Category: College

Jim O’Brien: O’Brien
column for The Valley Mirror

The University of Pittsburgh men’s basketball team completed its home schedule and first season in the Atlantic Coast Conference at the Petersen Events Center playing North Carolina State this past Monday night.

Before they start the 2014-2015 season next November I would suggest that Pitt embark on a mission to clean up its act, clear up some obvious oversights and calm down its head coach.

I am a fan of Jamie Dixon, and believe he is the best coach Pitt could have at this time.  The Panthers have won 20 games overall and ten league games for the 12^th time in the last 13 seasons, so Dixon has directed one of the most successful programs in the country.  They have done much better in the ACC than I anticipated or predicted they would in this column space.

I said they lack a star player, a go-to guy, and they lack the lineup that can go far in post-season play.  I still believe that.

But we can all get better.

I don’t expect Pitt to win a national championship.  I am happy if they are in the Top 25 in basketball and in football.

But I think Dixon is overdoing it these days, as far as coaching is concerned.  He is over-coaching.  He is not the only college basketball coach guilty of thinking he’s a puppeteer, pulling strings on his players every run up the floor.  Penn State’s Pat Chambers behaves even worse on the sideline, but he has beaten Ohio State twice this season so he is doing something right.

For starters, Dixon is on the floor, on the playing surface, a lot more often than his counterpart Mike Tomlin of the Steelers, who gained fame and was fined by the NFL office for being on the playing field this past season.  The referees should chase Dixon back to the bench.  John Wooden of UCLA was hailed as the greatest college basketball coach of all time, and he sat on the bench with a rolled-up program in his hand.

When I covered the NBA championship New York Knicks in 1970, their coach, Red Holzman, often said, “You coach in practice and you let them play in the games.”

Dixon calls time out at the worst times in the closing minutes, make that seconds of games, as if he is going to impart some wisdom that will win the day for Pitt.  It hasn’t worked that way.  More often than not, the Panthers turn over the ball when they get back on the court.  Dixon has been criticized recently for calling time outs at inappropriate times against Syracuse and Notre Dame.

He is constantly screaming at his players from the sideline.  He has five men in suits next to him on the sideline and I am not sure what they do.  You only need six men in suits if you’re carrying a casket in a church, synagogue or cemetery.  If I’m a coach, I want players sitting next to me on the bench so I can make observations – and teach them – during the game.

Players should know what to do in crunch time.

Pitt pays honors to Don Hennon at every opportunity these days.  He was on the greatest All-America team of all time as a junior back in

the late ‘50s.  Hennon, by coincidence, scored 34 points in his debut as a sophomore against North Carolina State.

That All-America team, by the way, included Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson, Elgin Baylor, Guy Rodgers and Bob Boozer.  Hennon was second-team All-America as a senior.  Dixon needs to recruit a kid like Hennon who can shoot and score from outside.  Pitt has no such player on its present line-up.

Some people are critical of the kind of players Dixon seems to recruit, but I figure he is getting the best players he can sell on coming to Pitt.  Most of the best players still want to play for Duke, North Carolina, Kentucky, Kansas, Indiana, Arizona, Memphis, Michigan, Michigan State, Connecticut, Notre Dame, even Wichita State and San Diego State, for different reasons.

I was standing near the top of the Petersen Events Center late this season and I found myself checking out the retired game jerseys in the rafters.  Hennon is there, of course, along with Charles Smith, Billy Knight and Brandin Knight.

Isn’t it about time that Pitt corrects an oversight and honors Doc Carlson and Charley Hyatt in the same manner?

Carlson coached Hyatt and many other terrific Pitt players for 31 seasons and won 367 games.  His name and victory number should be on a banner the way they honor Holzman and St. John’s coach Lou Carnesecca on the ceiling at Madison Square Garden.

Pitt has used the excuse that they didn’t know what number Hyatt wore because it didn’t show up in any old photos.  George Von Benko, a sports broadcaster in Uniontown, Hyatt’s hometown, says he discovered in his research that Hyatt wore No. 15.  Hyatt was a three-time All-America back in the late ‘20s.

Here’s the unreal part of this situation.  Carlson and Hyatt were honored in the charter class of the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts.  How can they not be similarly honored at Pitt?

While we’re at it, I also think that Dick Groat should have his Duke number up in the rafters or somewhere on display in the building after serving as Pitt’s radio basketball analyst to Bill Hillgrove for more than 25 years.  Groat’s jersey was the first one that was retired at Duke, and he’s in the College Basketball Hall of Fame.  I think that broadcast team, along with some of Pitt’s greatest players, should be pictured on the walls throughout the Petersen Events Center.

I remember seeing large photos of Carlson and Hennon above the stairway leading into the Pitt Field House.  I think Arnie Sowell, the great middle distance runner from nearby Schenley High, was also pictured.

