OT: Pitt

[IUP CRIMSON HAWKS]

Re: OT: Pitt

I don't know the whole story so I can't comment but I love Izzo as a coach.

I have no idea about what is going on at Sparty U, but unless he personally did something horrible or had complicity in something horrible---why not bring him in?

Pitt hoops needs a fresh beginning. I thought that's what we were supposed to be getting when Dixon left. But this has been like getting off the Titanic to board the Bismarck.

Enough already.

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[IUP24]

I have no idea about what is going on at Sparty U, but unless he personally did something horrible or had complicity in something horrible---why not bring him in?

Pitt hoops needs a fresh beginning. I thought that's what we were supposed to be getting when Dixon left. But this has been like getting off the Titanic to board the Bismarck.

Enough already.

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[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: OT: Pitt

The Pitt women are also in last place in the ACC and lost a D2 game (exhibition).

I really thought Suzie was going to do much better there.

[IUP CRIMSON HAWKS]

Re: OT: Pitt

Witch hunt? Get real. Maybe you're not as objective about things as you need to be. Stallings was a terrible hire and the other guy had absolutely no business playing QB at that level for a school like IUP. It was never anything personal against him. I think of him like you--- a good and bright young man. I do follow his career happenings a bit. I believe he just went to Miss State if not mistaken.

Regarding your boy---Stallings. I was reading a couple of interesting pieces about him. One said that his successor at Vandy (I believe Bryce Drew?) was up against it as Baldo left the program a wreck. Not like I know or anything as I do not follow them. The second article raised speculation that as Pitt attendance drops at games that it may spell the end of his two-year reign. I guess that coupled with the losing is a strong precedent for a coach to be fired.

I certainly have nothing personal at all against the guy. I just don't feel that he was a good hire two years ago. It was a golden opportunity for Pitt to make an inspired hiring and they really blew it.

But we are all entitled to our opinions.

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[IUP CRIMSON HAWKS]

Re: OT: Pitt

The Pitt women are also in last place in the ACC and lost a D2 game (exhibition).

I really thought Suzie was going to do much better there.

Not good. She may be in big trouble as well.

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[IUP24]

Re: OT: Pitt

Witch hunt? Get real. Maybe you're not as objective about things as you need to be. Stallings was a terrible hire and the other guy had absolutely no business playing QB at that level for a school like IUP. It was never anything personal against him. I think of him like you--- a good and bright young man. I do follow his career happenings a bit. I believe he just went to Miss State if not mistaken.

Regarding your boy---Stallings. I was reading a couple of interesting pieces about him. One said that his successor at Vandy (I believe Bryce Drew?) was up against it as Baldo left the program a wreck. Not like I know or anything as I do not follow them. The second article raised speculation that as Pitt attendance drops at games that it may spell the end of his two-year reign. I guess that coupled with the losing is a strong precedent for a coach to be fired.

I certainly have nothing personal at all against the guy. I just don't feel that he was a good hire two years ago. It was a golden opportunity for Pitt to make an inspired hiring and they really blew it.

But we are all entitled to our opinions.

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Stallings isn't my boy. I just see the situation for what it is. I have no positive or negative opinion of Stallings. He's just the coach.

What everybody is failing to realize is that nobody wanted the Pitt job. I've said that before. People cried and complained about a "young up and comer" getting the job over somebody like a Kevin Stallings. Archie Miller, Bryce Dew, Andy Enfield, etc... None of those guys were even interested. The Pitt basketball program is a mess, but everybody's boy, Jamie Dixon, left that program a mess. He couldn't recruit worth a lick for the last 3-4 years of his tenure. I'm not really sure what's hard to grasp about that for the Pittsburgh media. They were so enamored with Michael Young and Jemel Artis. Great individual players, but awful teammates that lacked a PG. And again, that's Jamie Dixon's fault that he could never get a point guard that was a difference maker after Levance Fields.

Put John Calipari on the sidelines for this Pitt team. The results wouldn't be much better with this roster. He's got a team of literally all freshman. What did you really expect this team to be this year?

I see the situation for what it is. And quite frankly, if you fire Stallings, the Pitt basketball program will be more of a mess than it is right now. Nobody wanted that job two years ago. Imagine what would happen if a head coach was fired two years after starting up a full 1000% percent rebuild of a basketball program. That job would literally be untouchable.

