First off, let me begin by going back to the game on Monday in Philly. Big time congrats to Villanova’s game day entertainment department. The lettuce throwing competition during a media timeout was pure gold. I think it was mainly a ploy to get ‘Nova a free timeout so Jay Wright could go tanning. Personally, I would have gone with a water gun fight.

However, moving forward into this unnecessary break we have from Pitt hoops…After picking up a win over in Eastern PA, we bring our season total to 20 wins with a ton of room to pile on more. Only seven or eight years ago, we would be very happy with 20 wins. That’s especially true with the type of attention and expectations that were given to any Pitt hoops team; it was pre-Pete, pre-Oakland Zoo, pre-Ben Howland recruiting, and so on.

Then the ultimate goal for any NCAA basketball team at that stage becomes “Hey, let’s try to make the Big Dance as an at-large bid,” which we managed to accomplish in 2001-02, also knocking out the goals of winning the Big East Tournament, making the NCAA tournament as a conference champion, and reaching the Sweet Sixteen. All of that in the same year; expectations were on the rise.

Now the next goal is getting over the Sweet Sixteen hump and reaching the Final Four and winning a national championship. We went three straight years to the Sweet Sixteen, then only the first round in 04-05 and the second round last year. All of this culminates by asking the final question: when will Pitt basketball fans be satisfied?

At this point through both conference and non-con games we have a pretty solid gauge of where this team stands. We’ve seen them against horrible teams, decent teams, top 25 teams, and even a top 3 team in Wisconsin.

Another Sweet Sixteen year is expected from this team for sure unless someone very important gets injured. Getting to the round of eight would be no surprise from this team at all. They could go all the way (notice I never said they would or that they have the best chance of anyone else to do it) and no one would think twice.

So is the Sweet Sixteen a failure? Or is it the Elite Eight? Should we be satisfied if we don’t make it to Atlanta and the Final Four?

Then there’s also the Big East tournament to throw into the mix. If we run through the three (or four, however it’s unlikely) games needed to win it and then go out in the Sweet Sixteen or Elite Eight in the NCAA tournament then is it something we should be happy with? If we bomb up at MSG then how far do we need to get to make this season worthwhile?

Personally, I don’t think this team can be happy with anything less than Elite Eight, especially if they don’t manage to win the conference tournament. This is the type of team than can get to the Final Four and it’s possible for some to think that anything less than even that is a failure.

I’m sure everyone has their own separate answers to all of those questions depending on what you thin “success” means for this current Pitt team. What are yours?

I haven’t had time to get to the Schenley-Chester HS basketball game. Normally, I don’t bother but there are commits for 2007 and 2008 on both teams.

Schenley won the game with the help of DeJuan Blair.

Blair and Kennedy had big games yesterday as Schenley knocked off perennial eastern Pennsylvania power Chester, 85-74, in the Play by Play Classic in Springfield, Pa., near Philadelphia.

Blair, a 6-foot-7 Pitt recruit, had 23 points, 16 rebounds and 6 blocked shots in front of a packed house at Cardinal O’Hara High School. Kennedy, a 6-5 senior guard, had 26 points, including 22 in the second half.

“It was definitely a statement game because we’ve never beaten any teams down this way,” Blair said.

Schenley (15-2) has demolished 10 City League opponents this season by an average of 39 points a game and is ranked No. 1 in the state in Class AAAA. But some wondered how it would fare against No. 3 Chester (14-3), a team that can play sticky man-to-man defense and also likes to run.

The game was tough, and Chester’s coach was a little bitter towards the official.

Blair, who would finish with 23, turned on his game in the third quarter, ignoring his fear of fouling and dominating down low.

“As they were trying to get around me, I was thinking maybe I better get out of the way or something,” Blair said. “A lot of guards like to throw themselves into me and I’ll get the foul. But I was trying to be smart about it.”

Although Blair had seemed to make a rather brilliant adjustment, Chester coach Fred Pickett saw things a little differently.

“I think fouls crippled us from being aggressive,” Pickett said. “Early in the game, their big fella shoves and they blow the whistle. He drops down an elbow and they blow the whistle. He pulls somebody, they blew the whistle. Second half, they didn’t call those calls. But my big men, they’re all on the bench. All of them sitting.”

Even Burton. But he wasn’t on the bench.

Twice, he took off with the ball and thudded into Blair’s torso. Amazing how one electric point guard can bounce back so far. But maybe Burton was trying to set an example.

The teams left the court without shaking hands. On the Chester side, Nasir Robinson who has verballed for 2008 had 13 points and 8 rebounds.

Oh, and there was a high school basketball tournament in Pittsburgh over the weekend. I know both Oak Hill Academy (Virginia) and Mount Vernon (New York) — the latter being where Keith Benjamin played — attended the Pitt-St. John’s game. I like to think it left a good impression. Especially when you think about some of the players that have come out of Oak Hill.

Aaron Gray’s hometown paper loves seeing Gray succeed. Assuming he gets drafted in the first round of the NBA draft, he’d be the first kid from the Lehigh Valley to accomplish that. So, they sent a reporter and photographer to document a day in the life of Gray.

”I don’t go out much,” said Gray, whose Panthers (19-3) are ranked No. 9 in the Associated Press poll. ”I get so much attention, but I really don’t want that much attention. I think I’ve gone out like 10 times in my four years here. I’d just rather hang out with people, low key.

