in Pitt Football, Recruiting 650 Words

POV Sunday Podcast 1/29/17

First of my sincere thanks to these uber-readers, commenters and now Pitt POV support donors who are so much better looking and smell nicer that those who didn’t drop me a dime.

helmet-0-0
Thank You!

Tip of the Helmet to: Greg (Greg),  Jack (Friends of Pitt),  John (MajorMajors),  Joe (jnrpitt), Kevin (Kman),  Mark (PittPT),  Peter (PetePitt73),  Phil (pmdH2P), Russ (rkb),  Tom (Dr. Tom),  William (wwb or wbb kind of like like a Jeckell & Hyde deal…) our BB Nostradamus Mark (UPitt) and Michael (Altomike). 

My true friends listed  above – I am in awe of you all.  Your generous donations are actually humbling this rather medium-sized ego of mine and I hope to do even better in 2017 in getting to you, all POV’ers,  better articles and more items and issues to have a blast discussing.

BTW guys – Altomike has a total of one (1) comment yet kicked in big time. Which is why I keep saying we have a huge amount of readers who rarely comment or not at all.

To Sports:

Well, no joy on the basketball front as Pitt dropped another game to ACC opponent Clemson, a 67-60 loss, who traveling up to Pittsburgh had a six game losing streak.  Not wanting to be bested in that category Pitt has now matched that same six games and looks to raise them when they face the NC Tarheels on Tuesday night in Chapel Hill.

With a rather lackluster showing on both the staff and the players’ parts it seemed.  Again I can only watch so much BB before I start throwing things at the screens because the refs give the players three steps to a shot and let the ball handlers ‘walk’ all over the place… and never call palming the ball.

It is truly a different game then when I played and I think it has been severely dumbed down to create more scoring and that’s too bad.  And Pitt hasn’t gotten the memo that there is supposed to be more scoring either.

So now we sit at 12-9 overall and 1-7 in-conference.

Here is the Pitt’s box score if you care to review the game.  Six points off the bench – even I can tell you that’s a lost cause right there.

bb-clemson-box-score

If you want to twist that stick that is in your eye then read and closely parse these standing and results.

pitt-bb-acc

Look I don’t care all that much about Pitt BB but I can see clearly that Stallings should be a one-and-done buyout deal.  And can we please quit placing the blame for crap things happening on the player’s shoulders guys?  He has enough talent, to my eye anyway, to have won a few more than only one ACC match.

But he sure can toss players into the Pittsbugh dedicated bus lanes:

Stallings lamented his lack of options when asked about taking playing time away from his four seniors but experimented liberally with his bench. Rozelle Nix, Damon Wilson, Justice Kithcart, Corey Manigault and Jonathan Milligan all saw minutes in the first half and came in as a mass substitution in the second half, though that appearance ended after less than two minutes following a pair of empty possessions and two quick Clemson baskets.

“I’m not going to keep guys in anymore that aren’t at least attempting to do their very best at what we asked them to do,” Stallings said.

Plus we lost 4* LB Nathan Procter to VT.  Pitt was 3rd on his list apparently.

Hey – who says POV readers aren’t extremely talented – check out this basement recording by our friend PittPT titled “Does my Ring Burn your Finger?“..recorded on February 10, 2013.  It akes a few seconds to kick in but enjoy…

98 thoughts on “POV Sunday Podcast 1/29/17”

  1. On the Blather, Old grad suggested hiring a co-head coach for basketball. What a great idea. Would be similar to what WVU did when they brought in Dana Holgerson in with Bill Stewart in Football. Worked out pretty well for WVU , not so much for Bill Stewart . .

    Like

  3. I say just bite the bullet and buy KS out. A co-coach just delays the inevitable and I dont see how it really does any good. Unless the university is trying to lessen the financials on the buyout or the incoming coach is not prepared or there is a risk of losing a good incoming recruiting class.

    I’m more upset at the leader of the BOT, our Chancellor, for planting the enema for this hot mess. And my disgust with the BOT for being dysfunctional, inept and just plain ignorant about the athletic side of the university. Our leader Gallagher should be challenging the BOT to think outside the box. He mentioned our front porch. That is a step in the right direction but we have a long journey. Pitt’s athletic department really needs to be blown up first since every time we head down the path towards athletic excellence, our AD trips us up.

    Hence, hiring a powerful AD that is willing to butt heads with the BOT and Chancellor on occasion is key. A real independent thinker and doer. But the BOT is here to protect themselves and are insulated from much scrutiny. Who holds them accountable?

    Like

  4. I see the AD hire as being the primary issue right now. Dumping Stallings after less than three years seems (to me) to be totally unfair. Let him bring in his players and then see the results.

