PITT LOOKING AT 2010 GUARD EPPS

2010 Guard Isaiah Epps is in High Demand and the Pittsburgh Panthers recently sent Associate Head Coach Tom Herrion to take a look at Epps.

Herrion was impressed with what he saw from the young guard and told coach Pete Vasil there is a Panther offer for his star, but vasil will wait for more confirmation, “I will wait until the head coach tells me he has an offer before I count it and I haven’t heard from Jamie Dixon yet,” says Vasil.


Competition is fierce already for the young guard as Maryland has been coming aggressively after Pete Vasil's talented player, “Maryland is recruiting him the hardest right now and Gary Williams wants him very much. Plus, Gary told him he can come and play right away. If Isaiah likes the situation there, I would recommend to him that he takes the offer. That way he has a solid foundation for the rest of his high school career. He can concentrate on his academics and making himself a better player, and he no longer has to worry about where he’s going.”


Also, Big East foes like Rutgers and Seton Hall are aggressively pursuing Epps in hopes of keeping the Plainfield High School star playing college basketball in his home state.

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DIXON STAYS TO CONTINUE BUILDING PITT BASKETBALL

Jamie Dixon has developed a strong bond with the University of Pittsburgh administration and ESPN's Andy Katz captures this relationship very well in his latest article covering the Pittsburgh coach: Dixon Turns Down Suitors, Keeps Pittsburgh Poised for Success (ESPN.com).


Although the demise of the Pitt program has been predicted by many often times during the last seven seasons, from being a one-hit wonder to seeing the success follow out the door with Ben Howland, Brandin Knight and crew, and then again when Jaron Brown and Julius Page graduated...and again when Chevy Troutman and Chris Taft left Pittsburgh...or when Carl Krauser and Aaron Gray moved on...well, it just seems as though Pitt is not going to go away. Now, heading into Dixon's 6th season, Pitt is ranked in many top 5's and a preseason team with a lot of hype.

Now, they need a little more March hype to go for another step ahead!


One note, though, Dixon might be looking at accomplishing the next step at Pitt without one of his longest tenured confidants as assistant Orlando Antiigua is a candidate for a similar position at Memphis as John Calipari is Looking at Big East Assistants (CBS Sports) to finish up his staff's rebuilding.

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PITTSBURGH LOSSES LOCAL TARGET

With scholarship offers from Xavier, Pittsburgh, Virginia and Virginia Tech, along with burgeoning interest from schools all over the country, Zeke Marshall, the 6'11 center from McKeesport (PA) pulls a stunner and picks Akron. According to the Akron Beacon Journal, the Zips Land Top Center Prospect as Marshall gave the Akron program a verbal commitment.

The NBE Basketball Report had an article recently on the big man as Zeke Marshall Was Coming into His Own this spring on the AAU circuit.

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PITT OFFERS LOCAL BIG MAN

McKeesport's Marshall Progressing (Pittsburgh Sports Report)

The Pittsburgh Panthers are looking to add size in their 2009 recruiting class and coach Jamie Dixon might have to go very far to find some as local 7-footer Zeke Marshall is right in his backyard.

The thin big man runs the floor like a guard, but needs to add weight to his slight frame to bang in the Big East. Marshall has an offer from the Panthers as well as Xavier, Akron, Virginia and Virginia Tech. Several more high major schools are joining the chase after a very impressive performance at the recent King James Shooting Stars Classic.

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