Fifteen days after they formally unveiled themselves, the Pennsylvania Pit Bulls open their American Basketball Association season tonight in McKeesport.

	Pit Bulls at a Glance a Who: Pennsylvania Pit Bulls What: ABA debut vs. Maryland NightHawks (1-1). When: 7:05 p.m. today. Where: Wunderly Gymnasium, Penn State McKeesport. Tickets: $15 reserved, $12 general admission, available at door. Radio: WURP-FM 1550. Players to watch: Former Pitt stars Julius Page and Jaron Brown for Pit Bulls. Debut doings: First 50 fans receive an undisclosed prize. ... McKeesport Mayor Jim Brewster, a former high school player expected to suit up and possibly play later in the season as part of ABA's honorary 12th Man program, will be on hand for special presentation. ... The teams play again at the same venue at 2:05 p.m. Sunday. Notes: Like its namesake predecessor, ABA has tweaked the rules. It's seven seconds to get the ball to halfcourt. And a steal in the backcourt can mean extra credit -- a subsequent 3-pointer at the other end turns into a 4-pointer, and a 2-pointer turns into a 3-pointer. Information: Call Phil Williams at 412-896-5337 or 412-628-2386.

Is that enough time to assemble and prepare a team?

"It has to be," said head coach Tom Washington. "That's the challenge."

Washington should be a familiar name in local basketball history, having played on the 1967-68 Pittsburgh Pipers that won the championship of the ABA of the same name and red-white-and-blue ball. He played for the Pittsburgh-Minnesota-Pittsburgh franchise through the 1969-70 season and has returned to coach the new franchise that McKeesport's Freddie Lewis -- a member of three ABA championship teams -- pieced together in barely a month's time for a league expanding from seven teams to 34 in one season.

Lewis serves as president, general manager and assistant coach. He helped Washington and assistant Pat Blue through a tryout camp and eight days of two-a-day workouts that continued to this week in readying the Pit Bulls for the Maryland NightHawks (1-1) tonight at Penn State McKeesport's Wunderly Gymnasium.

Former Pitt standouts Julius Page and Jaron Brown highlight a Pit Bulls roster that also includes whiz point guard Dennis Foster of Marygrove College in Detroit and such local players as DeVaughn Halsel of Point Park and Naron Jackson of Robert Morris by way of Schenley High.

The NightHawks, by contrast, have the benefit of playing two home games already and being together for months.

They completed their coaching staff in May and June, began to compile a roster in July.

In their 106-95 debut victory Tuesday and a 111-98 loss Wednesday against the visiting New Jersey Skycats, the NightHawks were led by former Bowie State players Jamal Shivers and Anton Jenifer.