Desimon Green Caps Off Successful Week For Recruiting

In a growing trend, Pitt landed a verbal commitment from a third recruit this week in three-star Rivals and Scout recruit, Desimon Green.

Green is a two-way star for Western Pennsylvania school, Clairton High School. In 2009 as a junior, he led Clairton to the PIAA Class A Title as both a quarterback and defensive end. On the offensive side of the ball, he totaled 1,600 passing yards, 900 rushing yards, and 23 TDs. The Clairton offense, which he directed, scored a team-record 634 points. On defense, he also had 87 tackles and a team-record 26 sacks.

He was recruited by Greg Gattuso and reportedly had offers from more than a dozen schools including West Virginia, Cincinnati, Michigan, Michigan State, Purdue, and others.

Pitt is clearly stocking up a bit at DE in anticipation of the loss of Greg Romeus and Jabaal Sheard. Green makes Pitt's fifth defensive end recruit over the past two years (so far) and makes DE one of the most heavily recruited positions on the team. Along with 2010 DE recruits T.J. Clemmings and Bryan Murphy, the position should be in good hands.

Jonathan Baldwin Is No Larry Fitzgerald

Jonathan Baldwin's gotten a lot of hype during the offseason.  While he's one of the best receivers in college football, I'm not necessarily ready to compare him to Fitz:

"I was at that game scouting Stull and [tight end Dorin] Dickerson," said one scout in attendance. "I knew who Baldwin was, but I had never seen him play in person. That drive was impressive, and it really showed how dominant he could be on the big stage. But, that catch he made in the end zone, against a pretty good defender, brought back memories of Larry Fitzgerald."

Fitz was too special of a player. I'll have to see a lot more out of Baldwin before I annoint him to anywhere near that level.  As great as JB has been, let's keep in mind his career high for yards came last season - 'only' 57 catches for 1,111 yards.  That, of course, is a pretty good year.  But it's not Heisman-worthy as Fitz' best season was - 92 for 1,672.

And as I've pointed out before, Baldwin had several games where he disappeared last year:

- 1 catch for 17 yards vs. Rutgers

- 1 catch for 5 yards vs. Syracuse

- 4 catches for 44 yards vs. Buffalo

That won't get it done if you're trying to slide next to the greatest wideout in school history.

Sticking with Baldwin but moving onto...fantasy college football?  My thoughts on that are another issue for another time, but here's one guy who isn't sold on Baldwin putting up big numbers:

Let someone else reach for...

Jonathan Baldwin. Sure he's one of the more physically gifted wide receivers in the country, but I'm not sold on the Panther offense in 2010. Only two offensive linemen return, Tino Sunseri has some big shoes to fill, and this will remain a run-first and run-second offense. I'm not telling you to avoid Baldwin, just that there are reasons to doubt that he'll match his 57-1111-8 from 2009.

I think the new line and QB will hurt Baldwin, but I think the running game will be enough of a threat to warrant a lot of looks his way.  So with that said, I expect him to improve upon his numbers from last season.

Non-Conference Basketball Tests

Pitt confirmed some non-conference basketball opponents recently.

The Panthers will face Tennessee on December 11th in the SEC/Big East Invitational. The game will take place in the new Consol Energy Center on ESPN. The arena will also host Rutgers vs. Auburn that same night. That game will be shown on ESPN2.

Here is the official website of the tournament.

Pitt will also host the opening rounds of the Coaches Vs. Cancer Classic, playing games against Rhode Island and Illinois-Chicago. From there, they will head to Madison Square Garden to faceoff against some combination of Texas, Illinois, and Maryland.

And here is the Coaches Vs. Cancer website.

Obligatory Expansion Update

As I've said before, trying to steer clear of this for the most part because it's still in the rumors stage. That said, it's been a while since I took a look around the Big Ten stuff, so here's some thoughts on the stuff that's out there.

Okay, so we all know Big Ten expansion is likely coming. Right? Well, while the talk has focused on it happening, it's easy to forget that maybe it won't.

I know, I don't believe it won't, either.

