Taking a moment from conference realignment angst. How about some good things.

Like LaRod Stephens-Howling doing good back in Johnstown.

“I was really nervous coming in, and LaRod was nervous,” [Artrell] Hawkins said. “We talked (Thursday) morning. We were both like, ‘Did you go to sleep last night?’ Aw, I couldn’t go to sleep last night, either.’ We wanted it to be something that was effective and fun for the kids. I stayed up all night double-checking everything, and LaRod said he did the same thing.”

The free camp features 100 players from eight local schools, but it focuses on more than just football. Hawkins and Stephens-Howling also work with the players on community involvement and leadership skills.

“They’re learning a lot of things out here,” Stephens-Howling said. “We’re just trying to be as positive as we can be and be great role models for them.”

So working with some local high school players at a camp in their hometown should be no problem, right?

But Hawkins, who played 10 years in the NFL before retiring in 2008, and Stephens-Howling, who is about to begin his second season with the Arizona Cardinals, had some nerves before their three-day camp started at Trojan Stadium on Thursday.

They are also participating in further community service by helping to clear an area for a trail.

The extension will connect the trail from its current head near the Ferndale Bridge in Moxham to the city by building approximately 1.5 miles of trail through Moxham and Hornerstown.

Hawkins and Stephens-Howling, along with the high school athletes attending their football camp this weekend, will help clear the overgrown planned trail area along the Stonycreek River opposite Greater Johnstown High School and will help create a veterans memorial along the Sandyvale Memorial Gardens section of the trail.

Stephens-Howling has been very active in Johnstown, despite playing in Arizona.

Now, stop me if you have heard this before. Dorin Dickerson is going to be playing a new position.

Dickerson hasn’t played wide receiver since his freshman year at Pitt, but he has the benefit of learning a new position from the NFL’s best.

Dickerson is the living, breathing example of what a seventh-round draft pick is supposed to be. He has an impressive package of skills, is smart and has a terrific attitude. That said, there’s no way of knowing when or if he’ll be a productive player. He understands that special teams may be his path onto the roster for at least a year or two.

He jumped onto the radar screen at the scouting combine with a 431/2 -inch vertical leap and 4.38 clocking in the 40. All the Texans had to figure out was if they could find a way to use those skills.

Dickerson played wide receiver, fullback, linebacker and tight end during four years at Pitt. He played tight end his senior year, but his speed and 6-4 height prompted Kubiak to think wide receiver was a possibility.

“His coaches at Pitt loved the kid but were never able to find him a home,” Kubiak said. “There’s a risk there, but the athlete is not a risk. He’s very athletic. Moving around has been hard on him. Hopefully, we’ll settle him down, and he’ll be the best he can be.”

Cardiac Hill notes he has to lose some more weight.

In future news, the Big 33 game is this weekend. As usual, a fair amount of players won’t make it.

Future Nittany Lions weren’t the only stars who won’t shine in Hershey on Saturday.

Penn Hills teammates Cullen Christian, a four-star defensive back prospect headed to Michigan, and Aaron Donald, a defensive tackle who is bound for Pitt, both chose not to play in the game, as did Gateway wide receiver Brendon Felder, who will play for North Carolina.

Injuries play a part every year as well. Sam Bergen, the Rutgers-bound linebacker from East Stroudsberg South, will miss the game with an injury, as will Bishop Canevin’s Drake Greer, a kicker who is headed to Pitt.

Add it all up, and that’s a significant amount of star power that won’t be on the field Saturday. And you could very easily argue that, as has often been the case since the game was moved from late July to mid-June in 2006, the dwindling number of marquee names has less to do with a lack of enthusiasm for the game than with the increasing number of players enrolling early.

One of the players who was tabbed to take a spot after the injuries and early enrollments turned them down because he was already committed to another all-star HS game (hattip to PittScript).

That means Penn Hills’ Brandon Ifill was effectively No. 35.

