Big East basketball media day is tomorrow. Geez. I never even got to Pitt Basketball media day. Going to have to do this briefly.

Andy Katz at ESPN.com refreshed his preseason top-25. Pitt was put at #4 — but that was before Purdue’s Robbie Hummel went down for the season (Purdue was #2).

The Panthers don’t have the star power of the aforementioned top three. But this Panthers team is like an old-school Big East team that has experienced players who have been together and found roles. The summer trip to Ireland provided more positive bonding time for Jamie Dixon’s crew as it takes on the role of Big East favorite. There were no flaws this summer, making it more palatable to move the Panthers up a few spots.

Odd factoid. In the entire top-25, only Pitt’s blurb is without any mention of a specific player.

Coach Dixon is the face of this team on a national level. No one sees this team with star power (or 1st round draft picks). Seth Davis at SI.com thinks that Coach Dixon will receive even more attention as one of the top coaches in the conference (and by natural extension in the country).

But the coach who I believe will finally begin to be recognized as a top-tier talent is Pittsburgh’s Jamie Dixon, who is 44. Did you realize that last year Dixon tied the NCAA coaching record for most wins in his first seven years? That his .696 career win percentage is the highest in Big East history? Last year, his Panthers were supposed to take a step back after losing four starters from the team that came within a Scottie Reynolds layup of making the Final Four. All Dixon did was lead them to 25 wins and a trip to the second round of the NCAA tournament.

Now, with four starters back, Pittsburgh will make a strong run at a Big East title and a No. 1 seed. If that happens, I expect more casual fans to recognize that Dixon is among the best in the business.

Obviously I’m biased but I already thought that Dixon had that sort of reputation going, nationally. The annual job pursuit and fans constantly putting him on the shortlist of the coach they want for their team.

Solid AP wire piece about the expectations on Pitt. Unsurprisingly, the players have confidence in themselves and each other.

The seasons change, the players change. What doesn’t change with Pitt basketball are the expectations.

Win around 25 games. Finish high in the Big East Conference standings. Advance deep into the Big East tournament. Try to stretch March into April.

No Panthers team has made it past the NCAA round of eight. Every other criteria on Pitt’s preseason check list has been accomplished multiple times during the last 10 years, and every one appears to be reachable this season.

Including that dash into April.

…

“I’ve never been on a more athletic team,” said Gary McGhee, the 6-foot-11 senior center who averaged nearly 7 points and 7 rebounds last season. “Everyone on this team can dunk, and you couldn’t say that before with us.”

The main challenge for a team that won 25 games last season – when a 20-win season was expected to be beyond reach – is to prove it can match or exceed predictions when a Top 10-caliber team is expected.

“People didn’t think much about us last year, and we finished second in the Big East. So they know what we’re capable of now, and that’s why we’re picked so high this year,” forward Gilbert Brown said. “But that doesn’t change anything. We have high expectations and want to show what we can do on the court.”

Last year, the message Coach Dixon sent the team was that there were no limits — regardless of the preseason predictions. This year:

“You’re the team that everyone picked to finish at the bottom of the conference and now you’ll be picked at the top of the conference,” Dixon said. “And you’re the same guys. What makes you different? Just remember that. That’s something we remember and we’ve really emphasized to our team, that they get that part of it.”

Not as easy to stick on a t-shirt but important for them to remember.

“People didn’t expect much from us last year, and we’re basically the same team” senior center Gary McGhee said. “He wants us to stay focused and have the same hunger that we had last year when we wanted to prove everyone wrong. We want to prove everyone right this year.”

The players spoke about keeping the underdog mentality that they thrived on last season.

“Now, everyone will come at us with their best, and we have to come back at them,” junior guard Ashton Gibbs said.

“You can’t be complacent,” senior Gilbert Brown said, echoing the thoughts of his teammates. “You always have to strive for more. Even though we have high expectations, it’s not a given that we’re going to finish at the top. … We shouldn’t feel relaxed and feel like we’re established.”

The complacency and sense of entitlement is always the tough thing for teams that are picked high. Read too much of those clippings and how much better you are than others and it becomes easy to expect teams to roll over for you. That will be the early season challenge.

For Pitt to achieve the way they and we want, Gilbert Brown needs to have the year everyone has been waiting for what seems like forever to happen.

Now he is in line to be a starter again. The Panthers have four returning starters, and it is likely that Brown, who played backup power forward last season, will start at small forward with Wanamaker moving from small forward to shooting guard.

Brown, a 6-foot-6, 215-pounder who is among the best athletes in the Big East, is looking to finally reach his full potential. Last season he doubled his scoring output from his sophomore season despite averaging only four more minutes per game.
…
The only criticism of Brown’s offensive game last season was his consistency, or rather his lack of it. He was a force at times and invisible in other games. He reached double figures 12 times, scoring 16 or more points on eight occasions. But he failed to score more than six points in nine other games, which was a maddening development for fans of the team.

Over the offseason, Brown attempted to remedy the problem.

“I guess you can say I’ve been in the gym more,” Brown said. “It’s all about putting it together and competing every day. It’s’not necessarily that the inconsistency played in my head or I was thinking about it all the time. Last year, we had a different type of team. At times Brad would step up, and at times I would step up. I think it will be different this year, especially with me playing from the start of the season.”

And Coach Dixon also expects him to make more contributions on defense.

Dixon said Brown had good performances on Pitt’s summer trip to Ireland, praising his shot, leadership and attitude. The coaching staff has been pushing him to work on his defensive skills to increase his value on the floor and worth as a starter every night.

“(Defense is) where we’re really pushing him,” Dixon said. “I like how he’s shooting the ball. He’s creating shots for other guys off the dribble, so I think he’s doing good things.”

There are going to be plenty of players behind him to push him.

Great notes and information from Chris Peak at PantherLair.com. Just enjoy and read all of it.

Gary McGhee has been challenged to be even better on defense and rebounding this season. Well, the whole team has as far as rebounding. Last year was a little odd for Coach Dixon teams in that the rebounding was not where it has been for most of his tenure.

Finally, the early signing period is in a few weeks. Here’s something from Dave Telep (now at ESPN.com) on a couple soon to be signees recent performance in the Eddie Griffin Challenge.

John Johnson (Philadelphia, Pa./Life Center Academy)
2011, PG, 6-1, 170 pounds
The future Pitt Panther is the consummate Pitt tough guy. An attacking guard who won’t show up in many top 100 lists, he’s exactly the chip-on-the-shoulder kid who steadily works his way into Jamie Dixon’s lineup.

Jaylen Bond (Plymouth Mtg., Pa./Plymouth-Whitemarsh)
2011, SF, 6-7, 205 pounds
Bond is a tweener height-wise at the forward position but his explosion around the rim and occasional jumpers will also be welcomed by Dixon.

Also took note of the rare Pittsburgh area D-1 level talent for 2013.

Michael Young (Pittsburgh, Pa./Shady Side Academy)
2013, PF, 6-7
He was the only true post guy who played his position at both ends and was also the game’s best scorer in the paint. The Pennsylvania native slid over to Jersey this season and he’s going to be a name for the big programs to keep an eye on. When guys show they have legit moves and determination in the lane at a young age, it’s not difficult to project the direction he’s heading. He indicated offers from Pittsburgh, Rutgers and Seton Hall. Kansas, Villanova, Georgia Tech and Wake Forest are also looking.

Something to watch.