From the desk of Jim Snyder
A little hoops talk
Pitt is now 9-0 for the fourth year in a row. It would be the fifth year in a row except South Florida upset Pitt 69-63 in a tournament at Robert Morris in the 2001-2002 season. Former Pitt assistant Seth Greenberg was the Bulls assistant at that time.
Jim Boeheim built the Syracuse program playing a million games in the state of New York in November and December. The large seating capacity at the Carrier Dome allowed him to schedule a pile of home games. In many ways the “Pete” has done the same thing for Pitt. It has allowed them to schedule a large number of home games. Pitt seldom leaves Allegheny County these days in November and December. There are a lot of positives. It keeps the travel to a minimum, which should help with graduation rates. It also helps a lot of players get playing time early in the process, which helps team morale. It is also a good way to pile up W’s.
Pitt now moves into the meat of their schedules. There are no easy “W’s” the rest of the way. One of the things that separates good teams from very good teams is how the handle pressure in the final three minutes of close games. Can they make foul shots? Can they get the ball to an open shooter? Can they play lock down defense? This is a good Pitt team that has yet to be tested. We will soon find out just where they rank. The level of competition goes up next week against South Carolina and Wisconsin.
Apples and Oranges
As you are aware we have had a big flap over ratings recently. One of things you need to be aware of is there are a number of systems out there and they are not identical. The Rivals.com system currently has 27 five-star players. It is a system they have used for sometime. It is sort of a first and second team All-American squad. They never can seem to agree on 24 so it spills over by a couple most years. Scout.com has 50 five-star players. They pass out almost twice as many stars to their higher ranked players.
Let me say this it is not a bad idea to pass out more stars. I hear a “rumor” Charlie Weis called to complain about losing a star. Keep in mind he not only is the head coach of Notre Dame but he is also an alum. Alums value these crazy stars.
I guarantee you I will be lobbying hard with the marketing folks at Rivals. Next year if they want to sell more subscriptions just pass out more stars. I am not saying either system is better I am saying they are different.
Rankings and ratings
Chris and I attended the Nike Camp at Penn State where we watched over 400 prospects worked out. Chris also attended the Metro Index Camp. Chris and I have both watched a number of Pitt recruits play live. I have watched video until my eyeballs are ready to drop out. We follow these players closely. I have delivered senior video on a number of prospects to Rivals. I have seen them. In many cases they have not yet had a chance. I ask you to please be patient. I believe Pitt will do just fine when the dust settles.
Does this mean we will agree on every prospect? No it does not but you I think you will have a very good overall sense of just where these class stands and I think you will feel good about it. It is a busy time of year with the holidays. Folks often take vacation days. This will all get sorted out just be patient.
We all have different opinions on these players. Trying to balance a player from Western PA with a player from Dallas, St Louis, Orlando or Los Angeles is an impossible task. This past week I spoke to a coach on the Southside. He felt we had not properly valued Tyler Tkach. He was OK with several others we have discussed but he felt Tkach was a very solid recruit and was not getting his proper due. He is probably right. Tyler Tkach did not make the Nike Camp and plays against smaller schools in Northeastern PA. He did attend the Pitt camp so Pitt coaches got a very good look at him. He practiced despite a severe ankle sprain. The Pitt coaches loved that he was willing to workout when he was not at his best.
About me
I worked nearly 30 years in the media industry. I “retired” to spend time with my daughter and her family. She has three sons. One of them was born with Downs Syndrome. It was that event that made me reconsider just what I was doing.
The company I worked for had several good years prior to my retiring so I was able to retire with complete financial independence. I joined the Pantherlair where there were few subscribers and virtually no revenue. It was a passion of love. I hoped to help build an Internet site that would help build the Pitt fan base. Everyone that has worked on the Pantherlair over the years has a great deal of affection for the University of Pittsburgh and its athletic programs. Harry, Chris, Steve and I all share a passion for Pitt as have a number of others that have helped out along the way including several other board monitors that help out without any compensation but take a lot of aggravation.
