The Dapper Dan Sportsman & Sportswoman of the Year award has been awarded for 71 years and this year a few Pitt folks will be nominated for the award.

In the Sportsman of the Year category:

Jamie Dixon, Pitt basketball coach – Guided the team to a 25-8 mark and a spot in the Big East Conference Tournament title game during the 2005-06 campaign. Led the Panthers to at least 20 victories and a spot in the NCAA Tournament in all three seasons as head coach. Has a team ranked 7th in the nation this season with a 14-2 record.

In the Sportswoman of the Year category:

Agnus Berenato, Pitt basketball coach – Guided the women’s basketball team to 22 victories and a spot in the Final Four of the WNIT in 2005-06. Got the Panthers off to a 13-2 start this season – the best in the program’s history – in pursuit of their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

Marcedes Walker, Pitt basketball center – Was named First Team All-Big East performer for the Pitt women’s basketball team in 2005-06 when she averaged 16.8 points and 9.1 rebounds per contest. This junior scored the 1,000th point of her college career earlier this season during a victory over Robert Morris.

Voting can be done online here. Voting ends January 30 and the winners will be honored at the 71st annual Dapper Dan Dinner & Sports Auction on Sunday, April 15, 2007 at the Convention Center.

First off with the basketball related news and notes, one of which applauds the Panther’s assist-to-turnover ratio. Simply put, we have the best ratio in all of the nation.

Depending on how long the season lasts, Pitt could finish with near 700 assists. No other team in the program had even 600 in one season.

Through 18 games, Pitt has 353 assists and 203 turnovers.

They’re also on pace to become only the third Panthers team in 29 years to finish with fewer than 400 turnovers. Take care of the ball and you get more shots, leading to more points, and eventually to more wins.

There were a few times when Mike Cook didn’t want to dish it off; instead he just wanted to get to the hoop and score on Georgetown’s DaJuan Summers after Summers said something to Cook.

“He kept elbowing me and kept talking to me,” Cook said. “I just tried to stay cool and stay calm. But he went a little bit too far. He really got me into the game. From that point on, I just tried to go at whoever they put on me.

I’d take Mike Cook driving to the hoop anytime but an angry Mike Cook is the only thing better. Seeing anger and aggression from our players is something that I appreciate and enjoy. Now all we need is Aaron Gray to get fired up a little bit more. An angry Gray might be as good as any other big man in the country.

Finally, Kevin Gorman over at the Trib does a final wrap up of the College Gameday events. The whole thing put the school, the team, and the fans in a great light. Now, the Oakland Zoo is up there with the best student sections in America.

Over on the football side of things, a story from The Patriot News claims that LeSean McCoy won’t confirm reports (which have come from every major recruiting website) that he’s chosen Pitt.

“I haven’t given a definite verbal,” McCoy told The Patriot-News yesterday afternoon. “I’ll make my decision either Tuesday or Wednesday. … It’s between Pitt and Penn State.”

…

Scout.com, a recruiting Web site, reported yesterday that McCoy informed Pittsburgh football coach Dave Wannstedt he would play for the Panthers.

Rivals.com, another recruiting Web site, also lists McCoy as a Pittsburgh commitment.

National Letter of Intent Day, the first day a recruit can sign for his scholarship, is Feb. 7.

First off, this story comes from a newspaper that is obviously under the brainwashing old man known as Joe Paterno. Secondly, as pointed out in the comments section, this might all be a little ploy by McCoy to make his official press conference a little more interesting. Everyone likes a little more attention.