DeJuan Blair was back in Pittsburgh for a few days while his basketball camp was happening.  Blair lends his name to the camp and makes appearances, but leaves to operations to those that know what they are doing. That said, he was there each day and had fun.

“It was pretty cool,” said Anthony Pettko, 10, of Mt. Lebanon, wearing the No. 45 San Antonio Spurs jersey of his favorite NBA player. “A couple of my friends got to play him one-on-one. He took it easy on them.”

Blair, the former Pitt star who just finished his rookie season with the Spurs, is hosting his own youth basketball camp at Robert Morris University.

The four-day camp, run by Five-Star Basketball, opened Tuesday for boys and girls ages 9 through 18.

“It was amazing,” Blair said. “They couldn’t believe I was playing with them and interacting with them like I was. It was as fun for me as it was for them.”

Then it was time to head back to San Antonio briefly before heading to Vegas for NBA summer league — which starts today.

The only Spur to play in all 82 regular-season games last season, Blair was given a summer assignment by head coach Gregg Popovich: Develop a jumper, and learn how Spurs power forwards defend.

Summer league will seem a lot like summer school.

“Pop told me he wanted me to learn the four, and that’s what I want to do,” Blair said. “It’s all about developing, so the more I can play, the more I can get better.”

Not long after the Spurs were swept from the second round of the playoffs by the Suns, Blair was back in the gym working with Spurs shooting coach Chip Engelland.

“I’ve put a lot of time in, almost every day in the summer,” Blair said. “I’m just trying to get a shot to add on to my game and try to get quicker and try to get my body down.”

Blair had the option of going easier. Staying in San Antonio and just working with the coaches on developing his game. Instead Blair insisted on going to summer league.

Initially, the Spurs were leaning toward keeping Blair home to focus on individual workouts. Blair, an NBA All-Rookie selection last season, had other plans.

“He wanted to play,” said Dell Demps, the Spurs’ director of player personnel and de facto GM of the summer league team. “The one good thing about DeJuan is he wants to get better. For him to want to come play in this, I think it says a lot about his commitment to getting better.”

It’s not just a credit to Blair’s work ethic, but a smart move on his part to make sure he doesn’t find himself crowded out of the Spurs’ frontcourt. Tiago Splitter is finally joining the Spurs. That is addition to Tim Duncan, Antonio McDyess, Matt Bonner and Blair. Minutes could be tougher this year.

A couple alumni stories.

The first, and closest, is on Chevy Troutman visiting in Pittsburgh while off from playing European basketball.

“It’s a lot different,” he said. “I still do the pick and roll. A lot of times, I play defense on big guys, but I switch out on guards a lot. Sometimes, I’ll guard the best wing player or shooter because I’m versatile.

“I went overseas to explore my face-up game. It’s a lot more fun. It’s a little more freedom for me. I basically call my shots. I’m one of the leaders. It’s nice.”

In Italian Serie A each team is allowed three American players. Adapting to a different style of basketball was challenging at first, but Troutman has developed into one of the league’s top players.

“The coaches over there, they let you do what you do best,” he said. “If you try something new, they don’t care too much. The Americans are supposed to be the guys that make things happen. We have a lot of pressure on us to make things happen as opposed to being in a team-oriented situation like we had at Pitt. For an American over there, it’s either you [produce] or you go home.”

Troutman is back in Pittsburgh for the next few weeks before heading back to Italy. He plays pickup games with Pitt players at the Petersen Events Center and has not ruled out playing in the Pittsburgh Basketball Club Pro-Am, which continues until the third week of July.

He is in a good situation overseas with money and the game. He also doesn’t have to worry about an impending lockout in the NBA. Yet another Pitt player of recent years who seems to want to come back and be around the program.

Meanwhile, further removed in time from his playing days at Pitt, Rod Brookin is trying to get back to high school basketball coaching in his hometown.

Although Brookin’s been out of the coaching biz for a handful of years — he piloted the Burgettstown High School program for two seasons at the beginning of the century and spent one season at the Community College of Allegheny County — he’s always been tuned in back home.

“I never lost touch with what was going on in Steelton,” said Brookin, who scored 1,047 career points during a four-year run at Pitt (1986-90) that included three NCAA tournament appearances. “I knew when they were winning, I knew when they were losing, I knew when things weren’t going well.

“There’s some things you don’t forget. You may forget how to play, but you never forget how to coach the game to kids,” Brookin added. “I learned that from [former Steel-High coach] Jack Hoerner all the way up to [Pitt coach] Paul Evans. When I was at Pitt, my assistant coach was John Calipari.