The talk is of course not dying down and Brian Bennett of ESPN.com looks at some teams the Big East may consider admitting if the conference is purged. As we all know, the options aren't all that attractive. Not terrible once you bypass the name value, just not great. Brian gives his top five, but I outlined a few other options before.

The Trib had an article today about the Big Ten expanding its footprint. Again, nothing new here and there's the usual stuff about Pitt bringing nothing new to the table.

Jay Paterno thinks rivalries will be hurt by expansion. I guess that's true to a degree, but come on. How would playing Pitt instead of Indiana be a bad thing? And Penn State has already been playing Syracuse pretty regularly. I have a hard time believing missing out on someone like Minnesota would be really all that big of a deal. Illinois? Northwestern? I don't know if they're strong rivalries for Penn State. If the league expands to 14 or 16, you might lose 1-2 fairly solid rivalry games with teams like Wisconsin, Michigan State, or Iowa. But you'd still be gaining new rivalries, so I don't know if necessarily buy his argument.

I do, however, think he has a point about what to do with the big three of Penn State, Michigan, and Ohio State. You can't realistically put them all in one division unless you really brought in some heavy hitters on the other side such as a Notre Dame or to lesser degrees Nebraska and Pitt.

Meanwhile, could it be true that the Big East isn't the only conference that should have concerns about survival? Here's a writer who thinks the Big East isn't the answer for the Big Ten:

In my opinion the Big East is not a threat; if I were running the Big Ten I would want them to stay intact. They have some very good football programs and some great basketball universities, but why would I want to break them up?

It is not like The Northeast is a College Football hotbed, it is an area dominated by pro sports. Especially in the NYC area. WV and Pitt are very good programs but WV is not a member of the AAU, and the market share Pitt could bring is mostly held by Penn State. The only thing going for that area is TV sets, but nothing that really drives the needle, Rutgers really? I believe Delany should only threaten the demise of the Big East to force ND into the fold.

Personally, I think he's really naive about the NY/NJ market issue. That's perhaps the largest issue at hand in this whole expansion thing and he seemingly brushes it under the rug.

Gregg Doyel over at sportsline.com thinks that the Big Ten needs to essentially 'go big or go home':

Anything less than Notre Dame or Texas, and the Big Ten would be expanding, and demolishing the NCAA infrastructure, for no good reason

. I really like Doyel, and there's something to that. But again, he's another example of perhaps missing the issue at hand - the New York and New Jersey market. It comes down to how can the Big Ten expand its reach and that market is something I think they heavily covet. Further, Notre Dame isn't likely to join and Texas would be a travel nightmare for teams like Penn State or Rutgers.

Pat Forde of ESPN.com lays out his opinions on expansion and says the best thing to do would be to simply add one team:

So that leaves the 12-team option, Jim. Not the sexiest or the boldest move. But the best move. Go grab one school and get yourself on even footing with the other power brokers in college sports.

Missouri offers proximity and two large TV markets (St. Louis and Kansas City). Rutgers offers the window into New York City, and something of an Eastern ally to Penn State. Nebraska offers the most football cachet.

This would obviously be the best thing the Big East could hope for. And while 16 teams may be the best thing for Pitt, it might not necessarily be a good thing for the Big Ten.

The Big Ten fans, of course, have mixed feelings.

Then there's the ugly issue of teams being left out. Could it be that Cincinnati may be one of those, due to Ohio State?

Whatever happens, I just wish it would happen.

Brandin Knight Stays?

Maybe I just missed the boat on this one, but I hadn't heard Brandin Knight was being considered for an opening on Mike Rice's staff at Rutgers.

Thankfully he's staying put.

That would have given me yet another reason to root for Rice. But more importantly, it could have cost Pitt big time. Knight is coming into his own as a recruiter and was instrumental in getting New Jersey PG Isaiah Epps into the fold. Plus, Pitt is still trying to fill the vacancy from Tom Herrion's exit.

Pitt has groomed Knight since his playing days ended and his role should get bigger as time goes on. Glad he's sticking around for now.