Pitt has a proud sports history.  I know there is a Hall of Fame in the building, but the casual visitor doesn’t see it.

Pitt needs to improve its non-conference schedule.  Sometimes you’d think they had joined the MEAC instead of the ACC because the Panthers have played so many MEAC schools in recent seasons.

The building is half filled when Pitt plays Savannah State, Cal Poly, Prairie View, Albany and Howard because no one cares to see those games.  The tickets cost the same as the games against ACC schools.

There are schools Pitt can count on beating to keep its “Our House” home record impressive but have more significance to sports fans here, such as Army and Navy, Bucknell, Fordham and Manhattan, and I think they should play Penn State and West Virginia – don’t tell me it’s not possible – and some former Big East foes.

The scene at Pitt basketball games is great.  It’s so much fun.  The Pitt pep band, the cheerleaders, dance team, Golden Girls and The Oakland Zoo all contribute to a circus-like atmosphere.  Showing fans dancing and singing and such on the big screen is great theatre.

Pitt added some really entertaining half-time shows this past season and it added to the amusement factor.

But I think the way the Oakland Zoo welcomes visiting teams to the building makes the call-for-sportsmanship announcements a farce.  When each visiting player is announced over the p.a. system the Pitt students respond by shouting, “Sucks!”  When the visiting coach is announced, the students shout, “He sucks, too.”

Then they toss the student newspaper sheet they had been hiding their faces behind up into the air and the game is ready to start.  Then they jump up and down and to their best to distract the opposition and support the home team.

I think Pitt officials should put a stop to that.  If I were a visiting coach I would tell Pitt officials you don’t want your team announced.  Just start the game.  Why subject your kids to such verbal abuse.  Sucks what?  What are they really saying?

No visiting coach has ever asked that his team not be announced, according to associate athletic director E.J. Borghetti, who handles public relations, and he told me that the administration is reviewing the situation about the students shouting “Sucks” during pre-game introductions.

Pitt officials should also quit moving the seats of season ticket holders each year depending on their giving level.  The original agreement struck by athletic director Steve Peterson in his first stint at the school was that if you maintained the required giving level you would maintain the same seats ad infinitum.  Jeff Long, the next a.d., said there was a misunderstanding about that.  No, there wasn’t andy misunderstanding.  He and his staff simply changed the rules.  They broke a contract with their patrons. Peterson should rectify that and restore the original agreement.  Pittsburghers don’t like to move.  They like permanency.

I miss seeing the Pitt basketball players line up across the floor, arms over arms, swaying to the playing of the National Anthem.  The ACC, I have learned, dictates that the players should be lined up on the sideline during the playing of the National Anthem.  Pitt should appeal that with ACC officials and find a way to restore that formation on the floor.  So get the players on the floor and the coach off the floor; that’s the final message for Pitt today.

March Madness is here and it’s the best time of the year for basketball fans.

Valley Mirror columnist Jim O’Brien has a book called “Chuck Noll – A Winning Way,” that is available on Amazon.com or through Jim’s website at www.jimobriensportsauthor.com

First, can you tell readers a bit about Cardiac Hill – what’s in store for readers in 2014 and what you’re looking forward to covering?

I started the site back in 2008 as mostly a place for me to vent after frustrating losses and such, and was approached by SB Nation to move the blog there in 2011. The site started out mostly as me commenting on games and news links. These days, we’ve got seven writers that cover almost everything related to Pitt sports, attend and cover games as credentialed members of the press, have a podcast, and post several times a day.

In 2013, we took a big step forward in beginning to do some coverage of the non-revenue/Olympic sports. Other than the official athletics department page, we were maybe the only site that covered the baseball team from start to finish last year, recapping basically every series. We also took a bigger step into the recruiting world. A big focus this year is to do more of those things. Pitt has an amazing wrestling program that’s always ranked and now in the top ten. The gymnastics program was ranked in the Top 25 last year. The baseball team had a school record 42 wins and was ranked. The women’s basketball team hired Suzie McConnell-Serio and was recently a Sweet 16 team. Programs like that deserve coverage and we’re one of the few sites that does much with those sports. And while we’ll never be a site geared fully towards recruiting, that’s a huge market obviously. We’re going to continue to do more in not only announcing when recruits have committed, but providing a bit more insight onto individual players and their backgrounds.

One thing I pride myself on is running a site that gives clear opinions but lacks homerism. We try to be as realistic as possible and while all of us are Pitt fans, my goal is for us to be as even-handed as possible.

First – Let’s talk Pitt basketball. How deflating was the Duke loss for Pitt? And considering they struggled against Maryland as well, should fans be worried bout this team moving forward?