People want immediate success. That's the best conference in the country, and Pitt has twelve 18-19 year olds running the floor against guys from Duke and North Carolina that are going to be playing in the NBA next year. That program isn't ever going to get back to what it was in 2009. That's the high water mark. But they can become a good program once again. Rome wasn't built in a day though.

[IUP CRIMSON HAWKS]

Re: OT: Pitt

Stallings isn't my boy. I just see the situation for what it is. I have no positive or negative opinion of Stallings. He's just the coach.

What everybody is failing to realize is that nobody wanted the Pitt job. I've said that before. People cried and complained about a "young up and comer" getting the job over somebody like a Kevin Stallings. Archie Miller, Bryce Dew, Andy Enfield, etc... None of those guys were even interested. The Pitt basketball program is a mess, but everybody's boy, Jamie Dixon, left that program a mess. He couldn't recruit worth a lick for the last 3-4 years of his tenure. I'm not really sure what's hard to grasp about that for the Pittsburgh media. They were so enamored with Michael Young and Jemel Artis. Great individual players, but awful teammates that lacked a PG. And again, that's Jamie Dixon's fault that he could never get a point guard that was a difference maker after Levance Fields.

Put John Calipari on the sidelines for this Pitt team. The results wouldn't be much better with this roster. He's got a team of literally all freshman. What did you really expect this team to be this year?

I see the situation for what it is. And quite frankly, if you fire Stallings, the Pitt basketball program will be more of a mess than it is right now. Nobody wanted that job two years ago. Imagine what would happen if a head coach was fired two years after starting up a full 1000% percent rebuild of a basketball program. That job would literally be untouchable.

People want immediate success. That's the best conference in the country, and Pitt has twelve 18-19 year olds running the floor against guys from Duke and North Carolina that are going to be playing in the NBA next year. That program isn't ever going to get back to what it was in 2009. That's the high water mark. But they can become a good program once again. Rome wasn't built in a day though.

Always respect your thoughts. No problem there. I think just watching that 30th anniversary of the Lane Dunk video that IUPBigIndians posted I just feel so nostalgic for what Pitt football and hoops was when I was growing up. It was Dan Marino, Jackie Sherrill, Charles Smith, Jerome Lane, Hugh Green, Iron Head Heyward, et al. And it was a pretty cool product to watch. They had some good teams and they were very nationally relevant at times.

I do agree with you that it is a big mess. Apparently one thing that happened back some 35-odd years ago that drove Sherrill out of the head football coaching office and to Texas A&M was that the school raised their academic standards as a whole. That's great if you have brainiacs who want to become doctors and engineers, but not so good if you want to field competitive athletic teams. I only bring it up to offer another reason why things are so bad there. To me, I would be inclined to believe that even if Pitt can't recruit the top tier hoops players then you would think that they could still get a decent brand of player who would welcome the challenge of playing ball in the ACC and showing his wares to scouts on the national stage against the likes of Duke and North Carolina several times a year. I just have a hard time believing that Pitt can't land some good talent and a good young coach.

I'm not versed on every facet of the Pitt coaching search from 2016. Where those young guns that you mentioned offered the job or are you saying that they none of them would even talk to Pitt? Any way you slice it, a sad state of affairs. Probably what Pitt really needs is just some really good players. They are the ones that win games in most cases.

Just frustrating that Pitt can't return to what they once were--- entertaining and quality programs in men's hoops and football.

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[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: OT: Pitt

The Pitt job has one big thing going for it ... money.

I think that trio of young guns are holding out more for the next wave of Blue Blood jobs. There are going to be some real big jobs opening soon. Duke, NC, Syracuse, etc.

Frankly, Archie has a better job where he is than at Pitt.

I actually really like the guy Duquesne hired. He's old but this will be his last rodeo.

This upcoming class will make or break Stallings -- if he survives the off-season. His relationship with the whale donors will probably determine if he gets another year.

I see Fairmont's young coach, former WVU star Joe Mazula (sp) getting poached out of there pretty quickly. The new guy at WL is going to get some looks. I could see both getting lower-end D1 interest this off-season.

As for football ... if that Michigan State job does open ... the 'Duz would be in the first Uber out of Oakland.