The star WPIAL defensive back had an opportunity earlier this week to move up to what most would consider to be the bigger game because of an injury to a Big 33 player. Instead, he told the Big 33 thanks but no thanks and decided to stay in Blair County and play at Mansion Park on Friday in the 10th annual Pennsylvania Scholastic Football Coaches Association East West All-Star Game.

Ifill’s decision brought a smile to the face of game director John Hayes in the parking lot between Tiger Stadium the Hollidaysburg Area Junior High School.

“I’m here. I’m dedicated to this game,” Ifill said calmly of his choice. “Why would I change up?

“They [the East West Game] wanted me for me, not just because they needed someone replaced. They wanted me for me.”

Pitt Script also has a link-filled, video-clip embedded feature on Anthony Gonzalez.

Despite all the angst and uncertainty about what conference Pitt will eventually play and how much money they get, the present and future for Pitt football looks pretty damn good.

Well, I was going to pass the bit that Pat Skerry, a Providence assistant, may now be the front runner for Pitt’s assistant coach opening. Pitt Script blog, however, has it covered with all the relevant details. So just head there for the info.

Of course, there might be need for a new entry level coaching spot as “video coordinator” Rasheen Davis is getting interest.

Davis is overqualified as a video guy and has relationships throughout basketball with players and AAU program directors and coaches. He’s definitely a guy just waiting for a shot and has been hesitant to jump at just any opening, knowing that he’s in a good place at Pitt. But it seems as if others are starting to contact Davis and the latest inquiry has come from Western Kentucky. Davis, according to several sources, interviewed for the position on Ken McDonald’s staff late last week in Bowling Green.

Interesting, and I would hate to lose Davis. What I do find positive is that while Davis is overqualified in his position, he feels comfortable enough at Pitt to take his time about jumping for any job. That doesn’t just speak to liking the staff and players.

It also touches on how well he is being compensated in the position. That’s always reassuring to think that the Pitt athletic department is keeping compensation for the assistants competitive — and not trying to skimp.

ESPN.com has a “grade” for Big East recruiting. Pitt got a “B”

Coach Jamie Dixon locked up this excellent group early. Isaiah Epps (Plainfield, N.J./Hargrave Military Academy) is a speedy point guard, while wings J.J. Moore (Brentwood, N.Y./South Kent) and Cameron Wright (Cleveland, Ohio/Benedictine) have good size. Moore is an ESPNU 100 prospect who can score and Wright, a former Ohio State commit, is a versatile athlete who can defend and excels in the open court. The Panthers filled their needs and added quality depth.

They put Providence just ahead of Pitt with a “B+”. Hmmm.

Then there was this good bit on DeJuan Blair being back in Pittsburgh over the past week.

Blair is back home for a while visiting with friends and family. He will play host to the DeJuan Blair Basketball Camp July 6-9 at Robert Morris University, where he hopes to pass on some of his expertise to boys and girls ages 9-18.

After his camp, Blair will turn his attention to the NBA summer league. He said his main goal during the summer league is to play power forward well enough to convince the Spurs that he can play that position full-time next season.

Hope that mid-range shot is coming along, then.

The time when coaches and key members of the athletic department are throughout the state for Pitt-events and dinners, etc.

This week took Coach Dave Wannstedt and Coach Jamie Dixon and others into central PA to York for an alumni golf event. Guess what they were asked about?

“I really haven’t commented on it much for one reason: It really isn’t going to change my job day-to-day,” said University of Pittsburgh head coach Dave Wannstedt, addressing the speculation that the Panthers may be a potential target in Big Ten expansion.

“We have to go out and try to recruit the best players that we can,” Wannstedt added. “Regardless of who we’re going to play and when we’re going to play them.”

Both Pittsburgh athletic director Steve Pederson and Pitt men’s basketball coach Jamie Dixon stuck to a similar mantra when addressing the idea of potential conference changes on Thursday afternoon. The three men, along with Pitt wrestling coach Rande Stottlemyer, were in York for the University of Pittsburgh Sports Banquet and Golf Outing. The event was held at the Out Door Country Club.