”I’ll go to houses where there are people that I know, so that I don’t have to be bombarded with the same questions. You know, the people who’ll try to tell you how to play, the people who’ll tell you how great that you are, or the people who’ll tell you how bad you are.”
…

The Petersen Events Center, a 21st-century arena where Pitt plays its home games, sits at the peak of the upper campus. It’s a steep climb to Petersen, one reminiscent of Gray’s rise in college basketball.

”My earlier years here, we lived down the hill and we had to walk up to practice every day,” Gray said, ”so we’d be loose, ready to go, stretched out and have a little sweat just from walking up the hill.”

Now he drives to practice, arriving Monday just after noon and staying until nearly 5 p.m.

Yet another reason the players are probably glad not to play at Fitzgerald any longer. That was always a hell of a haul if you didn’t bother with the shuttle.

I’m going to have to conserve on the posting. Pitt’s off until WednDavesday. Good god is that going to be a crazy day. NLI day starting in the morning. Then the basketball team in Morgantown that night. Great. Just great. Well, at least they didn’t schedule Pitt to play on Superbowl Sunday again.

Aaron Gray made the cut-down for the Wooden Award. He has no chance at it, but it’s nice he made it another round.
David Aldridge has a story on Jamie Dixon and remembering his sister. Hey don’t forget, David’s brother was a Pitt player if you can remember Andre Aldridge.

Dave Jones at the Harrisburg Patriot is bummed that Villanova hasn’t proved itself yet, and envious about Pitt.

Last night’s 65-59 loss to No. 7 Pittsburgh at the Wachovia Center was another in a string of second-half fold jobs against key opponents that has to have ‘Nova fans wondering.

…

For Pitt, it was just another win in a game where they had substantial stretches of the uglies. You don’t often shoot 8-of-27 and commit 11 giveaways in the first half on the road and come out smelling this sweet.

Pittsburgh came out much steadier at the outset of the second half, got better shots and still fell back by eight.

“I sensed some frustration during a timeout there early in the second half,” said Pitt coach Jamie Dixon. “I said, we’re getting good shots, we’re doing the right things. I think we’re in good position to win.”

Sounds like a team that knows it’s going to win, one way or another.

The story is the same, since it is about Villanova making little mistakes. Actually, the only thing about the story worth seeing, is one of those good old predictable play on words headlines. “IT’S THE PITTS” Just good to see it not being applied by Pittsburgh papers.

In Philly, while conceding that ‘Nova let the game get away from them mid-way through the second half, what really hurt was Pitt making plays at the end while the Wildcats could not.

With the Wildcats trailing by 54-53 with 2 minutes, 23 seconds remaining, the Villanova student section was urging the rest of the 18,017 fans to rattle the arena. They listened, bringing the decibel to a point louder than the Wachovia Center has heard at any professional sporting event in the building this season.

That’s when Pittsburgh guards Levance Fields and Antonio Graves became game-changers with gigantic three-pointers, surrounding two free throws by Sumpter.

Pittsburgh’s 7-footer Aaron Gray blocked a layup by Sumpter on Villanova’s next possession. Sumpter then fouled Graves, who sank both free throws for a seven-point lead.

“Timely mistakes on our part and timely shots on their part,” Villanova coach Jay Wright explained. “That was the difference.”

Graves (13 points) and Fields (20) accounted for all but 18 of the Panthers’ 42 second-half points, after they combined for only nine points in the first half.

“[Pittsburgh] just kicked it out and they hit huge shots,” Wright said.

After leading by as many as nine points, the Wildcats watched their lead slip away in a five-minute stretch in which they went 0 for 5 and turned the ball over six times. The Panthers (20-3, 8-1) took a 43-37 lead.

While Curtis Sumpter looked fully heeled from the deep bone bruise, Freshman PG Scottie Reynolds didn’t have any energy in the second half. He looked like he didn’t have his legs under him on some shots. There was a good reason.

For the first time in a long time, Reynolds, who had been so terrific, looked like a freshman. He repeatedly tried to force himself into the lane despite the presence of 7-footer Aaron Gray, and committed seven turnovers.

Part of it was legs. He had none. In the past four games, Reynolds played 155 of a possible 160 minutes, including 40 at Providence last Tuesday and 38 at Notre Dame on Saturday. Even for a 19-year-old, that’s a lot.

“It could have been [fatigue],” Wright said. “We tried to rotate the guards a little bit. Mike played 32 and Scottie 26; for those guys that’s like getting a break.”

During the game — especially in the first half — you could see Villanova trying to conserve the guards’ energy. Especially when it became apparent that they wouldn’t have it on the offensive side. There was a lot more switching off on Pitt’s perimeter players to keep from having to continually chase the guards all over the floor. It still took a toll and Reynolds was definitely looking slower and less controlled in the second half. Just like when you should go straight at the guy in foul trouble, you push against the fatigued player. Pitt was doing this.

A good thing about the game being in Philly, a relatively short train ride for the NY Daily News long time college basketball/Big East/NYC hoops writer, Dick Weiss. Usually, knowing his audience, he will pump the NYC connections. To him, the better back story and star was Antonio Graves.

When Graves was a senior at Mansfield (Ohio) High School, he was not highly recruited and seriously considered a postgraduate year at Notre Dame Academy near Boston. But Panthers coach Jamie Dixon, in desperate need of depth in the backcourt, called two days before school started and offered him a scholarship.

