whip down in Morgantown.

Either way, bet on a redshirt and look at the latest commit as a project.

Tight end Brendan Carozzoni of St. Ignatius High School in Rocky River, Ohio, made a verbal commitment to Pitt this afternoon.

Carozzoni (6-4, 215) is the 14th player from the class of 2010 to commit to the Panthers and the fourth player to commit in the month of July. He chose the Panthers over scholarship offers from West Virginia, Indiana, Illinois and Purdue.

Small quibble. St. Ignatius is in Cleveland. Carozzoni is a resident of Rocky River — where there is an excellent brewpub and not a cheap place to buy a decent house in Cuyahoga County (sorry, house hunting creeps into everything I do these days).

Carrozzoni is not highly or at all starred by Rivals.com or Scout.com. ESPN.com/Scouts, Inc. gives him a decent rank, but definitely evaluates him as a long-term project (Insider sub).

He has experience as an in-line player and if he can add needed bulk, tight end is where he will be listed. His best asset at this point are his receiving skills. He plays from an in-line position and flexed out. Displays solid speed and looks best suited for the short-to-intermediate passing game. … He is a solid blocker who flashes signs. He gives effort and will try and be physical. Flashes the ability to strike an initial blow with his hands and get placement. He will generate power from his hips and get into the defender. He needs to be more consistent in his technique with his hand placement and keeping his hips under him. Carozzoni displays the ability to be a solid tight end who can contribute as a blocker and receiver. Needs to keep developing and could be a kid who benefits from a red-shirt.

The video clips they have of Carozzoni definitley show little burst after the catch. If he is going to stay at TE in the long-term it will be for his blocking and as a safety valve TE.

Sam Young gets a puff piece in the Memphis paper. It focuses on his drive. Pointing to the air mattress in the locker room and already with Memphis he was the last of the rookies to leave the court.

It also seems to take a stab at getting into Young’s psyche a bit.

“I’ve always been the underdog,” he said.

The thread through all this is that he has excelled for those who have taken an interest in him. For example, at Friendly High in Fort Washington, Md., Young was not a blue-chip recruit. He was playing out of position at center and lackluster grades meant he would need to spend an additional year at a prep school to qualify. As a result, most top-tier programs backed off. He was high risk and not necessarily high reward.

So when the Pitt coaching staff began to show up at his games and then stuck around, Young committed on the spot.

“We were there when a whole lot of other people weren’t around,” Lombardi said. “He just wanted someone to give him some love.”

The Grizzlies hope there are parallels, though Young said he was hoping the team would take him at No. 27 — a pick they used instead on DeMarre Carroll. Still, considering all the other teams that passed on him completely, Young appreciates that the Grizzlies appreciated him, drafting him at No. 36. And now, among those close to him, there is the feeling — or even the expectation — that he intends to make the rest of the NBA pay.

Young will now be wearing #4 for the Grizz. Quentin Richardson has the 23 jersey there.

DeJuan Blair gets to keep his #45 and is ready to grab boards.

Now that he’s headed to the NBA, Blair will need to polish the offensive parts of his game. He will have to work to learn the subtleties of Spurs coach Gregg Popovich’s defense. A 61.4 percent foul shooter in college, Blair will look to improve in that area as well.

In the meantime, Blair figures he can always contribute by doing what he does best.

“I’m not worried about points,” Blair said. “I’m going to rebound. If this team has a rebounder, then there’s your championship. Because they have everything else.”

Aside from health concerns about key players.

The toughest game to date. Lithuania was in do-or-die with regards to a chance to get into the medal contention. The USA team prevailed 76-69 in a different kind of game for them.

The USA was outrebounded by 11, and shot poorer from the field than Lithuania. The 3-point shooting struggled with a sub-par 7-22 (31%), but it was better than the Lithuanians that could only manage 3-13.

What did it for the US team? Not turning the ball over. Only 8 turnovers compared to a whopping 23 from Lithuania. The USA squad had 13 steals.