[IUP24]

Always respect your thoughts. No problem there. I think just watching that 30th anniversary of the Lane Dunk video that IUPBigIndians posted I just feel so nostalgic for what Pitt football and hoops was when I was growing up. It was Dan Marino, Jackie Sherrill, Charles Smith, Jerome Lane, Hugh Green, Iron Head Heyward, et al. And it was a pretty cool product to watch. They had some good teams and they were very nationally relevant at times.

I do agree with you that it is a big mess. Apparently one thing that happened back some 35-odd years ago that drove Sherrill out of the head football coaching office and to Texas A&M was that the school raised their academic standards as a whole. That's great if you have brainiacs who want to become doctors and engineers, but not so good if you want to field competitive athletic teams. I only bring it up to offer another reason why things are so bad there. To me, I would be inclined to believe that even if Pitt can't recruit the top tier hoops players then you would think that they could still get a decent brand of player who would welcome the challenge of playing ball in the ACC and showing his wares to scouts on the national stage against the likes of Duke and North Carolina several times a year. I just have a hard time believing that Pitt can't land some good talent and a good young coach.

I'm not versed on every facet of the Pitt coaching search from 2016. Where those young guns that you mentioned offered the job or are you saying that they none of them would even talk to Pitt? Any way you slice it, a sad state of affairs. Probably what Pitt really needs is just some really good players. They are the ones that win games in most cases.

Just frustrating that Pitt can't return to what they once were--- entertaining and quality programs in men's hoops and football.

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[IUP24]

The Pitt job has one big thing going for it ... money.

I think that trio of young guns are holding out more for the next wave of Blue Blood jobs. There are going to be some real big jobs opening soon. Duke, NC, Syracuse, etc.

Frankly, Archie has a better job where he is than at Pitt.

I actually really like the guy Duquesne hired. He's old but this will be his last rodeo.

This upcoming class will make or break Stallings -- if he survives the off-season. His relationship with the whale donors will probably determine if he gets another year.

I see Fairmont's young coach, former WVU star Joe Mazula (sp) getting poached out of there pretty quickly. The new guy at WL is going to get some looks. I could see both getting lower-end D1 interest this off-season.

As for football ... if that Michigan State job does open ... the 'Duz would be in the first Uber out of Oakland.

[IUP CRIMSON HAWKS]

Re: OT: Pitt

Anyone? 94-60. Not good.

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[IUPTrackMan]

Re: OT: Pitt

Anyone? 94-60. Not good.

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[Fightingscot82]

Re: OT: Pitt

I truly believe Kevin Stallings has a plan - he just doesn't have the horses right now. Those post-Jamie defections by guys who would now be upperclassmen are killing him right now and the loss of Ryan Luther only made this season worse. I agree that the experience gained by this season's underclassmen is invaluable plus the return of Luther should help redirect the ship next season.

People forget that Jamie Dixon wasn't exactly building a powerhouse here. He had a polarizing relationship with some players (remember Khem Birch?) and a lot of the more immediate transfers didn't exactly go to stellar programs: South Alabama, Old Dominion, Portland, Georgia State, etc. In hindsight Pitt went from being a top tier Big East team to being the Kentucky football of the ACC.

[IUP24]

I truly believe Kevin Stallings has a plan - he just doesn't have the horses right now. Those post-Jamie defections by guys who would now be upperclassmen are killing him right now and the loss of Ryan Luther only made this season worse. I agree that the experience gained by this season's underclassmen is invaluable plus the return of Luther should help redirect the ship next season.

People forget that Jamie Dixon wasn't exactly building a powerhouse here. He had a polarizing relationship with some players (remember Khem Birch?) and a lot of the more immediate transfers didn't exactly go to stellar programs: South Alabama, Old Dominion, Portland, Georgia State, etc. In hindsight Pitt went from being a top tier Big East team to being the Kentucky football of the ACC.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: OT: Pitt

Stallings has one major problem. He has no fans. Literally. That announced gate yesterday ... no chance. Pitt said 4,500 .... 2,500 max. That was freaking Louisville ... not Howard.

When you lose the fans ... you lose your job. This isn't the PSAC where drawing 175 is considered normal and the schools could care less. This is big time money. How many donors are going to send this guy a check? The money talks in the Power 5.

I think he gets one more year. His incoming class as of right now would be great in the MAC .... not the ACC. What keeps his job beyond next year? Does .500 save him?