Some more from the basketball camps as Coach Dixon shuttled from Akron to Philly for the camps. On Monday he was at the Rbk U camp watching Ashton Gibbs. Not to mention Travon Woodall and Eloy Vargas. Vargas finished the camp strong.

Ashton Gibbs was also the subject of a lead story out of New Jersey.

“I think I fit in well there,” Gibbs said in between games at the elite Reebok University showcase. “They told me I would be a Ronald Ramon-type player — play the one and two, play tough defense and try to get some buckets on the offensive end. I think I can run up and down, but Pitt slows it down and they’re physical. That’s definitely my style of play.”

Like the gritty Ramon, Gibbs is a quintessential combo guard. He is neither a true point nor a pure scorer, but he can fill either roll on any given possession.

At the three-day Reebok Camp, which features 120 of the best players in the county, Gibbs ran the point in scrimmages and was one of the few guards who made an effort to set up a half-court offense.

With Pitt coach Jamie Dixon watching from the front row of bleachers, he also buried jumpers when the defense sagged.

“He’s very steady and he knows how to make his teammates better,” NJ Hoops publisher Jay Gomes said. “It’s funny because earlier in his career he was more of a ball-handler than a shooter, but he’s become a very good shooter.”

Nice.

Dealing with the present, Darnell Dodson is indeed qualified this year and is already taking summer classes at Pitt. ‘

Another incoming player this season, Bradley Wanamaker, did not qualify for the US Men’s Under-19 team.

I suppose, part of why I’m still a bit more focused on basketball is that the I’ve been putting a way too early FanHouse BlogPoll  together and posting the teams this week. Pitt came in at #18, and I had to give objectivity a shot in discussing them today.

I know many are getting antsy to see more football posts, but I’m just not there yet. This despite a steady perusal of “Phil Steele’s 2007 College Football Preview.” Hopefully the Big East Media Days next week will generate something amusing and kick me in that direction.

In the meantime, I highly recommend the 2-part series “Enter the Octonion” (Part 1 and Part 2) from Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician. It had me at “God dammit I need to stop doing whippets.”

Meanwhile, for the more nostalgic, there is a nice piece on former Pitt QB Fred Mazurek who led the 1963 9-1 Pitt team to no bowl appearance that year.

On a less proud alumni note, Bill Maas is done as a broadcaster for Fox Sports after his arrest for felony drug and weapons. Way to nail that daily double.

On the positive side, a nice puffer on Jason Pinkston looking to have a big year somewhere on the O-line.

“We’ve basically just been running and lifting and training hard with Buddy,” Pinkston said. “So, we’re just trying to get ready for camp and the season, and I think we’re all working hard to get there. I played in the spring at about 315 pounds, and I lost around 15 pounds and put a lot of muscle on since then. So, I’m about 300 even right now. And I feel real good.

“This is a very important offseason for us. We just started with Buddy a short time ago, and he expects a lot from us. So, we’re working hard to get back to the type of Pitt team that we were in the past. The guys you mentioned, I think it was good for all of us to kind of get a taste for it last year. And now we’re ready to play even more this season.”

Pinkston’s improvement has given hope to an offensive line that has been maligned in recent years for inconsistent play and depth problems due to injuries and attrition. He certainly appears to be capable of handling a starting assignment, should McGlynn move to center or anywhere else for that matter. And while nothing is set, Pitt’s coaching staff has more options on the line than it has in a while. And that can’t hurt.

The Center position is going to be the issue. If Vangas or Bachman can get their play to a level that lets them start, Pinkston helps supply depth on the O-line. If he starts, that means McGlynn is at Center and on every play, O-Line Coach Paul Dunn will be praying that no one gets hurt.