In a move that should help them recruit the New York City area better as they make the transition to the ACC, Pittsburgh has brought back Barry “Slice” Rohrssen.
“We are extremely excited to bring Barry back to Pitt,” Panthers coach Jamie Dixon said. “From the start, Barry played an integral role in the success and building of our program. He has a great coaching background, is a good recruiter and has an exceptional understanding of how we operate our program.”
Rohrssen — who replaces Pat Sandle — recruited Chris Taft, Levance Fields, Ronald Ramon and Keith Benjamin to the Panthers and maintains a strong reputation with AAU and high school coaches in the city and surrounding areas. To read more of this story, click here
NEW YORK — Tray Woodall and his former St. Anthony teammates send group text messages to each other almost every other day.
Together, Woodall, Tyshawn Taylor, Mike Rosario and Jio Fontan, went 32-0 en route to a mythical national championship under Bob Hurley at St. Anthony in 2008.
They are forever bonded as brothers.
Now, Woodall (Pittsburgh), Rosario (Florida) and Fontan (USC) are all in their final years of college eligibility, while Taylor is an NBA rookie with the playoff-bound Brooklyn Nets.
Woodall and Rosario are headed to the NCAA Tournament, while Fontan and the Trojans will likely miss out. To read more of this story, click here
Pittsburgh redshirt sophomore center Malcolm Gilbert has decided to transfer and could end up at Fairfield University.
“Malcolm has asked for his release and has informed me that he wants to play with his brother,” Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said. “He’s a great kid, hard worker and good player. We thank Malcolm for his contribution to our program over the last year and a half and wish him much success in the future.”
Marcus Gilbert is a 6-foot-6 freshman forward at Fairfield.
As Rob Dauster of NBC Sports pointed out, Gilbert is the fifth player to leave Pitt program in the last 20 months, following J.J. Richardson (Houston); Khem Birch (UNLV); Isaiah Epps (Monroe College); and John Johnson (Penn State).
The 6-foot-11, 235-pound Gilbert was redshirting the 2012-13 season after averaging 0.8 points and 0.8 rebounds per game last season.
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Pittsburgh junior guard Trey Zeigler has been suspended indefinitely after being stopped by Pittsburgh police on Sunday and charged with two misdemeanor counts of driving under the influence.
“The incident involving Trey Zeigler is not only surprising, but incredibly disappointing,” Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said. “Although I believe it was out of character for Trey, he has been immediately suspended until further notice. Trey has expressed his deep regret to me and understands and respects the importance of accountability for one’s actions.”
The news of the DUI was first reported by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
“I want to apologize to my family, the University of Pittsburgh, my teammates and coaches and the entire Pittsburgh community,” Zeigler said. “This is not indicative of the kind of person I am, nor the kind of person I want to be.”
Zeigler had averaged 16.0 points and 6.1 rebounds as a sophomore at Central Michigan, but opted to transfer when the school fired his father, Ernie Zeigler, as coach last spring.
Trey then chose Pittsburgh over Duke, UCLA and others.
He was given a waiver to play immediately, and was averaging just 6.2 points off the bench in limited minutes.
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NEW YORK — I’ve known Pitt point guard Tray Woodall for six years, dating back to his time at St. Anthony and a team that won a mythical national championship in 2008 under Hall of Fame coach Bob Hurley.
So it was tough to watch the 5-foot-11 Brooklyn native suffer through groin and abdominal injuries last season that caused him to miss 11 games, during which Pitt suffered through a seven-game losing streak.
Woodall still managed to average 11.7 points and 6.1 assists, which would have ranked him third on the Big East leaderboard if he had played enough games to qualify.
But as he enters his senior season, Woodall told me during this sit-down video interview last week at Big East Media Day that he’s healthy and ready to go.
“I’m feeling great,” he said. “I had two sports hernias. I tore my lower ab. But I had successful surgery this summer. I’ve been working our really hard. My rehab has been going great. I’m back on the court, and I’m 100 percent playing with the guys.” To read more of this story, click here
Pitt’s Jamie Dixon busted out the Jackie Moon look for Pitt’s outdoor Midnight Madness.
And man, does he look good.
Looks like Jamie plans on having some fun as the Panthers enter their final season in the Big East.
Below he talks to Billy Raftery about 7-foot freshman Steven Adams in a screen grab from ESPNU. To read more of this story, click here
Louisville and Pittsburgh both picked up key 2013 verbal commitments Wednesday.
Akoy Agau, a 6-foot-9 power forward from Omaha (Neb.) Central, pledged to the Cardinals during an in-home visit with head coach Rick Pitino.
“They see me as a guy who can do a little of everything and make plays for teammates,” Agau told InsideTheVille.com recently. “They are going to utilize all my strengths and put me in a position where I can be successful and also help out the team with all the abilities that I have. To read more of this story, click here
Mike Young is coming home.
The 6-foot-9 Pittsburgh native decided Friday night and then announced on Saturday that he had chosen Pitt over Florida. The St. Benedict’s Prep power forward made the announcement during a family event while at home. He also considered Memphis, Xavier and Miami.
“Pittsburgh was the best fit for me,” he told SNY.tv by text. “[Assistant] coach [Brandin] Knight is way more than a coach to me. We have a relationship outside of basketball. Me and Coach [Jamie] Dixon had great conversations and he called my mom the most.” To read more of this story, click here
Pittsburgh coach Jamie Dixon scored a major coup Friday when incoming transfer Trey Zeigler was declared immediately eligible for the 2012-13 season by the NCAA.
Zeigler transferred to Pitt in April after starring the past two seasons at Central Michigan University. His father, Ernie, was fired as the head coach at Central Michigan, which likely facilitated the waiver process. He chose the Panthers over Duke, UCLA and Arizona State.
He will join an impressive incoming group that includes potential future NBA forward Steven Adams and DeMatha Catholic guard James Robinson in what will be Pitt’s final year in the Big East. To read more of this story, click here
Savon Goodman will visit Seton Hall early next week and Pittsburgh sometime after that, Philly Constitution coach Rob Moore told SNY.tv.
Moore spoke Monday with Pirates associate head coach Shaheen Holloway to plan the visit.
“He may visit Sunday or early next week,” Moore said of the 6-foot-6 Goodman, an athletic 2012 wing. “They feel he can do what Jeff [Robinson] did there.”
After transferring from Memphis to Seton Hall, Robinson was an athletic, strong wing who complemented Jordan Theodore, Jeremy Hazell and Herb Pope. To read more of this story, click here