Ugh

So a few weeks ago, I posted a note about RMU head coach Mike Rice handling coaching changes/rumors exactly the way the should be handled. When he had interest in another job, he acknowledged that interest, interviewed, was not selected, and returned to his former job. Unlike some, *cough* Jamie Dixon *cough*, who played runaround until fans felt they'd just gotten off a Tilt-A-Whirl, he handled the situation without much of a cover up. It was a mere few weeks ago when there was the talk about making RMU a mid-major powerhouse and Rice said:

"The grass wasn't greener," he said. "This is the place where I want to be and the program that I want to build even further."

But that does not mean Rice will coach Robert Morris through the end of his contract. He said a job could open in the future that could compel him to leave.

"There may be a time or a place that makes it a no-brainer," Rice said. "But it's not right now."

Man, when will we ever learn.

He is now apparently a finalist for the newly-vacant Rutgers job:

The Mike Rice sweepstakes was supposed be over when the men's basketball coach signed an extension at Robert Morris last month. But that may not be the case.

Reports surfaced Saturday that Rice is a finalist for the vacant Rutgers job, a position the school is expected to fill this week. The Times confirmed that Rice did have an interview with Rutgers officials earlier this week.

Rice said simply, “No. That’s all I can say,” when asked if he was offered the job. Robert Morris athletic director Craig Coleman, when asked to confirm the report or if Rutgers had contacted him, said “No comment at this time.”

To Rice's credit, he wisely and honestly predicted that the time could come when he would move on. But there's no one who would have believed it would be not even a month later.

My beef is this - he just signed an extension. I mean, JUST, as in, like, you know, April. If you intend to potentially leave before the next year, why sign another extension? I know that's merely for recruiting purposes, but it's not like Rice was a lame duck coach. His prior contract ran through 2016. And heck, maybe it's not even the extension. When you throw around language effectively saying you want to be around, you want to build something special, etc., then leave immediately afterwards, you're not only disrespecting the university, you're disrespecting the fans. If you have your eye on a larger prize down the road, I've got no beef with that. But to leave weeks after you've virtually alleged your near-term allegiance? Come on.

To me, it's not if Rice gets the job or not at this point. He's interviewed and essentially flipped the university off, weeks after they've said they'll try to do what it takes to keep him. Whether it's extending a contract no one really believes he would finish out. Whether it's upgrading the facilities, which they've pledged to do. Whether it's giving him their blessing to interview for other jobs.

No, that apparently wasn't enough. By vowing to stay to help the school improve, then grabbing his 30 pieces of silver at the first opportunity, Rice has turned into every other backstabbing coach that says one thing then immediately does another.

Way to go, Mike. You truly deserve to inherit a Rutgers team that lost its best player, had several others transfer, and in the current makeup of the Big East, will have its hands full in trying to compete as even a middle-of-the-road team. You're just now one more coach to root against and it makes it all the more easier now that you're in the Big East.

Congratulations. I hope that 8-22 record next year doesn't hurt too much.

Another Ranked Program

Mention Pitt baseball and you're likely to start a discussion of Rutgers basketball coach Fred Hill's highly publicized outburst in the Pitt/Rutgers game. But the true story should be Pitt's play on the field.

After a great start this year, has finally moved into the top 25 rankings. The team is 16-9 and fresh off a sweep of Villanova and ranked #24 in the latest Collegiate Baseball newspaper poll. The team went 4-1 this week since being ranked.

One More Loss

Going back to my recent post about the Big East talent exodus of 2010, add one more name to the list - Rutgers star Mike Rosario, who has been granted a release in the midst of all the Fred Hill stuff.

I've got to admit that when I saw the whole scuffle he had with Pitt's baseball coach, I didn't think the trickle down would go this far.

Rosario is the latest star to go in the Big East. What's worse for Rutgers, it continues a disturbing trend of recent recruits leaving the school. Earlier this year, it lost star center/PF Greg Echenique to a transfer to Creighton, last week it lost forward Patrick Jackson, and in 2009 it lost guard Earl Pettis and forward Christian Morris.