Yes I am a fan on game day. I fret over every possession. However, when I am on the Pantherlair I try to behave like a reporter. I worked 30 years in the media industry. It is not easy to put your emotions aside and simply try to report what you see or hear. No one would come to any Rivals site unless they had a certain amount of passion about the school they root for. I understand why they might get upset if they hear one negative word. Let’s just say I try to get closer to Bill Fralic in style than Bill Hillgrove. I ask you simply to enjoy the holidays and please be patient.
Aaron Gray series
One of our readers asked why do the Post-Gazette and Tribune-Review have an article about the same basketball player on the same day? Ben Howland started a practice of shutting down practices to the media and Coach Dixon has continued this practice. The coach and usually one of his players are made available to the media on certain days. This results in both papers often writing about the same guy.
Chris Peak has tried to give you something different. We asked Pitt if they would allow one player to give us a diary version of the Pitt basketball season. So far Chris Peak has sat with Aaron Gray for four articles. We call it “Postscripts with Aaron Gray”. We are trying to give you some added value beyond a third article on the same guy. Hopefully you have been following this series.
Women’s basketball
Earlier this year Chris Peak asked me if he could write on some articles on the women’s basketball games. I told him I thought it was a good idea. Agnes Berenato may be getting close to turning around the women’s program and we thought she might be a good interview. As you know she is a dynamic personality.
Recently a couple of readers asked why we do not cover every game? We simply do not have the resources. We will cover as many as we can. We will not cover road games. On the other hand if Chris falls in love with some long-legged gal all bets are off.
Over on the football side
On Sunday Chris Peak reported that Greg Lee, Terrell Allen, Tyler Tipton and Rashad Jennings would be leaving the football program.
Some close to the scene feel Greg Lee will be a 4th or 5th round draft choice. Unfortunately an agent got to him and convinced him he could do better. In some ways this reminds you of Chris Taft. Lee would make brilliant passes and then allow routine balls to get away. One could argue that if he had caught a few of the dropped passes Pitt might be bowl eligible this holiday season. It is our understanding that he may have gone far enough down the path with the agent that there is no turning back. It appears he is gone.
Rashad Jennings is a different matter. You may have read his father has severe complications from diabetes. This is bad enough. I had an uncle who taught at Pitt for nearly three decades and lost his eyesight with diabetes. Unfortunately Mr. Jennings apparently has some severe medical problems beyond the diabetes complications. They could be life threatening. Rashad has returned to Virginia to be with his family. He will go to school somewhere in Virginia so he can stay close to his mom. He has the blessings of the Pitt coaches. We all love football but sometimes life deals us a dose of reality and the family issues far out way the football considerations. Our prayers are with his family.
There maybe some good news. It appears that Kevin Collier might be able to graduate in December and report to Pitt in January. The Pitt coaching staff has been working with Coach Paul Dick from Churchville-Chili to see if they can make this happen. Kevin was held back in second grade so he is a little older than your average senior. There was some question if he could play high school football this year because of his age. He came into the year only needing one course to graduate and was simply trying to pull up his overall QPA while boosting his stock on the football field. It would be a great edge if they can get him enrolled in January so he was eligible for spring practice. We should know soon how this plays out. They may be waiting to see if he makes it past the NCAA Clearinghouse. We should know soon. The new semester is not far away.
Harry got an e-mail from the Mustakas family. It appears that Gus Mustakas played this year with an injured shoulder. He played in considerable pain. It turned out he had some severe ligament damage in his shoulder that required surgery. He is now home recuperating in Florida with his mother spoiling him in an attempt to help the healing process. Gus Mustakas has a number of us at the Pantherlair rooting for him. I know you all hope he has a speedy recovery.
A “birdie” was talking to a Pitt coach recently. He had some praise for a couple of redshirt freshmen. He said Doug Fulmer from Syracuse, NY has turned into a much bigger player. I think he said he was now in the 235-245 pound range. He also praised Craig Bokor. He said, “Craig isn’t out biggest player or out fastest player but somehow he always manages to make plays.”
Some recruiting talk
Our sources say Pitt still has a good chance of landing quarterback Thaddeus Lewis. He is a tough interview. He is soft spoken and he is not a big talker. It is tough to read him but apparently Pitt likes their chances.
Now that Greg Lee and Terrell Allen are gone you would think it opens the depth chart up to take another athlete capable of playing wide receiver. Pitt is scheduled to get a visit from Aaron Berry in early January. They are also still involved with Tamarcus Porter and Elijah Fields. Anyone of the three might fit the bill. They are all athletes that could play on either side of the ball.