“They told me you’re going to forget how to play, because you’re going to get old. So, before your mind goes, get into coaching. Looking at that, when I walk into the gym [at Steel-High], I see that scoring list up there and my name is up top. The reason why my name is there is I had great teachers.”

Good luck to Rod. He seems quite sincere about this, and wanting to help the kids beyond simply being a coach.

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.

A bunch of stories that just need the links, in the wake of Pitt media day and the start of practice beginning today.

Pitt at NC State, 3:30 pm on ESPNU. I will be ticked if the home game next year is at noon.

Aaron Berry is on the Jim Thorpe Award watch list for best defensive back.

The Sporting News preview of Pitt has the Panthers at #28.

Hugh Green missed his ride to the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Apparently they are ticked about it and won’t enshrine him now. Green apologized.

Pitt verbal commit, WR/CB Kevin Weatherspoon out of Clairton gets a story. He chose Pitt because of the closeness to home and that Pitt came the hardest after him.

Greg Romeus swears he isn’t even thinking about the NFL as he heads into his junior year. His only focus is on Pitt, this year.  What else do you expect him to say?

It’s expensive and tough trying to schedule 5 non-conference games every year.

Coach Wannstedt’s first recruiting class are seniors. My how time flies.

Still, that class produced nine starters (Byham, Berry, Romeus, Fields, Pinkston, Dickerson, Malecki, cornerback Jovani Chappel and guard/tackle Joe Thomas), and a handful of other players like Nate Nix and Tyler Tkach who have been special-teams starters and/or reserves at their respective positions.

Wannstedt said the fact that this team will not have any big-name superstars is not a negative because it has a lot of good players to complement a few players with superstar potential, like Romeus and Byham.

He said he chose Romeus (a redshirt junior), Byham and Malecki, who was one of the first players to commit to the Panthers that year, to bring to media day because they exemplify the character he believes this team will have.

And to spare Bill Stull repetitive questions about his performance in the Sun Bowl. Not that Stull isn’t aware of it.

“You can’t really help but be aware of it, whether you’re looking at (the Internet) or not,” said Stull, a Poland, Ohio, native who played at Seton-La Salle High School. “I know my hometown, the people in it. I’ve played football here since I moved here in middle school. I’m used to it. I take it. I have no problem with it. It’s not the greatest feeling in the world, but I’m mentally tough enough to put that aside and use it as fuel.

“One minute you’re on top of the world, winning football games left and right. You throw a couple picks, and people are calling for your head. It comes with the territory, the consequences that come with it. You’ve got to put those things aside mentally and worry about what does matter: it comes down to winning football games.”

You know, it wasn’t the picks so much as the arm strength and accuracy.

While Pitt is still yet to list the basketball schedule, things trickle from others. Kent State is on the schedule. Coming to the Pete on Saturday, December 12.

It took all weekend, but the reports of Sam Young signing with the Grizzlies have finally been confirmed. The reports surfaced as early as late-Thursday night, but took until the end of the weekend for the Grizz to confirm. No terms announced — of course — but it appears to be a $2 million deal guaranteed over three years along with around $600,000 in incentives — the first two years base pay is around $900,000 per. The Griz hold the option for the third year which suggests that if they don’t exercise the option they pay him about $200 K to leave.

The Grizzlies finished the summer league 5-0. As 3 Shades of Blue simply put it:

Sure, it doesn’t mean much (except that it can surely add fissile-quality fuel  to the debate that rages over draft picks and placement).  But darnit, all eleven of us that count ourselves as what could be termed “Grizzlies fans” are jonesin’ for something to view positively, and view summerleague positively we will.

and Sam Young was part of the good.

Sam Young playing like the experienced player that he is, and showing that he has an idea already how he’ll earn his paycheck in the NBA-knowing how to use his size on the perimeter on both ends and having enough of a nose for the ball inside to grab some rebounds.

Thabeet, to the surprise of no one who watched the Big East, was a disappointment in that fans of the pro game realize he is an even bigger project than expected for the NBA.

Gilbert Brown, is hoping to emulate the progression of Sam Young. Tantalizing, promising athletic talent in his first year of playing. A seeming step back in his second but emerging in his junior year as he gets stronger and more committed to the full game (at least that’s how the storyline is shoehorned).

Brown contends he realized he needed to be bigger long ago (“Just watching this league, not even playing in it, you got to know how physical it is,” he said.), but youth and a spot often outside the starting five may have contributed to the late start. Injuries, too, have collared Brown, who suffered through ankle and shoulder problems and missed his true freshman year with a medical redshirt.