    H2P

    Like

  5. Stalling is looking real bad right now but I don’t think there is a chance he is let go. I don’t believe that is going to happen, at least not this year or next. Wishing, swearing, and crying won’t change a thing…so imo

    Napier going to ASU is a shocker to me. WOW! I still can’t believe that Salem will be announced as the sole OC. What in the hell sense would that make considering the time it took? If he is, it would only mean that PITT couldn’t convince a more experienced coach to join the team. I do not think that is the case.

    I totally understood Narduzzi closing practices but this secret service behavior is wearing thin on me. He can’t continue to shut out the media and boosters. If he thinks he can act in this manner he better win 9 or 10 games next year or his window will close a little more quickly than originally thought.

    I really wish the PITT football team could find a way to reincorporate Dave Wannstedt to the program. It could help out with bringing the older alum, fan-base and boosters back into the fold. Still a lot of bitterness in the way his departure was handled.

    Enjoyed the podcast Reed or I mean stretch. You mentioned Lucas. I remember watching him play and went to the Dapper Dan classic his senior year. I think Pa won?? I also think Pa also sported a little guard from Uniontown named Jess Hudson? If you ever made to the DDRB classic it was pretty spectacular.

    Like

  6. Ike, you had me until talking about bringing back Wannstadt . To me he was añ okay coach who just happened to be from (and graduated from) Pittsburgh. I don’t think that would have any more success than we had with the Majors 2 era.

    Like

  7. Ike, best DDRC I ever saw had Simmie Hill and Norm VanLier both from state champ Midland plus a power forward from Philly whose name I can’t recall destroy the PA all stars. Vanlier went to St Francis and not Pitt and I think Hill was an All American and both played in the pros

    Like

  9. PittPT, I wasn’t thinking along the lines of having DW coach but some sort of an honorary or made up ambassador, to welcome him back to PITT again…

    Pan, yes that was a great high school team. Some say Simmie was the best ever. The DDRC was a first class operation for sure.

    Like

  10. As to Wannstadt and Sunseri I do not understand the adulation of these losers – professionally and personally. I am in no way defending Cornholer and Nordy who would have driven me off the edge as FB coach. However, the stink surrounding the departure of Wannstadt was much his own doing – having players protest, dragging his feet on whether he would coach the bowl – Classless in the Extreme just like I would expect out of an egotistical lunkhead of an offensive lineman. What part of him calling his recruits and telling them NOT TO COME TO PITT dont you understand. It was a classless act of a traitor to all that Pitt should stand for by and egotist who could care less about the University of Pittsburgh. And he gave us 2 star QB for four years – Tiny Sunseri (skip the stats wwb his preparations and onfield decisions were the worst I’ve ever seen of a Pitt QB. The Sunseris have never given a dime to Pitt, not a single dime. Where do you groupies get the stars in your eyes? Gosh most of you must have squealed in rapturous joy at the Osmonds, I suppored Wandstadt until his last year which was embarrassing on a behavioral standpoint of him and his players he was supposed to lead.
    The Pelusi family gets zero credit but has been Pitt all the way, glad to see he is on the AD search committee,

    Stallings was a poor hire and Dixon’s recruitment atrocious but the players such as Artis and Young the senior leaders have done nothing to advance the team concept. This problem is not specific to Pitt. Coach K this past week barred his egotists from the Duke lockerroom and wont let them wear Duke gear because of their poor attitude in four losses. It lays on the players. One and dones are killing BB and too bad there is no institution with the balls to stop this mess.
    Other than that at least Nate Peterman who went 16 for 23 for 153 yards!!!. HAIL TO PITT

    Like

    1. Sunseri had a winning record and very good stats despite playing behind very poor OLs in 2 of his 3 years, including running an offense that nobody really cared to play in 2011. Funny how nobody here was asking for his removal after his sophomore season in 2010.

      There seems to be a dispute about exatcly what Wannstadt and STAFF said on those calls to the recruits. The version I heard, not that long after they occurred, was that the recruits were told that DW was being let go and were told to reconsider their options. The staff wanted the recruits to know the score as soon as they got the news.

      Now whether they were told ‘not to come’ may well have been truth … or maybe a little exaggerated.

      Like

      1. wbb – that phone call fact has been verified many times over and Paul Ziese mentioned it a couple of times in his interview on a radio station – I wrote a long article about that. believe me I heard right from the horses mouth (not DW’s of course) what he did to that recruiting class. I got that story from three other Pitt people when it happened.

        Of course I mentioned it that same month on the Blather and no one believed it until Ziese and the news papers writers talked about it. But he was a vindictive SOB after being fired.

