OT: Pitt

[IUP CRIMSON HAWKS]

Re: OT: Pitt

The life of the 'small major' program is very complicated now. The gems that guys like Toole find ... are on the first bus out of town as soon as the season ends. Their stock rises and they transfer to the bigger schools. It's really an epidemic across the Bobby Mo level.

Pitt is a snob school full of delusion ... hiring Toole wouldn't excite the heavy donors whom all beleive Pitt is on par with North Carolina.

Although he may do well there. He's young (37). Sometimes guys just need a break. I think he stayed at Robert Morris too long and his window closed a bit. Now he falls in to the small school coach label a bit. Right when they upset Kentucky he should have bailed.

I actually think the right hire is 2 miles off campus. Steal Keith Dambrodt from Duquesne.

Sounds like an interesting coach. But he's going to be 60 this fall. A little long in the tooth perhaps. Might as well try and lure Howland back if you want an old man for a coach.

I think Sean Miller and Thad Matta top my list at this point.

But maybe it's like IUP24 would always tell us----that nobody wants this job. Maybe we all will be really disappointed yet again with who they actually get. Hope not.

I just think they need a splash hire to reenergize the program. Let's face it---this thing is on life support at the moment.

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[Fightingscot82]

Re: OT: Pitt

Sounds like an interesting coach. But he's going to be 60 this fall. A little long in the tooth perhaps. Might as well try and lure Howland back if you want an old man for a coach.

I think Sean Miller and Thad Matta top my list at this point.

But maybe it's like IUP24 would always tell us----that nobody wants this job. Maybe we all will be really disappointed yet again with who they actually get. Hope not.

I just think they need a splash hire to reenergize the program. Let's face it---this thing is on life support at the moment.

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I don't think nobody wants the job, I think that it's just not as ideal as some assume it to be. A lot of that is because of the conference affiliation. But if that alone were the case then Mississippi State and Vanderbilt would be considered better jobs than they are. Pitt no longer has a top tier facility. It's not really an ideal location. The program lacks any signature win or memorable accomplishment. Sure you might get someone hungry for a bigger stage but I'd be surprised if they get a sitting head coach from a major conference.

[Fightingscot82]

Re: OT: Pitt

I'll tell you what this doesn't do: it doesn't help Pitt's case for more state funding when they can green light $9.4 million to fire a coach. We also don't know what they owe his assistants.

[IUP CRIMSON HAWKS]

Re: OT: Pitt

I don't think nobody wants the job, I think that it's just not as ideal as some assume it to be. A lot of that is because of the conference affiliation. But if that alone were the case then Mississippi State and Vanderbilt would be considered better jobs than they are. Pitt no longer has a top tier facility. It's not really an ideal location. The program lacks any signature win or memorable accomplishment. Sure you might get someone hungry for a bigger stage but I'd be surprised if they get a sitting head coach from a major conference.

Agree. That's probably what drew so many to throw out the names of Tom Crean and Thad Matta. Both big time coaches who are currently sitting things out.

Maybe a chance with Matta. Crean doesn't appear to be in the running (or so we are led to believe).

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[IUP CRIMSON HAWKS]

Re: OT: Pitt

I'll tell you what this doesn't do: it doesn't help Pitt's case for more state funding when they can green light $9.4 million to fire a coach. We also don't know what they owe his assistants.

It is especially frustrating when you consider that the extreme vast majority of Pitt fans did not even want the guy to begin with. The whole thing was a sham right from the get go.

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[Fightingscot82]

Re: OT: Pitt

It is especially frustrating when you consider that the extreme vast majority of Pitt fans did not even want the guy to begin with. The whole thing was a sham right from the get go.

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I felt bad for the guy. I still do. Rotten deal from start to finish.

[IUP24]

[IUP24]

[IUP24]

[IUP CRIMSON HAWKS]

Re: OT: Pitt

-Pitt fired a coach two years into a full rebuild.
-Pitt lied and created a file to find cause to fire a coach.
-Pitt offered a reduced buyout.
-Pitt is now the laughingstock of college basketball

Maybe it was the 0-19 ACC record that made them the laughing stock of college basketball.

I just don't understand you here at all. You make it seem like Pitt has no chance to do anything at all with their basketball program. That's not true at all. You're dead wrong here. You act like they should take a wrecking ball to the Pete and never play ball again on campus.

Some of us were around when Pitt mattered nationally. Heck, so were you. Maybe not for the 1987-88 team but certainly for the 2000s.

Yes, when I say splash hire---I also meant the right hire as well. As I said it will take a lot to right the ship. But at least some people want to try and do that. All the respect in the world to you, but I just don't understand your logic with Pitt basketball. You don't even seem like you're on board here with trying to create a better situation.

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[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: OT: Pitt

By all reports they are planning to pay about $3m per for the new coach. That's not 'young guy' money.

Basketball isn't like football. It can be rebuilt much faster. They'll get a good guy. End of the day there aren't many jobs in the world paying $3m a year. Despite the awful season the cupboard isn't completely bare ... providing some of these guys stick. They got beat on this year but they also got incredible experience as true freshmen. If they keep the key pieces, Luther stays and they add some grad tansfer types ... could at least be respectable next year in Year One of the new rebuild.

Pitt is still a good job. In reality, whatever happens the next two seasons will still be blamed on Stallings. I see it a bit differently ... I think it's a very intriguing opening.

[IUP24]

[Fightingscot82]

Re: OT: Pitt

I agree that the guy got a raw deal from day 1. It reminds me of when Pitt hired Mike Haywood. Regardless of what happened in that situation, Pitt fans freaked out because they had never heard of him. They weren't going to listen to why Pitt hired him. He wasn't the sexy intriguing name they feel they deserve. Pittsburgh sports fans want Jamie Dixon types - winning on the court while being on the cover of Pittsburgh Magazine. Then when things aren't going as expected the negative experiences come out of the wordwork. Remember the stories about Roethlisberger stiffing waitresses? They didn't come out until his approval fell below 50%. Yesterday I saw a half dozen people tweeting pics of Stallings asleep at a high school basketball game. The guy's 57 years old and probably drove the 2 hours to Cleveland to watch that game on top of his already crazy schedule. Hell I'm 35 and can't stay up past 10:00 most weeknights. But that's the kind of petty crap yinzers bring up to pile on an unpopular guy. Imagine how his son must feel playing for the Pirates. Just like a 5 year old who is only satisfied with McDonalds or whatever they want at the moment, the delusional Pitt fans will only be satisfied with a "splash" hire or anyone with a Pitt/Pittsburgh connection.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: OT: Pitt

Lol ... Stallings is probably in the Caribbean wondering how he has a $9.4m check in his wallet. ... in addition to the $4.6 million he made in his two years at Pitt. He made $14m in two years off Pitt. I think they call that laughing all the way to the bank.

If he wants to coach again he'll have no problem getting another job. He's thought highly of everywhere other than the 412 area code. He's probably done in the P5 but he doesn't need money anymore.

STALLINGS TO SETON HILL

[IUP CRIMSON HAWKS]

Re: OT: Pitt

According to Richie Walsh last nite on the Nightly Sports Call Pitt's #1 guy that they are targeting is RI's Danny Hurley. Fat chance they land him I would say. I just see that the UConn job opened up. Everyone saying Hurley will land there. Maybe the only thing that would keep him out is that there is to be an NCAA inquiry up there.

Did anyone catch the end of the UCLA-Arizona game last evening? That guy that they said Miller allegedly wanted to pay $100,000 (Ayton) for was worth every penny of it and then some. He should have gotten more than $100k. LOL.

I think Pitt should focus on Matta at this point.

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