Pitt Script Blog is taking in summer league games, and providing a recap. So, definitely check it out, as that provides yet another perspective on what is happening there and how the players look. It’s good stuff, so make sure you go read it.

Meanwhile Cardiac Hill provides the link round-up from Pantherlair/Rivals.com as well as the Pitt News. The popularity of the summer league and interest in how the players look is obviously reflected in the coverage it is generating. One more thing that has been built in the last 4 years as Coach Dixon has helped to foster a culture that generates interest and supports Pitt basketball.

As a brief aside, if you don’t have Cardiac Hill and Pitt Script on your daily reads for Pitt info, then you are doing yourself a disservice. Both Bryan and Anson are doing some great work.

One of the players you can see in the summer league — J.J. Moore.

J.J. Moore, the highest rated of Pitt’s three incoming freshman basketball players, received some good news from the NCAA Clearinghouse Monday. He was cleared to play the upcoming season, ending months of doubt while he finished his high school education at South Kent Prep in Connecticut.

Moore, rated the No. 8 small forward in the country by Scout.com, enrolled at Pitt Monday morning. Cameron Wright, a freshman shooting guard from Cleveland, also enrolled at Pitt Monday. Isaiah Epps, the other incoming freshman, will not enroll at Pitt until August as he finishes up some course work at a prep school this summer.

Moore and Wright both made debuts in the summer league.

“I did what I had to do to come here and be with my new family,” Moore said Monday prior to the opening-night games of the Pittsburgh Basketball Club Pro-Am Summer League.

Moore, whose status was up in the air, and shooting guard Cameron Wright, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard from Cleveland Benedictine High School, arrived on campus over the weekend, according to the Pitt athletics department.

Isaiah Epps, a 6-2 point guard from Chatham (Va.) Hargrave Military Academy, isn’t expected to enroll until August but is academically eligible.

The important thing with Moore, is that he was cleared by the NCAA Clearinghouse. That should remove any chance of a Darnell Dodson situation.

At this point, I’m actually a little more concerned about Isiah Epps. He is still finishing more coursework despite the additional year of prep school. There seems to be some mixed reports as to whether he is academically qualified at this point or will be qualified.

The downside for Epps, beyond not being at Pitt and taking part in the summer league is that he won’t be going on Pitt’s trip to Ireland, and actually get to practice with the team under Coach Dixon and the staff’s supervision.

And because of an NCAA rule change, Moore will have plenty of opportunity to impress Dixon over the summer. Moore and Wright will be able to take part in Pitt’s trip to Ireland later this summer as long as they pass one course beforehand. This is the first time that incoming freshmen will be able to travel with the team since the NCAA passed new regulations.

Under NCAA rules, Dixon can have 10 practices with the team before leaving for Ireland, so he will be able to evaluate his incoming talent in a formal setting for the first time since taking over as Pitt’s head coach. The first practice is set Friday.

“I’m going in open-minded,” Dixon said. “I’ve never taken a team on a trip like this, and this is the first time that freshmen can come, so it’s going to new to everyone.”

“It’s going to be a big opportunity for me to go out there and play for coach Dixon and show off my talents,” Moore said. “Hopefully, I can play during the season, have all of my family and friends back home see me on the court.

“I think I can help the team either down low, because I played as a big man in high school and I know some post moves, or on the wing. I can crash the boards and slash to the basket. I can also help the team outside because I’ve developed a very good jump shot. There are a lot of things I can do for the team to help.”

Of course, the qualifying of Moore means that the long-rumored/expected/predicted departure/transfer/force-out of Dwight Miller took place. Miller heads back to Texas but to Midland Junior College. Miller was hindered by injuries which slowed any chance of developing. He was a project, but it didn’t work out. Apparently to the point that even mid-major programs did not seem particularly interested.

By all accounts, Miller was not a problem for the program in any respect and genuinely liked being a part of the team. He was simply squeezed out for a more talented player. It is never a comfortable thing in my opinion.

Regardless of the fact that scholarships are legally only for one-year at a time, it is renewable at the school’s discretion. The player does not have the same rights to renew or walk away. And there is the implied and moral aspect from when the kid was recruited. I know it happens everywhere and programs like UConn have made it into an annual parade of weeding out 1-2 players every spring. That does not make it right or something to like.

As for recruiting in the future, there are a couple 2012 prospects that received Pitt offers.

Philadelphia native Savon Goodman ’12 had a good day to say the least. The sophomore picked up five new offers from Texas, Villanova, Penn State and Pittsburgh today. Goodman, who is a consencous top 25 player in his class, is high school teammates with Rakeem Christmas and Malcolm Gilbert at the Academy of the New Church.

…

6-foot-9 Khem Birch, who recently transferred to Notre Dame Prep, picked up three more offers today. Birch, who left Winchendon about a month ago, picked up offers from West Virginia, Ohio State and Pittsburgh. Wondering what the connection between Birch and Pitt is? Former Providence assistant Pat Skerry now has a job with the Panthers. Birch thinks very highly of coach Skerry. Could Khem Birch be bound for the Steel City?

Goodman (Insider subs.) is a 6-6 small forward and Birch (Insider subs.) plays power forward/center. Both are considered among the best prospects in the 2o12 class — admittedly something that should be taken with some caution as these are evaluations for high school sophomores. Ceilings are hit, and some of it is based on the expectation of further physical growth.

Still, if there was any doubt as to whether Pitt would continue to raise its sights in recruiting targets…