I guess if you want to read between the lines a bit you might note that Coach Dixon is no longer saying much about conference realignment. Going more with the whole not commenting on things like this

/on snark

Much like when his name is mentioned for other jobs.

/off snark

But that is stuff covered ad nauseum (and will continue to be) even as Pitt and all other schools stick to the official “no comment” policy.

Meanwhile the visit to York allowed local reporters to ask about local players.

Asked for an update on York High graduate Greg Gaskins, Wannstedt, 57, started by stating that his offensive line will need a new center and two new guards because of graduation losses.

That means that Gaskins, a redshirt junior who saw action in all 13 games last year, will have a shot to distinguish himself.

“Greg Gaskins will get his opportunity this year,” Wannstedt said.

The Pitt coach also said that Gaskins will compete for time at right guard after he was a backup right tackle last year.

In the post-spring practice depth chart, Gaskins was listed ahead of Ryan Turnley at Right Guard. That is one of the spots that isn’t solidified and Turnely could well supplant Gaskins in the summer.

Coach Wannstedt was also asked about Jack Lippert. Coach Wannstedt praised Lippert’s work in school and in the weight room.

“He’s probably put on close to 40 pounds in one year’s time and it’s all good weight.”

Lippert made the move during the Panthers’ spring practice sessions after some concerted lobbying by the Pittsburgh offensive line coaches.

“[It was] because of a need,” Wannstedt said.

“He has progressed extremely well. I think he’s going to be a heckuva player for us on the offensive line. You know, he’s smart, he’s tough, he’s athletic.”

“We were looking [for] some depth at center,” Wannstedt continued.

“So we said, what player could possibly be smart enough, No. 1 and athletic enough, No. 2, and have a chance to get over there and develop down the road and be a two or three-year starter?”

“Jack was a guy that our offensive coaches wanted. He had a very good freshman year even though we redshirted him.”

They also spoke well of another local recruit, WR Salath Williams.

And Pitt’s 2010 recruiting class includes another McDevitt big-play threat – 6-4 wideout Salath Williams.

“Salath’s got a lot of talent,” Wannstedt said.

“He’s a little bit raw but he’s got speed, he’s got size and he’s got skill.”

In Dauphin County, former Pitt running back LeSean McCoy held his first annual “Shady’s Community Day.”

Philadelphia Eagles running back LeSean McCoy signed autographs, footballs and jerseys for kids and adults, while kids played games and had plenty of activities going on the entire day. Also, a basketball tournament was held for kids and adults. Some of McCoy’s teammates committed to make an appearance and meet the fans. Overall, it was great to see as McCoy gave back to the community.

“It’s a great turnout … it’s a good thing to see them [kids] out there,” said McCoy, a former Bishop McDevitt High School and University of Pittsburgh star. “The reaction has been great and special. It’s all about giving back to the community.”

There was also a silent auction for the Pennsylvania ALS Foundation for Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Something McCoy’s grandmother unfortunately is suffering from.

After the Blue-Gold game and requisite tailgating, this seems like fun and for a good cause.

For that reason, Cox and former Panthers Kris Wilson, Shawn Robinson and Yogi Roth have teamed up for Dessert Tasting for a Cause, a charity event at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Olive or Twist on 6th Street in the Cultural District.

Participants will be able to sample a number of desserts from a variety of places, including All In Good Taste, Cookie Connection, Godiva, Fernando’s Cafe and Shallot.

Roth will serve as the host for the event, which will include a silent auction, giveaways and raffles.

The proceeds will go to the Boys & Girls Club of Western Pennsylvania as well as Kris Wilson’s foundation, which supports a program that uses an Internet-based curriculum to improve reading skills of middle school children.

It’s quite a gathering of Pitt players mainly from the Walt Harris time, that still love Pitt.