This one was taut and tight throughout. Tied at the half, and the only game so far where the USA squad actually trailed in the second half.

Lithuania outscored the U.S. 10-5 over the first five minutes of the third and led 46-41. But Terrico White (Georgia / Lithonia, Ga.) nailed a much needed three, and John Shurna (Northwestern / Glen Ellyn, Ill.) then added a 3-pointer and a turn-around jumper that put the Americans back up 49-46. Lithuania regained the lead 50-49 and the USA five closed out the third stanza with six straight points from three different players to carry a 55-50 advantage into the fourth quarter.

Darius Miller (Kentucky / Lexington, Ky.) provided the U.S. with a much need spark early in the fourth quarter. With the USA clinging to a 59-56 lead and 9:18 left, Miller pumped in six straight points and blocked a shot at the other end as the U.S. moved out to a 65-56 lead with 6:26 to be played.

Lithuania refused to fold and over the next 3:20 outgunned the U.S. 11-2 to tie the game 67-67 with 3:06 left in the game.

Klay Thompson (Washington State / Ladera Ranch, Calif.) came up with a loose ball in a scramble and scored to break the tie and put the U.S. ahead for good 69-67.

Next it was Taylor’s turn to take charge. The Kansas guard hit a jumper just inside the 3-point line and on the following possession scored on a hook off a drive that put the USA up 73-67 with 1:40 remaining.

The desperate Lithuanians cut the gap to 73-69, but from the there the USA made the stops and secured the rebounds to walk away with the win.

Ashton Gibbs started for the USA team and finished with 8 points, but it was not a good performance by the numbers. Only 2-9 from the field and only 1 assist.

Still a win and the US goes to the quarters as the #1 seed from Group E. They take on #4 from Group F — Canada — Thursday morning/Friday night. The Canadians ended up edging out Spain for the 4th seed. The #1 seed in Group F is Australia.

If the US wins against Canada, their next game will be against the winner of  Croatia (#2 Group F)/Puerto Rico (#3 Group E). I’m guessing it will be the Croats.

Pitt put out a press release updating the football schedule with known times. At this point, there are only 5 times set for games. Two Friday night road games at Louisville and Rutgers, and now the first 3 games of the season.

September 5 —— Youngstown St. — 1 pm

September 12 —– at Buffalo ———- 12 pm

September 19 ———- Navy ———– 6 pm

Not surprised the YSU game is early. Excited to see the Navy game is in the evening. It means, getting to stay the night in the ‘Burgh rather than going right home.

There are potentially 3 other dates that could be noon starts.

Now the defense of the USA U-19 is beginning to come to the forefront. A second straight game where the shots — especially from the perimeter — were not falling, but defense and rebounding continue to be there. The USA team took control late in the first quarter and took the game 82-61.

The U.S. blew the game wide open with a 24-2 run that covered the last 2:41 of the first quarter and the first 5:12 of the second quarter. During the games deciding run Ashton Gibbs (Pittsburgh / Scotch Plains, N.J.) and Seth Curry (Duke / Charlotte, N.C.) each tallied six points, Terrico White (Mississippi / Memphis, Tenn.) contributed five points, and Howard Thompkins (Georgia / Lithonia, Ga.) added four more in the massive run.

Outscoring Puerto Rico 9-2 over the final 2:31 of the opening quarter to grab control 20-13, the Americans opened the second quarter by scoring 15 straight points to take full control 35-13. Of Puerto Rico’s six points in the second period, four came on free throws as the islanders made just 1of-16 shots from the field.

Leading comfortably at halftime 43-19, the USA lead hovered around 20 points for the remainder of the game as Puerto Rico offensively was continually harassed by the USA defense.

Puerto Rico’s star player, Rutgers Sophomore Mike Rosario, had 54 points against France and averaged something like 32/game coming in. He was held to 11 points on only 4-15 shooting and was forced into 4 turnovers.

