Not a big shock, but James Robinson made the cut and will be a member of the USA Basketball U18 squad. As I mentioned before, Robinson was the only guard after the cutdown last week that was considered a true point guard. While the U18 basketball coach Billy Donovan is stressing “versatility” as a key component with the squad, you try to take at least one true point guard whenever possible.

The two players cut from 14 to the final 12 man roster were both from the front court. Center Joel James (UNC) and Forward Austin Nichols (2013, undecided) were cut. Interestingly enough, these were the two tallest players remaining on the squad. There is no one over 6-8 on this team.

Apparently even the USA Basketball U18 squad can struggle to find a really good center.

If there is one aspect to recruiting that hasn’t changed under Coach Paul Chryst, it is the value of having camps. June is all about camps at Pitt.

“The important thing for me is that every kid who comes to camp learns at least one thing he can take back with him to help him become a better football player,” Chryst said.

Pitt has one-day “prospect camps” today, Saturday and next weekend at Pitt’s UPMC South Side football facility.

The “Little Panthers” camp for ages 5 to 11 will be June 18-19 and there will be a “specialist” camp June 21.

The camp season ends with the passing camp and 7-on-7 tournament June 23-24. It attracts area schools from different levels and allows them to compete.

Coach Chryst can couch it in terms of teaching football, and how much he likes/loves that aspect to the camps. There is even an element of truth to it. But outside of the little kids football camp, the most important part of the camps is with regards to recruiting. It’s getting recruits to the campus and facilities. Getting a chance to evaluate the ones the coaches are not sure are good enough. It’s about getting kids who already hold offers to want to commit to Pitt. And of course it is about selling the coach and Pitt to people in the area.

(more…)

Here’s a puff piece on Steven Adams getting a tour of Pittsburgh.

Bad news for those hoping to see James Robinson at Greentree  playing in the Pittsburgh summer league right away. Robinson has a rather good chance of being otherwise occupied. The USA Basketball U18 squad had its cut-down from 23 to 14 players. James Robinson made that cut.

The 14 finalists will continue to train through June 11 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. The official 12-man 2012 USA Men’s U18 National Team will be selected prior to the team’s June 12 departure for the 2012 FIBA Americas U18 Championship, which will be played June 16-20 in Sao Sebastiáo do Paraiso, Brazil.

There is still one more cut-down from 14 to 12-men on the roster. So there is still a chance that Robinson will not make it. Robinson is one of five guards trying to make the squad. The roster lists 1 center, 8 forwards and 5 guards in the group of 14. I don’t want to say Robinson is a lock to make the squad, but he is the only true point guard remaining. Every other guard is listed as a shooting guard (or considered a combo). The head coach of the squad, Billy Donovan (Florida) is stressing versatility at the positions.

“The strength of this team is there is a lot of versatility; versatility at the forward spot; there’s a lot of guys that can play the small forward spot and move to the power forward; there’s some power forwards that can play center; there’s some guards that can move to the three or guards that can move to the point; so there’s a lot of versatility inside the team.”

Keep in mind, though, that Coach Jamie Dixon coached the USA U19 squad to a gold while using Ashton Gibbs as his primary point guard.

(more…)

Well the gods have spoken for at least a few more games. ESPN has announced the start times for a slew of games, including 3 more Pitt games.

Previously unknown start times for VT-Pitt, Gardner-Webb-Pitt and Pitt-Buffalo have been set. So, here’s how the schedule now looks.

2012 Pitt Football Schedule

(more…)

List time for subjective debate and overreactions from fanbases. ESPN.com has a list of the the most desirable coaching jobs in basketball by conference. In the Big East (for now), the list is:

1. Syracuse

2. Louisville

3. UConn

4. Georgetown

5. Pitt

6. Villanova

7. Notre Dame

8. Marquette

9. St. John’s

10. Cincinnati

11. Rutgers

12. Seton Hall

13. DePaul

14. Providence

15. South Florida

(more…)

Hey, I gave you nearly a week without an expansiopocolypse post.

Those who believe that FSU and Clemson/Miami/Georgia Tech/[random other team] are definitely going to the Big 12 aren’t phased by the sudden quiet of expansiopocolypse. This is merely the calm before all hell breaks loose by the end of July/beginning of August when the moves happen. That everyone is getting their ducks in a row. Things are being put in place. No one wants a lawsuit from the ACC against the Big 12 for tortious interference. That the other reason for the wait is finalizing the details of the TV deals is still ongoing.

Those don’t believe it is happening are pointing to the quiet as evidence that the whole thing was overblown. A creation of ignorance, simmering resentments and loud-mouthed boosters and trustees. That the abrupt silence after the Big 12 meetings have been dissected show that everyone is repositioning and rethinking things.

I have no idea. My working theory is that exapnsiopocolypse and the ACC/Big 12 isn’t going away, but it is a long-game. Not to be resolved this summer or even next. I, personally, believe the Big 12 is going to wait a year or two before doing anything. I actually believe part of what the Big 12 is saying, at least as far as catching their breath, simply because it makes the most sense. Their conference has radically changed in the last couple of years. The voting blocks, personalities, interests — and a new commissioner all need to see where things stand. That all suggests needing at least a year to work things out with one another. I also think there is a strong enough infatuation in the conference (beyond simply Texas) over the possibilities of Notre Dame that they will wait and see how that goes, especially with the coming playoffs.