“And let’s face it, Pittsburgh is the place where we all got our opportunity, and so it is fitting for us to give back as much as we can. The response has been overwhelming.”

Cox, who lives in his hometown of Miami and is currently a free agent, said other former Pitt players expected to attend are LaRod Stephens-Howling (Cardinals), Antonio Bryant (Browns), Darrelle Revis (Jets), H.B. Blades (Redskins), Clint Session (Colts), Scott McKillop (49ers), Gerald Hayes (Cardinals), Jeff Otah (Panthers), Darnell Dinkins (Saints), Nick Goings, Rob Pettiti and Hank Poteat.

And maybe Hank can bring along another Poteat along for an extra visit.

Something a little more lighter. Former Pitt walk-on basketball player and presently Director of Business Operations in the Pitt Athletic Director, Marcus Bowman, is getting married. He and his fiance are trying to win the “Ultimate Wedding” prize at Crate and Barrel (h/t David).

Help him out and make sure it is a Blue and Gold affair.

No liveblog for tonight’s game. I’m on DVR delay with other things that I have to do. I will have a post for an open thread later.

I’m sure everyone saw the Sunday feature on DeJuan Blair. Not a lot to add to it. I didn’t expect him to have any regrets, and he does stand to make even more money with playoff paychecks. Unlike a lot of other rookies on crappy teams.

Slam had a review of some top players from top NE Ohio teams that faced off. This included Pitt commit, Cameron Wright.

Cameron Wright | 6-5 | SG | Cleveland Benedictine | 2010
Killa Cam had a bit of an off night, not really getting too many shots to drop and doing the majority of his damage from the foul line. The athletic wing didn’t get to show off his nasty bounce and wasn’t shooting the ball especially well from the perimeter, but as usual, straight up put the clamps on people defensively. Wright finished with 14 points, in what was a bit of an off night offensively for the Pitt recruit.

He made plays on both ends down the stretch. The defense is what will allow him an opportunity to crack the rotation at Pitt sooner than with just offense.

A mention in Pat Forde’s rundown column at ESPN.com listing teams and people who were not on lists to start the season.

Why we used to care: The Panthers have been models of hard-nosed consistency, winning 25 or more games seven of the past eight seasons.

Why we stopped caring: They lost their leading scorer of the past two seasons (Sam Young). And their leading rebounder of the past two seasons (DeJuan Blair). And their leading assist man of the past two seasons (Levance Fields). Then they lost in December to rebuilding Indiana.

Why we care now: Look who is 5-0 in the Big East, with road victories over Syracuse, Cincinnati and UConn. The Panthers are characteristically among the best in the nation defensively and on the glass, and are sharing the ball beautifully on offense.

While Omar seethes, Gene Collier writes another column on how surprising Pitt is/has been at this point.

For the moment, Pitt seems to revalidate itself every time the lights go on. It has been a short road and somehow an incredible distance from a place where this team was beating Wofford at home by three on Nov. 13. That Pitt has advanced all the way to serious national scrutiny and throbbing local enthusiasm is a wonder, but, further, an unexpected challenge.

“There’s definitely been a lot of support, which is the great thing about Pittsburgh in general and especially from the Oakland Zoo,” Gibbs said. “It’s been great to have that support system. The thing is, you don’t want to get too confident. My parents have always taught me, if you stay humble and work hard, good things will happen. It’s exciting right now; I’m getting a lot more texts, but you can’t lose focus on what we’re trying to do. It’s all about winning games.”

Pitt will lose games (hopefully not tonight), and as I keep repeating, they will stumble. They will even look lost at points. That would happen regardless of whether Pitt was overachieving with a reloaded/rebuilt team or a veteran group. That happens to every team at some point in the season.

SI.com preview of tonght’s game sees the deciding issue being which backcourt plays better.

Jim Calhoun taking a ten day break for medical reasons. No official reason from the school other than to say it is for “temporary medical issues, none of which involve any previous medical conditions.” The unofficial reason is stress related.

