War Room (September 12th)
It's time once again for another installment of the War Room. As will always be the case, we begin the session with the one ground rule we have for those of you who might be new to "Between Fifth and Forbes." All information reported in the War Room MUST stay right here! That's the way this deal works. Sometimes the information is sensitive enough that it simply can not be repeated beyond the confines of this room. This is a special feature for premium subscribers only.
The reason this information is posted on our premium board, "Between Fifth and Forbes," is to ensure that it stays exclusive to the Panther Nation. This will only work if each of you helps make it work. Let's not have any problems! Anyone who violates this rule or our trust will be blacklisted immediately from Pantherlair.com. No excuses, no exceptions.
From the desk of Jim Snyder
Jeff Long - We need help with the parking situation
The Pitt Athletic Department must lean on those operating the parking lots on the Northside. Pitt knows how many tickets are sold. They also know that the parking lots have essentially been sold out and that they are expecting large crowds for all remaining home games. Pitt must insure that they have enough people in place to move traffic. They need more people directing traffic around the stadium. It is simply taking fans too long to get into their parking lot once the reach the Northside.
And while we are at it, they also need more vendors operating the concession stands in the upper decks. If you are going to sell tickets up there you must provide the service. If you want fans to come back, you must provide a good experience. Get more people operating the concession stands upstairs.
The Big East Conference moves closer to expansion
Pitt Athletic Director Jeff Long indicated this past weekend that the Big East Conference will announce by October 1st if the football schools will remain with the basketball only schools. Many expect they will decide to form a 16 team conference and remain with the basketball only schools. If they decide to go this route we still believe that the four schools added will be Louisville, Cincinnati, Marquette and DePaul. We have written about this in earlier reports and so far we have not heard anything that changes this mix. These schools would be added for the 2005-2006 season.
We have always favored a clean break from the basketball only schools but understand that this might cause some financial problems in the short run. Over the long run we still believe a split is in the best interest of the football only schools.
If the 16 team format is decided on, as we believe it will, it would be the premier basketball conference in the country, Period! Pitt and others will need to work hard to insure it is viewed in the same light in football. This may require beefing up their non-conference schedules.
Let's start looking at recruiting targets
The University of Pittsburgh already has 13 verbal commitments. This summer Pitt got verbal commitments from Floridians Darrell Strong and Alphonso Smith. One member of the Pitt staff told a colleague at the time the problem is if they have big senior years, and the Florida schools get involved, we will be recruiting these guys until Letter of Intent Day.
How many scholarships will Pitt give out? This is always a moving target. The answer is probably around 20 plus or minus 2. The truth is you never stop recruiting. Players can change their minds. Pitt had two recruits involved in serious auto accidents last year. These are young people. The unexpected often happens. This week let's look at some options on offense.
Quarterbacks
Pitt has a commitment from five star prospect Anthony Morelli from Penn Hills. In addition Tyler Palko, Luke Getsy and Joe Flacco will all be underclassmen in eligibility next season. You can stop looking in the database for another quarterback. Pitt is well stocked and their needs are much greater at other positions.
Fullbacks
Pitt loses Lousaka Polite next year but they brought in Mark Yezovich from Woodland Hills and Mike Hull out of Virginia this past year. Both are expected to red shirt this year. The Panthers also have a verbal commitment from Rashad Jennings (6' 2" 255) who is also from Virginia. Rashad does have some work to do to be eligible. We do not expect Pitt to take anymore fullback prospects unless they sense that Mike Hull can not go physically or Rashad is struggling academically. This position is probably complete.
Wide receiver
Pitt got a huge commitment from John Peyton (6' 5" 195) from Pasco High School this week. He will be a big target for Pitt quarterbacks down the road. We expect them to take at least one more and maybe two. Chris Curd and Yogi Roth are both seniors. Princell Brockenbrough will be a senior next year. As much as it pains us to say it, Larry Fitzgerald figures to leave for the NFL after next season. Wide receiver remains a definite need area for the Panthers.
Pitt's top target at wide receiver is probably Dewayne Jarrett (6' 4" 205) from New Brunswick, NJ. This four star player is listed in the database under "Athlete". He has already made an unofficial visit to Pittsburgh. Please check the video on this prospect. He has dominating size.
