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December 27, 2006

Collecting Newcomers

Filed under: Football,Players,Puff Pieces,Recruiting — Chas @ 11:25 am

Well, NLI day is still 6 weeks away. The visits are on hiatus for a couple weeks. Things are relatively quiet. Bob Lichtenfels at PantherDigest.com (Scout.com) has a look at the recruiting going on around the Big East. Pitt may still end up with the top class in the BE, but WVU or Louisville (or perhaps both) have potential for late gets to pass Pitt.
That means with the sports scene similarly quiet, there are little stories about various local high schoolers in the newspapers and where they are headed. Henry Hynoski, is a popular subject as the Pennsylvania Single-A Player of the Year.

Playing fullback runs in the family. Hynoski’s father, also named Henry, was an all-state pick in 1970 at Mount Carmel, starred at Temple and spent the 1975 season with the Cleveland Browns.

“I had the chance to watch a lot of old films of my father playing football and he became my idol,” Hynoski said. “It’s been great having someone like him to learn from, but the best part of all is that he never pushed me to play football.”

Hynoski can’t wait to play at Pitt.

“(Coach) Dave Wannstedt wants to build the program around playing power football and I think I fit his system perfectly,” Hynoski said. “I’m really looking forward to seeing how I do at the next level.”

One writer in Eastern PA isn’t worried about Hynoski going to Pitt and the talent level, simply based on the work ethic and genes.

I followed the elder Hynoski during my years at Temple University and wrote about him for the school newspaper, The Temple News. Both players carry the nickname “Hyno” and I remember dubbing the father as “Dynamo Hyno” after an outstanding individual performance.

He was a friendly, down-to-earth fellow despite his status as a Division I football star.

The younger Hynoski is bigger and with a style that impressed Pittsburgh coach Dave Wannstedt and his staff. The University of Iowa was the other frontrunner in Hynoski’s collegiate choices.

Some people question the younger Hynoski’s ability because of the small-school level of competition. But with his stock and work ethic, he should be a successful collegiate player like his father.

Hey, bloodlines are a popular thing at Pitt.

Another is the most recent verbal in Greg Williams out of Naples, Florida. His uncle is former NFL RB Albert Bentley.

“I wanted to talk to my uncle and everything,” Williams said. “My family felt comfortable with the place, so once I knew that I decided to go ahead and commit.

“My family hasn’t been to Pittsburgh, but the coaches have been down here and met with my family and showed them what Pitt has to offer.”

Williams visited Pitt on Dec. 1 and West Virginia on Dec. 8. He also had planned visits to Florida, Indiana and Minnesota.

“It was really just the coaches,” Williams said of the deciding factor. “Aubrey Hill was my main recruiter, and I talk to him all the time. He was always coming down here checking up on me. That made a big impression on me, because I want to be around coaches who want to help me.

“Pitt had a lot more to offer with the campus and the academics and the players and all, but I really enjoyed being around the coaches.”

Finally, up in Johnstown, another Pitt verbal (for the class of 2008), Antwuan Reed was named to the first-team AAA.  He got there as a running back, but seems likely to be moving to Corner or Safety full-time for Pitt.

Reed, who already has committed to join former Trojans LaRod Stephens-Howling and Scott Corson on the Pitt football team, could play on either side of the ball for the Panthers. Arcurio said that Pitt offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh and defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads are each vying for Reed’s services.

Reed, who could not be reached for comment, was a first-team running back on The Tribune-Democrat’s All-Area team after being a second-team pick as a sophomore. But some scouts see the 5-foot-9, 167-pounder as a cornerback in college.

Johnstown used him at safety this season.

“We played him out of position, at safety, because if anybody broke free, he could catch them,” Arcurio said. “We gave him a lot of freedom to make plays. He could always recover and get back in time.”

There might be a little time to figure out where to play Reed.

Publicly Feeling Better

Filed under: Basketball,Players — Chas @ 8:19 am

Forward Sam Young is playing Power Forward once more and is scoring. It all just happened to coincide with his knees finally responding to treatment for tendonitis. What also coincided with all of this is Sam Young finally being willing to talk to the media.

Young’s struggles were confounding. He didn’t speak to the media for the first six weeks of the season, turning down all interview requests. He finally took questions after the Dayton game and seemed right at home.

“I knew that my lack of play wasn’t because of my ability,” he said. “There were a lot of things going on that were setbacks for me.”

Young said his lack of production had little to do with his switch from power forward to small forward. Instead, he said the knee injury denied him the explosiveness and leaping ability that helped earn him a spot on the Big East all-rookie team last year. He also endured back pains before the Oklahoma State game.

“When my knees were hurting, I felt like my first step was slower,” he said. “It was harder to get by guys. I couldn’t jump off one leg. When I would go to the basket, I had to jump off two legs, so I would even out the weight on my legs.”

I hate to not take him completely at his word, but there still seems like there was a bit to do with the move to small forward. I’m not disputing the issues with the knees, but his position on the court and some obvious confusion at times when playing at the small forward position really indicates that he was struggling with the move more than anyone wants to admit.

I’m glad he’s back at power forward, happy and productive. He is obviously much more at ease at the spot. I still hope, though, that they continue to work with him to learn the small forward position better. The increased versatility and options are just too enticing.

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