Pitt basketball fans remember him as Clyde Vaughan, a smooth forward who scored 2,033 points in a Panthers uniform from 1980-84. These days, he is known as Clive Vaughan, and he is trying to rebuild his once-promising coaching career.

Vaughan was in town yesterday for the Bill Baierl Alumni Basketball game at the Petersen Events Center in honor of the former Pitt basketball player and booster.

After his playing career at Pitt, Vaughan became a rising star in the coaching ranks as an assistant coach for Seth Greenberg at South Florida and then under Jim Calhoun at the University of Connecticut. But in August 2004, his career was derailed when he was arrested for patronizing a prostitute and interfering with police officers during a Hartford, Conn., prostitution sting. Vaughan resigned and has been out of coaching since.

Vaughan is currently working toward a master's degree at Waubonsie College in Aurora, Ill., while running his All-American Basketball Academy.

His dream and long-term goal is to come back and coach in college again at Pitt. Vaughan said he had discussions with Pitt coach Jamie Dixon in April 2006 after Barry Rohrssen left Pitt to become the head coach at Manhattan. But when it came time to hire a new assistant, Dixon hired Mike Rice.

"I talked to Jamie, and he said the people who make the decisions wouldn't go for it," Vaughan said. "It was mostly Jeff Long. Bill [Baierl] fought to get me here."

Vaughan said he hasn't given up on returning some day. He has more hope now that Long is not the athletic director and a new athletic director is going to come on board soon.

"Yeah, I made a mistake," Vaughan said. "I put myself in a bad situation, and I paid for it. But everyone deserves a second chance, especially at your alma mater. I was really hurt when Pitt didn't hire me. Other than getting married and having my son, these were the best four years of my life.

"I can get the job done here. I'm not politicking, but I can get you the All-Americans. Pitt is a hard-working town used to getting players like me, guys who overachieved. But I can get you the All-Americans. If you don't believe me, ask Jim Calhoun or Seth Greenberg. Coach Calhoun called Pitt for me. He told them I was the best recruiter he ever had even though I was only there for two years."

Vaughan is hoping to get another opportunity to speak with Dixon about coaching for the Panthers in the future.

"I would love to come back here," he said. "For whatever reason, they said no before. Hopefully, I'll get the chance again in the future. Coach Calhoun and coach Greenberg will tell you how passionate I am about coaching. My wife is a graduate of Pitt. It would be perfect."

Vaughan was in Pittsburgh for the first time since attending Baierl's funeral in April. Vaughan jumped at the opportunity to attend the alumni game when Charles Smith asked him. Vaughan addressed the Petersen Events Center crowd before the game and said a few words about Baierl.

"We were very close," Vaughan said of his relationship with Baierl. "He was unbelievable. He did so much for the program. He did more for the program than any 2,000-point scorer or any player ever did. This program would not be where it is today if not for him."

Memphis coach John Calipari and Rohrssen served as the coaches for the alumni game. Calipari had to leave in the first half to catch a flight back to Memphis, where he coaches the No. 3 team in the country.

When Smith asked Calipari, a former assistant under Paul Evans, to come back, Calipari told Smith he would do it because of what Baierl meant to him.

"He was one of the neatest and most caring guys," Calipari said. "He wasn't a guy who would tell you who to recruit or how to coach. He would just say, 'How can I help you?' "

In the game, Pitt's top two career scorers can still play a little. Smith was getting up and down the floor and making jumpers. Vaughan made the first shot of the game, a 3-pointer.

Other former Pitt stars to play included Chris McNeal, Bobby Martin, Kirk Bruce, Darelle Porter and Carl Krauser.