The win moves the USA U-19 to 5-0 and clinches the #1 seed in Group E regardless of what happens tonight/this morning (7:30 pm NZ, 2:30 am EST) against Lithuania. That means the USA team will face the #4 seed of Group F on Thursday night/morning. Right now, it looks like the possibilities for the #4 seed are Spain, Canada or Argentina.

Australia and Croatia are going to be the #1 and #2 seeds — order determined after their game tonight.

Ashton Gibb, like the rest of the team — aside from Howard Thompkins who has been thriving — struggled with his shooting. Only 3-10 and 1-5 on 3s. Despite this, Gibbs has shot better than 45% overall in the 5 games and has ended up taking the most shots of any USA player. He seems to be doing very well in the group and is playing around 22 minutes a game — the most on the team.

It’s hard not to think that Coach Dixon is getting him lots of work in preparation to lead Pitt in the upcoming season. So far, Gibbs seems to be handling it.

As for Coach Dixon, well he gets the puff pieces now that he’s visiting New Zealand — the place where he played for 2 years (hattip to Asst. AD Greg Hotchkiss’ Twitter). It’s a full-blown puffer.

The Hawks’ US import from the 1989-90 seasons smiles as he greets SportToday at the Westshore Inn in Napier.

The 43-year-old Californian has made a whirlwind trip to catch up with his former Bay teammates and acquaintances after almost two decades.

Dressed smartly in a blue long-sleeved shirt and black pleated slacks, Dixon plants himself in the lounge seat of a self-contained unit at the inn as a heater tries to beat the chill in the room.

But Dixon has an aura that emits warmth of its own. If all the publicity has the potential to corrupt the best there’s no signs that Dixon is tainted.

It’s almost Tebow-esque.

In the interview he admits that he was asked to coach the World USA Team of 23 year-olds, but wanted the U-19 so he could come back to New Zealand for a visit.

Once you get past the fawning, it’s a good piece with Dixon talking a bit about how being in New Zealand gave him his first chance to coach some kids and started him down the path to coaching. And being asked about his future.

He’s quite content with continuing at the highest level in college basketball.

“I have a great interest in NBA as a game and it really does cross over to a lot of people in many ways but I want to keep Pittsburgh at the highest level of college basketball.”

Plus no story on Coach Dixon can be complete without a side piece relating to his sister, Maggie.

It’s not something Jamie Dixon often talks about but it doesn’t mean it’s not there.

Huh? It is the automatic subject of at least 2-5 stories every year. It may not be something Coach Dixon brings up, but he gets asked about it and is willing to talk about it whenever asked.

The late Maggie Dixon’s story became an international story.

“It’s opened me up to better express my feelings because I saw people express their sympathies so it’s done a lot in that regard.”

Hmm. That’s something of a new tidbit that I hadn’t thought about before. I’ve mostly ascribed Dixon’s growing comfort with the public media as a part of his growth and learning to be a head coach and do the things needed. Plus the maturity of getting older and more comfortable in your own skin.  But, the loss of his sister and having to relate and talk to strangers on a personal, empathic level  would be something that would have a huge impact in changing the way he relates with people and communicates. Less of an arm’s length approach.

Er, move the last word to the front. Yeah, that’s better.

Still another commit to a frentic 2 week period of recruiting for Pitt football and Coach Wannstedt.

Woodland Hills defensive tackle Khaynin “K.K.” Mosley-Smith has made a verbal commitment to Pitt, becoming the fourth WPIAL prospect and 13th recruit for the Panthers from the Class of 2010.

The 6-foot-1, 287-pound defensive tackle drew a scholarship offer after impressing Panthers coaches at their individual skills camp last month by running the 40-yard dash in 4.9 seconds. He also bench-presses 340 pounds and squats 615.

I’m not up on the nicknames. I really hoping the “K.K. is partially derived from the first name. If not you risk making it K.K.K.