Graves gladly accepted and has been paying back Pitt ever since. Last night, he scored 10 of his 13 points in the second half to lead the seventh-ranked Panthers back from a nine-point second-half deficit to defeat Villanova, 65-59, at the Wachovia Center.

“Mansfield is not what you’d call a mainstream school and it was hard to get noticed,” Graves said. “I’m not even sure my high school coach believed in me. But my family did. I had a couple of solid offers after prep school, but I didn’t want to settle for a mid-major. I thought I was better than that.”

Mansfield — like most of Ohio — is all about the football. Part of why he wasn’t highly recruited was because of his academics — a major reason why he was looking at prep school. He was a late academic qualifier. Graves also led Pitt with 7 assists (6 coming in the second half).

Since Gray grew up an hour or so away from Philly, the Allentown paper had a story that was forced to only partially focus on Gray.

Mostly, it was Fields and Graves dropping shots on Villanova from the outside and scoring off knifing drives inside. Both were helped by the fact Villanova had to pay so much attention to Gray, who was guarded by five different players and often double- and triple-teamed when he received a pass.

Gray finished with 14 points (on 6-for-7 shooting), 10 rebounds and three blocked shots. It was his 11th double-double of the season, coming before several family members and friends in attendance.

”Oh, it was great,” said Gray, the 7-foot senior from Emmaus High. ”People were calling me all week, trying to get tickets. Tickets were limited, so people went and bought tickets. Sometimes the cheers were just as loud for us as it was for Villanova.”

…

”This isn’t just a team of Aaron Gray,” Gray said. ”I have so many great players that surround me, and maybe they don’t get a lot of attention, but they definitely should. I would never undervalue them.”

Villanova Viewpoint has an excellent breakdown of the game. Well worth reading in full. Glad to have Dimitri blogging at full steam in the Big East part of the season.

In the P-G, I’m sorry this is a little disingenuous little meme.

Scroll down the Internet message boards or tune into talk radio and you’ll read and hear about how Pitt does not have a go-to player for clutch situations.

The armchair coaches could be right. The Panthers don’t have one guy who can carry the team to victory when it really matters. The have several.

Right, because it’s all driven by clueless fans. Not at all from sportswriters who know better. Not like that question wasn’t being asked in every preview mag.

Back to the story, great quote from Graves.

“Given the right situation, we all can step up and make the plays we make,” Graves said. “Coach [Jaime] Dixon does a great job of preparing us. And when preparation meets opportunity those are the results we get out of our team. All of our guys are great guys, can be starters on any team in the Big East or ACC. We have a collective mind that will do whatever it takes to win.

“It’s a beautiful thing. It gets me emotional when I think about it. I’ve never played for a team that does whatever it takes to win. It doesn’t have to be Aaron [Gray]. It doesn’t have to be Levance. It doesn’t have to be Mike [Cook] or me. We’re like a family. That’s one of the key aspects of our team this year.”

The win was also about making adjustments as a team and individually.

“We learned from our mistakes in the first half,” Graves said. “Once we get settled down and made the adjustments, things turned out the way they did.”

Villanova’s Curtis Sumpter scored a game-high 21 points, but he went 0 for 6 from the floor in the second half. Mike Nardi scored 10 points and Scottie Reynolds, the two-time reigning Big East freshman of the week, missed his first six shots and finished with eight points – and seven turnovers — under steady harassment from Graves.

“It was good for us,” Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said. “We stayed in it with defense and won it with offense at the end.”

Villanova, playing at home for only the eighth time in 21 games this season, had a six-game winning streak snapped at Wachovia Center.

“It was timely mistakes on our part,” Villanova coach Jay Wright said, “and timely shots on their part.”

Philadelphia native Mike Cook (0 for 7), Sam Young (0 for 4) and Ronald Ramon (0 for 3) didn’t make a field goal, but contributed in other ways. Young had two big steals in the second half, Ramon made three free throws in the final 26 seconds, and Cook had four assists, including one that set up perhaps the game’s biggest basket – Graves’ 3-pointer with 1:46 to play after Villanova had cut the Pitt lead to 54-53.

I admit to being shocked that Young got back in there after the way he looked in the first half. Part of it was that Tyrell Biggs was abused for the minute plus he played (2 fouls).

Do I and all the other fans want more? You bet. Does every loss fill my mouth with ashes and doubts? Of course. Let’s take a moment though to enjoy some of this.
Last night was an important win for Pitt over Villanova. (more about the actual game in a later post) They are on a 9 day layoff, without having to dwell on a loss or missed opportunities.
In an 8-day, 4 game stretch with road and home alternating games, Pitt was 3-1

Pitt is now 4-0 in the Big East on the road and 8-1 overall, and in sole possession of 1st place. Whether the conference is down or not (and it is), that is still a great start. Pitt started the 03-04 season 8-1 in conference, to match the best ever start.

Pitt has already won 20 games this season — the first time a Pitt coach has ever won 20 games in 4 straight years.

The sixth straight year Pitt has won 20 or more game — an ongoing record. The first time, in this era that Pitt has done it with a solid non-con.
Pitt has spent the entire season ranked in the top-10.

We are watching a team that prefers to control and slow down the pace, but is capable of playing just fine at a faster pace. Able to make adjustments.

Should be a very close game tonight. From a match-up standpoint, this will be a big challenge for Pitt with the Wildcat guards. ‘Nova is also unbeaten at the Wachovia this year including an outstanding performance versus Texas.