There are also two four star wideouts that Pitt is still chasing. Fred Davis (6' 4" 210) from Toledo Rogers and Doug Dutch from Washington, DC. Both of these prospects are in the process of lining up official visits and Pitt seems to be scrambling to get the 5th visit. Being 5th or 6th in a recruiting race, however, can be a very unsatisfying experience.
Quite frankly there appears to be a group of 7 or 8 prospects bunched behind this group. Andy Brodell from Ankeny, Iowa was offered early. I am not sure why he has not pulled the trigger. I assume he is still hoping Iowa will offer. He better not wait too long.
Pitt remain in the mix for Devon Lyons (6' 4" 210) of Woodland Hills. He initially was thought of as a safety but many are starting to rethink their position. Now some say wide receiver might be his best position in college. Most think Michigan State and Notre Dame are the leaders here but Pitt continues to pursue.
Greg Carr (6' 5" 200) from North Marion High School in Florida, Dereck Kinder (6' 2" 197) from Albion, NY, Marquis Liverpool (5' 10" 175) from Don Bosco Prep in New Jersey, Michael Reed (6' 1" 175), Michael Reed (6' 1" 175), Sinclair Cannon (6' 3" 190) from Greer, SC and Kelvin Chandler (6' 2" 180) all have offers and are possibilities.
Pitt has been recruiting Marcus Randel El (5' 10" 180) but they have not offered. One of his brothers has a masters degree from Pitt. The other plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Who knows before it is all over Pitt could offer but there are several Big Ten schools that have been on him for some time.
Dewayne Jarrett and Andy Brodell have both made unofficial visits to Pittsburgh. In theory they could pull the trigger anytime this fall. The rest of these prospects look like players Pitt tries to get "Official Visits" in December.
Pitt also is still in the mix for Ted Ginn, Jr. from Cleveland Glenville. This five star athlete is heavily recruited and is probably a long shot. There are some that feel he could play wide receiver in college. Many schools are telling him they would like him to play both ways. The ideal scenario would be to pick up another solid wide receiver and to get lucky with Ted Ginn and bring him in as an "athlete".
Tight Ends
Starting tight end Kris Wilson graduates this year after a very long run as the Pitt starter. Pitt has a verbal commitment from "jumbo athlete" Darrell Strong from Plantation, Florida who might be a tight end candidate.
Pitt is still heavily pursuing Rory Nicol (6' 5" 245) from Beaver. His top three are Penn State, Pitt and Tennessee. The Pantherlair has an article up on Rory today. Please check it out. The Panthers will also get a visit from Ryan Purvis (6' 5" 235). Some think his top three might be UCLA, Boston College and Pitt in that order. He is scheduled to come to Pitt for the Notre Dame game.
Pitt is also heavily pursuing Nick Smith (6' 6" 265) from Canton Glen Oaks. He wants to play tight end in college. I suspect they will give him a chance if he picks Pitt, however, you would have to think a 300 offensive lineman might emerge down the road. Nick once weighed something in the 300 pound neighborhood. I suspect he will be there again some day once Coach Kennedy gets a hold of him.
Other possibilities might be Amos Gbumblee (6' 4" 237) from Cypress. TX. He has an offer. Another possibility is Lucas Cox of Springdale (6' 4" 242) who currently does not have an offer but likes Pitt a lot.
Running back and Offensive line
We will cover these areas in more depth next week but Pitt appears to want another running back and perhaps a couple of offensive lineman. How many lineman you take might depend on whether they land Nick Smith and if they can land a defensive lineman or two. You can never have too many linemen but the scholarship limitations work against you in this area.
Recruiting in New Jersey
A few of our readers have questioned why Pitt has not had more success recruiting in the Garden State. Let me say that I lived in Princeton, New Jersey for many years and have some first hand knowledge. Let me start off by saying that New Jersey high school football stinks!
Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville will play their 4th game tonight. Penn Hills and North Hills in the Pittsburgh area will play their 3rd game tonight. In New Jersey all schools will open their season tonight on September 12th. This is a state that does not play state championship games despite the fact it is an easy drive from one end of the state to another. If you played a state championship game at Rutgers, virtually no school is more than an hour and a half away. Please compare that to WPIAL teams going to Hershey.
New Jersey High School football simply does not compare to Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas, Florida or California. If fact it compares poorly to Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and many other states in the South and Midwest. It might compare favorably to the state of New York. Very few games are played on Friday night. Most are played Saturday morning or Saturday afternoon. They are often greeted with the same enthusiasm as a soccer or lacrosse game. Most communities simply do not support them. Most are watched by not much more than the immediate families. I know there are a few EXCEPTIONS. Hopewell High School in New Jersey is one of the largest high schools in the country that does NOT play high school football. It is an affluent community near Princeton, NJ.
In spite of all this, New Jersey has a population of nearly 8.5 million. It will produce some very good athletes simply because of the laws of numbers.
In the 1980's and early nineties Pitt did have success in New Jersey. I think what has changed is the trend to get early verbal commitments. Pitt already has 13 verbal commitments. They did get Kenny Love and Dewayne Jarret to visit make unofficial visits but it is tough to ask players to drive 12 hours round trip for an unofficial visit. It becomes an economic issue for many of them. Most do not make an early visit to Pitt. Once we get to December, Pitt is competing with many schools for their five visits. In recent years the era of "Buddy Hackett" and Majors II worked against Pitt. While I expect Pitt to do better on a going forward basis, we should not confuse New Jersey with Florida or Ohio.
From the desk of Harry G. Psaros
Panthers pursue small forwards ~ close to commitment?
The University of Pittsburgh has been actively pursing several upper echelon small or "wing" forwards. Two forwards are very close to making their decisions and both have the Panthers as one of their finalists. John DeGroat (6 foot 6 inches, 215 pounds) from Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, CO and Gavin Grant (6 foot 7 inches, 205 pounds) from St. Raymond's High School in New York, NY (Bronx).
DeGroat, originally from Monticello, NY, visited the Panthers in early September. He is considered one of the top junior college freshmen in the country. He averaged 12 points and 6 rebounds a game for Northeastern Junior College. Pittsburgh, Oklahoma and St. Johns have extended scholarship offers.
The Pantherlair.com recently contacted Northeastern Junior College Head Basketball Coach Brian Joyce to talk about his star forward?s official visit to Pittsburgh. "He really enjoyed his visit to Pittsburgh. Coach (Jamie) Dixon has done a great job recruiting him. He liked the campus, the facilities and everything," stated Coach Joyce. "John will visit Oklahoma this weekend and probably make his decision soon after. It looks like Pitt and Oklahoma will be the finalists for his services."
When asked to describe DeGroat, he quickly replied, "John is just a great player and a great kid. He's going to be a very good player for the team that gets him. John is a tough, strong, hardnosed forward. He has a nice shot and he can go inside and outside."
It appears that DeGroat will make his decision very soon. The Panthers are a strong leader for his services.
Gavin Grant, an athletic and hard-nosed forward from New York, has narrowed his list to Pittsburgh and North Carolina State. Rivals.com ranks Grant the 29th best small forward in the nation. He visited the Panthers twice and recently completed an official visit to North Carolina State.
St. Raymonds High School Head Basketball Coach Oliver Antigua (former Panther assistant coach) describes Grant as "The Premier Wing Player in New York City". When asked to describe Gavin, Coach Antigua stated, "Gavin is a traditional "3" (small forward) and the most versatile player in the city. He is a deadly three-point shooter, he can dunk, and he's a great passer, a great defender and a pass blocker. He can do it all. We have four players averaging double figures and he's our scoring leader."
Coach Dixon and staff completed an in-home visit with Grant this week. The North Carolina State staff visited with Gavin Thursday night. Coach Antigua told the Pantherlair.com that he expects him to make a quick decision in the near future.