Wow, even Agnus Berenato thinks their team is losing too many players.

Ancillary Stuff

Not a lot going on. Sure there was a football scrimmage Saturday, but I can only take so much Spring stuff until it feels as if sticking sharpened pencils directly into my retinas might be more entertaining.

That said, though, there are quite a few minor things out there or things indirectly related to Pitt:

- Well, well, well - looks like Rich Rod may have found yet another way to harm his former employer. As if he wasn't hated enough, now WVU is dealing with potential violations. I'm wondering if it's similar to the type of stuff he's been going through at Michigan with too much practicing. Hmm....

- Joe Pa thinks Big Ten expansion will happen:

"I think the trend is there are going to be bigger conferences. I think there are going to be 12-, 14-team conferences and maybe even 16-team conferences. Do I know what I'm talking about, who knows?

"It would appear to me that with the television situation what it is and the great impact that it has on exposure and what that exposure does to recruiting, we're naive to think ... we can sit back and see everybody else move ahead because they're going to move ahead. We better start thinking about where we're going."

I've not been commenting on the expansion stuff and that's been by design. Just too many variables and unknowns at this point and no real advantage to commenting on it every week until we get closer to something actually happening.

- Brian Bennett over at ESPN.com hints that he may be picking Pitt to win the Big East this year.

- In the wayyyyy to early Bracketology for the 2010-11 season, Joe Lunardi lists Pitt as a 3 seed. He has Georgetown as a 2-seed, highest in the Big East. I'm guessing that's dependent upon Greg Monroe coming back, though they should have a good team even without him. Along those same lines, Andy Katz loves, loves, LOVES Pitt next year. And so does Gary Parrish. I wouldn't put Pitt this high, but to each his own.

- I never got around to mentioning the whole Fred Hill/Pitt baseball thing mostly because I didn't really care all that much. But it was an interesting story nonetheless. Anyway, it appears Rutgers and Hill are at a standstill as far as him coming back to coach. Jon over at Rutgers blog Bleed Scarlet has plenty of good posts analyzing the situation as well as a possible replacement for Hill.

- Former Pitt coach and current Pitt villain Ben Howland gets some votes as one of the decade's top coaches.

- Finally, this happened several days ago, but thought it was worth a mention. Mike Rice agreed to stay at Robert Morris, despite interest from Seton Hall and Tulane. Rice handled the situation exactly how fans want. He ackonwledged interest in listening to both offers, acknowledged interviewing with both schools, and ended up staying. I believe he would have taken the Seton Hall job had he been offered it, but that's not the point. He was as honest and straight forward as could reasonably be expected throughout the process and Robert Morris should be proud of the way he handled the entire process. Jamie Dixon is in a much higher profile situation and the two situations were not the same. But maybe Jamie Dixon should take a note or two about how to handle these types of things rather than essentially playing grab ass with fans and media, and going into hiding every time his name comes up for a job.

Just sayin'.

Going Out In Style

Pitt finished its regular season with dominance not seen in a while in a 29-point win over Rutgers. I've got to say I expected a little bit more of a contest, but it was never close other than the first few minutes of the game.

Rutgers coach Fred Hill seemed to think Rutgers was walking into a trap...and he was right:

"I had a feeling that a game like today was going to happen," Rutgers head coach Fred Hill said. "A lot of our guys had been playing upwards of 38 minutes a game and I think we tired a little today. We had a short turn around and we got outplayed today. My worst nightmare came true. We were a little worn down and we need to just throw this game out and move on. I give Pitt credit, they came out on senior night and jumped out to a quick start. They got the crowd into it and controlled their emotions."

And Rutgers was visibly frustrated during the game:

"I said it at halftime, faces started changing," said senior center Hamady N'diaye. "You could tell that the team was falling apart. I said it; all I ask for was to give out the effort. During this entire year, I've thought everybody had the same mentality and that wasn't the case today."

I like to pull out negatives from each game and offer reasons why Pitt could have played better. But it's hard to complain even a little about the performance today.