Mosley-Smith is not a highly starred recruit. Rivals.com has him unranked and Scout.com has him at 2-star. According to Mosley-Smith, that’s because others are only starting to get acquainted with him and his talents.

“I would have gotten more offers, there were a lot of teams just starting to get involved and get interested, like Michigan,” Mosley-Smith said. “But Pitt was the first one to really come after me hard and like I said, they let me know that they really wanted me to be there.”

His offers right now are from WVU, Syracuse, UConn, EMU, Ohio and Scout.com does say Michigan also offered.

ESPN.com/Scouts, Inc. seems inclined to agree with Mosley-Smith’s own opinion of himself (Insider subs).

Flashes the ability to be tough at the point of attack. He can be explosive and shoot his hands and knock a blocker on his heels. Does a solid job of being able to come across the line and stay square and make a play on the ball. Pursues to the ball and gives good effort. For his size closes well on the ball carrier and is a good tackler. As a pass rusher he will flash the ability to work a quick move. He can be active with his hands, but needs to protect his legs and have a plan. He works to get to the quarterback, but needs to at times channel some of that energy into better technique.

And suddenly the Pitt recruiting class is looking better.

Even without Clemmings’ official pledge,Pittsburgh’s Dave Wannstedt has still done a very nice job of reeling in 2010 recruits early on and paving the way for an impressive 2011 haul.

The Panthers already have verbal commitments from the Don Bosco Prep (N.J.) tandem of offensive lineman Brandon Sacco and defensive lineman Bryan Murphy, as well as St. Joseph Regional receiver K’Waun Williams.

DeMatha (Md.) athlete Jeff Knox and Bishop McDevitt (Pa.) receiver Salath Williams are also on board.

Williams may be able to help lure teammate Jameel Poteat to Pittsburgh. Poteat is a talented running back drawing interest from schools up and down the east coast. Wannstedt was the first coach to verbally offer Poteat, and Pittsburgh appears to be in good shape.

The Panthers also lead for fellow 2011 in-state star Terrell Chestnut. Chestnut plays quarterback and defensive back for Pottsgrove, but he projects to the defensive side of the ball at the next level. His teammate, Maika Polamalu, is another that Wannstedt will keep an eye on, though Penn State will also be in the hunt.

It is not a star swinging behemoth, but there are players that can help the team. And apparently help set things up for 2011 as well.

A pair of commits to start and finish the July 4th weekend.

Pitt just keeps piling up the WRs. Another tall, strong WR in Andrew Carswell out of McKees Rocks.

Carswell, 6-foot-4, 210 pounds, was one of the first juniors to get an offer from Pitt last season. He also had offers from West Virginia, Syracuse, Virginia, Duke, North Carolina State, Maryland, Boston College, Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern, Vanderbilt and Stanford.

“I felt like I had a connection with Pitt,” he said, “and I wanted to stay close to home.”

He’s listed as a WR, but he also played defensive back.

But Ruscitto said Carswell had a number of programs looking at him as a defensive player as well.

Carswell made 56 tackles and had three interceptions as a defensive back, and Ruscitto said this versatility indicates Carswell’s ability to play at the next level.

That seems enticing to have the possibility of a big DB again. Yet Carswell is 3- to 4-star recruit as a WR, and gets good reviews especially with his potential (Insider subs.).

Carswell is a big, physical wide receiver who has a very nice combination of size, speed and athleticism. He is productive both as a deep threat and also on underneath throws because he possesses very good quickness for a player his size. He shows very good change-of-direction after the catch. He is tall, well-built and has an impressive frame to grow into. It is tough for secondary players to judge his deep speed because he lulls them to sleep off the ball and then shows a sneaky second gear to go past them.

So that was a nice way to start things, but the ending was more important as — HOLY GOD, AN OFFENSIVE LINEMAN!!! OMG! SOMEONE TO PLAY O-LINE!!!!

Er, sorry. It’s just that the lack of any commits for the O-line and some glaring misses has made this a source of anxiety. But Pitt got a good one.