The loss to Duke certainly hurt since a lot of fans, myself included, thought it was a game Pitt should win. This year, Pitt has struggled in their big ‘spotlight’ games when they’ve been in front of the entire country. Many poll voters have likely only seen Pitt against Syracuse, Cincinnati, and Duke … and the Panthers lost each game. But as I wrote afterwards on our site, it’s all got to be kept in perspective a bit. Pitt had an uncharacteristically bad night against Cincinnati and still lost by only one on a neutral court. The Syracuse loss was by only five and they were on the road and neck and neck with the No. 2 team in the country. Duke has NBA players and just shot lights out, playing their best game of the year. No reason to panic at all if you’re a Pitt fan. All three losses were to ranked teams and only one of them was at home. The Panthers don’t have the marquee win everyone wants, but beating Clemson by 33, Maryland by 20, Wake Forest by 15, Stanford by 20 … those are all better than average victories. Pitt doesn’t have a great win yet, but they have plenty of very good ones.

What are your thoughts on Patterson – is he the type of player than can be aggressive enough and carry this team deep into the NCAA tournament, or is his game too limited? And do you see him getting drafted?

Patterson certainly has the ability to take the team deep into the tournament, but Pitt’s question is going to be if they can find others to consistently support him. He had an off night against Duke and things like that are bound to happen. The Panthers are going to need other guys to step up and not only hit their season averages in the box score, but handle an even bigger load on nights that Patterson is limited. Because of that, I’m not sure I like their chances for a deep tournament run – all it takes is one bad game and Pitt is relying quite a bit on freshmen.

Earlier this year, I didn’t think there was a chance he’d get drafted. But he will have a legitimate chance to win the ACC Player of the Year award and if he does that, he’ll get even more attention. Patterson’s biggest flaw is that he’s a bit undersized for his true position at small forward. That’s especially true in the NBA when teams are playing bigger and bigger guys there. A guy like Mike Dunleavy, Jr. is 6’9″ and plays small forward, and teams will find it hard to play Patterson against players that long. All of that said, he does a lot of things very well and I continue to be amazed at how well he passes every game. At this point, I’d lean against him being taken but it’s hard not to see him getting into someone’s summer camp as a free agent.

Who are the current roster players that you really see stepping up this season and next?

A guy like Talib Zanna is stepping up this season and getting better, but the one that’s really improved is Cam Wright. As a freshman, Wright looked out of place on the court and struggled quite a bit. He got a little better last year, but still wasn’t more than a role player who could come in and get minutes based on solely his defense. This year, he’s more aggressive offensively and even though he’s not a great jump shooter, he’s a very efficient scorer because he often gets to the basket or takes high-percentage shots. I did an entire article last year about how he could take a Brad Wanamaker-type leap this year as a junior and that’s proving to be true.

When it comes to next year, Cam is going to have an even bigger role with both of Pitt’s top two scorers, Patterson and Zanna, graduating. Ditto for James Robinson, who might also have to do a little more scoring. The interesting thing to me will be the roles of the trio of freshmen that are playing this year – Mike Young, Jamel Artis, and Josh Newkirk. Those guys are getting their chances this year, but will have even more of an opportunity to do something next season.

What recruits should fans be most excited to see next year and why?

Pitt has three players coming in with center Shaquille Doorson, local forward Ryan Luther, and Vanderbilt transfer, Sheldon Jeter. Doorson could play right away just out of the sheer need for size on this team but Jeter is the one who could make the biggest impact. Next year would be his third year out of high school and he’s the kind of guy that will step in and get minutes immediately. There’s also Top 50 recruit Detrick Mostella who had committed to the team, but we don’t know what’s really going on with his qualifying status and even if he’ll be here at any point.

Should Artis be starting over Young, in your opinion? Why? Why not?

That’s a question that’s going to keep coming up as long as Young struggles. Right now, I wouldn’t make the move for a few reasons.

First, Pitt is playing well with the way things are right now and Jamie Dixon has never been a coach that likes to rock the boat. Young may lose minutes, but I’d expect him to still start unless he becomes absolutely unplayable. Another issue with a switch right now is that Pitt’s bench production is often nonexistent with the loss of Durand Johnson. Artis is sometimes the only guy doing much of anything there and if you make that switch, the bench could get even weaker. Lastly, Dixon has to be careful with how he handles Young on a personal level. He sustained some criticism (likely, unfairly) with the Khem Birch debacle and some of the other transfers Pitt has had, and while he’s not playing all that great right now, Young isn’t a guy the Panthers want to lose. To me, it just makes more sense to leave him where he is for now.

On to football….What players do you see stepping up in 2014

True sophomore Tyler Boyd instantly becomes the focal point of the offense. Most of 2013, he had Devin Street on the other side attracting a lot of attention and as a freshman, he was still a bit of an unknown to teams. But next year, there’s no Street, the line will still be making adjustments, and he has a new quarterback in Chad Voytik. I expect a big year out of Boyd, but he will have some things to overcome. The running back situation is also an interesting one. The top three rushers all return, but that unit often had its share of struggles last season. They really need to have a bigger year to take some pressure off of the passing game.

