From the desk of Jim Snyder
Welcome back
As many of you may have noticed Harry is back posting on the Pantherlair under the handle HGP. Harry spent many years with the Pantherlair dating back to 2001 although he was covering recruiting prior to that. As many of you know Harry has a full-time job and a family. The combination of time and some family health issues have resulted in him taking a break from reporting. We are hoping he will stop by often and share his thoughts in a regular basis.
Camp also dates back to those early days. He is often on the site and occasionally posts to keep all of us on the right path. He is a former Panther football player and has operated a recruiting service in the Middle Atlantic States for many years. Plcp also dates back to those early dates and is still frequently on the site. Hopefully he also will start posting again and share his thoughts on Pitt football.
Housekeeping items
The football schedules have been updated. We have also updated the roster and depth charts. There were some number changes. Most of the heights and weights are from Pitt. It does not appear that Pitt has updated the heights and weights.
Bracket Battle
Heading into the Final Four weekend here are the top five in the Pantherlair Bracket Battle league. There are, however, several who are positioned to move up.
samuelc
Chanceman
zaphod1
Kazz83
Pittinmd
The Big East versus the ACC
Congratulations to West Virginia for winning the NIT. They beat Clemson out of the ACC 78-73 last night. Georgetown reached the Final Four by beating North Carolina out of the ACC. Pitt missed an opportunity to beat Duke when the Blue Devils were beaten by Virginia Commonwealth. I am sure Billy Packer and Dick Vitalle have some explanation for the ACC’s shortcomings in basketball this year. The Big East Conference has held its own in postseason play in both football and basketball.
Some hoops thoughts
The Pitt basketball team finished 29-8. Three of those losses were to teams in the Final Four. At the end of the day the Panthers were not one of the top half dozen teams in the country but they were 29-5 against the rest of the field. It will be interesting to see where they finish in the final poll. I would not be surprised if they finished in the Top 10. I would love to see a computer SOS at the end. Pitt was ranked No. 5 or 6 going into the tournament. They can’t be any worse than that after the tournament and may be better.
Congratulations to Aaron Gray. Aaron often frustrated many Pitt fans (including myself) by missing shots you knew he was capable of making. Aaron is sometimes more appreciated outside of his own backyard. The Big East coaches made him a unanimous first team All-Conference selection. The Basketball Writers Association selected him as a third team All-American as did the Associated Press. Most opposing coaches knew they could not stop Aaron one-on-one and they doubled-teamed him. They challenged the Pitt forwards to beat them. Sometimes they rose to the occasion and other nights they did not.
Since World War II only Don Hennon, Billy Knight, Jerome Lane, Charles Smith and Brandin Knight have won All-American honors at Pitt so Aaron is in pretty select company.
Pitt will return six players next season. All of them have played valuable minutes with the game still on the line this year. They will try to blend this group in with the five true freshmen and two redshirt freshmen. The first step in the process is to see if all 13 players are on board. A couple may still have work to do to qualify. Let’s assume all 13 are here next fall. Pitt could start Levance Fields at point guard, Sam Young and Mike Cook at the forwards, Cassin Diggs at center and either Ronald Ramon or Keith Benjamin at guard. If that is how it plays out Pitt will once again have all seniors and juniors in the starting lineup.
The big difference would be when Coach Dixon looks down his bench he will see a pile of freshmen. Pitt may not be picked near the top of the conference next fall although you have to wait to see who applies for the NBA draft (Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert could be candidates at Georgetown). We will also have to see if any players transfer. I am not so sure Pitt will drop as far as some think next year if they have all 13 players available. They would still have plenty of experience to help the newcomers along. It could be another fun year.
Congratulations to Brad Wanamaker for being named Player of the Year in Philadelphia. That includes the Philadelphia public schools and the Catholic schools plus a few private schools.
Spring camp
It is still very early in spring camp but I think this could be a very good year top break in a new quarterback. Pitt has all of their wide receivers back. LaRod Stephens, Kevin Collier, LeSean McCoy, Conredge Collins and Henry Hynoski give the Coach Dave Walker plenty of options at running back. Darrell Strong and Nate Byham are talented tight ends. The quarterbacks (Bill Stull or Kevin Smith) do not have to win games by themselves. They simply have to get the ball to others and let them do the bulk of the work.
I am glad to see Jason Pinkston getting a shot at right tackle early on. If he proves he can be a starter (and I think he will) it gives Coach Paul Dunn options. Mike McGlynn is the long snapper on the field goal unit so it’s not like he has no experience at center. It is not impossible McGlynn could be moved once he is healthy. Coach Wannstedt told Pinkston not to worry about what position he is playing this spring. If he is one of the five best offensive linemen they will find a place. If Pinkston does break into the starting lineup Pitt should be better up front. John Bachman might also get in the mix before it’s over.