From the Desk of Chuck Palla
Interest Continues in Washington, DC Area
My source tells me that the Panthers continue to actively pursue the talents of four highly skilled players in the Washington, DC area. Included in this group are two widely recruited wide receivers: Douglas Dutch (6-2 185 4.3) who maintains a 3.9 GPA at Gonzaga College HS in Washington, DC as alluded to by Jim above, and Derek McPhearson (6-2 180 4.38) who has a 38-inch vertical leap for DeMatha Catholic HS in Hyattsville, MD. Also at DeMatha is offensive lineman Edwin Williams (6-4 280 5.2) an excellent pass blocker for the Stags. Last, but certainly not least is defensive end Derrick Harvey (6-5 235 4.7) who is quick as a cat off the ball and a threat to all-opposing running backs and quarterbacks.
Douglas Dutch was selected this week to play in the prestigious U.S. Army's All-American game in San Antonio, Texas next January. This game features many of the top players from across the country, and is quite an honor to be named a participant in it. Dutch is the first Washington area player selected to participate for this year's east squad. Four players in last year's contest represented the area.
It is obvious that the Panthers are interested in recruiting the top wide receivers in the East, and will not stop doing so until the ink has dried on the National Letters of Intent next February. In addition, they continue to seek out the players who they feel will best meet their needs on both the offensive and defensive lines as evidenced by their strong efforts to land Edwin and Derrick. However, the word on the street is that Williams has given Maryland a verbal commitment, stay tuned as he appears to be currently on hold.
What most sports fans don't realize is that the state of Maryland alone produced more D1A players this past year then all of Western Pennsylvania, areas of comparable size and population. The Greater Washington area has consistently produced numerous players who have gone on to excel at the college level, and many in the National Football League over the past two decades. Only in recent years have schools from across the country recognized this fact and started to earmark the area as a prime target to do business.
Note to Pantherlair.com Fans: The staff at Pantherlair.com works diligently to bring you the best information regarding University of Pittsburgh football and basketball recruiting in addition to our game coverage. Thousands of Panther fans visit our site on a daily basis. We have received a tremendous amount of e-mail thanking us for our efforts. If you like our site, please feel free to tell other Pittsburgh fans about us. "Spread the word", and let us add to our ever growing online family of Panther fans.
This post was edited by TNPanther on 9/12 8:41 AM
It's time once again for another installment of the War Room. As will always be the case, we begin the session with the one ground rule we have for those of you who might be new to "Between Fifth and Forbes." All information reported in the War Room MUST stay right here! That's the way this deal works. Sometimes the information is sensitive enough that it simply can not be repeated beyond the confines of this room. This is a special feature for premium subscribers only.
The reason this information is posted on our premium board, "Between Fifth and Forbes," is to ensure that it stays exclusive to the Panther Nation. This will only work if each of you helps make it work. Let's not have any problems! Anyone who violates this rule or our trust will be blacklisted immediately from Pantherlair.com. No excuses, no exceptions.
From the desk of Jim Snyder
Jeff Long - We need help with the parking situation
The Pitt Athletic Department must lean on those operating the parking lots on the Northside. Pitt knows how many tickets are sold. They also know that the parking lots have essentially been sold out and that they are expecting large crowds for all remaining home games. Pitt must insure that they have enough people in place to move traffic. They need more people directing traffic around the stadium. It is simply taking fans too long to get into their parking lot once the reach the Northside.
And while we are at it, they also need more vendors operating the concession stands in the upper decks. If you are going to sell tickets up there you must provide the service. If you want fans to come back, you must provide a good experience. Get more people operating the concession stands upstairs.
The Big East Conference moves closer to expansion
Pitt Athletic Director Jeff Long indicated this past weekend that the Big East Conference will announce by October 1st if the football schools will remain with the basketball only schools. Many expect they will decide to form a 16 team conference and remain with the basketball only schools. If they decide to go this route we still believe that the four schools added will be Louisville, Cincinnati, Marquette and DePaul. We have written about this in earlier reports and so far we have not heard anything that changes this mix. These schools would be added for the 2005-2006 season.
We have always favored a clean break from the basketball only schools but understand that this might cause some financial problems in the short run. Over the long run we still believe a split is in the best interest of the football only schools.
If the 16 team format is decided on, as we believe it will, it would be the premier basketball conference in the country, Period! Pitt and others will need to work hard to insure it is viewed in the same light in football. This may require beefing up their non-conference schedules.