The defense is really taking a hit next season, too. There’s not only the enormous loss of Aaron Donald, but fellow lineman Ty Ezell, middle linebacker Shane Gordon, and K’Waun Williams and Jason Hendricks in the secondary are all gone as well. Because of that, a lot of pressure will go to the returning linebackers, Anthony Gonzalez and Todd Thomas, who really will be counted on to help stop the run AND drop back into pass coverage since the line and secondary lose quite a bit.

What do you think of this years’ recruiting class and who should fans be most excited to see play in 2014?

This year’s class is a bit of a mixed bag. Pitt landed some very solid offensive players but really missed on most of their bigger defensive targets. It’s a pattern we’ve seen with Chryst’s staff as most of their bigger talent has been on offense. The linemen, Alex Bookser and Michael Grimm, are very strong ‘gets’, but we might only see them sparingly next season as true freshmen. The guy to watch is Adonis Jennings, a four-star wide receiver. He’ll have a shot to start opposite Boyd because of Street’s departure and could be an impact guy immediately. Running backs Chris James and Qadree Ollison could also make some noise, but they’ve got James Conner and Isaac Bennett fighting them for carries.

This program has struggled to recruit successfully in its own backyard, and the struggles seem to have gotten worse as PSU and WVU make greater inroads. Why is this and how o they rectify it, do you think?

We’ve written quite a bit about this recently, but it’s due to several factors. For one, Pitt has been a very average program for three years now, winning only six regular season games each time. Right now, the football program just reeks of mediocrity due to the coaching changes. Another issue is that some kids just want to leave town. Pitt isn’t going to get every single kid they want because often, local players want to just get away – no matter how much they may like Pitt. That’s particularly true in the cases of Penn State and West Virginia since those are rural campuses while Pitt is a decidedly urban one. Kids attracted to a more rural locale aren’t always going to find it easy to come to Oakland. The other issue is that Chryst just doesn’t appear to be a dynamic recruiter. There have been statements from some parents/family members that they’ve, in a few words, just not been really pleased with the staff. By all indications, Chryst could probably use a couple of guys on his staff that are real ‘go-getters’ and ruthless when it comes to landing kids.

The best thing Pitt can do right now, though, is just to win. The Panthers have two good chances to do that over the next couple of years as the 2014 schedule is a fairly mild one and in 2015, a lot of the younger talent they have (particularly on the offensive line) gets a little older. Winning 9-10 games a year will cure a lot of those recruiting woes and show some of the bigger talent that Pitt has missed on that by coming to Pitt, they can compete for a BCS game.

Has this program finally recovered from the numerous coaching changes, do you think?

They’re just now getting there. The changes really set them back as Graham’s only class was built with specific players not really suited for Chryst’s system and Chryst’s first class was thrown together mostly within a month with Graham’s departure. A huge problem was that the offensive line was really understocked for what Chryst likes to do, which is run. Chryst has had success in bringing in some big offensive talent, but we’re kind of in the waiting period where those guys are just getting adjusted. 2015, as I mentioned above, is kind of his make or break year.

Outside of Aaron Donald, what other Pitt players do you see being drafted in 2014?

Devin Street should be picked as long as he can prove that he’s healthy. There were some mock drafts that had him as a draft pick last season before he announced he was coming back. Without looking at the projections yet, my guess is that he’s mid-round pick. A guy like Tom Savage probably gets taken, too. His decision-making has to get a little better as he was plagued a bit by interceptions, but he has what NFL teams look for – a strong arm and an NFL frame. I’m not sure how his game will translate at the next level, but him getting drafted wouldn’t surprise me. Others, such as K’Waun Williams, should get a look as an undrafted free agent, if he’s not a late pick.

Any predictions for the program for 2014?

My early pick is that Pitt gets to eight wins. As I said earlier, the schedule is just too easy and even despite the losses on both sides of the ball, it’s hard not to like their chances. Fewer than eight wins would be a disappointment and fewer than seven would be a disaster.

Any last thoughts for readers?

Hail to Pitt!

By Jim O’Brien From Pittsburgh Business Times

 Vince Scorsone came out of McKeesport to be a big success in sports and business

The Vince Scorsone story is a classic tale of how someone transformed early success in football into greater success in the business world.

Scorsone first gained notice as an outstanding lineman at McKeesport High School and then the University of Pittsburgh in the early ‘50s.  He went to work at Alcoa in 1960 after a two-year stint in the military service as a first lieutenant in Korea and a year of pro football with the British Columbia Lions of the Canadian Football League, and began a 34-year career at Alcoa.  He held many management positions as he climbed the corporate ladder at the Fortune 500 aluminum company.