7:11: Pitt up 8-4, 15:01 in the half. Slow sluggish start plus being at an NBA arena rather then the cozy home court, really quieted the crowd. Could hear the pro-Gray, -Cook and -Pitt contingents pretty well. So far the guards are doing a nice job of not being too bothered by Villanova’s guards. Surprised to see ‘Nova standing around so much early.

7:20: This will not be a good game for Sam Young. He’s being beaten by the ‘Nova players on defense. He already looks frustrated — and it effects him on offense by trying to make amends.

Both teams playing tight defense, getting up on the guards.

7:29: God-damn! Pitt showing little energy. Not boxing out. Only running on offense, not getting back on defense. When Gray is the only one hustling back, that’s ugly.

7:32: In case you were wondering: Cook is 0-4, Young 0-2, and Gray is 3-4. The team is shooting 6-19 (‘Nova at 7-23). Gray has 8 of Pitt’s 17 rebounds. 18-17 Villanova, 6:30 to the half.

7:38: Villanova up 26-20 with 3:53. You know, Pitt missed some early shots that were good looks, and it seemed to hit their confidence. They just seemed stunned the shots weren’t falling, and ‘Nova would get out on them for the rebound. Frustrating to see 8 turnovers already.

7:50: I’m not sure ‘Nova should feel that great about the way they played. Yes they have the lead, but aside from Sumpter they aren’t looking too good. Nardi and Reynolds already look tired — at least they don’t have the legs under their shots.

Pitt, however, can only feel crappy about the way they played. Digger Phelps complaining that they aren’t getting it inside to Gray enough. Here’s the problem. Pitt is struggling to get it inside to Gray. The Wildcats are doing solid work bodying up on the perimeter to give no space for the 3 or to see around them to make the pass inside.

11 first half turnovers. Mike Cook is playing like he’s nervous in front of his friends and family. Definitely in his head.

28-23 Villanova.

8:13: Pitt being much more aggressive after another passive start to the half. Suddenly the fouls are being called on ‘Nova as Pitt drives. It’s that simple. Refs are consistent with it.

Have to credit Villanova with a defense first approach. They are asking and the guards are agreeing to spend their limited energy on the defensive end and let the frontcourt do the work on offense.

8:22: That sucking sound is the forward position for Pitt tonight. Young, Kendall and Cook 1-13, 6 turnovers, and 8 rebounds (6 for Kendall).

Despite that Pitt just took the lead on a Benjamin 3. 38-37 Pitt, 12:20.

8:37: Damn, have to corral those loose balls! Pitt leads 47-45, 6:44 left. Sumpter heading to the line.

Benjamin has been very good, but 3 fouls put him on the bench for a couple so he’s there for the final minutes — at least that’s what I’m believing.

8:43: memo. Never do lettuce related throwing event on a basketball court.

8:49: Pitt leads 54-49, 3:50 left. Still too close.

I have to concede to shock at seeing Young get back on the court in the second half. Especially now. I’d like to see Benjamin back out there, but that’s me.

9:03: Pitt wins 65-59!!!

Big, big win. Much like the Syracuse win, a bad first half, gave way to a great second half effort. Corrections were made. The intensity turned up and they forced the opposition to play the way Pitt wanted. Beautiful.

Antonio Graves had a great game on both sides for Pitt. He was excellent on the defensive end, even when he struggled in the first half. In the second half he was the sparkplug. 13 points, 6 assists, 4 steals (and on the negative 4 turnovers).

Pitt, only had 4 turnovers in the second half for 15 total. Villanova ended up having more (17).

Aaron Gray had 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Another Monday has arrived (and it’s a “Big Monday” for the Panthers tonight on ESPN) which means all kinds of different polls and numbers can be seen left and right. First we start with the two Top 25 polls, both of which bumped Pitt up to 7th in the nation. The six teams in front of Pitt are the same and in a matching order in both polls with teams such as Duke (who had a win handed to them last week), Oregon, and Texas A&M.

Next we get something interesting from the Big East Basketball Report: RPI ratings for Big East teams composed of stats just from conference games. From that, here’s what we get through yesterday’s game.

….TEAM………..CONFERENCE RPI………CONF SOS….SOS RANK
Marquette—————.5846——————.5218———–4
Pittsburgh—————.5594——————.4709———-13
Louisville—————-.5508——————.5020———-9
Villanova—————-.5418——————.5507———–2
Syracuse—————–.5368——————.5137———–7
Notre Dame————-.5268——————.4941————11
Georgetown————-.5260——————.4690———–14
West Virginia———–.5069——————.4676———-15
DePaul——————.4973——————.5215———–5
Connecticut————.4946——————.5584————1
Providence————–.4940——————.4748———-12
St. John’s—————-.4653——————.5133———-8
Seton Hall—————.4516——————.4949———10
South Florida———–.4446——————.5303———-3
Cincinnati—————.4181——————.5191———–6
Rutgers——————.4019——————.4525———-16

I don’t think it would be expected to see Pitt at anywhere but the top two or three slots at this point through conference play.

The weekly conference poll they run there also came out for the new week with Pitt checking in at number one. The top five looks like so:

1) Pittsburgh (16): 286 pts.
2) Marquette (2): 269 pts.
3) Georgetown: 245 pts.
4) Notre Dame: 228 pts.
5) Louisville: 208 pts.

I found it a bit surprising that more voters did not give their first place vote to Marquette and the voting followed how things have gone the past few weeks.

