It’s not that I hate that DeAndre Kane is transferring to Pitt. Afterall, he is intending to be a graduate transfer so it is a one-year deal. Meaning he isn’t tying up the scholarship beyond 2013-14. That is assuming he passes the two courses he has to take, but why worry about academics with Kane. I mean he only needed an extra year of prep school and still wasn’t able to be academically eligible at Marshall (!?) as a freshman. How could anyone be worried?

Well, there are chemistry/personality issues.

It’s just a hunch, but I reckon Kane didn’t receive a letter of recommendation from Herrion after last month’s falling out.

Just in case you felt the statement from Tom Herrion on Kane leaving was nebulous.

Marshall coach Tom Herrion cut loose DeAndre Kane because he was tired of his act.

Now, just because he and Herrion clashed is not enough to say he’s a big risk. Herrion, himself, can be quite prickly. Especially when the team struggles. And Marshall was a big disappointment last year.

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Okay, so as the match-ups for the ACC-Big Ten Challenge were being leaked this morning, it became clear that Pitt wasn’t going to land one of the heavyweights from the B1G. That’s not surprising. Pitt will not be considered in the preseason as one of the top 5 or 6 teams in the ACC. So, Wisconsin, Michigan, Michigan St., Ohio St. and Indiana weren’t going to be likely opponents. Among the best of the rest there would have been Iowa, Illinois and Purdue. But Iowa and Purdue got leaked and their opponents were not Pitt.

So, more and more likely it was going to be a Pennsylvania battle.

And indeed it will be. Penn State comes to the Pete on Tuesday, December 3.

Now the Nits will be better than they were this past year. They have a bunch of decent players coming back from injury, including Tim Frazier.

But, from helping the overall strength of Pitt’s non-con schedule it won’t do much.  So that’s the bad news. Also John Johnson won’t be eligible to play for Penn State for that game.

I’m still relatively happy with the game. There really was no reason for Pitt and Penn State to stop playing basketball. Other than the fact that Penn State was really tired of being embarrassed. Hopefully this will be the spark to renew this as an annual game.

Remember DeAndre Kane? A one-time teammate of DeJuan Blair and D.J. Kennedy at Schenley? Jamie Dixon always liked Kane. He recruited him despite his academic struggles. Originally Kane was supposed to be part of (someone’s) 2009 class. But he needed prep school so it became 2010 when he actually was a freshman at Marshall.

He’s a graduate transfer. He has one more year of eligibility left, and it came down to USC and Pitt. The 6-4 guard has decided that his years of knowing Dixon and coming home was the pick.

The Marshall transfer, who hails from Pittsburgh, told CBSSports.com that he will commit to Jamie Dixon and the Panthers this weekend on a visit. Kane returned from a trip to USC this past weekend, and also considered Saint Mary’s, but said the chance to play at home and in the ACC was too much to pass up.

“It’s a perfect situation for me,” Kane told CBSSports.com.

Kane averaged 15.1 points and seven assists last season for the Thundering Herd…

He provides offense, but this is still a gamble in my view.

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Pitt had Joseph Uchebo as one of its top targets this off season. Even before Steve Adams decided to go pro, he was someone they were pursuing. They needed to find help in the front court.

I know it has been a rough end of the season and off-season so far for Pitt. It has frazzled and worn many of you down to the point where you can’t recognize an obvious, slightly sarcastic, tongue-in-cheek comment. So, just to clarify: the rehiring of Barry Rohrssen had nothing to do with finally getting a commitment from Uchebo. None. He is a good recruiter, but the idea that within a few days of hiring he could cold-call a kid he never met or recruited and been the one to sway him. I don’t even… You would have to ask how Pitt “only” got the players they did get when Rohrssen was working for Pitt before.

Several teams were after Uchebo. He had gotten it down to Pitt, Minnesota, Nebraska and Oklahoma State. Even NC State seemed to be making a push to once more get him (perhaps because another former NC State recruit and JUCO teammate, Torian Graham is someone they might still be pursuing).

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Clearly this was the immediate impact of rehiring Barry Rohrssen as an assistant. It certainly couldn’t have been anything else involved in recruiting a kid for the last few weeks. Uchebo is going to be coming to Pitt.