        Debate other points – that fact isn’t exaggerated at all and other things went down also that made the separation between Pitt and him when his contract was over (so we avoided any buyout) after the bowl game.

        We saw what he was like overly criticizing Pederson as a color analyst on national TV – that was so bad they had to cut away to commercial at one point… why do people think he wouldn’t be like that in private?

        Like

        1. I am not arguing that the phone calls didn’t take place …my argument is the exact content of the call. And yes, I know Zeise used those word allegedly when he was interviewed by the Wisocnsin media … but again, was the intent to tell the recruits NOT to come or just to reconsider. Again, I was told otherwise the week after Wanny’s firng.

          And FWIW .. I agree that he (Wanny) was completely out of line on that Fox telecast when Pitt played at FIU.

          Like

    2. rkb, when Sal was in school, the Sunseri family would feed the entire team on many occasions. And how in the heck do you know if the Sunseri family never gave anything to the school.

      Just more vitriol and hyperbole from an anonymous blogger. Just read your blog above for Chsrist’s sakes!!! The hatred shown towards Wanny and Tino on these blogs never continue to amaze me.

      Like

  11. I had Napier as a good possibility. But going to ASU with that sinking ship is hard to understand. Narduzzi had his guy weeks ago. There must be a good reason for keeping it buttoned up.

    Like

  12. the other item is Stalliings should be given time to recruit and develop his program. Pitt wasn’t going anywhere this year with no freaken guard. But with the guards coming in next year and a couple of forwards as well, Pitt is in a total rebuild here. If after year two he is not showing the kind of progress that indicates things are on the upswing, then make a change.

    Like

  13. rkb, I know what DW did and that was not acceptable all things considered. BUT! His AD was not a PITT man and constantly, at every turn, did his best to undermine Wannstedt. steve didn’t just rid PITT of DW and I’m not just talking about the firing, I’m talking about how he treated DW, he rid PITT of many many big time alumni and boosters. That said, no I’m not hell bent on this idea just thought it may rekindled some to reconsider their donations to their old school.

    Chet. Not only should PITT give HCKS some time but they almost have to and most probably will..

    Like

  14. Just spent 40 minutes looking for your address but couldn’t find it. Please let us know again the mailing address. Thanks.

    Like

  15. If we dont think KS is the future and can pin the hire blame on an AD thats leaving (rightfully so), why wouldnt Pitt want to give him the heave ho?

    I see an empty Pete and reputational/brand damage over the next 2 years resting on a leap of faith that KS is the best Pitt can do and will achieve more than mediocre results.

    I just dont see it or have a good feel for it.

    Our new AD (I’ll sell my soul for Tressel), should put an end to this experiment before it blows up even more.

    Like

  16. PittPT, almost forgot about your little ditty there. Nice. Sounds a little Neil Youngish and I hear someone else in there. I give it two thumbs up!!

    Like

  19. Who is Pitt going to hire and replace Stallings. they can’t pay 6 to 7 million for two coaches. In year three, Pitt will have options with a new AD. Pitt BB was sinking before Stallings arrived. Unless some big time supporter steps up with cash, Stallings is here for at least one if not two more years. Fortunately Pitt has lost coaches with buyouts, As to Wanny, he submarined the program along with Gattuso and no way he has any place in Pitts athletic department.

    Like

    1. Who is Huggins #1 assistant ? You’d have to be impressed/envious of the basketball program WVU has had since Huggins got there? Perhaps his prime assistAnt would be interested in the Pitt job?

      Like

  20. OK Reed here we go again. The cage match is back on. You said the word overly. By that, do you mean overly for TV viewer consumption or unfair criticism? Yes maybe for TV but not as far as speaking the truth. Now, do we know that Paul Z heard it directly from DW? I don’t know that all that happened but I know Wanny was not right in some of what actually happened. As far as steve goes, the thought of him makes me want to punch a wall. Everyone hates on Graham but I wish he would come out with his full story. He actually may hate steve more than DW. That man (steve) actually tried to kill my football teams program intentionally because of his narcissistic personality and hate for certain people. I would spit on the ground before I ever shook his hand. You know how I hate that man.

    Like

  21. Wanny was the lowest paid HC in the BE (again, the BE, not the ACC) … this was in part to the fact that it meant more money for his assistants. And how was he rewarded after he started to win …. by having his recruiting budget cut.

    And yet …. two years after that budget cut, the AD was somehow able to get a substantial raise for a new coaching hire as well as his staff (Just to bale out his sorry butt for completely botching a replacement hire after a controversial firing — for the 2nd time in his career)

    Like

  22. Here is a suggestion to Reed. It may be best to lump steve in with politics and nudity as being taboo on the POV, if for nothing else, my blood pressure.