Also following suit from last week were the player of the week, Dominic James, and freshman of the week, Scottie Reynolds from a ‘Nova team we’ll see tonight, both of which were voted into those spots for the second straight week.
Also a few notes from ESPN Insider who now have Aaron Gray as their #22 draft prospect.

Positives: Gray is a legit 7-footer, and he has the girth (he weighs in at 270) to handle the middle full time. He’s a good rebounder, especially on the offensive boards. Excellent hands. Good lower body strength helps him hold position in the paint. Nice baby hook. Good perimeter shooter.

Negatives: He’s not a very good athlete, and weight has been an issue in the past. With the NBA moving toward an up-tempo style, Gray’s type of game is less valued than it’s been in the past. Not much of a shot blocker. Poor free throw shooter.

Summary: For a second straight season, Gray continues to prove that he’s a legit NBA center prospect, despite scouts’ misgivings. He’s moved from the first round bubble to a pretty firm first round pick.

Two freshmen, Texas’ Kevin Durant and OSU’s Greg Oden, are battling it out to be in the #1 spot according to both ESPN and anyone who has eyes and has seen either of them play.

Jay Bilas also has Gray as his Big East Player of the Year so far (Insider subs.).

Big East
Aaron Gray, Pittsburgh: The most productive player on the top team in the league. Gray stands just above the rest in a season when there is no signature player or team, at least by traditional Big East standards. Gray is having a great season, averaging 15 points and 10 rebounds and shooting just under 60 percent from the field.

Fran Fraschilla and Doug Gottlieb both took Dominic James over Gray.

Well, this is a game that makes me nervous. I just am not wild about the match-up with Villanova’s guard-oriented line-up.

“They have been accustomed to giving away size advantages inside for a couple of seasons, and as a team have been very good at using their quickness to deny the ball and interrupt the passing lanes,” says Covers Expert David Malinsky.

Villanova’s guard play is consistently among the best in the nation. The Wildcats combat the country’s 139th best rebounding numbers (38.5 per game) with one of the highest steal rates in the country. Villanova ranks fourth in the Big East and 42nd in the nation with 8.5 steals per game.

Gray is also the only big man Villanova has to worry about. Pittsburgh operates primarily out of a three-guard set and 6-foot-9 forward Levon Kendall is more of a perimeter player than anything else.

“One weakness that the Panthers have faced is getting someone other than Gray to hit the boards,” says Malinsky. “It is a team without a natural power forward, which can help Villanova to match up in this instance.”

If you watched Scottie Reynolds take over the Texas game, then you know what I’m talking about. Damn, he could be making life miserable for the Big 12 rather than the Big East if Sampson hadn’t made all those phone calls and jumped to Indiana. Basically, the slight edge on betting lines are going to Villanova with the home court.

As usual, the gameplan against Pitt starts with neutralizing Aaron Gray.

The Wachovia Center has been a comfortable arena for the Wildcats, who upset Texas there on Jan. 20. They won all three games there last season.

“We’re just going to get focused and be ready for Pitt,” freshman Scottie Reynolds said after the loss to Notre Dame. “We learn from [our struggles] quicker now.”

The Wildcats have shut down significant big men this season.

They held Georgetown’s 7-foot-2 center, Roy Hibbert, without a field goal and allowed Texas’ 6-9 Kevin Durant to score just one of his 12 points in the second half. Villanova also kept Providence’s 6-10 Herbert Hill, who is fourth in scoring in the Big East, in check with 12 points.

Considering this is a Big Monday match-up on ESPN, I think it goes without saying there will be at least one video showing and a bit of discussion of the eye-poke Allan Ray took last year in the Big East Tournament. Good play calling crew with Sean McDonough, Bill Raftery and Jay Bilas. Game notes for Pitt and Villanova (PDF).

Villanova Viewpoint has a look at the game as does Big East Basketball blogger. I expect a lot from Scottie Reynolds and Nardi to try and take the defender off the dribble. Especially to see Sumpter and their inside players play more to the perimeter to try and clear out things inside for that. Extra unnerving thing. Villanova is second in the Big East in free throw percentage. A definite worry in a game expected to be close.

Here’s hoping that Mike Cook has been shown video of the Pitt-St. John’s game from last year for an education on not trying to do too much before all the friends and family. Ramon, Benjamin and Fields can tell him directly, but seeing Krauser brick it up in that game might also help. Can you guess what a big storyline is for this game?

Cook, the Panthers’ No. 2 scorer, has looked forward to this game all season. When asked how many relatives will be in the stands at the home of the 76ers, Cook smiled and said, “A lot.”

Some of Cook’s family moved to Pittsburgh when Mike, the oldest of four brothers, transferred to Pitt from East Carolina. But many of the family and friends will get a long-overdue look at the soft-spoken, slashing scorer who piled up a school-record 1,884 points at Friends’ Central before taking a circuitous path that led him to Pitt.

“My family is real excited to come out and watch me play,” Cook said. “They don’t get a lot of chances to see me play. This is a big opportunity for me.”

Some of those in the stands will be his father, Michael, a former high school standout in Philadelphia, his mother, Dawn, who played at Temple, and his beloved uncle James Wright, a West Philadelphia basketball legend who taught Mike how to play.

For the first time, Friends’ Central coach Keino Terrell will get to see his former star swingman play in a college basketball game. Terrell said at least 15 teammates, teachers and even the headmaster of Friends’ Central will attend the game.