Let's start looking at recruiting targets
The University of Pittsburgh already has 13 verbal commitments. This summer Pitt got verbal commitments from Floridians Darrell Strong and Alphonso Smith. One member of the Pitt staff told a colleague at the time the problem is if they have big senior years, and the Florida schools get involved, we will be recruiting these guys until Letter of Intent Day.
How many scholarships will Pitt give out? This is always a moving target. The answer is probably around 20 plus or minus 2. The truth is you never stop recruiting. Players can change their minds. Pitt had two recruits involved in serious auto accidents last year. These are young people. The unexpected often happens. This week let's look at some options on offense.
Quarterbacks
Pitt has a commitment from five star prospect Anthony Morelli from Penn Hills. In addition Tyler Palko, Luke Getsy and Joe Flacco will all be underclassmen in eligibility next season. You can stop looking in the database for another quarterback. Pitt is well stocked and their needs are much greater at other positions.
Fullbacks
Pitt loses Lousaka Polite next year but they brought in Mark Yezovich from Woodland Hills and Mike Hull out of Virginia this past year. Both are expected to red shirt this year. The Panthers also have a verbal commitment from Rashad Jennings (6' 2" 255) who is also from Virginia. Rashad does have some work to do to be eligible. We do not expect Pitt to take anymore fullback prospects unless they sense that Mike Hull can not go physically or Rashad is struggling academically. This position is probably complete.
Wide receiver
Pitt got a huge commitment from John Peyton (6' 5" 195) from Pasco High School this week. He will be a big target for Pitt quarterbacks down the road. We expect them to take at least one more and maybe two. Chris Curd and Yogi Roth are both seniors. Princell Brockenbrough will be a senior next year. As much as it pains us to say it, Larry Fitzgerald figures to leave for the NFL after next season. Wide receiver remains a definite need area for the Panthers.
Pitt's top target at wide receiver is probably Dewayne Jarrett (6' 4" 205) from New Brunswick, NJ. This four star player is listed in the database under "Athlete". He has already made an unofficial visit to Pittsburgh. Please check the video on this prospect. He has dominating size.
There are also two four star wideouts that Pitt is still chasing. Fred Davis (6' 4" 210) from Toledo Rogers and Doug Dutch from Washington, DC. Both of these prospects are in the process of lining up official visits and Pitt seems to be scrambling to get the 5th visit. Being 5th or 6th in a recruiting race, however, can be a very unsatisfying experience.
Quite frankly there appears to be a group of 7 or 8 prospects bunched behind this group. Andy Brodell from Ankeny, Iowa was offered early. I am not sure why he has not pulled the trigger. I assume he is still hoping Iowa will offer. He better not wait too long.
Pitt remain in the mix for Devon Lyons (6' 4" 210) of Woodland Hills. He initially was thought of as a safety but many are starting to rethink their position. Now some say wide receiver might be his best position in college. Most think Michigan State and Notre Dame are the leaders here but Pitt continues to pursue.
Greg Carr (6' 5" 200) from North Marion High School in Florida, Dereck Kinder (6' 2" 197) from Albion, NY, Marquis Liverpool (5' 10" 175) from Don Bosco Prep in New Jersey, Michael Reed (6' 1" 175), Michael Reed (6' 1" 175), Sinclair Cannon (6' 3" 190) from Greer, SC and Kelvin Chandler (6' 2" 180) all have offers and are possibilities.
Pitt has been recruiting Marcus Randel El (5' 10" 180) but they have not offered. One of his brothers has a masters degree from Pitt. The other plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Who knows before it is all over Pitt could offer but there are several Big Ten schools that have been on him for some time.
Dewayne Jarrett and Andy Brodell have both made unofficial visits to Pittsburgh. In theory they could pull the trigger anytime this fall. The rest of these prospects look like players Pitt tries to get "Official Visits" in December.
Pitt also is still in the mix for Ted Ginn, Jr. from Cleveland Glenville. This five star athlete is heavily recruited and is probably a long shot. There are some that feel he could play wide receiver in college. Many schools are telling him they would like him to play both ways. The ideal scenario would be to pick up another solid wide receiver and to get lucky with Ted Ginn and bring him in as an "athlete".
