It has been a busy couple of days for Pitt Panthers basketball coach Jamie Dixon as they landed a prized recruit and lost an assistant coach.
I will take a look at that and more in this week’s Pitt notebook.
– The biggest news of the week is that Pitt landed Cam Johnson.
Johnson, a senior guard at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart High School in Moon, surprised many Monday when he signed a letter of intent with Pitt just one day after the Panthers had offered him a scholarship.
At 6’7″, Johnson grew five inches this season and Pitt got him despite schools such as Stanford, Virginia and Boston College showing interest.
He played point guard for OLSH. But said he can play point, shooting guard or small forward in college.
Johnson, who is an outstanding shooter, something that Pitt badly needs, was the WPIAL’s second-leading scorer at 26.8 points a game.
– Pitt also signed 6’9″ center Tyrone Haughton of Iowa Western Community College. Haughton averaged only 3.9 points, but is known for his defensive talent.
He set a school-record 185 blocks in two seasons at Iowa Western.
– Assistant coach Barry Rohrssen is leaving Pitt for a second time after accepting a job at Kentucky as an assistant coach under John Calipari, it was announced last week.
The move is not a surprise as Rohrssen was considered the top candidate to fill the job after former Pitt player Orlando Antigua left a few weeks ago.
Former Pitt guard Ashton Gibbs is rumored to be very interested in the job.
– Finally, the ACC has announced its schedule for the next two years.
Next season the Panthers will play Louisville, Syracuse, Florida State and Boston College twice each. The home schedule will also feature: Miami, Georgia Tech, Clemson, North Carolina and Notre Dame.
Pitt will also travel to: Duke, Wake Forest, North Carolina State, Virginia and Virginia Tech.
The following season the Panthers will play Louisville, Syracuse, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech twice each. Their home schedule will feature: Duke, Wake Forest, North Carolina State, Boston College and Virginia.
They will visit the likes of: North Carolina, Florida State, Notre Dame, Clemson and Miami.
Photo Credit: Post Gazette