I think we are all hoping for the Pitt blowout so walk-on and other local product, Maurice Polen can get in there.

For Mike Cook, his mother’s side of the family has deep Philly hoops ties. His mom was a standout in high school and at Temple and is now the head coach of a boys high school basketball team. As for his grandfather.

A star at Archbishop Carroll in Washington, Tom Hoover parlayed a successful run at Villanova into a first-round draft selection by the 76ers, the first player they drafted following the franchise’s move from Syracuse in 1963. After five professional years, he went on to an eclectic career that included stops as the promoter for Sly and the Family Stone, road manager for Richard Pryor and today includes developing gourmet food markets in New York City as well as serving on the board of directors for the National Basketball Retired Players Association.

Grandpa isn’t saying, which side he’ll be rooting for in this game.

One of the great walk-ons for Pitt football in recent years. He started his post-college career looking to the media and then moved to the coaching side with USC. Now Yogi Roth faces a tough choice.

Lane Kiffin, USC’s former offensive coordinator and the Oakland Raiders new head coach, made an offer to Roth to become the assistant receivers coach with the Raiders. On Friday, USC made a counterproposal.

Now comes a big decision for the 25-year-old. Be sure of this: Roth will attack whatever job he has with a vigor that is unmatched.

“The philosophy at SC is to do whatever you do better than it’s ever been done before,” Roth said. “Hopefully, I did my job better than anybody before me. What’s crazy is you buy into that. Be the best in the world at it.”

For all the things that Roth has done successfully in his life — walking on at Pitt and becoming a starting wide receiver, going overseas and earning his keep by teaching children English, starting at the bottom of SC’s coaching staff and working his way up — I have to disagree that it’s something he learned at SC.

Maybe it was cemented there, but Roth always had a drive from inside. Saw it in that first football game, and you could tell it from how seriously he took his job bussing tables at J.J. Bridges. What Roth has achieved, he’s earned. So that he now has the choice of two or three cherries on top is no surprise. Nor is the fact is that he’s remembered everyone along the way.
…

“The nice thing is (Carroll) has been a friend to me first,” Roth said. “That’s not going to change. I’d love to stay here forever. This has been the coolest two years of my life. They’ve instilled a philosophy, a belief system, a vision that I live. It’s very critical to me. His son is my best friend. It’s a difficult thing to leave but what an exciting thing to do.”

Whether Roth stays or goes, it probably will be about which he perceives to be the greatest challenge. That’s how he lives, never afraid to fall flat on his face, and get back up and start scaling the mountain.

It’s that drive that will push Roth to the top of his profession. So, don’t be surprised six or seven years from now when he’s the guy wearing the headset on the sideline and calling all the shots. And maybe coming back to haunt Pete Carroll.

He’d be an assistant. Unlike Kiffin in the big role, it can’t hurt Roth to be an assistant at any level in the NFL. Still, his offer at USC is to be the Wide Receivers Coach. Not sure which is really the better offer. Honestly, if it was not for the whole Reggie Bush cloud, I’d lean to USC. But if the Trojans get nailed because of the Bush issues…

Still, Yogi Roth is in good shape if that’s his worst concern.

Fans for Script have the pictures of Palko wearing a Pitt helmet at the Senior Bowl with a script “Pitt” on the side. Have to admit, I had spent the entire day on b-ball duty for AOL, so I never tuned in. The write-ups on the game were complimentary for Palko.

Pittsburgh quarterback Tyler Palko also found success upon entering the game, making several nice plays to keep a North drive alive before the half. On a third-and-six, Palko completed a nice out to Notre Dame wide receiver Rhema McKnight for 13 yards and a first down. Two plays later, Palko again faced a third down, this time needing eight yards to move the chains. Seeing the middle of the field unmanned, the Pitt passer used his feet to make something happen, scrambling 16 yards down to the 15-yard line. Later in the drive, Palko would proceed to do his best impression of Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre, shoveling the football backhanded and on the run to Kansas State running back Thomas Clayton, who caught the impromptu pass and ran to the four-yard line. The drive would eventually stall there, forcing another Crosby field goal.

Apparently Pitt teammates didn’t believe the North would win.

“Football is a game of willpower,” said North linebacker H.B. Blades, who played at Pittsburgh but grew up in Fort Lauderdale. “We heard all week how we were underdogs.

“Even guys on my own team (at Pitt) when I called back this week, they were saying, ‘Hey, the South has guys from Florida, Florida State, Texas, Auburn. You guys are going to lose.’

“So even my own team didn’t give us a chance.”

A 27-0 shut out of the South.

That still brings thins back to the script helmets. The picture of Palko during practice in the week show the same Pitt helmet we’ve seen for the past two years with the block “Pitt.” So now, in the Senior bowl — still with the newer color scheme — there is the script on the side; but no explanation.

It’s not like the players would have done it themselves. I have trouble believing Coach Wannstedt was acting on his own — though that is possible. Nothing at the Pitt website. So is this some sort of grass roots/underground change to the logo or some sort of subtle test-marketing? I have to believe the helmets came from the athletic department. Guess we’ll find out soon.

The game flow graph pretty nicely illustrates what Pitt did to St. John’s.

Just slow progress of pulling away as Pitt made more shots and held St. John’s in check.

It also represented the fifth time in eight Big East games that Pitt has held opponents to 54 points or fewer.

“Our defense is improving,” Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said. “I thought from the beginning that the area where we could really improve was on defense. This was a little different team in that, early on, offensively we were ahead of we’ve been and behind a little bit defensively.