He was the executive vice president when he retired in 1994, and served as chairman’s counsel from 1991 to 1994.  He and his wife Jan lived on Grandview Avenue on Mt. Washington, but moved to the San Diego area in 2006.

At Alcoa, Scorsone served as the right hand man to the president and CEO, C. Fred Fetterolf, small in stature next to the powerfully-built Scorsone, but someone who had lettered in three sports – football, basketball and as the No. 1 golfer on the links team – at Grove City College (’52) and could appreciate a true student-athlete in his administration.

Scorsone credited his high school football coach, the legendary “Duke” Weigle, for setting him on the right course.  “I ran into Coach Weigle the summer (1953) before I started at Pitt, and he asked me what I was going to major in at Pitt.  I told him physical education.  ‘I want to be a coach like you,’ I said.  And he wagged his head and said, ‘No, you don’t.  You major in business and you’ll do much better in life.’ In those days, you listened to your high school coach and I went out to Pitt the next day and changed my major.

“My story is more a story about Duke Weigle than Vince Scorsone,” continued Scorsone.  His son, Grant Scorsone, says his dad, whom he regards as his personal hero, is a humble man.

There is an annual dinner held in McKeesport to pay tribute to the late Coach Weigle, and Scorsone attended many of these dinners.  “Duke was a larger than life figure to his players,” said Scorsone in a letter he sent me on April 30, 2013, “and, as you know, he tried to steer his players in the right direction to have the best possible future for them.  I am sure most of his players were as awestruck as I was about him.”

Scorsone first shared that story with me over 30 years ago, when he had an office in Alcoa’s headquarters in downtown Pittsburgh, and it has stayed with me.  We reconnected a month ago over the telephone at his home in Rancho Santa Fe, a gated community just north of San Diego.

“That exchange with Coach Weigle probably took all of 20 seconds,” said Scorsone, “but it changed my life.  I have always been grateful to him.”

When I mentioned Vince Scorsone’s name to George Smith, who is coming back to coach the football team at McKeesport High School, he nodded that he knew him well.  “I met him a few times at those dinners that are held in Coach Weigle’s honor,” said Smith.  “Duke Weigle was my coach, too, and I thought the world of him.  He set the bar high for all of us high school coaches.”

I have always been impressed with Smith when I heard him speak about his kids and his program at McKeesport High.  After a three-year hiatus, he is back to coach the team this coming fall.  McKeesport is lucky to have him.

I heard Smith say something else that has stayed with me when he was honored recently at two different functions on a Saturday at the start of this month.   “I don’t have a lot of confidence,” he said, “and I rely on my wife (Michelle) and my coaching staff to support me, and keep me on course.

Smith is the kind of high school football coach who makes a difference in young lives, on and off the field.

Scorsone listened to his superiors along the way at Alcoa, as well, and never said “no” when asked to take on a new assignment, no matter where it sent him and his family.

“I did the job, wherever I went,” he said.  “I had respect for management people and they were great molders of my ability.  I was willing to transfer and that resulted in us moving 13 times in my first 22 years with the company.  I never told the company ‘no’ when they asked me to go somewhere else.  I knew it would pay off.

“I knew what was going on in the plants.  I was well served by my business background. My wife said to me one day, ‘Please don’t come home and ask me to move to Brazil.’  But I did exactly that a year or so later.  I took on a billion dollar project in the Amazon.  We lived in Sao Paolo, and had it nice, and she was happy there as well.”

There was hesitation in his voice as Scorsone spoke on the telephone.  I’d just spoken on the phone with an old friend from Long Island who had the same hitch in his voice.  My buddy told me he had suffered a stroke four months earlier.  That wasn’t the case with Scorsone.  He said he had been dealing with Parkinson’s Disease, thus the quiver in his voice.  It hurt to hear such proud men struggling in their speech in both cases.

“I have all the money and free time, but I can’t play golf or do much else,” said Scorsone.  “I’ll be in a wheel chair before long.”

His son Grant, who lives in Bethel Park, sent me an e-mail on Monday, May 13, telling me that he had spoken to his mother and she expected her husband to die that evening.  Vince Scorsone died Wednesday morning, May 15, a week before he turned 78.  That’s why this is personal; this never happened before with someone I was interviewing.

“The Lord         has called for another angel,” wrote Grant Scorsone in his e-mail message.  “Today looks like No. 64 is starting his final game on earth.  You actually gave Dad an honor by reaching out to him regarding the PBT article.  He was delighted by your request.”

In between those two e-mails from Scorsone’s son, I attended the viewing of Munhall’s Hall of Fame football star Jack Butler at the Freyvogel Funeral Home in Oakland.

It was all a little too much in the way of mortality reminders in one three-day stretch.