Calhoun has previously had bouts with cancer (prostate and skin), heart problems and broken ribs. I realize it is supposed to reassure in recruiting that the more serious issues haven’t re-occurred, but is it that much better to not disclose the reason other than to say, “Hey, he’s got new health issues, but really they are just temporary.”

That said, I hope he gets well and we can get back to hating him.

Not sure how many times already this season that DeJuan Blair has been highlighted by NBA hoop heads. Here’s a YouTube from his 28 point, 21 rebound night against the Thunder. Not a highlight reel, so much as an instructional on his game (Hattip to True Hoop).

Got some links to clear relating to the football side of things.

At least they spelled his name right in the story, but a Hartford Courant roundup of Big East stuff leads with a bit on Pitt OC Frank “Signetti.”

Pittsburgh coach Dave Wannstedt had three requirements as he searched for an offensive coordinator in the offseason.

“Number one, running a pro-style offense. Number two, be committed to running the football. And then three … get our quarterbacks to play on a higher level and add some [plays] to generate more points,” Wannstedt said on the Big East coaches conference call Monday.

…

Under Cignetti, Pitt has risen to 36th in offense and 15th in scoring. Senior quarterback Bill Stull, who finished with more interceptions (10) than touchdowns (9) last season, has become the Big East’s most efficient passer.

“Frank has been doing some things to give Billy a chance to be successful,” Wannstedt said. “We’re not sitting back there holding it, forcing him to make 1,000 decisions.”

When even Coach Wannstedt is taking (unintended) swipes at Matt Cavanaugh you know there are no regrets over pushing Cavanaugh out.

In Paul Zeise’s chat, he expresses his opinion that Cignetti is not going anwhere — that he is at Pitt for some time. We can only hope.  Zeise also took heat for potentially jinxing Dion Lewis and Ray Graham for pointing out that they only have 2 fumbles between them.

Tyler Palko may not be employed in the NFL, but he’s not done with the hope. Turned down a job in the CFL to keep training. Not sure that was a mart move, but it’s not my life or dream.

Wondering if Jon Baldwin will be Pitt’s third Biletnikoff Award winner? He’ll certainly be on the watchlist next year. His odds of winning, though, will depend on how well whoever is the QB gets him the ball.

Baldwin was also the feature of the AP Big East round-up story this week.

Already noted by several but the Pitt QB who was there at the beginning of Johnny Majors first run at Pitt, Bill Daniels will be the head coach of a high school football team just getting started. A Moon area Catholic school that will play in the WPIAL Class A starting in 2010.

Daniels, a retired banker, comes to OLSH with an impressive football resume.

After earning all-WPIAL and all-state honors at Montour High School, Daniels was a quarterback at Pitt from 1972 to 1974. He is the last Pitt quarterback to run and pass for 100 yards in one game.

Meanwhile, Hugh Green gets another Hall of Fame credit to his resume. He gets inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame at the end of July. Right up there with the College Football HoF to be sure.

So, I got an e-mail from a marketing firm that specializes in “digital media communications” this afternoon.  They are looking to drive traffic to Circuit City and their fall football marketing. Usually I ignore these type of e-mails since there is usually a questionable tie-in, but this one might be of interest.

Specifically a live chat with Dan Marino set for tomorrow at the Circuit City site. So if you want to go ask him about his Pitt days. Maybe what he thinks of the job Wannstedt is doing. How things went down at the end of his career with the Dolphins with Wannstedt and Johnson trying to push him out. Heck if enough Pitt fans flood the board with questions on what he thinks of what is happening at his alma mater, it definitely would shift things away from the NFL talk that is expected.

Or you can go to this thread and post a question early.

Former Pitt QB Rod Rutherford, who has been bouncing around minor arena football league programs is now looking into coaching. He did a part-time assistant thing with Pitt last year. This year it’s at D-III St. Vincent’s College in Latrobe, PA — coaching the secondary.

