This really isn’t a surprise. If an assistant wants to eventually become a head coach, he is best served by working for a couple different coaches. Even better when you go to become an assistant on a team that lost the national championship in OT. Chris Dokish and Pittsburgh Sports Report have sent word that Orlando Antigua is heading to Memphis.

Pitt assistant and former player Orlando Antigua has accepted an assistant coaching position under John Calipari at Memphis.

He will join the Tigers staff pending approval by the school president and Board of Regents, which should happen very soon, but may delay an official announcement until Monday.

The Bronx native will be recruiting against his former team in New York once he officially starts.

Good luck to Orlando — but not too much.

In the matter of proving Sampson was “knowingly” violating NCAA recruiting rules.

Senderoff, who facilitated the three-way calls, said he didn’t remember reading an e-mail from an IU administrator June 13, 2006, stating the NCAA’s clarification that three-way calls were not allowed. Sampson acknowledged seeing the clarification but said he thought the subsequent three-way calls at issue were two-way calls.

In the case summary, the NCAA enforcement staff flatly challenges Sampson’s claim, citing several interviews with recruits.

Recruit DeJuan Blair, now a player at Pittsburgh, told an NCAA investigator he was “100 percent” sure he was on the phone with Sampson and Senderoff at the same time.

“If coach Sampson said something funny, coach Senderoff would laugh; or he would ask a question and coach Senderoff would answer; or coach Senderoff would ask a question and he would answer about Indiana,” Blair said.

Huge news.

Saying it was simply time to do something else, Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese will announce his retirement later today, ending a reign of 19 years in which Tranghese guided development of the Big East basketball conference into a 16-team super league and oversaw the creation of the Big East football conference into a competitive 8-team league, which took a full body blow five years ago when three of its members — Boston College, Miami and Virginia Tech — jumped to the Atlantic Coast Conference, but has still managed to survive, if not thrive.

The official announcement that Tranghese will retire next June will come later today, but Tranghese said that he felt the timing was right for him to spend one more year to make things were in order before he stepped down at the end of the 2008-2009 athletic season.

“It was just the right time for me,” said Tranghese, who has been with the Big East since it was created in 1979 as a seven-team basketball league. “The league has never been stronger in basketball. Everyone seems happy.”

The Big East TV deal is in place through 2013. The 16 teams have a written agreement not to split that lasts two more years, and no one is talking about extending it.

This news is a lot to actually digest and consider. Odds have just risen substantially, that by 2010 something will happen with the football side and membership.

As ESPN.com’s Bruce Feldman noted, mixed-martial arts is making plenty of mainstream news in the last couple of weeks. So, he does a Q&A with Pitt punter and MMA practitioner Dave Brytus (subs. only).

Q: Who on your team do you think could be a good MMA fighter if he worked at it and why?

A: Scott McKillop could be a great fighter! He was one of the best wrestlers in the state of Pennsylvania in high school. He also has good size and speed. If he worked on Jui-Jitsu and learned how to strike, he could be a force in MMA.

Dorin Dickerson could also be good in this sport I think. He is the most athletic guy on our team and is also one of the strongest. He could cut down to the 205-pound division and wreck people if he learned how to strike and use submissions. Anyone who is that athletic and has the kind of power he does at his weight class is dangerous.

Feldman, generally, is bullish on Pitt this season.

From Dan in NYC: Give me a sleeper team and sleeper Heisman pick for 2008.

Feldman: I’ll double up. I think LeSean McCoy would be my sleeper. I don’t think he’ll win it, but I could see him getting to New York, and Pittsburgh will be better than most people think. The Panthers lost a lot of key guys to injury for most or all of 2007 (QB Bill Stull, WR Derek Kinder, OT Jason Pinkston and DT Gus Mustakas) and now they’re back and McCoy will be the engine of a much-improved offense. Plus I think the Big East is really up for grabs.

Feldman has been one of the few mainstream writers from the start that liked Pitt hiring Wannstedt, and never jumped off that bandwagon. He had his doubts after year 2, but I think everyone did.

Lots of little things. On the transfer front, there are reports that Duke Crews who was dismissed from Tennessee might be interested in Pitt. Considering why Crews was likely tossed (multiple failed drug tests) from the Volunteer team, I’m not seeing Pitt as being too eager to take a chance on him.

Looking several years ahead, though, nowhere near where Billy Gillispie and Tim Floyd troll, to the class of 2011 Pitt is positioned as the early leader for a stud point guard.

Sterling Gibbs recently was named the Rookie of the Year at iS8 and there are those who say he could be the best point guard in the nation in the Class of 2011, certainly the best in New Jersey.

Prep coach Bob Farrell said the 5-10, 160-pound Gibbs doesn’t hold any official offers coming off his freshman season, but “Every time I talk to a college coach, he’s the first name they bring up. He just has so much growth yet to go. They just have to see what level he’s at.”