The offensive line should be better than anything Pitt has had to work with in a number of years. It may not remind folks of the group that play for Washington Redskins when they had the Hogs but it should be better than Pitt had played with the past several years. Pitt also has the skilled people. I think Pitt will put points on the board.
Right now defense is a much bigger concern. Pitt needs to find linebackers who will step up. They also need to get people healthy up front.
Hopefully you have been following Chris Peak’s spring reports on the Between Fifth & Forbes message board. We have published photo galleries from practice the past two days and will have another spring practice photo gallery this morning.
Recruiting recap and Junior Day
It is always hard to say exactly when a recruit is ready to pull the trigger and commit. One possibility for an early commit could be Wilmington Area’s Chris Burns. He is a speed burner that has run a 4.3 in the 40. He is being recruited as a running back but he was also an all-state defensive back. You can use speed on either side of the ball. We think Pitt would like an early commitment before the rest of the world discovers this guy. Pitt offered last Saturday when he visited. He will be back tomorrow for Blue Chip Day. A person close to the situation indicated his high school coach was meeting with the parents this week to discuss the merits of an early commitment. I do not have word on how that meeting went.
Pitt expects approximately 75 players to attend their Blue Chip Day on the Southside on Saturday. We will give you some more names when Chris files his report on Saturday. Based on conversations we have had this week we expect Averin Collier from Churchville, NY to be there. Brandon Beachum, Taylor Hill, Mike Zordich and Dan McCarthy from Youngstown Cardinal Mooney are all scheduled to attend. In addition Lucas Nix from Thomas Jefferson, Ed Tinker from Brashear, Shayne Hale from Gateway, Christian Wilson from Montour, Kaleb Ramsey from Laurel Highlands, David Posluszny from Hopewell, Josh Lott from Warren, Ed Burns from Wilmington, Marcus Sales from CBA, Chris Hayden-Martin from Greensburg Central Catholic,Tino Sunseri from Central Catholic and Quentin Williams from Central Catholic have all said they will be there.
There are a few players that have been invited but have personal commitments. Altoona’s A.J. Alexander and Strongsville’s D.J. Woods both have track meets and will not be there.
The last time I checked the database 34 players in Pennsylvania had offers. History tells us this number should grow to about 80 so we still have a very long way to go.
West Virginia picked up a commitment yesterday from Brashear’s Jermaine Robinson.
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.
Welcome back
As many of you may have noticed Harry is back posting on the Pantherlair under the handle HGP. Harry spent many years with the Pantherlair dating back to 2001 although he was covering recruiting prior to that. As many of you know Harry has a full-time job and a family. The combination of time and some family health issues have resulted in him taking a break from reporting. We are hoping he will stop by often and share his thoughts in a regular basis.
Camp also dates back to those early days. He is often on the site and occasionally posts to keep all of us on the right path. He is a former Panther football player and has operated a recruiting service in the Middle Atlantic States for many years. Plcp also dates back to those early dates and is still frequently on the site. Hopefully he also will start posting again and share his thoughts on Pitt football.
Housekeeping items
The football schedules have been updated. We have also updated the roster and depth charts. There were some number changes. Most of the heights and weights are from Pitt. It does not appear that Pitt has updated the heights and weights.
Bracket Battle
Heading into the Final Four weekend here are the top five in the Pantherlair Bracket Battle league. There are, however, several who are positioned to move up.
samuelc
Chanceman
zaphod1
Kazz83
Pittinmd
The Big East versus the ACC
Congratulations to West Virginia for winning the NIT. They beat Clemson out of the ACC 78-73 last night. Georgetown reached the Final Four by beating North Carolina out of the ACC. Pitt missed an opportunity to beat Duke when the Blue Devils were beaten by Virginia Commonwealth. I am sure Billy Packer and Dick Vitalle have some explanation for the ACC’s shortcomings in basketball this year. The Big East Conference has held its own in postseason play in both football and basketball.
Some hoops thoughts
The Pitt basketball team finished 29-8. Three of those losses were to teams in the Final Four. At the end of the day the Panthers were not one of the top half dozen teams in the country but they were 29-5 against the rest of the field. It will be interesting to see where they finish in the final poll. I would not be surprised if they finished in the Top 10. I would love to see a computer SOS at the end. Pitt was ranked No. 5 or 6 going into the tournament. They can’t be any worse than that after the tournament and may be better.
Congratulations to Aaron Gray. Aaron often frustrated many Pitt fans (including myself) by missing shots you knew he was capable of making. Aaron is sometimes more appreciated outside of his own backyard. The Big East coaches made him a unanimous first team All-Conference selection. The Basketball Writers Association selected him as a third team All-American as did the Associated Press. Most opposing coaches knew they could not stop Aaron one-on-one and they doubled-teamed him. They challenged the Pitt forwards to beat them. Sometimes they rose to the occasion and other nights they did not.