Pitt’s recruiting momentum did not slow down for the holidays as the Panthers received a verbal commitment yesterday from North Olmstead, Ohio, offensive lineman Matt Rotheram.

Rotheram is the 12th player from the class of 2010 to commit to the Panthers. He is the highest-rated recruit of any in the class thus far.

Rotheram (6 feet 6, 310 pounds) is a four-star prospect, according to Rivals.com, and the recruiting service also ranks him as the ninth-best guard prospect in the country.

He had numerous scholarship offers, including from Wisconsin, Illinois, Purdue, Indiana, LSU, Arizona, Michigan State, Iowa and Cincinnati. He said his three finalists were Purdue, Indiana and Pitt, and once he compared them it was really no contest.

Well, yeah. Playing somewhere in Indiana or, well, anywhere else.

He mades his decision on his birthday to obligingly give Pitt coaches the present. What makes his verbal such a happy thing is what type of O-lineman he is.

He said playing in the Panthers’ pro-style offense was appealing to his type of game.

“I’m a run blocker,” Rotheram said. “Finishing the block is my best trait. I never give up on a block. People call it a mean streak.”

Rivals.com does have him as a 4-star, while Scout.com gives him 3. ESPN.com/Scouts, Inc. likes him enough to have him in their national 150-player watchlist, and agrees that he is best as a run-blocker (Insider subs.).

Rotheram is exactly what a coach looks for in a run blocking tackle but will need to work on foot quickness at the next level. He has the strength, power and technical skills to be a very productive offensive lineman at the next level.

And if you are excited by watching clips of good blocking, there’s even a YouTube of his best.

The defense is consistent. The rebounding is solid. The things Coach Dixon likes to preech.  A good thing for the USA teamwhen the shots were not falling against Greece. The US still won 85-69.

“It was a little different game for us, a kind of grind it out game. It wasn’t real pretty as far as offense, but I thought we defended some things pretty well,” USA head coach Jamie Dixon stated. “I thought Howard (Thompkins) played well, we got the ball inside like we wanted to. We figured out some things as the game went on, so it was a good win. They’re a good team, they got some guys who can score.”

This one had lots of fouls as the USA teamwas too strong inside for Greece.

Ashton Gibbs is getting plenty of minutes and playing point. He finished with 8 points and 0 assists and 0 turnovers. There were only 10 assists for the entire USA squad. An inside game, is familiar to Gibbs.

How much easier is for you as the point guard when you have it going inside like the team did tonight?

Being a good basketball team always requires a big time inside presence.  We had that last year in my college season, so I’m used to big guys dominating inside and that’s what Howard (Thompkins) did today. He dominated on the boards and in scoring. He was a dominate force and that’s  what we  need.

While the U-19 team has been taking and making a lot of 3s, according to Howard Thompkins, it isn’t like Coach Dixon radically altered his approach.

Did Coach Dixon emphasize the guys getting you the ball inside.

Well he wants us to start our offense inside out anyway. Coach wants us to start our offense inside out anyway, but we just have such great shooters it just doesn’t seem like that sometimes. Coach Dixon always emphasizes for us to play hard on the inside, go from the inside out.

Just in case anyone thinks Pitt will start mad-boimbing from outside this year. Heck, it seems like Coach Dixon has been running things as he would if this was a Pitt squad.

Teams seems to struggle against your defense in the second half, do you feel like you have a fitness edge over some of the other teams?

Well I’ll be honest with you. Coach Dixon and everyone ran us in the floor when we were in training. So we’re definitely ready for that second half of defense, and that was his most important objective, second half of defense. He wasn’t so much worried about our offense because we have a bunch of dynamic scorers, so he just banged on the second half of defense.

Next up is Puerto Rico, where Mike Rosario — Rutgers — had a Levon Kendall-esque performance with 54 points to help Puerto Rico escape with a 90-89 win over France.