Last week we said that Ricky Gary is a tough read. He is free spirit and a big talker. He is a quote machine so we love interviewing him. He has recently visited Minnesota and is scheduled to visit Ohio State in January. So far the folks on the Southside seem to be confident that when all is said and done he will be a Panther.
Pitt still is chasing a defensive end. Our sources say it could come down to Pitt and Ohio State for McKenzie Mathews but Boston College may still end up being a player. We hear that Pitt also likes it chances with Geno Atkins. We like the fact his father played for the Dolphins. He is another guys we think is undervalued. He played middle linebacker as a junior and apparently the recruiting gurus didn’t like his speed as a linebacker. He bulked up and looks like a good defensive line prospect to us. We think he could be a defensive end. We was named Defensive Player of the Year in his conference and one organization made him Defensive Player in the state of Florida in Class 5A. We have asked Rivals.com to review his ranking. Audie Augustine is also still very much in the mix at defensive end.
Pitt would like another offensive lineman. Trinity’s Andy Miller is at the very top of their list although they are sill evaluating with alternative candidates
You are allowed to recruit 25 players in any one year. Our sources say it looks more and more like Pitt will take the maximum amount allowed.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year’s
All of us on the Pantherlair wish you and your family a Merry Christmas. We hope you have a family member or friend to share the holiday season with. If distance prohibits it give them a call. Merry Christmas!
The War Room is targeted towards our premium customers. We ask that all information reported in the War Room MUST stay right here! That’s the way this deal works. When this information is repeated outside of the Between Fifth and Forbes forum it only cheapens the price of yours and every other die-hard who have purchased premium services. The War Room is one of our more popular features...thank you all for keeping the information on this board.
This post was edited on 12/23 9:58 AM by Jim Pantherlairif(GetAdminCookie() != 0) {document.write(' (Revisions[/URL])');}
This post was edited on 12/23 11:04 AM by Jim Pantherlairif(GetAdminCookie() != 0) {document.write(' (Revisions[/URL])');}
A little hoops talk
Pitt is now 9-0 for the fourth year in a row. It would be the fifth year in a row except South Florida upset Pitt 69-63 in a tournament at Robert Morris in the 2001-2002 season. Former Pitt assistant Seth Greenberg was the Bulls assistant at that time.
Jim Boeheim built the Syracuse program playing a million games in the state of New York in November and December. The large seating capacity at the Carrier Dome allowed him to schedule a pile of home games. In many ways the “Pete” has done the same thing for Pitt. It has allowed them to schedule a large number of home games. Pitt seldom leaves Allegheny County these days in November and December. There are a lot of positives. It keeps the travel to a minimum, which should help with graduation rates. It also helps a lot of players get playing time early in the process, which helps team morale. It is also a good way to pile up W’s.
Pitt now moves into the meat of their schedules. There are no easy “W’s” the rest of the way. One of the things that separates good teams from very good teams is how the handle pressure in the final three minutes of close games. Can they make foul shots? Can they get the ball to an open shooter? Can they play lock down defense? This is a good Pitt team that has yet to be tested. We will soon find out just where they rank. The level of competition goes up next week against South Carolina and Wisconsin.
Apples and Oranges
As you are aware we have had a big flap over ratings recently. One of things you need to be aware of is there are a number of systems out there and they are not identical. The Rivals.com system currently has 27 five-star players. It is a system they have used for sometime. It is sort of a first and second team All-American squad. They never can seem to agree on 24 so it spills over by a couple most years. Scout.com has 50 five-star players. They pass out almost twice as many stars to their higher ranked players.
Let me say this it is not a bad idea to pass out more stars. I hear a “rumor” Charlie Weis called to complain about losing a star. Keep in mind he not only is the head coach of Notre Dame but he is also an alum. Alums value these crazy stars.
I guarantee you I will be lobbying hard with the marketing folks at Rivals. Next year if they want to sell more subscriptions just pass out more stars. I am not saying either system is better I am saying they are different.
