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Q: I love most things about Jamie Dixon, but can he please stop recruiting junior college players? Cassin Diggs looks like his third junior college recruit who doesn't belong at a top 20 program. Three in a row looks like a trend, not an aberration. Any reason he keeps going back to this well?

Matt Beam, Califon, N.J.

FITTIPALDO: That's a good question, Matt. I don't think you ever think you're going to get blue-chip recruits via the junior-college route. Dixon is likely hoping he can get someone who is capable of being a role player.

Dixon was probably hoping Diggs could come in and play the role of backup center for a year or two until Gary McGhee was ready to take over. From what I've seen thus far, there is not much of a difference between Diggs and McGhee right now. Diggs' playing time has decreased as the season has gone on as Dixon appears to be more and more committed to "playing small".

Dixon has not had a lot of luck with junior-college players recently. John DeGroat was a disappointment who never lived up to the hype and Doyle Hudson never got into a game of any significance.

You have to go all the way back to when Dixon was an assistant under Ben Howland for a junior-college success story. Dixon landed Ontario Lett just before the season in 2002 and Lett turned out to be a very fine player who played a big role in Pitt getting to the Sweet 16.

But batting .250, as you point out, is not a good average for a top 20 program.