So, there is some help on the big man front.

The rumors of Barry Rohrssen’s return have been swirling for a couple of weeks. To be honest, it has been hard to separate fact from wishful thinking that has been put out there. But it seems that Jamie Dixon is indeed bringing back Slice.

Sources confirmed Thursday night that Barry “Slice” Rohrssen will rejoin Dixon’s staff as an assistant coach, replacing Pat Sandle, an original member of Dixon’s staff who spent the past decade with the program.

That detail is surprising. Sandle first started with Pitt in 1999 under Ben Howland. The LA native left for a couple years to be an assistant at UCLA under Lavin. Of course, Lavin was fired by UCLA who hired Howland and Sandle was not retained. And when Dixon became the Pitt head coach, he hired Sandle.

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Early lines out include the season/ACC/home opener for Pitt-FSU.

The betting lines for seven opening week games were released Tuesday by RJ Bell of Pregame.com. Florida State’s Sept. 2 Labor Day opener at Pittsburgh was one of them. According to a consensus of oddsmakers that include 5 Dimes, Bovada, Sportsbook.com and Bookmaker, the Seminoles will be an 8.5-point favorite when they face the Panthers at Heinz Field.

The season opener will serve as Pitt’s official welcome to the ACC. The Panthers are starting play in the conference after leaving the Big East later this summer. Pitt will be joined by fellow former Big East school Syracuse. FSU hosts Syracuse Nov. 16.

In addition to serving as Pitt’s first game in the ACC, the opener will mark the first time in two seasons a quarterback other than EJ Manuel or Clint Trickett have started a game for the Seminoles. Redshirt freshman Jameis Winston is the favorite to make his first career start against the Panthers.

8.5 points in May. Plenty of time for that line to move above 10.

Frustratingly, if this is the worst thing about Pitt today, it’s a good day.

Tuesdays are a bad day right now. The schedule has me away from a computer from the time I take the kids to school until sometime after I get the kids to bed.

Seems I missed a few things.

The unsurprising first. A couple players dismissed from the team in light of recent activities at their apartment.

Juniors Drew Carswell and Eric Williams are now gone from the team. The third player suspended in the incident, Khaynin Mosley-Smith, remains suspended indefinitely.

“We have strict and clear standards regarding these types of behaviors,” Chryst said in a statement released on Friday afternoon. “What has occurred with these three young men does not represent the standards of our program or university.”

I don’t know why Mosley-Smith was not dismissed from the team. It doesn’t mean he won’t be, but his status may be a little more gray. I have a speculation, but I don’t know if it is so.

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Things really can change in a year. Last year Pitt basketball had its worst season in over a decade. Yet, the spring brought high optimism. A big-time Kiwi to man the middle. Depth all over the roster. Oh, and Pitt beat out the likes of Duke, UCLA and Michigan State for a transfer.

Now, after a good season (yes, with bitter disappointment in the Tourney) Pitt has a lot of playing time available — especially in the frontcourt — following transfers and an early draft declaration. Yet, they can’t give away a scholarship.

Last night power forward Lennard Freeman opted to go to NC State. Freeman attended Oak Hill Academy in North Carolina this past year, and choosing NC State wasn’t a huge shock. Still, Pitt could use anyone to help inside.

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Following the decommitment of Chandler Kincade, Pitt’s 2014 football recruiting class stood at zero for the last week-and-a-half. That all changed today. It’s back to having one name on the commit list.

The long-term reconstruction of the Pitt offensive line continued Monday when Connor Hayes of Traverse City, Mich., said he will enroll next year.

Hayes, a 6-foot-4, 300-pound guard, is the only recruit in Pitt’s Class of 2014 after Blackhawk quarterback Chandler Kincaide decommitted last month.
…
“He’s the most physical player I have ever coached,” Traverse City West coach Tim Wooer said of Hayes. “He will fit in perfectly into everything Pittsburgh wants to do.

“If you look up the definition of the word mauler in the dictionary, you would probably find a picture of Connor. He is a physical, nasty kid. He is going to try to embarrass you.”

Hayes is a consensus 3-star recruit per Rivals.com, Scout.com and 247 (ESPN.com has no evaluation at this time).