“I feel great now. I feel like I’m in great shape,” Brown said. “My shoulder’s fine; it hasn’t hurt for a while. My ankles, well, they’ll always be my ankles.”

In addition to an increased workout regimen, Brown said he’s been focused on his shooting and ballhandling, building upon a strong second half of last year when he was a key to the Panthers’ first Elite Eight appearance of the modern NCAA Tournament era.

With his new and improved body, Brown may appear to be a Young-type player in the Panthers’ strong forward position. But with newcomers Dante Taylor, Talib Zanna and J.J. Richardson entering a frontcourt with Nasir Robinson, Dwight Miller and Gary McGhee, Brown’s better off remaining in the rotation at the swing spot. There, he’ll likely compete with Brad Wannamaker for the starting spot as Jermaine Dixon slides over to the two guard on offense.

That doesn’t mean Brown can’t play the way Young did in his two seasons as Pitt’s top scorer. Young developed a solid outside shot and drove from the perimeter inside, much like the three would do in the Panthers’ offense.

Brown’s game has seemed to follow Young’s pattern. Now, his body does, too.

Even Gilbert Brown seems unsure what to expect from his ankles (other than a sense of betrayal).

Levance Fields is getting ready to head overseas, but still has his eyes on the NBA.

That ability extends beyond the hardwood. The 22-year-old Fields, who grew up in the rough-and-tumble Brownsville Houses, has long had a penchant for turning struggles into successes. He established himself as a big-game floor general at the University of Pittsburgh, the latest in a string of metro-area guards to stand out at the Big East school.

“He’s shouldered a lot in his life,” says Pitt assistant Brandin Knight. “It’s made him mature beyond his years.”

Ask Fields why he wants to play in the NBA, and he gives a quick response: He says he wants to buy his mother Koreen Thomas a house, one far from Brownsville.

“I go home to see her all the time … she still lives there,” he says. “I go home, and I’m just a homebody, hanging out with her. I hardly go outside.”

Fields speaks quietly when he talks of his old haunt, as if reflecting on each word. Last year, the 73rd Precinct, which encompasses Brownsville and Ocean Hill, reported 31 murders, the most in the city according to the NYPD.

There’s also a nice sidebar piece looking at Travon Woodall as the next possible PG at Pitt.

Woodall, who’s 5-11, lacks Fields’ savvy and court vision, but he brings speed and athleticism. “I’m more athletic than him,” Woodall says. “I can jump. I’ve caught some (alley-)oops.”

He also picked up plenty of wisdom from Fields. While sitting on the bench, he watched Fields run the offense; by the end of the season, he was often pointing out Fields’ mistakes during timeouts.

“It was weird,” Woodall says. “I started feeling like his father, criticizing him.”

Of course the competition to start at PG will be with Ashton Gibbs, who isn’t shying from expectations with Pitt.

“I think people are definitely underestimating us,” Gibbs, a rising sophomore point guard, said last week at the Joe Brown Memorial tournament. “We’re bringing a lot back. We lost four starters but we’re bringing a lot back, a lot of reserves back. We’re the same team that went at the starters in practice last year so we know we can play against some of the best players in the country.”

And this more than a little rose-colored glasses look at Pitt players’ summer league performances.

Throughout the summer league all four true freshmen showed their ability at times and the two redshirt freshman showed signs of improvement. Because practice is such a critical factor in how the rotation comes to form, it is too early to name any certainties as starters, but there are two clear facts about this version of the Panthers: this team is extremely deep, and there are a lot of options with the personnel of the roster.

With the summer league over, one thing that is certain is that there will be some serious battles at every single spot on the floor this year. Despite all the uncertainly, Panther fans should be pleasantly optimistic about this young group.

It’s a little on the overly-gushing side, and yes it’s summer league. Still it is an encouraging read.

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.

I’m seriously debating locking myself in a small, dark room with a TV and laptop. If you are more social than that, plenty of other metro areas have places to be with other Pitt alum/fans to watch.

If you are in Boston, it starts early.

Pitt Pep Rally/Pre-game Event
Thursday, March 26 – 4 p.m.
Johnnie’s on the Side
138 Portland Street
Boston, MA

Located just two blocks and an easy walk to TD Banknorth Garden.

With performances by the Pitt Pep Band and Cheerleaders and a special appearance by the Pitt Panther Mascot. Special Panther drink specials and complimentary appetizers (while they last!).