Since World War II only Don Hennon, Billy Knight, Jerome Lane, Charles Smith and Brandin Knight have won All-American honors at Pitt so Aaron is in pretty select company.
Pitt will return six players next season. All of them have played valuable minutes with the game still on the line this year. They will try to blend this group in with the five true freshmen and two redshirt freshmen. The first step in the process is to see if all 13 players are on board. A couple may still have work to do to qualify. Let’s assume all 13 are here next fall. Pitt could start Levance Fields at point guard, Sam Young and Mike Cook at the forwards, Cassin Diggs at center and either Ronald Ramon or Keith Benjamin at guard. If that is how it plays out Pitt will once again have all seniors and juniors in the starting lineup.
The big difference would be when Coach Dixon looks down his bench he will see a pile of freshmen. Pitt may not be picked near the top of the conference next fall although you have to wait to see who applies for the NBA draft (Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert could be candidates at Georgetown). We will also have to see if any players transfer. I am not so sure Pitt will drop as far as some think next year if they have all 13 players available. They would still have plenty of experience to help the newcomers along. It could be another fun year.
Congratulations to Brad Wanamaker for being named Player of the Year in Philadelphia. That includes the Philadelphia public schools and the Catholic schools plus a few private schools.
Spring camp
It is still very early in spring camp but I think this could be a very good year top break in a new quarterback. Pitt has all of their wide receivers back. LaRod Stephens, Kevin Collier, LeSean McCoy, Conredge Collins and Henry Hynoski give the Coach Dave Walker plenty of options at running back. Darrell Strong and Nate Byham are talented tight ends. The quarterbacks (Bill Stull or Kevin Smith) do not have to win games by themselves. They simply have to get the ball to others and let them do the bulk of the work.
I am glad to see Jason Pinkston getting a shot at right tackle early on. If he proves he can be a starter (and I think he will) it gives Coach Paul Dunn options. Mike McGlynn is the long snapper on the field goal unit so it’s not like he has no experience at center. It is not impossible McGlynn could be moved once he is healthy. Coach Wannstedt told Pinkston not to worry about what position he is playing this spring. If he is one of the five best offensive linemen they will find a place. If Pinkston does break into the starting lineup Pitt should be better up front. John Bachman might also get in the mix before it’s over.
The offensive line should be better than anything Pitt has had to work with in a number of years. It may not remind folks of the group that play for Washington Redskins when they had the Hogs but it should be better than Pitt had played with the past several years. Pitt also has the skilled people. I think Pitt will put points on the board.
Right now defense is a much bigger concern. Pitt needs to find linebackers who will step up. They also need to get people healthy up front.
Hopefully you have been following Chris Peak’s spring reports on the Between Fifth & Forbes message board. We have published photo galleries from practice the past two days and will have another spring practice photo gallery this morning.
Recruiting recap and Junior Day
It is always hard to say exactly when a recruit is ready to pull the trigger and commit. One possibility for an early commit could be Wilmington Area’s Chris Burns. He is a speed burner that has run a 4.3 in the 40. He is being recruited as a running back but he was also an all-state defensive back. You can use speed on either side of the ball. We think Pitt would like an early commitment before the rest of the world discovers this guy. Pitt offered last Saturday when he visited. He will be back tomorrow for Blue Chip Day. A person close to the situation indicated his high school coach was meeting with the parents this week to discuss the merits of an early commitment. I do not have word on how that meeting went.
Pitt expects approximately 75 players to attend their Blue Chip Day on the Southside on Saturday. We will give you some more names when Chris files his report on Saturday. Based on conversations we have had this week we expect Averin Collier from Churchville, NY to be there. Brandon Beachum, Taylor Hill, Mike Zordich and Dan McCarthy from Youngstown Cardinal Mooney are all scheduled to attend. In addition Lucas Nix from Thomas Jefferson, Ed Tinker from Brashear, Shayne Hale from Gateway, Christian Wilson from Montour, Kaleb Ramsey from Laurel Highlands, David Posluszny from Hopewell, Josh Lott from Warren, Ed Burns from Wilmington, Marcus Sales from CBA, Chris Hayden-Martin from Greensburg Central Catholic,Tino Sunseri from Central Catholic and Quentin Williams from Central Catholic have all said they will be there.
There are a few players that have been invited but have personal commitments. Altoona’s A.J. Alexander and Strongsville’s D.J. Woods both have track meets and will not be there.
The last time I checked the database 34 players in Pennsylvania had offers. History tells us this number should grow to about 80 so we still have a very long way to go.
West Virginia picked up a commitment yesterday from Brashear’s Jermaine Robinson.
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.