Tight Ends
Starting tight end Kris Wilson graduates this year after a very long run as the Pitt starter. Pitt has a verbal commitment from "jumbo athlete" Darrell Strong from Plantation, Florida who might be a tight end candidate.
Pitt is still heavily pursuing Rory Nicol (6' 5" 245) from Beaver. His top three are Penn State, Pitt and Tennessee. The Pantherlair has an article up on Rory today. Please check it out. The Panthers will also get a visit from Ryan Purvis (6' 5" 235). Some think his top three might be UCLA, Boston College and Pitt in that order. He is scheduled to come to Pitt for the Notre Dame game.
Pitt is also heavily pursuing Nick Smith (6' 6" 265) from Canton Glen Oaks. He wants to play tight end in college. I suspect they will give him a chance if he picks Pitt, however, you would have to think a 300 offensive lineman might emerge down the road. Nick once weighed something in the 300 pound neighborhood. I suspect he will be there again some day once Coach Kennedy gets a hold of him.
Other possibilities might be Amos Gbumblee (6' 4" 237) from Cypress. TX. He has an offer. Another possibility is Lucas Cox of Springdale (6' 4" 242) who currently does not have an offer but likes Pitt a lot.
Running back and Offensive line
We will cover these areas in more depth next week but Pitt appears to want another running back and perhaps a couple of offensive lineman. How many lineman you take might depend on whether they land Nick Smith and if they can land a defensive lineman or two. You can never have too many linemen but the scholarship limitations work against you in this area.
Recruiting in New Jersey
A few of our readers have questioned why Pitt has not had more success recruiting in the Garden State. Let me say that I lived in Princeton, New Jersey for many years and have some first hand knowledge. Let me start off by saying that New Jersey high school football stinks!
Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville will play their 4th game tonight. Penn Hills and North Hills in the Pittsburgh area will play their 3rd game tonight. In New Jersey all schools will open their season tonight on September 12th. This is a state that does not play state championship games despite the fact it is an easy drive from one end of the state to another. If you played a state championship game at Rutgers, virtually no school is more than an hour and a half away. Please compare that to WPIAL teams going to Hershey.
New Jersey High School football simply does not compare to Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas, Florida or California. If fact it compares poorly to Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and many other states in the South and Midwest. It might compare favorably to the state of New York. Very few games are played on Friday night. Most are played Saturday morning or Saturday afternoon. They are often greeted with the same enthusiasm as a soccer or lacrosse game. Most communities simply do not support them. Most are watched by not much more than the immediate families. I know there are a few EXCEPTIONS. Hopewell High School in New Jersey is one of the largest high schools in the country that does NOT play high school football. It is an affluent community near Princeton, NJ.
In spite of all this, New Jersey has a population of nearly 8.5 million. It will produce some very good athletes simply because of the laws of numbers.
In the 1980's and early nineties Pitt did have success in New Jersey. I think what has changed is the trend to get early verbal commitments. Pitt already has 13 verbal commitments. They did get Kenny Love and Dewayne Jarret to visit make unofficial visits but it is tough to ask players to drive 12 hours round trip for an unofficial visit. It becomes an economic issue for many of them. Most do not make an early visit to Pitt. Once we get to December, Pitt is competing with many schools for their five visits. In recent years the era of "Buddy Hackett" and Majors II worked against Pitt. While I expect Pitt to do better on a going forward basis, we should not confuse New Jersey with Florida or Ohio.
From the desk of Harry G. Psaros
Panthers pursue small forwards ~ close to commitment?
The University of Pittsburgh has been actively pursing several upper echelon small or "wing" forwards. Two forwards are very close to making their decisions and both have the Panthers as one of their finalists. John DeGroat (6 foot 6 inches, 215 pounds) from Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, CO and Gavin Grant (6 foot 7 inches, 205 pounds) from St. Raymond's High School in New York, NY (Bronx).
