One minute they were there, manning the assembly line she had set up in her kitchen.

The next minute they were gone, drawn toward the living room and that magical air horn emanating from the TV.

Informed that the Pitt-Oral Roberts University basketball game had just started, Rita Deluzio said "It did? That must be why the boys have scattered."

"The boys" are Matt Deluzio and Dave Smallhoover, a pair of 15-year-old Bishop Canevin High School sophomores from Thornburg who have helped Mrs. Deluzio spearhead the gift package campaign benefiting Matt's brother, Chris, and the other sailors aboard the USS Higgins.

Over the past year or so, the Deluzios and their friends have been responsible for sending more than 300 boxes containing snacks, toiletries and 125-minute telephone cards. Lots of magazines make the stash, too, including copies of Chris' favorite -- Sports Illustrated.

But on March 20, the sort-pack-wrap-seal operation would grind to a halt at 3 p.m. tip-off time for Pitt's first-round matchup in the NCAA tournament.

From his post somewhere in the Western Pacific, U.S. Navy Ensign Chris Deluzio would no doubt understand the work stoppage. He's as big a college hoops fan as Matt and Dave, having been one of their grade-school basketball coaches at St. Philip School in Crafton.

Matt and Dave were happy to help when Mrs. Deluzio and her husband Vince wanted a way to help support the troops abroad.

"My mom always sent him packages and one day she decided she was going to send them to everyone on the ship," Matt recalled. "I think it was really a good idea helping everyone out."

"I help my mom pack the boxes and carry all the donations around," he explained, adding with a chuckle, "I do all the hard work."

As she scanned a kitchen island lined with everything from lollipops to playing cards, Mrs. Deluzio explained the symptoms of her particular strain of March Madness.

"Someone gave us a big bag of Dum Dums," she said, "so right now I have the boys dividing them up into baggies."

Once, the main task was divvying up 60 boxes of Girl Scout cookies that a neighbor donated. That well might have been her favorite donation, she said, "because nothing says home like a box of Girl Scout cookies. That'll be a great treat for the guys and girls on the ship."

She confessed to slipping her own son something special, something such as organic peanut butter, organic cereal or olive oil and balsamic vinegar so he can dress his salad. After all, she said with a laugh, "He is an Italian."

While others have helped out from time to time, Dave has been the classmate who has stood alongside the Deluzios the most.

"They asked me and I just help, it's kind of a nice thing to do. I put the food in the boxes and then we tape them up. There are books and magazines in there," he said, adding, "They put in [Sports Illustrated] all the time for Chris."

If Chris were around now, the boys said, he'd be right alongside them and the potato chips rooting for Pitt. But since he isn't, Dave has a message: "Nice work out there and I'm proud of you. Keep up the good work."

And what if Matt could talk to his brother at halftime? "I'd tell him 'Go Panthers!' "

Truth be told, the boys are far from being the only college basketball fans in the house. Mrs. Deluzio said the family travels to the Big East tourney every year.

In fact, the last time she talked to Chris was at Pittsburgh International Airport in mid-March while the Deluzios were waiting for their flight to Madison Square Garden in New York City. That's where this year's Big East tourney -- won by Pitt -- was held.

Though she gets e-mails from Chris almost daily, she only gets to talk to him every few weeks. When she does, her message is always the same.

"We always tell him that we love him, miss him and we're proud of him."

In one of those e-mails, Ensign Deluzio gave his thanks.

"I couldn't be prouder of the support that my shipmates and I have received. The message that Pittsburghers from all walks of life care about their servicemen and women has been undeniably heard on the USS Higgins."

"It means the world to my sailors," added Cmdr. Fred Winton Smith Jr., his commanding officer, "to receive goodies from home after long, arduous days at sea.

"The fact that these are coming from folks who don't know most, if any, of my sailors makes it that much more special."