All of the following came from the Pitt alumni calendar:

Tampa/St. Pete’s

Courtside Grille I
110 Fountain Parkway North
St. Petersburg, FL 33716 http://courtsidegrille.com/home.html

Ft. Lauderdale

Miller’s Ale House in Fort Lauderdale
2861 N Federal Hwy
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33306
(954) 565-5747

Lancaster, PA

Trio’s Bar and Grill
3707 Marietta Ave
Columbia, PA 17512
http://www.triobarandgrill.com/

NYC

Village Pourhouse
64 3rd Ave at 11th St. East Village
New York, NY 10003 www.pourhousenyc.com

New Jersey

Fox and Hound English Pub & Grille – Edison
250 Menlo Park Drive Edison, NJ 08837
Phone: (732)452-9100

Hilton Head

One Hot Mama’s American Grille: Hilton Head-Bluffton
7 Greenwood Dr # A
Hilton Head Isle, SC 29928
(843) 682-6262

Washington, DC

Penn Quarter Sports Tavern
639 Indiana Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20004

Atlanta

Hudson Grille – Perimeter Mall
4400 Ashford-Dunwoody Rd.
Atlanta, GA 30346

Chicago

Gamekeepers Travern & Grill
345 W. Armitage
Chicago, IL www.gamekeeperschicago.com

Austin, TX

Fast Eddie’s Round Rock
100 Parker Dr
Austin, TX 78728
512-248-0646

Denver

Choppers Sports Grill
80 S Madison St.
Denver, CO 80209-3002
303-399-4448

Palo Alto, CA

The Old Pro Sports Bar
541 Ramona Street
Palo Alto, CA
650-326-1446

Santa Monica, CA

Yankee Doodles
1410 3rd Street Promenade
Santa Monica, CA
www.yankeedoodles.com

San Francisco

Giordano Brothers
303 Columbus Ave
San Francisco, CA
415-397-2767

If there are any other gatherings. Missed or impromptu, be sure to leave them in the comments below

Cleveland (thanks Pauly P, one of these times I’ll get down to join the crowd)

Bob Golic’s Sports Bar
1213 West 6th (corner with W. Lakeside, Warehouse District)

Least of all, Sean Miller.

“In terms of this NCAA Tournament, the focus is really on our players and our team, for us to be back in the Sweet 16,” Miller said. “That’s the story of this game. That’s really where the focus should be.”

But Miller, who starred at Blackhawk under his father John Miller and was recruited to Pitt by John Calipari, admitted he will never forget his days in Oakland.

“I had a great experience,” he said. “I was treated like you would want to be treated. The friendships that I have today, so many of my close friends really stem from that four-and five-year experience there.”

Then he turned the attention back to his Atlantic 10 regular-season champion.

“And it really stops there as well,” he said.

Ah, would that it were that simple. If it were, everytime a job on the west coast opened up, Coach Jamie Dixon’s name wouldn’t be bandied about. This is a storyline. A dramatic point to pound at until fingers are bloodied because no one can really hit the nail when no one wants to talk about it.

While the Panthers are the top seeds in the East, facing No. 1 seeds is nothing new to Xavier. This is the third straight year that the Musketeers have faced the top seed in the tournament.

“We’re just looking at it as a great opportunity to make another big stamp on our season and the program,” senior C.J. Anderson said.

“Everyone has seen a lot of Pitt and is familiar with the players and their program.” Anderson added.

For the record they lost both of those prior meetings with a #1 seed.

Coach Dixon figured he’d speak to a Big East coach in Cinci coach Mick Cronin about Xavier. He’s expecting a good game.

“It’s going to be a great game,” Cronin said. “I really think Xavier matches up well. They’re physical, they rebound and they defend. A lower-scoring game is going to favor Xavier.”

…

From Cronin’s vantage point, the Musketeers’ strength is their defense, which he calls the best he’s seen from an XU team under Sean Miller.

“They’re very consistent with their defense,” Cronin said. “They’re athletic. They have size and strength, and their depth allows them to keep fresh bodies on the floor and helps them maintain their defensive intensity.”

…

Of the three, Blair, the Big East co-player of the year, presents the most difficult matchup.

“He’s relentless,” Cronin said. “There’s no other way to describe it. It’s hard to keep him down for 40 minutes. When the game is on the line he’ll find a way against four guys to grab the ball and put it in.”

One thing in the Musketeers’ favor, Cronin said, is that they have 10 fouls to give in 6-foot-9, 255-pound Jason Love and 7-foot, 265-pound Kenny Frease.

And Cronin believes that XU is strong enough up front to hold its own on the boards against the Panthers.

“I think this is the best rebounding team Xavier has had in a long time,” Cronin said. “That’s how they beat us. That’s an area where they can definitely compete with Pittsburgh. That’s important because Pitt has had games where they don’t shoot the ball well but they dominate you on the glass.”