DeGroat, originally from Monticello, NY, visited the Panthers in early September. He is considered one of the top junior college freshmen in the country. He averaged 12 points and 6 rebounds a game for Northeastern Junior College. Pittsburgh, Oklahoma and St. Johns have extended scholarship offers.
The Pantherlair.com recently contacted Northeastern Junior College Head Basketball Coach Brian Joyce to talk about his star forward?s official visit to Pittsburgh. "He really enjoyed his visit to Pittsburgh. Coach (Jamie) Dixon has done a great job recruiting him. He liked the campus, the facilities and everything," stated Coach Joyce. "John will visit Oklahoma this weekend and probably make his decision soon after. It looks like Pitt and Oklahoma will be the finalists for his services."
When asked to describe DeGroat, he quickly replied, "John is just a great player and a great kid. He's going to be a very good player for the team that gets him. John is a tough, strong, hardnosed forward. He has a nice shot and he can go inside and outside."
It appears that DeGroat will make his decision very soon. The Panthers are a strong leader for his services.
Gavin Grant, an athletic and hard-nosed forward from New York, has narrowed his list to Pittsburgh and North Carolina State. Rivals.com ranks Grant the 29th best small forward in the nation. He visited the Panthers twice and recently completed an official visit to North Carolina State.
St. Raymonds High School Head Basketball Coach Oliver Antigua (former Panther assistant coach) describes Grant as "The Premier Wing Player in New York City". When asked to describe Gavin, Coach Antigua stated, "Gavin is a traditional "3" (small forward) and the most versatile player in the city. He is a deadly three-point shooter, he can dunk, and he's a great passer, a great defender and a pass blocker. He can do it all. We have four players averaging double figures and he's our scoring leader."
Coach Dixon and staff completed an in-home visit with Grant this week. The North Carolina State staff visited with Gavin Thursday night. Coach Antigua told the Pantherlair.com that he expects him to make a quick decision in the near future.
From the Desk of Chuck Palla
Interest Continues in Washington, DC Area
My source tells me that the Panthers continue to actively pursue the talents of four highly skilled players in the Washington, DC area. Included in this group are two widely recruited wide receivers: Douglas Dutch (6-2 185 4.3) who maintains a 3.9 GPA at Gonzaga College HS in Washington, DC as alluded to by Jim above, and Derek McPhearson (6-2 180 4.38) who has a 38-inch vertical leap for DeMatha Catholic HS in Hyattsville, MD. Also at DeMatha is offensive lineman Edwin Williams (6-4 280 5.2) an excellent pass blocker for the Stags. Last, but certainly not least is defensive end Derrick Harvey (6-5 235 4.7) who is quick as a cat off the ball and a threat to all-opposing running backs and quarterbacks.
Douglas Dutch was selected this week to play in the prestigious U.S. Army's All-American game in San Antonio, Texas next January. This game features many of the top players from across the country, and is quite an honor to be named a participant in it. Dutch is the first Washington area player selected to participate for this year's east squad. Four players in last year's contest represented the area.
It is obvious that the Panthers are interested in recruiting the top wide receivers in the East, and will not stop doing so until the ink has dried on the National Letters of Intent next February. In addition, they continue to seek out the players who they feel will best meet their needs on both the offensive and defensive lines as evidenced by their strong efforts to land Edwin and Derrick. However, the word on the street is that Williams has given Maryland a verbal commitment, stay tuned as he appears to be currently on hold.
What most sports fans don't realize is that the state of Maryland alone produced more D1A players this past year then all of Western Pennsylvania, areas of comparable size and population. The Greater Washington area has consistently produced numerous players who have gone on to excel at the college level, and many in the National Football League over the past two decades. Only in recent years have schools from across the country recognized this fact and started to earmark the area as a prime target to do business.
Note to Pantherlair.com Fans: The staff at Pantherlair.com works diligently to bring you the best information regarding University of Pittsburgh football and basketball recruiting in addition to our game coverage. Thousands of Panther fans visit our site on a daily basis. We have received a tremendous amount of e-mail thanking us for our efforts. If you like our site, please feel free to tell other Pittsburgh fans about us. "Spread the word", and let us add to our ever growing online family of Panther fans.
This post was edited by TNPanther on 9/12 8:41 AM