I attended Scorone’s funeral service, a celebration of his life, at the Jefferson Memorial Funeral Home.  I saw many of his former teammates from the Pitt teams that played in the Sugar Bowl and the Gator Bowl in the ‘50s, including Dick Bowen, who grew up and starred in football at Duquesne High, but has lived most of his adult life in McKeesport’s White Oak community.

I had a chance to connect once again with Scorsone’s teammates from that era.  There was Ambrose “Bugs” Bagamery, who was on Bowen’s coaching staff with the Pittsburgh Valley Ironmen, Charles L. “Corky” Cost of Cost Construction in Wilkinsburg, Dr. Darrell Lewis, also from Wilkinsburg, Bob Rosborough from Donora.

There were pictures of Scorsone with his Pitt team, and there were Western Union wires that had been sent to him back in 1957 from the New York Giants and Green Bay Packers asking if was interested in playing pro football.

He was drafted by the Washington Redskins, but entered the military service upon graduation.  He later played one season with the British Columbia Lions of the Canadian Football League in 1959.

The Pitt teammates told good stories about Scorsone and talked of what a tremendous leader and friend he had been, how generous he was with so many good causes.  He made good money at Alcoa, and he shared it with Pitt where he endowed scholarships, and with worthy causes here as well.

His four grandsons all spoke of the special relationship they enjoyed with their “Papa,” and that was good to hear.  There was an American flag in his coffin, and there was a military observance at his service where the flag was folded by two honor guards and presented to his wife Janet.  That is always a moving ceremony.

Vince Scorsone was buried on his birthday, May 21.  He would have been 78.  He missed Memorial Day, a day when he always felt a special sense of pride for serving in the U.S. Army as an officer in Korea after the Korean Conflict.  Vince Scorsone was always the good soldier and it, indeed, paid off.

Jim O’Brien has written 21 books on Pittsburgh sports achievement in his series.  Check his website at www.jimobriensportsauthor.com for details.

Teamwork important in health care and basketball for Jennifer

By Jim O’Brien From Pittsburgh Business Times

Jennifer Bruce Scott is proud to say she was always a good team player. This attribute served her well as one of the outstanding basketball players in the history of the University of Pittsburgh. It has served her well as a nurse the past 26 years at Allegheny General Hospital. She is the primary nurse for gastroenterologists Dr. Kofi Clark and Dr. Elie Aoun at the Allegheny Center for Digestive Health on Federal Street, just down East North Avenue from Allegheny General Hospital. She is responsible for scheduling tests and procedures and serves as a liaison between physician and patient. Her co-workers give her high marks for her competence and caring manner. There’s a positive glow about her attractive face, like the bright lights in those popular Thomas Kinkade paintings. She reflected on her dual careers in a third floor office at Federal North Medical Offices. “I’m proud of what I have accomplished, as a nurse in the health care field in Pittsburgh, and as a basketball player at Pitt,” she said. “And I still enjoy both.” There was no Women’s National Basketball Association during her student days at Pitt, so even though she gained Kodak All-America honors and set a school record by averaging 24.3 points during the 1984-85 season, she knew she was in school primarily to become a nurse.

She never considered going overseas to play pro basketball. “I went to Tennessee Tech for one year before I transferred to Pitt,” she recalled. “I got homesick. So I don’t think I would have fared well playing ball in, say, Turkey, if I got homesick in Tennessee.” She grew up in the best of homes, a supportive home, with parents and an older brother who looked after her and supported her efforts in school and on the basketball court. Her mother, Marguerite Bruce, was a physical education teacher in the Pittsburgh Public School system, at Gladstone High School, Taylor Allderdice High, Fifth Avenue High and Brashear High. Her father, Clarence, now deceased, was a clerical worker for U.S. Post Office for 40 years. He was a second baseman and teammate of “Cool Papa” Bell for the legendary Homestead Grays in 1947 and 1948, and both are depicted on a plaque at the Homestead Grays Bridge. “As a child, I’d go out in the backyard and play catch with my dad,” she recalled. “I was into swimming, basketball and softball. Swimming was actually my first love. “I went down to the park near my home and played basketball with the guys. My brother Kirk would go with me to make sure someone had my back. The guys weren’t thrilled to have me playing, at first, but after awhile I started getting picked ahead of some of the guys. That’s when you know you’ve made the grade.” A graduate of Carrick High School, she played at Pitt from 1981-1985. She scored a career total of 2,995 points (that total is in her cell phone number), grabbed 998 rebounds and blocked 203 shots. Only Lorri Johnson (1987-1991) of New Castle scored more points (2,312) in women’s basketball at Pitt. Both liked to boast that they scored more points than two All-America players in Pitt men’s basketball history, Don Hennon and Billy Knight. Pitt has retired the jerseys of Hennon and Knight, among others, but no jerseys have been retired for women’s basketball. That oversight needs to be corrected. As Jennifer Bruce, she is a