Shoot well? Check (48% from the field, 41% from three-point range)

Rebound? Check (+20: 39-19)

Take care of the ball? Check (Only 7 turnovers)

Get everyone involved offensively? Check (five players in double figures)

Play defense? Check (Held Rutgers to 54 points on 40% shooting)

Like I said, Pitt played well all around and it was utter domination.

I've got no answer for the whole Gilbert Brown thing. He's been feast or famine on and off for 12 straight now. Literally. He's been in double figures every other game. Like I mentioned before, I'd take him him averaging a steady 12-13 a game rather than 20 one game and 0 the next.

Dante Taylor really had somewhat of a breakout game. He's been playing better lately and acknowledged some frustration early on and pointed out the possible turning point:

“It felt good. I did what I do every game and I went in there and played as hard as I could. Tonight was a confidence boost for me. My confidence was down in the beginning of the season when I wasn’t contributing, but it started to come back for me at Marquette when I had three dunks.”

Today was the best maybe I've seen him all season. He had a good game against Syrcause, but even in games he's put up decent numbers, he's looked awkward at times. He took his game to another level today and looked really aggressive on the boards and getting to the basket. There were plenty of glimpses today of what the future should hold - and it looks bright.

And then of course, there was the whole Senior Day story. I've criticized Jermaine Dixon at times for not being consistent enough, at least offensively, this year. He definitely has had his share of bad games this year, but he's incredibly valuable defensively and Pitt will miss that. And about that injury, Dixon doesn't think it's that bad:

The only downside to Pitt's victory was guard Jermaine Dixon being lifted with a sore right ankle early in the second half, after he scored 10 points in 12 minutes. Dixon missed the first eight games of the season after twice breaking his right foot, but he insisted this injury is minor. "I could have played, but we had the game," said Dixon, who was coming off a 24-point game against Providence. "I'm good. I'll be ready [for Thursday]."

Even though there have been struggles offensively, Dixon has been a stabilizing force for Pitt this year and it's safe to say that he was a big part in getting the team to gel together early on.

There was another bright spot today, Pitt wrapped up the #2 seed in the Big East tournament with WVU's win over Villanova. Not that any path in the tournament will be easy, but it's really pretty unbelievable that Pitt was able to finish that high in the conference.

Rutgers Q&A With On The Raritan Banks

In preparation for the game against Rutgers, I was glad to get an invite for a Q&A from Shawn over at the Rutgers blog, On the Raritan Banks. Here are his answers to my questions and you can check out his site later for my answers to his Qs.

1. Following a promising 9-2 start, Rutgers ran into the meat of their schedule in a hurry - a nine game stretch including games at UNC, WVU, and Georgetown and home games against Villanova, and Syracuse. I know it's the Big East and everyone has tough schedules, but is there any thinking that teams like Rutgers might have a better shot at the NCAA Tournament if they weren't in the juggernaut that is the Big East? I guess what I'm asking is, are there times when Rutgers fans might dread having to play in the Big East?

I've certainly wondered how things may have turned out if RU was back in the Atlantic-10. Although the A-10 is having a better year than the ACC, it is still several rungs below the Big East. That being said, I'm still a big fan of the Big East. True, RU gets spanked from time to time, but I can still make the short trip up Route 27 to the RAC and watch players like Scottie Reynolds, Wes Johnson, Greg Monroe, and Luke Harangody when they come to town. Honestly, I'd rather have us struggle in the Big East and eventually turn into a legitimate conference contender than dominate at a mid-major. The key is to eventually turn the program around. Right now, the team would struggle against the nation's top mid-majors. I still have patience, but I'm sure others are losing it with each losing season in the Big East.

2. Everyone knows about Mike Rosario, but I think a big part of the game will be how the centers play against each other. Hamady Ndiaye and Gary McGhee are similar in ways that I think at times, both have probably frustrated fans who want more from them. Though both have experienced some growth this year, Ndiaye has really played well at times and has probably had a better year than Pitt's big man, Gary McGhee. What are some of the strength's/weaknesses of Ndiaye's game?

