Poor Luke Ravenstahl. The man can't even go to the Pitt-Duquesne basketball game without someone talking about taking his job. And he probably thought the fun world of sports was an escape from the dirty world of politics.

"One day, Pittsburgh is going to be awfully proud of that kid," Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said last night of sophomore star/hometown hero DeJuan Blair.

"I'll tell him all the time he's going to be mayor of the city one day.

"That's if we still have a mayor ...

"If not, I guess he'll be county executive."

So Dan Onorato isn't safe, either.

That gave him and Ravenstahl something in common with the Dukes on another night of Pitt domination in the City Game.

It's funny -- Ravenstahl, sitting in the front row at the Petersen Events Center, probably would have been among those voting for Blair about the time he was finishing off his 14-point, 17-rebound, 5-steal, 3-assist, 1-block night in Pitt's 78-51 win. His Honor The Mayor sure seemed to enjoy watching the big kid from The Hill do his thing. It was some show. And you know what's really neat? There are going to be a lot more like it in the next four months.

"He's such a great player and a great teammate," Dixon said of Blair. "He leads by example. He brings great energy to our team."

It's been a long time since Pitt has had a home-grown player dominate on the hard floor the way Blair does. Sean Miller made one of the all-Big East Conference teams in the early 1990s and Darelle Porter and Joey David had their moments. But you have to go back to Sam Clancy in the early '80s to find a Pittsburgh born-and-raised man who packed such a wallop.

"DeJuan is good, but he's not as good as I was," Clancy has opined, always with a smile, of course.

Clancy can get away with that -- and not just because former West Virginia coach Gale Catlett once called him "Superman in shorts." He has known Blair for years and been something of a mentor to him. He takes great pride in watching the kid succeed.

"He's told me he was better than me, too," Blair said, his turn to smile now. "I tell him, 'Come out here some night after a game. We'll scrap.' He just says, 'Nah, man, I'm too old.' "

Wise man, Clancy.

Blair wasn't even close to being born when Clancy was tormenting the West Virginias and Duquesnes of the basketball world, but he knows enough about him to know he was one of the great players in Pitt history.

"That's what I'm trying to be, too," Blair said, quietly.

He is off to some start.

As good as Blair was last season when he was Big East Rookie of the Year, he looks as if he'll be significantly better this season. His double-double was his fifth in his seven games. He is averaging 15.1 points and 13 rebounds.

Although Blair's 6-of-13 shooting against the Dukes is proof his offensive game still needs some fine-tuning, there is nothing wrong with his rebounding. "Bottom line, he goes and gets the ball," Dixon said. "He has a knack."

And a hunger.

With 7 minutes left and Pitt comfortably ahead by 25 points, he wasn't thrilled that official Michael Stephens called a Duquesne foul just as he was pulling down a missed free throw. "No, no, no," Blair said to Stephens. "That's a rebound."

That's the way all the great ones are.

Their hunger can't be sated.

At least their hunger for rebounds.

Blair did a nice job controlling his food appetite during the offseason, losing what he called "10 pounds of body fat" to weigh in at a rather svelte 265. "I feel lighter," he said. "I feel so much better on my feet. My weight slowed me down last season. So did foul trouble."

That might have been the best part of Blair's night, that he picked up a foul in the first minute and didn't get another until 3:04 was left in the game. He accounts for almost one-third of Pitt's 40 rebounds per game. As much as the Panthers can't afford to lose point guard Levance Fields and do-everything Sam Young for long stretches of big games, they probably can least afford to lose Blair.

"Like you said, I'm a big part of this team," he said. "I can't be a big part if I'm on the bench."

Dixon called it a night for Blair after his second foul and the crowd showed its appreciation with a big ovation.

I'm not certain, but I believe Ravenstahl was gone by then.

He has a big job to worry about, you know?