“This team has gradually improved defensively, and we’re seeing that the last couple of games.”

…

“Give Pittsburgh a lot of credit,” St. John’s coach Norm Roberts said. “They played very, very well. They’re a great defensive team. We didn’t make any shots, but a lot [of that] had to do with their defense.

“They were really physical. They just did a very good job defensively inside. Our inside guys weren’t very aggressive at all. And, in a game like this, against a great team, you have to be aggressive.”

Now, not to take away from the game, but let’s be very clear. St. John’s is not a good team offensively. In conference play they have cracked 70 points only once in eight tries. In 7 of their 21 games they have scored 60 or less.

That said, Pitt did an excellent job of shutting Lamont Hamilton down. Lots of credit went to Levon Kendall.

“The guys were hassling me, to make sure I didn’t get scored on too much,” he said. “They did a good job of that.”

Kendall did an even better job on Hamilton.

Led by Kendall’s defensive effort on the noted Panthers-killer, No. 9 Pitt rolled past St. John’s, 72-46, in a Saturday afternoon laugher at Petersen Events Center.

…

“That’s something the coaches wanted,” Kendall said. “They knew they were going to try to exploit that matchup, so they stuck me on him from the get-go and it worked out well. We did a good job. He really never got going.”

…

“I couldn’t find myself. I couldn’t get in a rhythm,” Hamilton said. “Their big men play big and strong. I shouldn’t have tried to overpower them. I should have faced them up.”

Said Kendall: “We really wanted to shut them down. We had a bit of payback with them. They’ve had our number the past couple of years and that was definitely something we were aware of.”

That’s why I (and others) were a little more nervous about this game.

On the Red Storm side of things, nothing good came of this game.

There were any number of ways to analyze what occurred yesterday, none of them positive for St. John’s (12-9, 3-5 Big East).

Anthony Mason Jr. was the team’s leading scorer with only 10 points – and seven of those came during garbage time, after the Panthers (19-3, 7-1) extended their lead to 28 points. The Red Storm took almost half its field-goal attempts from behind the arc, never a good sign, and missed 20 of 24, including all 14 in the second half. After forcing 31 turnovers in consecutive upsets of Syracuse and Notre Dame, the visitors were credited with only seven takeaways.

“They’re a great defensive team,” Roberts said after his team’s two-game winning streak met an inglorious end. “We didn’t make any shots today but that’s due a lot to their defense.”

What disturbed the coach most was the lack of activity among his big men, most notably Hamilton. “Our inside guys,” he said, “were not very aggressive at all.”

Being beaten into submission will do that.

Some stories about some of the Pitt recruits, and recruiting territory worth passing along.

Free throw shooting is always a source of angst for Pitt fans, despite all the success in this century. Bradley Wanamaker and his high school team have struggled to make their free throws until the coach has decided to place special incentives to make free throws in practice.

But in the past few basketball seasons, Roman Catholic High’s players appeared to think free throws were very expensive and that maybe they’d have to fork over $10, even $20, for every success.

Not only was the Cahillites’ consistent brickin’ from 15 feet a source of constant head-scratching and frustration, it produced ridicule and long-lasting pain.

Who says so? One of the formerly guilty parties. Sometimes even extra-guilty.

“We could have won the championship last year with better foul shooting,” Bradley Wanamaker said. “We could have won a lot more games, overall. You don’t forget that.”

…

Foul shooting can be so much fun! And, all other variables being equal, game tasks tend to go better when practice time is invested. Especially pressurized practice.

“We have foul shooting contests now,” said Wanamaker, a 6-4, 200-pound wing guard and Pitt signee. “If your team loses, you have to do sprints back and forth across the court six times, or do a drill with hard dribbling.

“So now that I have to shoot clutch free throws in practice – nobody wants to do that extra stuff – I’m used to this. There wasn’t any pressure at all.”

Wanamaker stepped to the line with 9.8 seconds left for a one-and-one. He had been fouled during what was shaping up as coast-to-coast drive, the aftermath of a rebound that followed a missed 10-foot bank shot by N-G point guard, Antonio “Scoop” Jardine.

Wanamaker made late, clutch free throws that won the game for RCHS against a major rival.

New York City HS hoops — and not so many top recruits — may be a little down this year but New Jersey has a host of top younger players in high school. This story focuses on the change in the way kids committed and verbal.

So legendary St. Anthony head coach Bob Hurley would insist that his players make their college choice official – and then get it out of the way so the regular season could go on as planned without any outside interference.

For many years, the Friars had players who had their college decisions totally out of the way before the first game was played during their senior year. Hurley’s own two sons, Bobby and Danny, had signed on with Duke and Seton Hall respectively before their final season with the Friars tipped off.

Now, the trend is going one step further. Players are making their college decisions known during their junior year. These standout performers are getting scholarship offers before they even think about becoming seniors and now, more and more of these players are giving the verbal commitments during the junior year.

Just recently, two of Hurley’s top juniors, point guard Travon Woodall and forward A.J. Rogers, gave verbal commitments to their respective schools of choice. Woodall, one of the top-rated juniors in the nation, committed to the University of Pittsburgh, while the up-and-coming Rogers gave his word to St. Joseph’s University.

I feel reasonably assured that Woodall won’t be changing his mind — barring some unforeseen change in Pitt’s head coach — given he plays for Hurley.

