Some Pitt related, some not so much. And even a non-sports story.

It looks like the Pitt-Providence game won’t be on ESPN Full Court. Here’s the Pitt Full Court schedule, and it is not listed. Yes, the game is on FSN-Pittsburgh, and maybe some regional FSN stations might show it, but it’s anyone’s guess. That has me pissed off. Looks like it’s Internet Radio to listen.

The good news for citizens of Spotsylvania County, Virginia. The police there are getting their happy endings so you won’t.

In Spotsylvania County, as part of a campaign by the sheriff’s office to root out prostitution in the massage parlor business, detectives have been receiving sexual services from “masseuses.” During several visits to Moon Spa on Plank Road last month, detectives allowed women to perform sexual acts on them on four occasions and once left a $350 tip, according to court papers.

Spotsylvania Sheriff Howard D. Smith said that the practice is not new and that only unmarried detectives are assigned to such cases. Most prostitutes are careful not to say anything incriminating, so sexual contact is necessary, he said.

“If I thought we could get the conviction without that, we wouldn’t allow it,” Smith said. “If you want to make them, this has to be done.”
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Smith said most “professionals” know better than to name an explicit act and a price. And with the Asian-run parlors that have periodically sprung up in Spotsylvania, he said, “they don’t speak much English. There’s not a lot of conversation.” Smith and Spotsylvania Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Thomas Shaia likened the situation to investigators buying drugs from a drug dealer — a necessary violation to prove a larger crime.

But police officials and prosecutors in many Northern Virginia jurisdictions said buying drugs, as undercover officers routinely do, is not analogous. Officers purchase drugs for evidence but don’t use them. Likewise, the other jurisdictions do not allow their officers to conduct sexual activities with suspected prostitutes.

No word if this has increased the number of applicants to join the sheriff’s department in Spotsylvania (Shawn?).

Staying with the Washington Post, they have a long piece on basketball factories masquerading as prep schools. The focus is on Lutheran Christian Academy in Philadelphia (via Greg Doyel 2/13 entry).

The school does not have its own building or formal classrooms, and it operates out of a community center in a ragged North Philadelphia neighborhood. It has just one full-time employee: the basketball coach, a former sanitation worker who founded the school. One former student, who attended the school for three months, said it did not use traditional textbooks and that the coach, Darryl Schofield, was the only teacher.
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Lutheran Christian is licensed as a religious institution by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, which reports on its database that the school opened Sept. 1, 2003. Schofield said the school is currently not directly affiliated with a church.

Schofield said the school has four part-time instructors: two former players with bachelor’s degrees who returned to teach at Lutheran Christian and two women. One of them, Tamara Casey, has listed her residence as one of the houses Schofield said he owns. One current player said Casey taught him in three courses. Property records show that house is owned by Schofield’s parents. When asked for the name of the second instructor, Schofield couldn’t recall it, calling her “Mrs. Robinson.” None of the players he asked could remember Robinson’s first name, either.

Casey and Robinson could not be reached for comment.

Georgetown, UMass, Temple, Mississippi St. and George Washington are among the schools that have former LCA students on their basketball teams. Here’s hoping Pitt doesn’t go near any kid from this “school.” As Doyel puts it:

As for any college coach who has had, does have, or will have a player on his roster from Philly Lutheran … you deserve whatever scrutiny is coming your way.

Mike DeCourcy of The Sporting News doesn’t see Coach Jamie Dixon going anywhere, provided the school ponies up as expected.

Pittsburgh isn’t likely to let coach Jamie Dixon get away. Pitt will be proactive in assuring Dixon remains with the Panthers, given his staff’s track record of winning and recruiting Big East-level prospects. Dixon was one of the league’s lowest-paid coaches when he was promoted from assistant in 2003, but his contract was reworked after his team won 31 games in his first season. With the future looking bright, thanks to some promising youngsters, Dixon probably is due another boost to dissuade potential suitors.

Andy Katz give Pitt some props for a good week by including the Panthers among the “rising”teams in his Weekly Watch.

The Panthers nipped their two-game slide quickly with a huge win over West Virginia on Thursday and then rolled Cincinnati on Saturday to move into fifth place in the Big East. The Panthers are still within striking distance of second and a decent seed in the NCAAs.

Pitt’s chances of getting to 2nd in the BE took a hit with Villanova knocking off UConn. That puts Nova and WVU up at the top with only 1 loss apiece and UConn in 3d with 2 losses. The focus right now is just to finish 3rd or 4th in the BE to get a first round bye in the BE Tournament.