Farrell said Rutgers and Pitt have been to see Gibbs play…

It helps to have already built a relation with the family in recruiting Ashton Gibbs for the 2008 recruiting class.

It will be a fierce competition to get Dominic Cheek. Tom Crean taking the Indiana job, seems to have helped Kansas’ case

From the Maryland/DC part of things, Pitt has an interest in 6-8 power forward Thomas Robinson. Pitt hasn’t actually offered the 3-star recruit, but he has shown marked improvement this past spring. He does hold an offer from Marquette along with Oklahoma, Virginia and Georgia. In addition to Pitt, G-town, NC State, BC and Minnesota are all taking closer notes.

As most of you already know, Pitt has it’s first verbal for the football recruiting class of 2009. Cory King is an offensive lineman who had offers in hand from Pitt, Bowling Green and Minnesota (potential interest, but no offers yet included Penn St., Ohio St., Illinois and ‘Bama). According to PantherLair.com (Rivals.com), he is the 18th best player in the state. Neither Rivals.com or Scout.com has him listed with any “stars” right now.

ESPN.com/Scouts, Inc. considers him a solid prospect that can develop (Insider subs.), most likely as a Guard.

Has above average mobility for a 300 plus offensive lineman. Pulls with authority and can get turned upfield. Stays square on most blocks but could be a little more consistent sustaining the block. More effective once he locks into the frame of the defenders body. King is good offensive lineman that could even be better if he trimmed down and played a little lower.

King comes in at 6-5, 310 pounds.

Yep. More than just rumors about Mo Williams academic issues. He has been declared academically ineligible.

Williams plans to remain on Pitt’s team and take a redshirt season. He would have three seasons of eligibility remaining.

“We believe Maurice can achieve a lot at Pitt, both academically and athletically, and our expectations are for him to use this as motivation for improvement,” Panthers coach Dave Wannstedt said in a statement.

How come Pitt never makes public those kinds of press releases on ther website?

While much of the attention is on the fact that this throws the door wide open for incoming freshman stud Jonathon Baldwin to take Williams spot as the #3 WR/deep threat. It is also more opportunities for T.J. Porter and Cedric McGee to get more chances. Even Dorin Dickerson at TE becomes a more important option.

This is the second M. Williams, that’s a WR in the Big East to have severe academic issues to end his season this week — at least Mo Williams simply struggled rather than being caught cheating (“multiple times”? Really? How many times are you allowed to attempt that at Syracuse?).

He doesn’t play, but he happily has his name and shows up in support of a golf tournament that raises money for a worthy cause.

As usual, Dorsett, the Hall of Fame running back from Hopewell, didn’t play in the golf outing that bears his name.

First of all, he doesn’t golf. Secondly, even if he did, he’s too busy making his rounds between the two courses used to accommodate 65 foursomes playing scramble golf with a celebrity.

Dorsett started his day at Diamond Run Golf Club in Ohio Township, thanking all the corporate sponsors who paid $3,200 a foursome, posing with pictures and most importantly, touting the good things done at McGuire. He then made his way to Treesdale Golf & Country Club and repeated his routine.

Proceeds from the tournament benefit the 100 or so children and adults with mental retardation cared for at the McGuire Home in Daugherty Township.

Along with a strong contingent of famous folk associated with Pitt — including coaches Dave Wannstedt and Jackie Sherrill — Miss Pennsylvania, LauRen Merola was there. Which is reallyjust just an excuse to put up a picture.

My condolences to the Beiswenger family and the brothers at Delta Phi on the passing of Jared Beiswenger. A recent Pitt grad, passionate Pitt fan and a regular reader of this site.

“He was a die-hard Philly fan,” Placone said. “He went to probably more than 20 Phillies games this season alone, and he wouldn’t miss the Eagles on Sunday for anything.”

Placone also remembered how hard Jared took each loss that his favorite teams faced.

“It was impossible to even talk to him after a game was over,” he said. “He’d be too angry to even acknowledge your question.”

Luke Fidler, another one of Jared’s fraternity brothers, remembered Jared’s competitive spirit and hatred for losing.

“I’ll always remember going to Pitt basketball games with him,” Fidler said.

“He was the craziest fan I’ve ever been with at a game, and the Zoo definitely lost one of its biggest fans,” he said.

Jared always got his choice of seats at Pitt basketball games by arriving at the gate several hours before tipoff, Placone added.

“He liked to wear an Adidas headband, harking back to the Julius Page days,” he said.

He was planningto teach English in Peru via TEFL, and was supposed to be going in August.

Were you a student between December 4, 2006 through January 31, 2008? Did you buy a student ticket to a Pitt sporting event over the internet?

If so, then you get your choice of a free ticket to the Rutgers-Pitt football game on October 25 or the Louisville-Pitt game on November 8 (hat tip to Todd Gack).

This is the settlement for a class action lawsuit (PDF, Coella V. University of Pittsburgh, Case No.: 2:08-CV-00129) for an alleged violation by Pitt of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA).