Rankings and ratings
Chris and I attended the Nike Camp at Penn State where we watched over 400 prospects worked out. Chris also attended the Metro Index Camp. Chris and I have both watched a number of Pitt recruits play live. I have watched video until my eyeballs are ready to drop out. We follow these players closely. I have delivered senior video on a number of prospects to Rivals. I have seen them. In many cases they have not yet had a chance. I ask you to please be patient. I believe Pitt will do just fine when the dust settles.
Does this mean we will agree on every prospect? No it does not but you I think you will have a very good overall sense of just where these class stands and I think you will feel good about it. It is a busy time of year with the holidays. Folks often take vacation days. This will all get sorted out just be patient.
We all have different opinions on these players. Trying to balance a player from Western PA with a player from Dallas, St Louis, Orlando or Los Angeles is an impossible task. This past week I spoke to a coach on the Southside. He felt we had not properly valued Tyler Tkach. He was OK with several others we have discussed but he felt Tkach was a very solid recruit and was not getting his proper due. He is probably right. Tyler Tkach did not make the Nike Camp and plays against smaller schools in Northeastern PA. He did attend the Pitt camp so Pitt coaches got a very good look at him. He practiced despite a severe ankle sprain. The Pitt coaches loved that he was willing to workout when he was not at his best.
About me
I worked nearly 30 years in the media industry. I “retired” to spend time with my daughter and her family. She has three sons. One of them was born with Downs Syndrome. It was that event that made me reconsider just what I was doing.
The company I worked for had several good years prior to my retiring so I was able to retire with complete financial independence. I joined the Pantherlair where there were few subscribers and virtually no revenue. It was a passion of love. I hoped to help build an Internet site that would help build the Pitt fan base. Everyone that has worked on the Pantherlair over the years has a great deal of affection for the University of Pittsburgh and its athletic programs. Harry, Chris, Steve and I all share a passion for Pitt as have a number of others that have helped out along the way including several other board monitors that help out without any compensation but take a lot of aggravation.
Yes I am a fan on game day. I fret over every possession. However, when I am on the Pantherlair I try to behave like a reporter. I worked 30 years in the media industry. It is not easy to put your emotions aside and simply try to report what you see or hear. No one would come to any Rivals site unless they had a certain amount of passion about the school they root for. I understand why they might get upset if they hear one negative word. Let’s just say I try to get closer to Bill Fralic in style than Bill Hillgrove. I ask you simply to enjoy the holidays and please be patient.
Aaron Gray series
One of our readers asked why do the Post-Gazette and Tribune-Review have an article about the same basketball player on the same day? Ben Howland started a practice of shutting down practices to the media and Coach Dixon has continued this practice. The coach and usually one of his players are made available to the media on certain days. This results in both papers often writing about the same guy.
Chris Peak has tried to give you something different. We asked Pitt if they would allow one player to give us a diary version of the Pitt basketball season. So far Chris Peak has sat with Aaron Gray for four articles. We call it “Postscripts with Aaron Gray”. We are trying to give you some added value beyond a third article on the same guy. Hopefully you have been following this series.
Women’s basketball
Earlier this year Chris Peak asked me if he could write on some articles on the women’s basketball games. I told him I thought it was a good idea. Agnes Berenato may be getting close to turning around the women’s program and we thought she might be a good interview. As you know she is a dynamic personality.
Recently a couple of readers asked why we do not cover every game? We simply do not have the resources. We will cover as many as we can. We will not cover road games. On the other hand if Chris falls in love with some long-legged gal all bets are off.
Over on the football side
On Sunday Chris Peak reported that Greg Lee, Terrell Allen, Tyler Tipton and Rashad Jennings would be leaving the football program.
Some close to the scene feel Greg Lee will be a 4th or 5th round draft choice. Unfortunately an agent got to him and convinced him he could do better. In some ways this reminds you of Chris Taft. Lee would make brilliant passes and then allow routine balls to get away. One could argue that if he had caught a few of the dropped passes Pitt might be bowl eligible this holiday season. It is our understanding that he may have gone far enough down the path with the agent that there is no turning back. It appears he is gone.