He also thinks their guard-foward B.J. Raymond is going to have to have a big game for Xavier to win.

Of course, Sean Miller has an A-10 coach that is quite familiar with Pitt in Duquesne’s Ron Everhart. Unlike Cronin who feels a low scoring game favors Xavier, Everhart feels differently.

“If they can make it an up-and-down game and force Pitt to constantly play transition defense, it’s the only time (Pitt center DeJuan) Blair and any of their guys are vulnerable,” Everhart said Tuesday. “The more possessions they have, there will be more fouls called, more trips to the line, more action — more chance to get a team that relies heavily on four to five guys into foul trouble.”

Everhart, one of four coaches to oppose both teams this season and the only one of that group to beat either, is convinced Xavier’s size, shot-blocking ability and outside shooting could prove troublesome to Pitt.

…

“Xavier might have an edge in depth on Pitt, but it doesn’t have an experienced senior point guard who has played through four NCAA tournaments like Levance Fields,” Everhart said. “He distributes the ball and gets guys shots, and teams that traditionally win national championships are built like Pitt. They have multiple seniors, one of whom is a point guard, and they know how to win close games.”

Then he said this about getting to coach against your alma mater.

Everhart coached last week against his own alma mater, Virginia Tech, in the NIT, and he believes there is something about going against your own school that can’t be quantified or analyzed.

“Maybe you prepare with a little more intensity, you’re sharper and more organized — you want your guys to be prepared to play your alma mater,” Everhart said. “For whatever reason, it does mean something. But Jamie (Dixon, Pitt’s coach) always has his guys ready to play, and I’m sure he’ll coach this week with a little bit of an edge, too.”

For the record, Duquesne lost to VT in OT. I could live with that as Xavier and Miller’s fate.

So what do we have. A coach that favors slow, plodding games things such a thing favors Xavier. Another coach that likes up-tempo sees that as helping Xavier. Thanks guys. Glad the two of you could help clear that up.

It isn’t surprising, though, that Pitt is favored and most are picking Pitt for this game. Of course, the Pitt players swear they are focused on just the game in front of them and getting past that barrier.

Pitt, which has never beaten higher than a No. 6 seed in the NCAA tournament the past seven seasons, has been ranked at the top of the polls and is one of the favorites to win the national championship, but the Panthers know all too well how those dreams can die well before the Final Four. Pitt players are determined that the Sweet 16 won’t be another Groundhog’s Day for the program.

“All we’re focused on is the next opponent,” senior forward Sam Young said. “That’s the only thing on everyone’s mind. We’re not saying we’re going to get to a Final Four or win a national championship. We have learned from that.

“When I hear someone talking about the Final Four I stop them right there. We have to worry about the Sweet 16. We can’t worry about any other game. We have to worry about today’s game. If we don’t pay attention to who we’re playing now we might be watching the Final Four.”

The concern these days is not the offense, but the defense is not what it has been. But, it is not dead, yet.

But recent numbers — Sunday’s first half notwithstanding — point to a resurgence in Pitt’s perimeter defense. In the Panthers’ final regular-season game, Connecticut shot just 4 of 14 from 3-point range (28.6 percent). West Virginia duplicated that number in the Big East Tournament. Last Friday, East Tennessee State put a scare into the Panthers in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, but not from the arc; the Buccaneers were just 4 of 22 (18.2 percent) from the perimeter.

And in the second half Sunday, Oklahoma State was 2 of 12 (16.7 percent).

“In the second half, though, we were getting out with our hands up,” Brown said.

Take out the Cowboys’ first half, and opponents are shooting a mere 14 of 62 (22.5 percent) from 3-point range. Overall field goal percentage during that span, again subtracting the 17-of-27 performance of Oklahoma State in Sunday’s first half, is an impressive 36.3 percent (78 of 215), about 5 percent lower than opponents shot over the season.

Maybe the new anomaly was Sunday’s first half.

“I felt like we were playing (defense) pretty good in the first half,” Wanamaker said, “but in the second half we really contested their shots.”

Hot shooting hurt as well.

I’m going to make a prediction about the game. I expect something good from Brad Wanamaker. I know he’s had some bad games in recent weeks. I’m of the opinion that he has made great progress, but is at his worst when playing against teams that press on defense. His court vision and ball handling is just not there to handle defenders in too tight. He dribbles too far away from his body too often because he is looking to keep the option of driving to the basket available. It means having to corral the ball when trying to pull up for a shot or stopping the dribble.  I think against a team like Xavier that does play more of a half-court game, Wanamker will have some space and will be able to do some good things.