Specifically, Plaintiff claims that the University of Pittsburgh printed the expiration date of students’ credit or debit cards on receipts issued to them in conjunction with the purchase of sporting event tickets via the Internet, in violation of FACTA, as specifically set forth in the Complaint…

You can either submit your claim online, or print this form (PDF) and send it via snail mail for your free ticket.

Offer expires July 14, 2008.

Well, looks like a couple players may have some work ahead of them.

Sources tell PSI that two members of the Pitt football team will be fighting an uphill battle to keep their academic eligibility. Fullback Shane Brooks and wide receiver Mo Williams both will need to score “very well” in the classroom this summer if they hope to be apart of the 2008 team.

The reports about Williams started last week, so this is beginning to look like more than just catching up with some classes.

There’s depth at WR, and with Baldwin coming in this year it isn’t a killer. Still Williams looked great in the spring and was a near-lock on the two-deep. Hopefully this turns out to be slightly exaggerated.

As for Shane Brooks, well for the sake of the APR and his own future he needs to pick it up. From a football standpoint, it means little. Conredge Collins is the starting fullback and redshirt freshman Henry Hynoski is waiting. Brooks, a junior, was never looking at major playing time.

Interesting. I’m not sure whether or how hard Pitt will pursue him. Of if they have a scholarship to offer.

Sophomore Wesley Johnson, Iowa State’s second leading scorer, has decided to transfer. A very athletic 6-7 G-F, that has depressed ISU fans with this decision has been given a limited number of schools to which he can transfer.

Iowa State allowed Johnson a limited release. He could not transfer to another Big 12 school or someone coming up on the Cyclones’ schedule.

The pair settled on eight schools, Arkansas, UConn, Marquette, Ohio State, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Villanova and West Virginia.

Johnson is from Texas, so aside from Arkansas, no place will be close to home.

The Syracuse blog Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician spoke with ISU’s blogger about Johnson. Definitely seems like a lot to like about the potential.

Ever since these pieces confidently predicting Pitt to be very good this season, I’ve been nervous. I think it is just my nature. Everyone starts predicting great seasons, and I start to worry. Of course there are other reasons (*cough* O-line *cough*).

Last time Matt Hayes of the Sporting News was predicting a big season for Pitt, well, it was the same year everyone else was. So, when I read this after spring practice, it made me a little edgy.

“Pitt,” says Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly, “is going to be very good.”

Why take Kelly’s word for it? Because Kelly’s team, ranked and rolling late last October, lost to Pitt in a game that became the turning point in Wannstedt’s shaky tenure at his alma mater. The point where a program that had stumbled and bumbled through 29 previous games and lacked any semblance of an identity found itself and finally won a meaningful game. Cincinnati went on to finish 10-3 and in the top 20 in both polls.

Just how big was that win? The answer came a little more than a month and three tough losses later. Wannstedt loaded the entire team — including all the redshirts in a highly rated freshman class — on a bus and made the 75-mile trip to Morgantown for what those outside the program believed would be a beatdown from the opening kick. Instead, it became an epic game in the history of the bitter series.

Hayes doesn’t actually say why he thinks Pitt will be good this season beyond the defense and being close in some games last year. Guess that’s why he titled his story “A gut feeling.”

Then there was Smizik’s post-spring practice story.

Such is the depth on the team that two starting linebackers from last season, Shane Murray and Adam Gunn, will be challenged for their jobs by Greg Williams, a converted running back with outstanding speed; Tristan Roberts and Brandon Lindsey.

No one will challenge middle linebacker Scott McKillop, who is among the best in the country.

Quarterback remains a question, with Bill Stull and Cross likely to get the most playing time. But Pitt doesn’t need excellence, only competence, at quarterback with the brilliant LeSean McCoy returning at running back.

It’s a formidable array of talent. Wannstedt has arrived at Pitt. It took longer than expected but the wait figures to be worth it.

A disturbingly positive piece that had many unsure who really wrote it. Of course, the flipside was that he assigned an “easily within reach” number of wins for Pitt this season of 9. That means anything less and he can comeback with another column in the season on how the team has disappointed.

So Pitt must win over Bowling Green, Buffalo, Iowa, @ Syracuse, @ Navy, Rutgers and Louisville. Then the team needs to go 2-3 @ USF, @ ND, @ Cinci, WVU and @ UConn.  In Wannstedt’s 3-year tenure, Pitt is 4-11 on the road — with 3 of those wins coming in 2006. To get to 9-3, Pitt will need to be at least 3-3 on the road this season.

The site remains the same, but there are some things that are being done behind the scenes right now. It does mean there is a slight chance of disrupting things. Some new installs, updates and adjustments to the blog that need to be done.

There are some minor changes that I am working on/having done to improve the site. Generally, not very noticeable things once put in to place, but it should improve the functionality.

Overall, though, the premium is still on loading quickly and not piling a bunch of useless widgets that no one cares about and trying put cookies on your computer.