Rashad Jennings is a different matter. You may have read his father has severe complications from diabetes. This is bad enough. I had an uncle who taught at Pitt for nearly three decades and lost his eyesight with diabetes. Unfortunately Mr. Jennings apparently has some severe medical problems beyond the diabetes complications. They could be life threatening. Rashad has returned to Virginia to be with his family. He will go to school somewhere in Virginia so he can stay close to his mom. He has the blessings of the Pitt coaches. We all love football but sometimes life deals us a dose of reality and the family issues far out way the football considerations. Our prayers are with his family.
There maybe some good news. It appears that Kevin Collier might be able to graduate in December and report to Pitt in January. The Pitt coaching staff has been working with Coach Paul Dick from Churchville-Chili to see if they can make this happen. Kevin was held back in second grade so he is a little older than your average senior. There was some question if he could play high school football this year because of his age. He came into the year only needing one course to graduate and was simply trying to pull up his overall QPA while boosting his stock on the football field. It would be a great edge if they can get him enrolled in January so he was eligible for spring practice. We should know soon how this plays out. They may be waiting to see if he makes it past the NCAA Clearinghouse. We should know soon. The new semester is not far away.
Harry got an e-mail from the Mustakas family. It appears that Gus Mustakas played this year with an injured shoulder. He played in considerable pain. It turned out he had some severe ligament damage in his shoulder that required surgery. He is now home recuperating in Florida with his mother spoiling him in an attempt to help the healing process. Gus Mustakas has a number of us at the Pantherlair rooting for him. I know you all hope he has a speedy recovery.
A “birdie” was talking to a Pitt coach recently. He had some praise for a couple of redshirt freshmen. He said Doug Fulmer from Syracuse, NY has turned into a much bigger player. I think he said he was now in the 235-245 pound range. He also praised Craig Bokor. He said, “Craig isn’t out biggest player or out fastest player but somehow he always manages to make plays.”
Some recruiting talk
Our sources say Pitt still has a good chance of landing quarterback Thaddeus Lewis. He is a tough interview. He is soft spoken and he is not a big talker. It is tough to read him but apparently Pitt likes their chances.
Now that Greg Lee and Terrell Allen are gone you would think it opens the depth chart up to take another athlete capable of playing wide receiver. Pitt is scheduled to get a visit from Aaron Berry in early January. They are also still involved with Tamarcus Porter and Elijah Fields. Anyone of the three might fit the bill. They are all athletes that could play on either side of the ball.
Last week we said that Ricky Gary is a tough read. He is free spirit and a big talker. He is a quote machine so we love interviewing him. He has recently visited Minnesota and is scheduled to visit Ohio State in January. So far the folks on the Southside seem to be confident that when all is said and done he will be a Panther.
Pitt still is chasing a defensive end. Our sources say it could come down to Pitt and Ohio State for McKenzie Mathews but Boston College may still end up being a player. We hear that Pitt also likes it chances with Geno Atkins. We like the fact his father played for the Dolphins. He is another guys we think is undervalued. He played middle linebacker as a junior and apparently the recruiting gurus didn’t like his speed as a linebacker. He bulked up and looks like a good defensive line prospect to us. We think he could be a defensive end. We was named Defensive Player of the Year in his conference and one organization made him Defensive Player in the state of Florida in Class 5A. We have asked Rivals.com to review his ranking. Audie Augustine is also still very much in the mix at defensive end.
Pitt would like another offensive lineman. Trinity’s Andy Miller is at the very top of their list although they are sill evaluating with alternative candidates
You are allowed to recruit 25 players in any one year. Our sources say it looks more and more like Pitt will take the maximum amount allowed.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year’s
All of us on the Pantherlair wish you and your family a Merry Christmas. We hope you have a family member or friend to share the holiday season with. If distance prohibits it give them a call. Merry Christmas!
The War Room is targeted towards our premium customers. We ask that all information reported in the War Room MUST stay right here! That’s the way this deal works. When this information is repeated outside of the Between Fifth and Forbes forum it only cheapens the price of yours and every other die-hard who have purchased premium services. The War Room is one of our more popular features...thank you all for keeping the information on this board.
This post was edited on 12/23 9:58 AM by Jim Pantherlairif(GetAdminCookie() != 0) {document.write(' (Revisions[/URL])');}
This post was edited on 12/23 11:04 AM by Jim Pantherlairif(GetAdminCookie() != 0) {document.write(' (Revisions[/URL])');}
