“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.

Pitt was recently involved with Christ the King guard Jon Severe, who ended up choosing Fordham over the Panthers, West Virginia and Rutgers.

A former Pitt assistant for seven years from 1999-2006, Rohrssen played a vital role in Pitt’s dramatic rise to prominence. During a five-year period, he helped guide Pitt to a 133-33 overall record (.801 winning percentage), a 59-21 Big East regular season record (.738 winning percentage), four Big East Championships (three regular season), three NCAA Sweet Sixteen berths and five consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.

A former head coach at Manhattan, Rohrssen also spent this past season coaching with the Portland Trailblazers D-League team.

“It’s extremely exciting to be returning to Pitt,” Rohrssen said. “We obviously want to continue and build upon the great tradition established at Pitt. The program’s success speaks for itself. It’s been an honor and I’m proud of my association with the University of Pittsburgh. I love the city of Pittsburgh and feel that it’s home. It’s a great place to be.”

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NEW YORK — Tray Woodall

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.

After going for a season-high 25 points on 8-of-14 shooting as No. 20 Pitt dispatched St. John’s, 63-47, Sunday at Madison Square Garden, Woodall spoke of his relationship with his former St. Anthony teammates.

“I speak to my brothers all the time, man,” Woodall, who was born in Brooklyn and raised in Paterson, N.J., told SNY.tv exclusively. “The relationships are still the same. We talk all the time, group texts almost every other day. We just all make sure we keep each other focused on the task at hand, which is trying to get better.”

Woodall appears to be getting better at the right time.

He thoroughly controlled the action against the Johnnies, going for the most points by any Pitt player this season, while adding 4 rebounds and 2 assists. He entered averaging 10.9 points on the season.

“I thought it was the best game he’s played for us,” Pitt coach Jamie Dixon told SNY.tv.

“He was terrific in every way,” Dixon added in the media session. “I think every shot he took was a great shot. He handled the ball well and he played good defense.”

Woodall missed time last year with a groin/abdominal injury, which led to him working on his shooting more since he couldn’t move  as well. He is shooting 38 percent from beyond the arc this year, compared with 39 percent last year and 29 percent the year before.

“Maybe it’s all mental,” he said. “Obviously, when I was hurt I was taking a lot more jump shots, working on my jump shots, because I wasn’t able to get by guys. I can still get to the basket with the best of them, trust me.”

Woodall said he enjoyed playing in front of family and friends in New York, and conceded it will be “weird” not seeing Pittsburgh “in the Garden” next year when the school joins the ACC along with Syracuse.

He’s glad he’s not headed to the ACC himself.

“No, I like playing St. John’s and Villanova and teams like that,” he said. “Now West Virginia’s gone because that was one of my favorite places to play. I like the Big East.”

Pitt is currently 21-7 overall, 9-6 in the Big East and has been one of the league’s hottest teams after a 1-3 league start.

And Woodall feels his team is poised to make a postseason run after failing to make the NCAA Tournament a year ago.

“For sure, for sure, we’re definitely capable of doing that,” he said. “We got guys that keep getting better and we just want to keep playing.”

And like his former St. Anthony brothers, he expects to keep winning.

“We all want to win,” he said. “It’s unfortunate that Jio and his team aren’t winning, but we all come from winning programs, we all got winning mentalities. And for the most part we just all want to win. We want to keep each other focused.”

One group text message at a time.

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“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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“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.”

Woodall was named Preseason Big East Honorable Mention and the Panthers were picked to finish sixth in this, their last year in the Big East before moving to the ACC.

Woodall will have some new teammates this year to add to a core that includes senior forward Dante Taylor, junior forwards Talib Zanna, Lamar Patterson and J.J. Moore and sophomore guard Cam Wright.

Steven Adams is a 7-foot freshman from New Zealand who was named Big East Preseason Player of the Year.

“Steve is great,” Woodall said. “He could become a great player. He has got a great feel for the game. He’s  a mature kid, it shows on the court. He has great patience in the post, and he has a great feel for the game. He has great touch on the basketball. He can shoot the 15-to 17 foot shot. I’ve seen him knock down a bunch of threes, and he’s just a great talent to have on our team.”

Pitt also adds 6-5 Central Michigan transfer Trey Zeigler, who averaged 16 points last season and is eligible immediately.