“I’m brushing up on the coverages,” Rutherford said with a laugh. “Football is football, no matter what the level and no matter what position you play. I feel that I have a good sense of what (defensive backs) are thinking, having played quarterback and seeing their reactions so often. I just need to understand it through their eyes.”

Rutherford’s career path carried him through short stints with the Carolina Panthers and Steelers, plus NFL Europe and the American Indoor Football Association.

Now, after a year as a part-time assistant on Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt’s staff, Rutherford is taking serious the idea of coaching football.

“I tried a number of things. I tried office jobs. That’s not for me,” he said. “I’m a football guy.”

I hope he does well. I also hope he banked a lot of the minimum salary he earned in the NFL. It’s going to be some time before he reaches that level of salary. On the plus side, he is doing something he likes and wants to do.

Clint Session, now of the Indianapolis Colts, has attracted a lot of attention in exhibition NFL season. He was moved to strong-side linebacker and is the starter there until October.

Session is a 6-0, 235-pound bundle of energy who has a knack for making things happen. The key, coaches say, is to harness the aggression, stay within the defensive scheme, generate positive plays and limit the mistakes.

Dungy was impressed that Session was able to shake off the early mistake and make better use of his aggressive nature.

“He comes back and he’ll run through and make a tackle in the backfield, chase some things down and (produce) blow-up hits,” Dungy said. “We’ve got to channel that in the right way.

“He had plays that you would notice in a game. There were highlight-film plays for one team or the other, so we are just working to make sure there are more highlight plays for us.”

It was pointed out earlier this week, but, yeah, that’s real familiar.

Q: When is homerism good?

A: When it’s your guy who is being the homer.

Give the WWLS some credit for finally grasping that they should let the video clips be embeddable. Now if only they would cut a deal with RedLasso.

Here’s a blast from the past as there’s a piece on one of the few bright spots from the Ralph Willard era — Vonteego Cummings back home in Georgia.

The 32-year-old Cummings returned to his childhood playground last Saturday to kick off the Vonteego Cummings First Annual Community Day. The event was attended by more than 150 people – many of them youth and teens – who celebrated the occasion with games, including shooting hoops and eating hamburgers, hot dogs, and enjoying cold drinks.

“This was their day – a day of celebrating with them and giving back a little of what this community has given so much to me through the years,” said Cummings, a 1995 graduate of Thomson High School, where he was a star basketball player. After graduation, Cummings, the son of John David and Carri Mae Cummings, of Thomson, went on to become an outstanding basketball player at the University of Pittsburgh.

At Pitt, Cummings, who played point guard, averaged 17 points per game during his four-year career.

…

Today, Cummings plays for the Israeli Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball team in the European League. The team is the second-best in the European League.

It’s still a rough go, however for another Pitt alum. Clyde Vaughan appeared poised to finally land an assistant coaching job with New Mexico State — where Herb Pope still plays (Insider subs.). But, no.

New Mexico State has decided against hiring former Connecticut, South Florida, and Long Beach State assistant and one-time Pitt forward Clyde Vaughan as an assistant coach. Vaughan resigned from his position at UConn after he was arrested in 2004 on a solicitation charge. That arrest continues to haunt him. Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg has long been a proponent of giving Vaughan a second chance, but Greenberg said he hasn’t had a recent opening on his staff for Vaughan.

Of course, Greenberg was the one who recruited Vaughan to Pitt when he was an assistant.

I feel bad for Vaughan. I really do. On the scale of crimes, it’s pretty low. Guys with DUIs get more chances.

There are two things working against Vaughan, though, in this instance.

It’s not the severity of the crime, but the type that drags him down. It’s not easy to picture Vaughan going to a recruit’s family and telling them how he will be looking out for the kid, helping him to grow. All the while he’s got to answer questions about his solicitation charges — and the fact that it means he betrayed his wife. Something, I don’t think Vaughan has ever grasped.

