Graham impresses in laying out plans at Pitt

The University of Pittsburgh introduced head coach Todd Graham to the media this afternoon and Graham came away very impressive in his message of laying out his plans at Pitt. Unlike, the Mike Haywood press conference, Pitt was talking about the goal being championships today and Graham is totally the anti Haywood. He’s bringing excitement to Pitt and will surely excite the fan base. Here are some key notes from Graham’s Press Conference: GRAHAM HONORED TO BE COMING TO PITT *Graham said he is honored to be coming to Pitt and indicated that this is his dream job. “Words can’t express, walking through these hallways, seeing Johnny Majors locker, what this program means to me, ” Graham said. CHAMPIONSHIPS THE

The Latest Buzz on Pitt’s Coaching Search

The media was buzzing last night when a report from John Meyer of WTAE indicated that the Pitt Panthers hired Tom Bradley as their new coach on Wednesday night. That report was refuted by the school and elsewhere as the Panthers have not offered their head coaching position to any of their candidates. As things are shaping up on Thursday, Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Bradley has emerged as the consensus “likely hire” but Tulsa’s Todd Graham remains the top choice of athletic director Steve Pederson and quite possibly the administration. For the past few days, my information has been consistent on Graham being Pederson’s top choice and sources close to the situation told Inside Pittsburgh Sports this morning that

Pitt Hoops: Gibbs, Wanamaker lead Pitt to 74-53 victory over Robert Morris

Pittsburgh 74 – Robert Morris 53 One thing Jamie Dixon coached teams do is win non-conference home games as the Panthers improved to 100-1 in their past 101 non-conference home games in defeating Robert Morris 74-53 on Tuesday night at the Petersen Events Center. The No. 5 Panthers (6-0) improved to 29-0 All-time against Robert Morris and 69-0 against Northeast Conference teams. The Colonials kept things close in the 1st half but the Panthers pulled away in the 2nd half, behind a 20 point effort from Ashton Gibbs who led the Panthers in scoring. Brad Wanamaker scored 17 points and Gary McGhee had 11 points and 12 rebounds for the Panthers. Gilbert Brown athleticism was on stage as Brown made

Panthers receive verbal committment from 4-star recruit Jameel Poteat

The Pitt Panthers football team today received a verbal commitment from 4-star running back Jameel Poteat (Harrisburg, Pa./Bishop McDevitt). The 5-foot-11, 200-pounder rushed for 1,664 yards and scored 24 times, while leading Bishop McDevitt to a 12-1 record during his junior season. Landing a verbal commitment from Poteat is viewed as a major win for the Panthers. The talented running back was weighing offers from top schools Florida, Tennessee, Notre Dame, Iowa and Cincinnati and has reportedly received over 40 scholarship offers. In the past 2 seasons, Poteat has rushed for 2,972 yards and 39 touchdowns. He has also good pass catching ability out of the backfield. The Panthers are also expected to land a verbal commitment tomorrow afternoon from

Pitt defensive end Jabaal Sheard suspended indefinitely

Pitt Panthers senior starting defensive end Jabaal Sheard has been suspended indefinitely, the school announced Sunday evening. Sheard was involved in an altercation in the Southside early Sunday morning and was arrested and charged with various misdemeanor and summary offenses. “We are in the midst of gathering information on a weekend incident involving Jabaal Sheard,” said Pitt athletic department spokesman E.J. Borghetti. “While we conduct our own investigation Jabaal has been indefinitely suspended from the team.” In his junior season, Sheard had 42 tackles, 101/2 for loss and five sacks.

NCAA: Hofstra seeks permission to speak to Pitt’s Tom Herrion

University of Pittsburgh Mens’ basketball assistant coach Tom Herrion is on the radar of Hofstra University, according to sources in the Pitt program. According to sources, Hofstra AD Jack Hayes is seeking permission to speak to Tom Herrion about Hofstra’s head coaching position. An interview could happen by the end of the week. Herrion joined Jamie Dixon’s staff in 2007 after previously being the head coach at the College of Charleston from 2002-06.

NCAA: IUP’s Joe Lombardi on RMU’s radar? Jamie Dixon buzz

College Basketball Coaching buzz Andy Katz of ESPN is reporting that Oregon is shooting large by going after Gonzaga’s Mark Few, Pitt’s Jamie Dixon and Florida’s Billy Donovan. Oregon officials have approached Dixon through back channels to gauge interest, according to a source in the Pitt program, but Dixon has expressed zero interest in Oregon and is fully committed to Pitt, according to the source. With a strong recruiting class coming in 2010 and 2011, sources indicate Dixon envisions Pitt being a potential final four team in the 2011-2012 season. Dixon is already on the recruiting trail, currently in Ohio tonight scouting the state playoffs. For Dixon to consider leaving Pitt, a perfect opportunity will have to present itself and