An obvious strength of H's game is his shot-blocking ability. He leads the Big East with over four blocks per game and is four shy of tying the school's all-time mark set by Roy Hinson (355). He has to be a front-runner for Big East Defensive Player of the Year. A glaring weakness-stone hands. He gets a lot of easy dunks, but he should probably have twice as many stuffs this season. He has difficulty handling passes that premiere big men put away with ease. He's picked up his scoring once sophomore center Gregory Echenique transferred to Creighton and left his heart on the floor every night. The fans love him at the RAC and it was a shame the team couldn't get a win for H against Seton Hall on Senior Night.

3. Ndiaye, of course, leads into a former frontcourt player for Rutgers, Greg Echenique. He had a very good freshman year for Rutgers and looked like he was going to be an excellent player early on this year. Corey Chandler (who of course had issues with his transfer to Binghamton) was the first prized recruit to bolt, now Echenique. What were the circumstances of each player leaving?

Chandler was dismissed for behavioral issues. He was dismissed at Binghamton as well. I have no problem losing a talented player that was too problematic. Hopefully things will work out for Corey Chandler. As far as Ech goes, that's a different story. I wish him well too, but I think he may have over-reacted. I've only got rumors and speculations to go by concerning his transfer. I do know we suffered without him this season and he leaves a big hole to fill for next year. Let's hope he gave up too early, Rutgers turns things around, and the Scarlet Knights get a chance to pay Creighton in the next three years and make Ech regret his hasty decision. Who leaves the metropolitan area and basketball mecca for Nebraska? Apparently Gregory Echenique. Whatever dude.

4. It may sound a little foolish, but as good as Mike Rosario was last year as a freshman, I was expecting a little more from him this year. While I don't think it's a big deal that his scoring hasn't improved, I'm a little surprised that his shooting percentages haven't. At times he can be a good shooter, but others, he really has struggled much the way Pitt's guard Ashton Gibbs has. I'm wondering if there's any frustration towards him for that by Rutgers fans. And because of that, is there any chance he leaves school early after next season (provided he doesn't try to this season, which I can't imagine would be the case)?

Again, I've heard some rumors that Rosario might leave to play professional ball overseas ala Brandon Jennings and then try his luck with the NBA draft. I personally don't see it. I think Rosario likes his team and has developed more confidence in newcomers Dane Miller and Jonathan Mitchell to carry some of the scoring load. I agree with your thoughts on Rosario's efficiency. While he did lead the team with 17 points in Thursday night's loss to Seton Hall, he shot 4-16 from the floor. His shot selection was also questionable in the second half when the Seton Hall lead was in striking distance. More a shooter than a slasher like Dane Miller, Rosario needs a legitimate inside presence to open the floor for him. While Rosario can slash and get to the rim, he does have trouble finishing among the muscle for which the Big East is famous. Rosario has a similar build to a guy like Brandon Jennings, Rosario is listed as two inches taller and about 10 pounds heavier, but he lacks the ability to finish among the big fellas that will be needed at the next level. That's what he needs to work on and why he'll be back on the banks next season.

5. With a chance to finish over .500, Fred Hill has finally gotten this team to turn around at least a little bit this year. What are the long-term hopes for him? He's recruited pretty well and I'm wondering if people think he's the long-term fix for the program? What kind of guy is he?

I personally like Fred Hill. He never lost control of his team and has to get a lot of credit for turning a team around that many had pegged to be the worst team in Big East history. Finishing above .500 would be huge considering the team must win Saturday's game at Pitt to make this a reality. This will be tough to accomplish. Everyone likes to think a famous coach would come in and dramatically turn the program around. This is unlikely. Hill might not be the wrong guy for this program. Like you said, he can recruit. He signed Rosario ,the school's first McDonald's High School All-American, and Miller, the likely Big East Rookie of the Year, in back to back recruiting classes. Those are huge steps and I feel pretty confident that he's back at least for next year. It's a definite if his team knocks off your beloved Panthers on Saturday.