member of the Western Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame and a Varsity Letter-winner of Distinction at Pitt in recognition of her sports and nursing career successes. Her brother Kirk is an assistant athletic director for Olympic sports at Pitt, where he played for a fine basketball team in the mid- 70s, and coached the women’s basketball team for 13 years (1985- 1998). Her daughter Shayla was a starting guard and forward for four years at Pitt and is now an assistant basketball coach for the women’s team at LaSalle in Philadelphia. Her son Tyler is a freshman getting his academics in order to perform for the basketball team at Kent State. Jennifer is an assistant basketball coach for the girls’ team at Plum High School, and previously was the head coach at Gateway High School and Penn Hills High School. She has coached AAU teams through the years, currently the Pittsburgh Bruins. “Being a player is easier,” she says of her two experiences in basketball. “It’s tougher coaching, and I think part of it, for me, is that many players don’t have the same work ethic I did. But I can’t get away from the game. It allowed me to go to college for free.”

Pittsburgh sports author Jim O’Brien has a book out called “Immaculate Reflections,” the latest in his Pittsburgh Proud collection. His website is www.jimobriensportsauthor.com

Jim O’Brien: Joe David directs all-star physical therapy program

Jim O’Brien for Pittsburgh Business Times

A familiar sports figure was seated across the desk from Joe David in his corner office at David Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine Center in Mt. Lebanon.

Dave Giusti, the National League’s relief pitcher of the year in 1971 when the Pirates won the World Series, was going over his personal rehabilitation program with Joe David.

David, at age 48, looked terrific, bright dark eyes shining, handsome in a blue and white checkered shirt under his white lab coat.  He looked professional.

Giusti is one of about twenty or so Pittsburgh sports and media personalities on the Wall of Fame at the entry of David’s complex on Castle Shannon Boulevard.  Sportscaster Myron Cope, former Steelers’ lineman Jim Sweeney, and broadcaster/comedian Jimmy Krenn all pay tribute over their signed photos to David for his rehabilitation efforts on their behalf.

“I suffered a stroke and had problems with my left side,” said the 73-year-old Giusti, “and my doctor prescribed physical therapy.  I have known Joe David since he was a kid and lived near us in Upper St. Clair.  He has a great office and staff and he’s a good coach. I told him that.  He’s a good guy and I like good guys.”

I urged Pitt’s basketball coach Roy Chipman to offer David a scholarship in 1982 when he was “a good kid.” Chipman wasn’t convinced David would be up to Big East competition.  I went to work at Pitt shortly afterward as assistant athletic director for public relations and was there when David was a two-year starting guard for the Panthers and when he was accorded Academic All-America honors.  David lettered for four seasons (1983-1986). I got to know his father, Rev. Sam David.

Sam David was a scoring star at Bridgeville High and for Doc Carlson’s Pitt basketball teams in the ‘40s.  He and his son both applied for admission to Pitt’s School of Medicine but were not accepted.  The father went on to become a chemistry teacher and basketball coach at Chartiers Valley High and later an arch priest with the St. George Orthodox Church in Oakland, and Joe went into the highly-competitive physical therapy program at Pitt.

He couldn’t be prouder of his present role as family man, head of his own physical therapy and sports medicine complex and the boys’ basketball coach at Mt. Lebanon.  He has succeeded in all respects.

“We both helped to heal people,” Joe said of his late father, “and we were doing something worthwhile with our lives.”

There’s a large framed photograph of one of David’s two WPIAL Quad A championship basketball teams at Mt. Lebanon High School.  His Lebos won WPIAL titles in 2006 and 2010 in his 12 years as coach. His 2010-2011 team made it to the PIAA finals.

David has a sports medicine staff of 15.  He’s been a physical therapist since 1988 and has had his own facility since 1994.  He obtained a doctorate in physical therapy in 2005.

His father told him that things happen for a good reason – that God has a plan for us – and that he would do well as a physical therapist.  “I think I would have been a dang good doctor, too,” said Joe David.  Yes, he said “dang.”

One of his early mentors was Dr. Freddie Fu, the director of UPMC Sports Medicine.  Dr. Fu was the physician for Pitt’s athletic programs during David’s student days and allowed David to observe him performing surgery.

There is a framed photo in David’s office showing him with legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden.  Joe traveled to Los Angeles three times for sit-down sessions with Coach Wooden and came away wiser for the experience.

“I’m blessed,” said Joe David.  “I think I enjoy the best of all worlds: directing this facility, being able to coach the boys’ basketball team and having time with my family.”

David moved from Upper St. Clair to Mt. Lebanon in 2010.  Two of his sons, Justin, a senior, and Jonny, a sophomore, are starters on the varsity.  His oldest son, Jeremy, is a sophomore at Virginia Tech.  His daughter, Samantha, is in seventh grade.  Their mother, Sandi, was an attractive cheerleader at Pitt during David’s playing days.   Yes, Joe David has led a charmed life.