The other thing, and this is probably worse for his chances, is that it wasn’t his first offense. He has a history of this.

According to the report, Vaughan was arrested and charged in July 1992 in Long Beach, Calif., just prior to joining the staff at Cal State Long Beach. He also was arrested, charged and convicted in Tampa of approaching an undercover police officer and offering her $20 for sex while he was an assistant at the University of South Florida in 1999. The Long Beach charges, details of which were not available, eventually were dismissed, according to the paper.

You can’t be worrying what your assistant coaches will be doing in their spare time, on top of worrying about the players.

DeAndre Kane out of Schenley is headed to prep school in New Hampshire. I wonder whether he’ll ever make it into a college uniform. I also can’t help but wonder if he’s got a learning disability. No one questions that he has talent, but no one can commit a scholarship until they can see that he will be able to survive the academic side. It’s too big of a risk, especially with the Academic Progress Rate and potential penalties.

This reads like it is just a matter of when for Tom Droney to commit to Pitt. Droney is only junior, and will be part of the 2010 recruiting class.

Droney, from Sewickley Academy, just twelve miles northwest of Pittsburgh, has not even begun his junior season yet, but he already knows he has had enough of the recruiting process.

“I plan on committing in September,” says the highly mature Droney. “I want to make sure that there is a spot open for me at the school I want to go to. I talked to (Pitt assistant coach) Tom Herrion and he said they were recruiting a lot of guards in my class and that it was best not to wait. I love Pitt. I’m not saying I’m going to go there, but if that’s my choice then I have to do it now. My high school coach and AAU coach agree with me.”

…

While you won’t see Droney yet on many top 50 lists that will change when more people see him. He has played in obscurity somewhat this summer, playing offsite in Las Vegas and playing in the 16 and under league in West Virginia. But one out of state college coach who saw Droney play in West Virginia had no doubts about Droney’s talent, saying, ”He’s definitely top 50 and could be higher when he becomes a more consistent three point shooter”.

The other school he is considering is Wake Forest.

Another guard for the 2010 class that Pitt has been after for some time is Isaiah Epps.

Currently, Maryland and Pitt are in the lead to land the talented Garden State star. Saturday night at the Summer Shootout at Allentown (NJ) High School, Epps actually wore Pitt basketball shorts.

“My cousin goes to that school, Travon Woodall,” said Epps when asked if wearing Panthers’ gear indicated anything in particular. Does Jamie Dixon’s squad have an advantage over Maryland and others because Woodall is already in the fold?

“Oh no, I just like the school,” Epps told Alex Schwartz. Isaiah is high on Pitt “because they [are in the] Big East and I want to start. They told me I can start as a freshman.”

Epps, who is being recruited by former Pitt star and NJ Playaz alum Brandin Knight for the Panthers, would likely be fine coming in and starting right away, as he is older than his grade would indicate.

Epps is already 18. Right now, the combo guard is 6’2″, but apparently there are expectations of another growth spurt to put him closer to 6’4″ in a year or two.

Pitt wants to add another big man for the 2009 class, and apparently this one has been getting a lot of attention.

Talk about a kid whose stock has risen in the last month or two. Jordan Williams, a 6-foot-8 power forward/center from Torrington High (Conn.), has offers from Villanova, Marquette, Maryland, Georgetown, Providence, Pittsburgh and Penn State. Wake Forest is also in the mix.

It must have. WIlliams is only a 1-star PF on Scout.com. Rivals.com has 3-stars by him. ESPN.com/Scouts, Inc. (Insider subs.) hasn’t updated their point score for him but does seem to note that he has a lot of potential.

Williams has good size and strength, which he uses to wreak havoc in the post on both ends of the court. He uses his size to carve out deep position in the post for rebounding and scoring close to the basket. Williams, despite his size, runs the floor reasonably well and will finish in transition, keeping up with the smaller, quicker guards. He rebounds in traffic very well, and extra contact does not seem to bother him most of the time.