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Kind of depressing, but it sure puts the back-to-back 6-7 records into context. No Pitt players heard their name called in the NFL Draft this weekend. This was not terribly surprising.

There have been, and are good players on this team. But a lack of excellent ones. Factor in the crushing injuries, and there weren’t been any surefire NFL prospects wearing the Blue and Gold the last couple of years.

I am not sure how much of that has been missing in recruiting, and the constant churn in coaches that may have stagnated/crushed the development of some players. Likely some mixture of both, but I have no idea on the percentages.

That said, Ray Graham will get his shot to show how healthy his knee is with the Houston Texans.

Mike Shanahan will have his chance to transition to TE in the pros with the New York Jets (sans a Tebow presence).

Ryan Turnley will try to make it with the Buffalo Bills. While on the small side, his versatility on the offensive line can only help his chances of sticking around.

Tight end Hubie Graham and his many injuries will get a chance with Tampa Bay. Just speculation, but I’m thinking that TB HC Greg Schiano remembers the potential Graham once had before injuries and transfers made him entirely forgotten.

It’s also been reported that Jarred Holley will get a tryout with the Pittsburgh Steelers at their first undrafted free agent camp next week.

Darrell Strong:

I told my mother 7yrs ago I would come back and get my degree prior to leaving school early to chase… instagram.com/p/YqEbMnGMIK/

— Darrell Strong (@DarrellStrong82) April 28, 2013

Congratulations.

Lets go pitt!!!! instagram.com/p/YqQ7gGGMNL/

— Darrell Strong (@DarrellStrong82) April 28, 2013

Since the season ended there have been rumors that J.J. Moore would transfer. On its face it made little sense. Moore just finished his junior year. He did not graduate early so he couldn’t be a graduate transfer. If he left, he would have to sit out a year which seems flat-out odd for a kid heading into his senior year and only a year of eligibility left.

Yet the rumors and reports are getting stronger.

A report surfaced Sunday night that Pitt junior forward J.J. Moore has decided to transfer, but there was no official confirmation from the university.

An athletic department spokesperson said Moore has not yet asked for his release, and as of Sunday night, had not informed coach Jamie Dixon of a decision.

Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports Network reported via his Twitter account that Moore had decided to transfer per a source.

Nothing before or after that tweet. No follow up.

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The situation with Khaynin Mosley-Smith, Eric Williams and Drew Carswell, is not as bad as it could be. But it really isn’t good. I won’t be surprised if all three never play again for Pitt. I also won’t be shocked if two of the three get reinstated by the start of camp in August.

To say they made some bad choices is putting it mildly.

Police had been conducting an ongoing investigation in South Oakland and bought 20 stamp bags of heroin for $185 on Thursday night outside a house on Juliet Street from a man identified as Darnell Reed-Young, 22, according to a criminal complaint.

Police obtained a search warrant for the house, and as they prepared to enter, a man identified as Khaynin Mosley-Smith, 21, left the house.

Mosley-Smith, a member of the Pitt football team, told police that he lived there.

When police searched the home early Friday, they found drug packaging material and paraphernalia. Also inside were Pitt players Eric Williams, 20, and Andrew Carswell, 21. Police found a digital scale with white residue in Carswell’s bedroom.

Police charged the three football players by summons with prohibited acts.

Reed-Young admitted selling the heroin to a detective, police said, and all three Pitt players live in the home. He was taken to the Allegheny County Jail and faces several drug-related charges, including possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance.

Do I think the three were shooting up or dealing? No. Do I think they were knowingly allowing someone who was dealing, do it from their place? Yes.

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Here’s the story.

The three players are  linebacker Eric Williams, tight end Andrew Carswell, and defensive linemen Khanyin Moslesy-Smith. They were arrested for possession/usage and in the same room as them were 20-bags of heroin, a marijuana bong, and a copper grinder. While they are innocent until proven guilty, I expect swift action from Chryst and the Athletic Department.

Please don’t be too disrespectful to the coaches. Keep in mind a lot of these problems were inherited, especially Drew Carswell. Feel free to extrapolate what you want when I single out Carswell. I’ll never post second hand knowledge, but with what I know about Drew…it doesn’t surprise me at all.

*edit*

Update: All 3 have been suspended indefinitely from the football team.