(more…)

Please don’t read too much into this. The Big East filed a motion in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court to have the case removed to U.S. Federal District Court. Contrary to the very ill-informed headline, the case has not been transferred at this time.

In the lawsuit, filed May 11, Pitt seeks damages for several transactions it has had to make in its effort to leave the Big East. It seeks repayment of $250,000, for instance, that it had to pay another school to buy out their contract to play a home football game, when it had to cancel that game to make room for new conference member Texas Christian University.

The Big East’s court filing Monday said that since the conference and the school are in different states, and the amount in dispute is substantial, the case should be heard in federal court.

It is really such a minor legal motion considering this case will never get to trial. We all know this suit was filed to force the Big East to get the matter settled.

Still, to misunderstand that it is a motion is stupid. Not to mention it does not mention which District Court they want the case removed to. Western District of Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh)?  Rhode Island? The lack of any actual information is annoying, but I don’t care enough to dig. The only thing that a move to U.S. District Court would allow is to make it easier to join or for Syracuse to join the case.

The NCAA finally changed some of the rules for college basketball players in the summer. The old rule forbade any organized practicing overseen by the coaching staff. Some individualized sessions were allowed, but not the whole team at once.

The rationale was that summer practicing under the coaches control would make college sports too much like a professional sports system, and all the other justifications. This led to fascinating work-arounds. Like the head coach have his office built with big windows to oversee the practice court. And if he happened to be in the office when the kids came for their own voluntary practices, well, then he could stand and watch them through the class. And, hey, that banging on the glass by the coach wasn’t to get their attention. He just heard something on the TV that caused him to react.

The NCAA finally loosened the rules and allows the coach two whole hours a week to work with the entire team.

(more…)

The preview guides are coming! The preview guides are coming!

I’ve cut back on what I actually buy in recent years (as oppose to read, scan, peruse at the local B&N). Generally sticking to the Phil Steele and Sporting News previews. I was nearly tempted to buy the Lindy’s guide this year, simply because they did this.

[Related, this puff-piece on Todd Graham energizing the ASU football program is interesting only because it mirrors just about every puff-piece we read last year with Graham at Pitt. Right down to (publicly) saying nice things about the old staff and bringing energy to a fanbase that was growing apathetic.]

Phil Steele came out this past week. After years of picking Pitt to win the Big East, Steele drops them down to 4th. Amusingly/frustratingly enough, he seems to indicate that running his simulations he could envision Pitt winning the Big East. He even lists Pitt as the 15th team on his “Most Improved List,” to suggest higher expectations for a 6-7 team. But burned enough times he’s not taking that chance. Instead he’s going out on a limb with another perennial underachiever: USF. Er, what?

(more…)

I actually try to be fair to the Big East. Really, I do.

Earlier after Pitt got left out of the SEC/Big East Challenge, I went on record saying that Pitt really shouldn’t have been counting on the game for a couple reasons. The most obvious being the fact that Pitt is leaving the Big East for the ACC coupled with the lawsuit recently filed. It’s not like the Big East is (or even should) be going out of their way to help Pitt.

The other reason being that if Pitt was counting on the SEC game to be a marquee game that was foolish as well. The way the Challenge works, any SEC team that had a home game last year, would go on the road this year. That meant the opponents could have been (in order of desirability): Kentucky, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi St., South Carolina or Tennessee.

Kentucky was never going to happen. No way the Big East would let the biggest name go to the departing Pitt and have that be talked about during the game. Tennessee has been Pitt’s opponent in this the last two years. Safe to say they would be out.

That means — at best — Pitt could have gotten a 50-50 shot at a good (Alabama) to potentially good (Georgia) opponent or crapped out.

(more…)

ESPN has announced the match-ups for the SEC/Big East Challenge. Prepare to be awed.

(more…)

I may do some more on other aspects of the Big 12 meetings, TV deals and such, but I just want to get this portion out there.

The Big 12 has continued to claim that they have no interest in expanding. It has also been noted that the SEC claimed they had no interest in any other teams after taking Texas A&M as the 13th member. Then 3 weeks later Mizzou became the very obvious 14th team they were going to add. So, just because they say it, doesn’t mean it will stay that way beyond the moment they make the claim.

I wonder, though, if the Big 12’s denial of any planned expansion to 12 is driven much the same way that the Big 10 did not expand to 12 teams for 20-some years after taking Penn State as the 11th member: Waiting for Notre Dame.

We mock. We laugh at the thought. It seems like such a bad fit — academically, geography, reputation, and so on. It smacks of more Texas-driven arrogance that they believe they could land Notre Dame. It also smacks of a Texas long-term plan of at least luring ND to park all but football in the Big 12, to eventually become a full member. Or to be the wedge to let Texas go independent in football as well.

(more…)