They say he needs to work on his conditioning and footwork. His size is listed anywhere from 6-8 to 6-10 and his weight is around 240-250.

Mike McGlynn is ready to play for the Eagles, including having signed a 4-year contract. It’s very likely that McGlynn will continue for a while to be an offensive lineman playing at multiple spots. One day it may be guard.

McGlynn, a right tackle for much of his collegiate career, says Eagles offensive line coach Juan Castillo has told him he’ll likely play guard or center in the NFL. With two-time Pro Bowler Shawn Andrews on the Eagles’ right side, McGlynn likely will have to be a left guard if he hopes to start.

The next day he’s at center, snapping the ball to Kevin Kolb.

He is getting the positive press.

McGlynn knows what he’s up against, and also knows by now how much more time he’ll need to put in to gain the complete trust of meticulous offensive line coach Juan Castillo.

So each day during this Eagles’ organized team activity for rookies and first-year players, he just tries to soak up as much as he can from Castillo, who is the perpetual motion machine that has driven the line even before Reid arrived.

“So far it’s going good,” McGlynn said. “My goal is to play, but I just want to pick everything up right now, take one thing at a time, pick everything up, the offense, the techniques, then try to earn a spot on the team.”

And he’s got his cliches down. Good sign.

Not sure why there is still more new stuff on basketball than football these days.

I’m sure the Pitt coaches are working on this. As are the strength and conditioning and nutritional consultants.

With PF Sam Young set to return for his senior season, Pitt’s priority is ensuring that 6-10 C Gary McGhee has the kind of offseason that turns him into a consistent rotation player. McGhee reached double figures in minutes only three times as a freshman, including in a solid game against South Florida when the Panthers were just beginning their recovery from injuries to SF Mike Cook and PG Levance Fields. McGhee will need to be better conditioned and more assertive to expand his role, but if he can play 12 to 15 minutes per game, the Panthers will be able to show opponents a different look.

It would be good not just to spell DeJuan Blair but also allow Pitt to throw a bigger look at teams with Blair and Young being able to slide to the 4 and 3 spots on the court, respectively. Getting McGhee more minutes and in the rotation consistently seems to be likely so that he can step in as a starter in his junior year.

Mike Cook (with Coach Dixon and Pitt’s help) formally submitted his appeal to the Big East for a 6th year of eligibility on Monday. The Big East then passes it on to the NCAA which will rule on it. A decision isn’t likely until sometime in June.

The NCAA has gotten a little more lax with medical waivers, but one question remains: where’s the available scholarship if he gets the clearance? Either Pitt knows that one of the present recruiting class is going to miss qualifying or there’s another transfer/player quitting coming soon.

Aaron Gray was back at Pitt and PittsburghPanthers.com has a Q&A.

What brings you back to Pittsburgh for the week?

“I love it here. It is a great situation for me. I am able to come back and work with the strength and conditioning coaches. I can work with players like DeJuan Blair and Austin Wallace and help them improve.”

…

Do you still try to stay in contact with your former teammates and coaches?

“Absolutely, I use them for advice and help all the time. Coach Dixon came out to training camp last year too. They have continued to be great teammates and coaches since I have been with Chicago.”

Were you able to catch any of Pitt’s Big East Championship run this spring?

“Oh yes, they had me on speakerphone the whole time. It was as if I was celebrating right there with them.”

Via NBE Basketball Report, this bit on a possible Pitt recruit having issues.

A St. Raymond high school basketball player was arrested Tuesday afternoon after an altercation with a coach during a team meeting at the school, according to a police source.

A witness said junior Kevin Parrom punched Ravens head coach Oliver Antigua in the face after the two had a brief argument in the locker room.

A person close to Parrom said the player was provoked by Antigua.

No charges have been filed and Oliver Antigua is the brother of former Pitt player and present (for a little longer) assistant coach Orlando. The small forward has offers from Pitt, Rutgers, WVU, Xavier and others.