“I think you have to base it on the maturity level of the kids,” Hurley said. “A.J. will go to St. Joe’s, where we have had good success (Nivins and Dwayne Lee are two former Friars to play for St. Joe’s and coach Phil Martelli). Travon had his share of offers. But these are 16-year-old kids making big decisions.”

Woodall seemed very poised and polished with his decision.

“I’m actually relieved to choose Pitt,” Woodall said. “I’m happy that I got it off my shoulders. I think it’s the best time to make the decision. I felt comfortable with the coaching staff (headed by Jamie Dixon). I think this decision is final, because it’s more than likely that the coaching staff is staying there. Doing this now puts less pressure on me. Coach Hurley thinks it’s a perfect fit. He’s behind me all the way. He would be the first person to tell me if I was making a bad choice.”

Meanwhile, Rutgers and Seton Hall are struggling to change perceptions and convince kids to build something rather than go to a winner. That’s always a tough sell.

So how is it exactly that three of the top prep teams in the nation are in New Jersey, but the state’s top college teams are mediocre or less?

The short answer is that, unlike the Rutgers football team, which has begun to secure its borders by gaining commitments from the state’s top players, the basketball teams at Rutgers and Seton Hall have not yet followed suit.

To be fair, Rutgers coach Fred Hill and Seton Hall coach Bobby Gonzalez are both in their first years at their respective schools, and have had limited time to recruit. After taking over at the end of last season, Gonzalez has brought in the better players so far, including former St. Benedict’s point guard Eugene Harvey.

…

Rutgers has been shut out in some cases as well.

Paterson’s Woodall, a junior at St. Anthony, recently chose Pitt over Rutgers. Those close to Woodall said that Pitt had a chance to compete for a national championship, while Rutgers was still trying to establish itself as a Big East power. On top of that, Rutgers has a slew of guards coming in next year.

Mike Rosario, a deadly junior sharpshooter from St. Anthony, recently postponed an announcement about his decision. He is said to be considering Rutgers and St. John’s, among others.

“Kids want to go where they can play, but they also want to go where they can win,” Konchalski said. “Look at Lance Thomas (a forward who played for St. Benedict’s). Certainly he would’ve had more playing time at Rutgers, but Duke is a perennial contender for the national championship.”

Good to know Pitt is mining multiple areas, and is considered now to be a program that is one that will keep winning.

UConn just lost at home to Providence. The ‘Nova-ND game should be good. I’m curious about the Syracuse-Louisville game tonight.

Of course, all attention on this game. I really expect this to be disturbingly closer than I’d like. St. John’s matches-up and plays well against Pitt. Plus they are hot at the moment.

I like the play-calling crew. John Sanders on play-by-play with Bob Valvano on color. Valvano is one of the better color-analysts.

4:20: Pitt leads 15-10 under 10 minutes in the half. Really like what I’m seeing from Pitt. A lot more activity from all players trying to get rebounds and just effort in general. Surprising move by Dixon to go small early — Kendall, Cook, Gray and Fields all took an early seat and Pitt did quite well with keeping St. John’s off-balance. Not settling for 3s. Taking it inside.

4:28: Valvano nailed it with Kendall. Giving up the ball to Young was questionable –got away with it — but Kendall had it to throw down if he wanted to. Just failed to be aggressive.

4:30: Pitt up 24-12, 7:49 to half. 50% shooting, Gray has 6 points and 5 boards. Pitt has early control of this as St. John’s has struggled to take care of the ball and shoot.

4:41: I hope this is a good sign for Sam Young, and not just because of inferior competition, but he looks so much better today. Playing with a greater awareness of the whole team not just his own game.

He just took a charge. He’s shot 3-4, and just played like he cares on defense.

4:50: Pitt failed to score for the final few minutes, but because of the lead built up and good defense; Pitt has a 33-23 lead. The 3-point shots aren’t falling today (1-7, Ramon and Fields 0-5) — and it’s the only thing keeping the Red Storm even close (4-10). Everywhere else St. John’s is 4-20.

Hard not to expect more of the same in the second half.

5:10: Pitt leads 40-23, 17:32 left. St. John’s has no energy compared to Pitt. If Pitt sank a couple of the 3s, this would be total blowout. Nice to see them going inside a lot. Also love seeing the whole team going for rebounds. Not just standing and waiting for Gray to corral them.

5:15: Young does know how to kill his own momentum by falling in love with taking 3s. He shouldn’t be taking 4 3-point shots in a game. Let alone by this point in the game (1-4).

5:21: Beauty 3 by Ramon off of Biggs’ screen. That was perfectly executed. It’s nice to see real flashes of knowing how to execute from players who have struggled. Honestly, I was more excited by Biggs’ coming up to set the screen then the 3 from Ramon.

46-29 Pitt.

5:38: Gray got the double-double and now all subs in. 68 points and only Gray and Young reached double digits. Cook has 8, Ramon, Fields and Graves all have 7. Pitt has them outrebounded 39-26. Under 3:30. 68-39 slaughter.

5:46: Pitt has 9 players with more than 10 minutes of playing time. Excellent. Nobody will get over 26 minutes for the game. Considering the next game on the road at ‘Nova; they need to be ready.

Rizk and Polen are in the game with 2:02 left. 68-41.

5:50: 72-46 Pitt wins. Rizk with a nice assist to excite the crowd and especially the bench.

Nice to get an easy home win. Especially when I didn’t think it would be that way.