Gilbert Brown got a bit of love from his local paper as he tries to get meaningful (any) playing time for Pitt to get the redshirt off of his back.
Gilbert spent 10th, 11th and 12th grades at the South Kent Prep School in South Kent, Conn., and went from being a gangly, athletic kid to a talented basketball player who caught the eye of former Pitt assistant coach Barry Rohrssen.
And why wouldn’t he? Brown has an impressive array of midrange shots in his offensive arsenal, but a 38-inch vertical leap makes him a dazzling dunker. And even though Pitt coach Jamie Dixon lost the assistants who recruited him, Brown still came to Pitt.
“I really wanted to stay home, but I also wanted to play for a high-caliber team that could win a national championship,” Brown said.
“I had all kinds of schools recruiting me. Villanova, West Virginia, all types, but I thought that Pitt was the best situation for me even though they got in kind of late.”
The article spins positive that Brown will play this season. The main reason he hasn’t cracked the rotation is that he was slowed by mono and then an ankle injury. The quotes from Coach Dixon seem familiar to me — as if they were recycled from past stories so I’m not sure Dixon simply repeated himself or if they were re-used for the story.
If Pitt junior guard Keith Benjamin, who was Brown’s host on his recruiting visit, has his way, his friend will make a huge contribution to the team as soon as possible.
“Gil’s looking good right now,” Benjamin said. “His shot really has improved tremendously since he first stepped on campus, and he’s more of a complete player now. He’s not just a slasher and a dunker.
“He’s getting better every day. The mono and injury set him back a little bit, but he’s working hard to get better. And he’s going to do that, but it just takes a little time. You guys wait to see what he can do.”
I have to say, Benjamin’s attitude this year has really impressed me. If there is one player who probably has had his minutes squeezed this year it’s Benjamin. If Gilbert Brown gets in there as well, Benjamin might really struggle to get off of the bench. Yet, there he is supporting the team, not causing any problems and generally talking up his teammates.
Speaking of which, another website has written that Bryan Williams has re-committed to PITT. Seems he was a recruit last year, went to prep school and committed to Temple. Now he might be back in the fold. CB/RB at 6’0″ & 195 lbs with 4.4 speed.
The website also has already penciled this kid in as a starting CB (we’ll see) but if his commitment is true, this leaves us with four scholarships with some pretty important gets still out there (Tucker, McCoy, Mo Williams, etc…) I’m wondering if the staff has given up on some of them and are signing who they can now.
Has anyone heard anything definite yet on this?
Omar, I was thinking about you when watching Rutgers last night – and when I was trying to decide if they are a Top 10 team this year. In my mind, and after watching their sterling defensive showing, I believe that a real case could be made for it. I know the competition was not Top 10, but they looked damn good. Could have been better in the red zone, but all in all represented the BE conference (2-0 and counting by the way) well. So at 11-2, and winning by 27 in a bowl, I think they deserve consideration in the final polls.
I also kept thinking that the 2006 Rutgers model is a perfect example of what DW wants PITT to be by 2008. Speed on the field, quick and aggressive defense, a multi-purpose tough fullback and a running game that can control the ball and open up the offense for an effective passing game. Hynoski could be the key for the running game if he delivers as advertised. Looking forward to seeing if it can happen.
