Originally posted by IUP CRIMSON HAWKS
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Okay, let's get caught up on some Pitt happenings. Has there been any news out of Oakland of recent? Ah, yes, Pitt football and men's hoops now finds themselves on probation for several NCAA infractions that they self-reported to the governing body of college athletics. While you certainly never want to hear that your favorite team is on probation----the good news here is that the penalties are VERY minor. Neither team will see their scholarships reduced nor will they be subject to any sort of postseason banishment. In a nutshell the violations were simple things such as quality control folks throwing a football or holding up play cards during football practice or having them doing some coaching type duties such as player instruction during the previous basketball coaching regime. Minor but infractions nonetheless if one is to adhere to the telephone book thick code of the NCAA.
Many feel that this stuff was borne of the Kevin Stullings clash with the university and their attempts to hammer out an agreement on a settlement during his firing two springs ago. Stullings is now on a three-year just cause clause that stipulates that if he is to take a coaching job in that time frame he will be on suspension for 30% of his schools games the first season. The biggest penalty that a Pitt coach will incur is that Pat Narduzzi must sit out two days of practice either this spring or in fall camp. Dan Cage who was the director of basketball operations under Stullings has also been hit with the just cause thing. Some feel that he may have been the one to stir the pot here as I believe that his name is mentioned in the report.
Probably the absolute craziest thing to think about in all of this was that Stullings cheated a bit and STILL went 0-19 in ACC play two years ago. Like one Pitt fan stated----even his cheating sucked! There is no word around town if Pitt will be forced to formally vacate that 0-19 season. Goodness!
In some news on the court---the Panthers have been getting the worst of it of late. They played well in the early portion the other night at Florida State before the Seminoles employed a very deep bench on the overwhelmed Panthers. Pitt deserves a lot of credit for the job that they have done this season but it is now becoming evident that they have hit a wall and are a worn down unit that does not have the reserves and depth needed to contend this deep into the ACC schedule. That should change next year with four new players coming in and two more still likely to sign.
Femi Odukale who of course is the flashy combo guard who is on the rise in the recruiting world has already began his official visit to Pitt for the weekend. He was recently voted as the top prep player in Massachusetts and has gained offers from Virginia Tech as well as several PAC-12 and Big East schools. Hopefully his visit will go well.
Pitt will be back in action tomorrow at noon at the Pete against Virginia.
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Many feel that this stuff was borne of the Kevin Stullings clash with the university and their attempts to hammer out an agreement on a settlement during his firing two springs ago. Stullings is now on a three-year just cause clause that stipulates that if he is to take a coaching job in that time frame he will be on suspension for 30% of his schools games the first season. The biggest penalty that a Pitt coach will incur is that Pat Narduzzi must sit out two days of practice either this spring or in fall camp. Dan Cage who was the director of basketball operations under Stullings has also been hit with the just cause thing. Some feel that he may have been the one to stir the pot here as I believe that his name is mentioned in the report.
Probably the absolute craziest thing to think about in all of this was that Stullings cheated a bit and STILL went 0-19 in ACC play two years ago. Like one Pitt fan stated----even his cheating sucked! There is no word around town if Pitt will be forced to formally vacate that 0-19 season. Goodness!
In some news on the court---the Panthers have been getting the worst of it of late. They played well in the early portion the other night at Florida State before the Seminoles employed a very deep bench on the overwhelmed Panthers. Pitt deserves a lot of credit for the job that they have done this season but it is now becoming evident that they have hit a wall and are a worn down unit that does not have the reserves and depth needed to contend this deep into the ACC schedule. That should change next year with four new players coming in and two more still likely to sign.
Femi Odukale who of course is the flashy combo guard who is on the rise in the recruiting world has already began his official visit to Pitt for the weekend. He was recently voted as the top prep player in Massachusetts and has gained offers from Virginia Tech as well as several PAC-12 and Big East schools. Hopefully his visit will go well.
Pitt will be back in action tomorrow at noon at the Pete against Virginia.
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