Pittsburgh author Jim O’Brien has a new book “Immaculate Reflections.”  His website is //www.jimobriensportsauthor.com/ and his e-mail address is jimmyo64@gmail.com

Gustine’s view of Pittsburgh remains a positive one By Jim O’Brien

Jim O’Brien  column for Pittsburgh Business Times

There is a spectacular view of downtown Pittsburgh from the offices of Frank Gustine Jr. high above his boyhood hometown of Green Tree. Standing by his desk on the seventh floor of Seven Parkway Center, Gustine can see the city skyline – from left to right – Fifth Avenue Place, PPG Place, U.S. Steel Tower One Mellon Centre and even the iconic Cathedral of Learning of the University of Pittsburgh. Directly below is one end of Green Tree and Gustine offers some stories about the neighborhood. He knows the campus well, as one of the last of the school’s three-sport stars in the late ‘60s, and, in his mind, he can still see his father’s famous restaurant on Forbes Avenue, under three of Pitt’s student dormitories, even though it’s now called Hemingway’s. Frank Gustine’s name is familiar to most Pittsburghers because Frank Gustine Sr. was an infielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1939-1948) and was good enough to play in three All-Star Games. Later, his father was one of the city’s most popular and respected restaurateurs from 1952 to 1982. “I learned from my father how to interact with people and how to treat them right,” said Gustine Jr. “My father said you had to be honest and have integrity.” He credits Bill Baierl, the late automobile magnate, for helping him establish his own business. When the Pirates departed Oakland in the ‘70s for Three Rivers Stadium on the North Side, Gustine’s remained a popular place for the Pitt community.

Frank Gustine Jr. parlayed his father’s name and his own success in sports at Pitt into a successful business career. When he graduated from Pitt with a bachelor’s degree in economics he did what a lot of athletes did, and sold rings and yearbooks for Balfour and Taylor Publishing for three years. Then he met and impressed Ron Puntil, a vice-president for Oliver Realty, with his engaging demeanor and conversational ease, and got into the commercial real estate business. He’s been at it ever since, except for a two-year hiatus from 2002 to 2004 when he was retired. He soon tired of that life. “I love my wife and I love my children and grandchildren,” says Gustine, “but I love to work and I love people.” So he started up another business, transitioning from The Gustine Co. to FWG Real Estate, headquartered in Seven Parkway Center on Greentree Road. His company owns seven of the eleven buildings at Parkway Center. It’s a mile and a quarter from his boyhood home, an impressive graystone manse on Greentree Road where his younger brother Bobby still lives with his wife Nancy and their six children. Frank Gustine believes the Parkway Center Mall that has closed after losing key tenants will be leveled and give way to new buildings, both commercial and residential. “It will be better,” he said. “I think he missed the challenges of the workplace and the sense of accomplishment,” says his wife, Linda, the lovely mother of their three daughters, and the grandmother of their three granddaughters and, at last, a grandson. Says Frank, “We finally got a boy in the family for me to coach.” Frank has a front-row seat at courtside for Pitt basketball games at the Petersen Events Center where he “helps coach” the Panthers and is a big booster of Jamie Dixon, the head basketball coach. Frank likes the personnel on the Pitt basketball team this year and sees improvement over last season. He remains hopeful that Paul Chryst will rebuild the Pitt football program, and feels that

Joe Jordano has done a great job with the Pitt baseball team, and Rande Stottlemyer with the wresting program. He wants them all to be winners. Standing at the window in his office, Gustine sees a Pittsburgh that is in the midst of Renaissance III, with new buildings coming up downtown, more residences and apartments in the midst of the skyscrapers, and a solid real estate market. There are the usual framed prints of Pittsburgh’s skyline and the political, business and sports icons of the past throughout the FWG Real Estate hallways and lobby. There’s a large photo that shows his father Frank Gustine Sr. with two Hall of Fame Pirates, Honus Wagner and Ralph Kiner. The son is now 65, but retains his boyish smile and his great respect for his parents. “On my father’s tombstone it says ‘HE WAS A TRUE GENTLEMAN.’ ” There was a strong competitive side to his father as well, and his boys inherited that trait. “You might knock us down, but you couldn’t step on us.” Frank Gustine Jr. first gained fame as a star athlete at Canevin High School and then lettered in baseball and football for three years at Pitt, and for his sophomore season in basketball. Freshmen were not eligible for varsity sports in those days. “I met a lot of people through sports,” he says, “and it’s been my meal-ticket ever since.”

Author Jim O’Brien has a new book called “Immaculate Reflections” about all the Pittsburgh sports teams. His website is www.jimobriensportsauthor.