“Trey brings that Brad Wanamaker type of feel back to the game,” Woodall said. “He’s a creator. He’s not as much of a shooter as Ashton [Gibbs] was. He’s a creator.”

Woodall also likes former DeMatha Catholic standout James Robinson, a 6-3 freshman guard who Woodall says will surprise some people.

“He’s picking up everything really fast,” Woodall said.

Pitt also brings in freshman guard Chris Jones, a former star at Teaneck (N.J.) High.

“My goal every year is to win everything,” Woodall said. “I think that’s always been our team goal.”

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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.

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.

“Me being able to play the three and four, they were talking about using all my strengths. I can play inside, out. I think something I do really well is pass out of the post and find my open teammates. I can handle the ball a little bit, shoot, pick and pop and post-up.”

The Rivals No. 18 power forward in the Class of 2013, Agau also considered Georgetown, West Virginia and Memphis.

He said he sees similarities between himself and current Louisville big man Gorgui Dieng.

“I’ve watched them play,” Agau told InsidetheVille.com. “They had Gorgui  rolling a lot and I would kind of be like that, but I think I’m a little more versatile. He rolled all the time and I think I can pick and pop and drive to the basket and make plays for my teammates or myself.”

Louisville also landed junior college point guard Chris Jones on Monday. They have 2013 guards Anton Gill and Terry Rozier in this recruiting class, too.

As for Pittsburgh, the Panthers landed Newkirk, a 6-foot- point guard from Raleigh (N.C.) Word of God.

He chose Pitt over Memphis and Georgia Tech.

“The relationship I had with the team and how they made me feel a part of the family on my visit,” he told SNY.tv of the reason for picking Pitt. “

Newkirk  is an athletic point who takes it to the basket, can drive past defenders and create. He also. possesses a solid mid-range jumper.

“I am an uptempo guard who can get in the lane and create for myself and others,” he said.

Newkirk joins 6-9 St. Benedict’s Prep power forward Mike Young in Pitt’s 2013 class.

“Pitt fans welcome my brotha to the panther family @jnewkirk1 , show love everybody !!” Young Tweeted.

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Mike Young

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.”

A strong, athletic combo forward who runs with the Playaz Basketball Club, Young averaged 15.9 points and 11.6 rebounds last season for a 25-3 Hudson (N.J.) Catholic team. He then opted to transfer to St. Benedict’s, where he will be part of a loaded team that includes 2013 guard Tyler Ennis and 2015 guard Isaiah Briscoe.

Young had initially planned on committing in November, but opted to pull the trigger now to get the recruiting process over with.

“Michael Young is a player with tremendous skill level for his size at 6-9, which gives him versatility to play many different positions,” St. Benedict’s coach Mark Taylor told SNY.tv. “Michael will bring leadership and experience. He is an outright matchup problem. If they play a big man on him he will step out and play the wing position. And if they put a guard on him, he will slide to the post.”

Now that his decision is done, Young says he’s happy it’s over.

“I’m glad,” he said. “Too much stress for me. Very excited though. The goal is a national championship [at St. Benedict's], nothing less.”

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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.

“Trey was hopeful he would be eligible to play this year,” Dixon said. “Our associate athletic director Dan Bartholomae has been outstanding throughout this entire process with the NCAA and we are all very grateful that it worked out in Trey’s favor.”

A 6-foot-5, 203-pound guard, Zeigler will provide Pitt with an immediate infusion of experience and versatility this season. In his two years at Central Michigan (63 games), Zeigler compiled 1,011 points (16.0 ppg), 382 rebounds (6.1 rpg) and 146 assists (2.3 apg). He scored 20 or more points 19 times and reached double-figure scoring in 54 contests.

Photo: Central Michigan

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Savon Goodman

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.

Moore said Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon has also been in touch about a visit but no date has been set.

As first reported by SNY.tv, Missouri and Temple are also in the mix for the 6-foot-6 Goodman, a onetime Villanova commit.

Seton Hall also recently landed Texas transfer Sterling Gibbs, who hopes to get a waiver to be eligible to run the point next season.

Seton Hall freshman guard Sean Grennan is transferring, which would open up a scholarship for Goodman should he opt to play in South Orange.

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