Waaaayyyyy back in July, it seemed Pitt was going to take a commit from Jamel Artis. A long wingman out of Baltimore. 3-star but with potential and scouting reports that suggested he was the kind of player who Coach Jamie Dixon has developed in the past.
Then Pitt got the commit from Mike Young to go with Josh Newkirk, and it seemed Pitt backed off. No extra scholarships and all. Artis never verbaled, but also didn’t commit anywhere else. There seemed to be a lot of interest and desire from Artis, but Pitt seemed to be holding back. Even after two more scholarships opened up with transfers.
Then yesterday things changed. Maybe.
The 24/7 Pitt recruiting site, Panther 24/7, began tweeting and posting (subscription only) that Artis was a full verbal to Pitt. Curiously, no other recruiting site corroborated the news. Usually after one site gets the news first, the others get their confirmation and the news is out there. That didn’t happen.
It still hasn’t. Both Scout.com and Rivals.com do not have Artis listed on their commit pages. It took several hours before 24/7 added Artis to their commit page.
So much as it has been it seems Artis wants to be a Panther, but Pitt may still not be ready to take him.
Will Pitt be happy playing in an off campus dump? A dump with ugly yellow seats, a sea of asphalt surrounding an architecturally boring stadium, a location where I can’t point out to friends and family where I used to attend class or live or hang out as I stroll down the streets.
What special connection do I have with the North Shore?
Why should Pitt share a sterile pro stadium?
Pitt basketball doesn’t play at the Consol. The basketball program doesn’t need that large of a venue. Why should Pitt football continue playing at Heinz when an OCS is a viable option?
An option that can help improve the game day experience, help preserve traditions and create new ones, help enhance the special bond between university and the Oakland neighborhood, provide Pitt with a new symbol to increase its brand equity, provide fans, students and alumni with a place we all can call our home.
Cost can be overcome. Transportation effectively addressed. Land acquisition obtained.
Get off the sidelines and into the game. Support the cause. Volunteer your time. Believe in the dream and make it become a reality.
H2P!
Stevie Cornhole must have promised court box seats for 5 years to the Pete to write it.
#1“If it wasn’t for Steve Pederson, Pitt’s not in the ACC,” said former shoe executive and Trafford native Sonny Vaccaro.
Quoting this stmt as if it’s fact. Which it most certainly isn’t. Gene DeFillipo of BC had more influence than Cornhole Stevie, as the ACC was poised to pick UCONN INSTEAD OF PITT, until BC stepped in. So where does Stevie come in, the ACC wanted UCONN, they were just coming off their 3rd National Championship in Men’s basketball, their women’s team is 1000 times better than Pitt’s and their football team had just been to a BCS Bowl. Vaccaro’s stmt. makes no sense whatsover other than being made by someone who’s made deals with Pederson regarding sports equipment and him trying to elevate his status.
#2 Without the benefit of a top-20 football team, Pitt, on the strength of men’s basketball, secured a deal with Nike in 2009 while also gaining membership in the ACC. Pitt’s football team finished 10-3 in 2009 for its first 10-win season in 28 years.
Pitt finished just outside the Top 20 in 2008 at 9-4 and finished at #15 in 2009. And was in the middle of the best 3 year run in Pitt football in over 30 years.
#3 “Without basketball, Pitt would be like Connecticut — no place to go,” Vaccaro said. “Pitt would be going to the Catholic 7.”
Again this stmt makes no sense whatsoever, as we all know PITT had an offer from the Big 12 before the ACC offer. Vaccaro is getting or has become senile obviously.
#4 Pederson’s magic touch enabled Pitt to evolve into one of the elite college basketball programs in the country.
I’ve got news for you Mr. John Harris, while Pitt has a very good basketball program nobody around the nation considers us an “elite program”.
We are not mentioned in the same breath as the Duke’s, the Kansas’s, the Uconn’s, the UNC’s.
And for good reason, we’ve been to …..count it.
one (1) Elite Eight game since 2001 and two (2) Elite games since 1974. That is not an elite program John Harris.
What Stevie Cornholes magic touch did do, was make sure PITT didn’t capitalize on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. A Penn State program in total disarray, and without their supposed sainted coach fir the first time in 50 years.
That opportunity will never present itself again. At least not in our lifetimes. Now that is some magic touch isn’t it. Bad magic for sure.
#6 Department of Education statistics reported the Panthers were the 14th most profitable program in college basketball in 2009-10. The program netted $7.1 million. While it’s all nice & good we netted some millions in basketball we all know thru all the hundreds of sports articles written since all this conference reshuffling has taken place, that it is FOOTBALL, not basketball that drives over 80%-90% of a universities given revenue. While again it is nice we were 14th according to Harris in basketball revenue, he conviently omits Pitt’s ranking in OVERALL REVENUE. But ok let’s stay with basketball only for a moment since John Harris made this a big part of this article. I mean how could he not if he’s defending a guy who wrecked the football program. Whoops looks like John Harris cherry picked some more figures here to make things look better for SP. He chose the 2009-2010 season. Ok but let’s look at 2010-2011 season. Pitt basketball that year made a profit of $6,392,827, a little less but of course Harris picked the year Pitt made our only run to the Elite 8 since 1974. Pitt’s profit in 2010-2011 was less than that of Northwestern and NC State’s. Not exactly two powerhouse programs especially Northwestern.
Now getting back to Football Revenue which John Harris most conviently omitted.
In the 2009-2010 season Pitt made a football profit of $5,072,304 which was $10,000,000 less than West Virginia.
In the 2010-2011 season Pitt made a football profit of..,…drum roll please……ZERO
While L-Ville made a profit of over $10 Million and WVU made over $5 Million. Even USF made over $4 million and Syracuse over $3 million.
Now you understand why Mr. John Harris ONLY reported basketball revenue in writing this piece of trash fluff piece on Pederson being such a good AD.
Oh and btw can’t wait to see the non-revenue for football the past two seasons where attendance was far far less than the 2009-2010 season.