THE MOON IS PITT BLUE

It happens on an almost-yearly basis for the top college basketball programs in the country. For teams such as North Carolina, Duke and Connecticut, having multiple players taken in the first round of the NBA draft is about as common as those teams qualifying for the NCAA tournament. But for a college basketball program such as Pitt, one that only recently has been striving to join the college basketball elite, having two players drafted in the first round is rare. Like once in a blue moon. DeJuan Blair and Sam Young have a chance to become the second Pitt tandem to be taken in the first round of the NBA draft tonight in New York City. "It definitely will mean a lot to the program," Young said. "We haven't had a lot of success in previous drafts. A lot of guys got overlooked. This will help." The only other time two Pitt players were selected in the first round was 1988, when Charles Smith and Jerome Lane were taken by the Philadelphia 76ers (third overall) and Denver Nuggets (23rd overall). To lend some perspective to this unlikely event, only two players from Pitt were selected in the first round of the draft between 1989 and 2008 -- Eric Mobley in 1994 and Vonteego Cummings in 1999. "I'm starting to get nervous," said Blair, a first-team All-American as a sophomore last season. "I'm getting anxious waiting. I just want to know what NBA team I'll be with." It has been an eventful two months for Blair, the Schenley High School graduate who left Pitt in April with two seasons of eligibility remaining. He has demonstrated a commitment to becoming a professional, changing his physique from lumpy to lean. Blair, who stands 6 feet 6, lost 30 pounds in the past two months and has been impressive in workouts for NBA teams. Scouts and general managers love his competitiveness, his ability to rebound and his leadership qualities. The main concerns are his two surgically repaired knees. Blair tore anterior cruciate ligaments in both knees while at Schenley, and even though he only missed one game in his two-year collegiate career, there seems to be some question about the long-term durability of those knees. There have been some reports that there might not be any ligaments remaining in the knees. "I don't have any ligaments, so what can I tear?" Blair joked. "What I'm saying to the teams is my knees are fine. I feel great. I've been playing on them for the last three or four years at Pitt and Schenley." Because there are some issues with his knees, Blair can potentially be drafted anywhere from the middle to later in the first round. ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas, who is covering the draft tonight and watched Blair numerous times during his two years at Pitt, believes the concerns about Blair's knees are overblown. "I don't understand the talk about his knees," Bilas said. "My understanding is that there was no deterioration in his knees from the time he was in high school to the time he spent at Pitt. I was at a lot of his practices and I never saw him sit out practice. He was never a guy who had to have ice on his knees after practice. "I think he can go in the 10 to 15 range. He has a special skill. He can go get the ball. He is a beast of a rebounder. No one rebounded as well as he did on the offensive end, and it wasn't even close. There were some very good offensive rebounders out there, and Blair doubled them up. He has great hands, very good feet. "If you want to look at the negative, he doesn't defend the pick and roll very well, but I can show you a lot of guys in the NBA who don't defend the pick and roll well. And Dwight Howard is one of them. But you do know one thing about Blair, and every night he is going to go and get the ball." Young, Pitt's leading scorer the past two seasons, is expected to be a late first-round pick. NBA teams like his work ethic and his ability to run the floor. The drawbacks for the 6-6, 220-pound Young are that he is 24 years old and does not have the room for growth that others in this draft do. Young is viewed as someone who is capable of making an immediate contribution to an NBA team. He worked out for Minnesota, Golden State, Indiana, Detroit, Chicago, New Orleans, Charlotte, Utah and Sacramento. "I feel confident because of my workouts," Young said. "Teams are telling me I'm a lot better than they thought I was going to be when they see me." Young is choosing to spend his draft night in a different way than most others. While the vast majority of players watch the draft with friends and family, Young will be alone when his name is called. "That's the way I want it," Young said. "I want the time for myself. I've spent the last 10 years playing basketball and there's a lot to reflect on. All of the 6 a.m. workouts, all the running, all the practices ... the blood, sweat and tears, the frustration. I just thought it would be better if I watched it by myself." Tyrell Biggs is the only other Pitt player with a chance of getting drafted. Biggs (6-8, 260) has had strong workouts for NBA teams and has become an off-the-radar prospect. Still, it would be considered a surprise if Biggs, who never averaged more than 6.4 points per game for the Panthers, was selected tonight. The more likely scenario is that Biggs will attempt to join a team as a free agent or play overseas. b> 2009 NBA DRAFT /b> * 7 P.M. * TV: ESPN b> THE (BIG) LOCAL JUMP WPIAL and City League players selected in first round of NBA draft Year.........................Player...........................................School /b> 1952..........................Dick Groat..................................Swissvale 1955..........................Maurice Stokes..........................Westinghouse 1966..........................Jack Marin..................................Farrell 1971..........................Ken Durrett................................Schenley 1974..........................Maurice Lucas............................Schenley 1974..........................Billy Knight*.............................Braddock 1975..........................Mel Bennett*.............................Peabody 1975..........................Brad Davis.................................Monaca 1987..........................Armon Gilliam...........................Bethel Park 1997..........................Danny Fortson...........................Shaler * - ABA first-round picks b> FIRST ROUND The order /b> 1. L.A. Clippers 2. Memphis 3. Oklahoma City 4. Sacramento 5. Washington 6. Minnesota 7. Golden State 8. New York 9. Toronto 10. Milwaukee 11. New Jersey 12. Charlotte 13. Indiana 14. Phoenix 15. Detroit 16. Chicago 17. Philadelphia 18. Minnesota (from Miami) 19. Atlanta 20. Utah 21. New Orleans 22. Dallas 23. Sacramento (from Houston) 24. Portland 25. Oklahoma City (from San Antonio) 26. Chicago (from Denver through Oklahoma City) 27. Memphis (from Orlando) 28. Minnesota (from Boston) 29. L.A. Lakers 30. Cleveland b> MOCK PREDICTIONS /b> A look at where selected mock drafts have DeJuan Blair and Sam Young being taken tonight: * espn.com ... Blair, No. 13 to the Indiana Pacers ... Young No. 21 to the New Orleans Hornets. * SI.com ... Blair, No. 21 to the New Orleans Hornets ... Young, No. 24 to Minnesota Timberwolves. * CBSsports.com ... Blair, No. 11 to the New Jersey Nets ... Young, No. 23 to the Sacramento Kings. * InsideHoops.com ... Blair, No. 13 to the Indiana Pacers ... Young, No. 20 to the Utah Jazz.