News and Notes 7/22

Pitt comes in at #5 in Dennis Dodd's top five schools for football and basketball. This is a slight surprise to me - not that they don't belong there, but Pitt never seems to get the credit they deserve for having a top basketball and football program. It's not yet been sustained as they had some down football seasons this decade, but the school's teams have had quite a bit of success.  The best part, though, is that it doesn't look like it's slowing down anytime soon.  Both programs have recruited extraordinarily well and could be successful for quite a while.

My bets for the others? If we're talking about the past 2-3 years, let's go with Texas, Ohio State, Wisconsin, and Florida not in that order. Pitt fans might not be happy with it, but you could also make the case for WVU even instead of the Panthers.  But his article seems to indicate Pitt made it instead of WVU.

I normally don't mention Bleacher Report too much on here, but a writer for the site believes that Mark Myers can seriously contend for the backup QB job.  I don't see how that's even a remote possibility - especially in a year when they are starting a new quarterback.  No way Wannstedt doesn't use Pat Bostick as his safety net if Sunseri struggles.

Another gambling site predicts big things for the Panthers, calling them a darkhorse to win the whole shootin' match.

And Panther baseball coach Joe Jordana wins the ABCA East Region Coach of the Year Award.

Pitt Recruits Struggle Until Late In Big 33 Game

Pitt had several recruits playing in the Big 33 game over the weekend that pits Pennsylvania vs. Ohio.

Anthony Gonzalez and Andrew Carswell of PA played pitch and catch on a 65-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.  Fellow Pitt recruit, QB Mark Myers then led Ohio down the field on a 75-yard drive (at least 70 yards were through the air) in only 23 seconds, then converted a two-point conversion giving Ohio an 18-15 win.

Neither QB was particularly effective - Myers was 8-16 for 127 yards and two interceptions while Gonzalez was 6-19 for 146 yards and one TD / two interceptions.

Over the years, more than 100 NFL players have participated in the Big 33 game.

A Little More On Bill Belton

Bill Belton was a wanted man. Pitt recruits well, but is many times beaten out by more prominent schools. But in the case of Belton, they were able to land one of the better athletes available for 2011.  His coach was one of those who last year noted that he would be a prized recruit:

“He’ll be one of those big recruits. He’ll be in that type of water,’’ McBride said. “People will come from all over.

“The possibilities are endless, and he’s a great kid. He’s very unassuming, very humble. I’ve been around a long time. The great ones are real unassuming. They run around and practice like any other kid. But he is as good as I’ve been around.’’

And opposing coaches also are impressed:

After watching Belton rush for two scores and throw for another in a 48-42 win over his Renegades, Gushue said: “He’s a high school Michael Vick. It was a frustrating day for me, I was so impressed. He could take off the rest of the season, not play next year, and some college would still give him a scholarship. That’s how impressed I was.’’

Belton is also a four-star recruit as rated by ESPN.com and is currently an ESPNU 150 recruit (must be an insider to view) as of the latest update today.

Then comes the tricky decision of position.  Pitt is pretty well off at QB next year with Tino Sunseri, Mark Myers, new recruit Gary Nova, and potentially Anthony Gonzalez.  He could also play corner, but the bet here is that it will be wide receiver.  With the potential loss of Jonathan Baldwin to the NFL Draft next year, Belton could fit in nicely there.  This blogger also projects him there as well.

Wherever he lands, this appears to be a strong 'get' for Pitt.

Barrel 'O Links

Lots of non-Louisville game stuff to mention that happened over the past week or so:

Some ESPN encyclopedia fails to rank Pitt's basketball program in the top ten in the 2000s. Now I'm not going to debate the top 25 of all-time list (in which UCLA isn't even #1, Duke is somehow 47 spots above UCONN and Pitt ranks 60th behind powerhouses such as Nebraska and Iowa State), which is nonsense in itself. And I'm certainly not going to debate teams that have won chapmionships this decade that are in the top ten - UNC, Michigan State, Duke, UCONN, Kansas and Florida. But I WILL say that over the past nine years, Pitt matches up very favorably against the other teams ranked that have not won titles - Kentucky, Illinois, Arizona, and Texas. The latter three all made at least one Final Four, but if that's the measuring stick, then how does UCLA (who made at least two if my memory serves me correct) get left out?

*Stepping off of my soapbox*

Pitt somehow is still managing to land QB recruits - the latest is a fairly low-rated one - Mark Myers out of Cleveland. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. Next year, Pitt will have five QBs (Bostick, Sunseri, Gray, Gonzalez, and Myers) who all have at least two years of eligibility. Bostick will have two and the other four will have at least three. I'm thinking someone is in for a position change...shhhh, don't tell them that.

Joe Starkey of the Trib has an excellent article on Chris Taft and his life after injury. Glad to hear he's doing well. It's hard to fault his logic for coming out early, but there's no way he was ready.

Bill Stull's performance of 242 yards passing with 3 TDs nets him Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors.

Jamie Dixon deals with yet another loss of a family memberand also holds the first-ever Basketball Fan-Fest and Maggie Dixon Heart Health Fair.

With so many one-loss teams, a 4-1 start isn't enough to get Pitt more than a few votes in each poll.

More spin about how the new Bowl Game at Yankee Stadium is a real coup for the Big East. Sure it is.