Pitt is supposed to find out sometime this week if Mike Cook will get that 6th year.
“They’ve got all the material,” Dixon said. “The process has gone exactly as we thought it would. We’re going to know this week.”
…
“I haven’t really been thinking about it,” he said. “The toughest thing right now is getting my knee better. It feels real good. I’m running on it now. I will start cutting on it probably in the next week or two.”
Pitt has awarded all of its scholarships for the 2007-08 season, so if Cook is granted a sixth-year of eligibility, the Panthers’ next goal would be to find him one. A possibility would be redshirt sophomore center Austin Wallace, who is still recovering from knee surgery last season.
The other possibility is if one of the incoming players does not qualify. There are some rumors swirling that JUCO transfer Jermaine Dixon might have academic problems. I don’t know.
Meanwhile, despite all of Pitt’s scholarships filled and the possibility of Mike Cook returning as well. Iowa State free agent Wesley Johnson continues to consider Pitt.
SF Wesley Johnson, who averaged 12.4 points as an Iowa State sophomore, is scheduled to start making visits as he begins his transfer process. Johnson is expected to visit Ohio State and Pitt, and he’s strongly considering Syracuse. With his length and toughness — he averaged 7.9 rebounds as a freshman — Johnson can make an impact after sitting out a year.
In the same article there’s a bit on Sam Young and playing more at small forward.
Pitt’s Sam Young, three years into a career he expected to spend as a small forward, has played almost exclusively as a power forward. As a freshman and sophomore, he wasn’t comfortable with the offense while playing the perimeter and contributed inside because of his toughness and athleticism. Last season, he played up front because Pitt needed him there. But the Panthers hope to play a bigger lineup this season, making greater use of 6-10 Gary McGhee and 6-8 Tyrell Biggs, which could free Young to play more minutes at small forward. Young was scheduled to get a nice education in that art as a counselor at Nike’s Vince Carter Skills Academy this week in Orlando. The camp is designed for top young high school wing players.
Obviously for Young to get to the NBA he needs to develop more on the wing. The issue is not his offense, but his defense at that spot. To be honest, I’m not sure a camp named for Vince Carter would be much on defensive skill sets.
Finally, Pitt is still looking for a quality opponent (Insider subs.) to play at Madison Square Garden.
Pitt is desperate to get a Dec. 17 opponent for a game in Madison Square Garden. Only teams from the top six conferences need apply.
Um, actually five conferences (and Memphis). It’s not like Pitt will schedule a non-con with a conference team. Considering it’s at the Garden and ESPN would almost certainly televise, you would think there would be a lot more interest in the exposure.