    Like

  23. Under normal circumstances, Stallings would not be let go. This hire was met with such vitriol though, and the AD who hired him is gone, and he’s being booed at home games during lineup announcements, the school may not have a choice. Coaches just don’t all of a sudden become popular. This isn’t a quick fix either. It may (most likely) be worse next year. Best to cut ties now. Make up some of the buyout by hiring a young guy (B-Knight) and move forward.

    Like

  24. Please, enough with giving HCKS two, three, or (as one poster preposterously suggested) five years to make his case. Incompetence is incompetence and it has been on full display the entire season. In 17 years in the SEC he had a below .500 record. To think he is going to all of a sudden with a change in schools become successful in the ACC is a total delusion.

    Like

  25. Delaware State: Running backs coach / associate head coach Vincent White has been promoted to offensive coordinator, and previous offensive coordinator / quarterbacks coach John Allen will stick with quarterbacks.

    New York Jets: Saints wide receivers coach John Morton will join the Jets as offensive coordinator, according to Adam Schefter. Morton spent two years with the Saints and was USC’s offensive coordinator from 2009-11.

    Pittsburgh: Pitt HC Pat Narduzzi continues the search for a replacement (without an AD) for departed offensive coordinator Matt Canada, who took the same position at LSU back in mid-December.

    Like

  26. Erie – we’ll know by how quickly the hire is announced after signing day. If it’s ASAP, that was his guy for a while and they were waiting to announce. If it’s not immediate he’s still searching.

    Like

  27. KS has a track record. Do we really think he’s the guy that will elevate the program and have us compete against Duke and Carolina. He was a mediocre coach at Vandy in a much weaker conference. Dont care that Vandy had higher academic standards. Any decent coach would not have lost his team. Any decent coach would have gotten something more from this team this year. Any decent coach would not be publicly throwing his players under the bus. Any decent coach would have some potential and fans could see the possibilities. My future of Pitt B-ball is very bleak. Basement for the next 2-3 years with this bozo as coach. Half the Pete empty. And Pitt’s basketball brand tarnished beyond repair. The lack of passion, basketball IQ and leadership is a problem for both KS and Pitt’s seniors. They are gutless. Our new AD needs to press the button. Why wait 2-3 years when all you’ll get is middle of the pack at best. Find someone new and in 2-3 years, you’ll be near the top of the heap.

    Like

  28. BTW, Where were you guys after 15 games this year? PITT started the season out 12-3 with a victory over Virginia who is now 16-5 (RK #11) with their last game losing by 2 against #1 Nova.

    Two of PITT’s losses at that time came against SMU, now with a record of 18-4 and ND, ( 1 pt overtime loss) now with a record of 17-5, with losses to Virginia, FSU, and Nova.

    Seems to me a lot of you were quiet about the shoe salesman stuff at that time. I guess he went to bed the night of the Virginia win and got real dumb overnite? DUH! Stats, I hate stats. They will lie if you want them to.

    Like

    1. Ike – Pitt also lost to Duquesne in that stretch of being 12-3.

      I do remember a lot of “noise” being made about Stallings and Barney messing up Pitt BB. But then again, a lot of our focus was on finishing the FB season with 9 wins.

      Like

  31. TX – well put. They had just beat MD. I saw it as a let down game not a precursor. The team should not be this bad and they were not this bad before. MD and UVA, even in down year, are good wins. This team quit on on Stallings and it would appear Stallings has quit on them. It’s a mess.

    Liked by 1 person

  32. Oh I’m saying it’s a mess too. Point was, kicking a team and it’s coach while down is easy to do. Duquense was a terrible loss. Stallings had the team playing well early though and I can’t explain away what’s going on down there. All I know is like it or lump it, KS isn’t going anywhere soon. Maybe I hope he does get the boot but the next coach will coast PITT somewhere around 7 mil with the buyout??

    Like

  33. Back to FB –

    As reported by Scout.com – Nebraska commit Guy Thomas (OLB) says this past weekend’s official visit to Pitt is making him “think hard, real hard.” This weekend he is on the Nebraska campus with a “soft commit” label.

    Like

  34. @ike I disagree. The team was not playing well early – they just were playing patsies. They blew large leads in multiple games. The Head Coach threw them under the bus after their second or third game at a public presser. They did not play defense. The bench players did not improve. All the things we see magnified in the ACC happened in November and December too…the competition was just so low that Pitt was able to win most of the games regardless.

    Like

  35. I believe in tough love, but when a coach making $2M calls out in the media a kid from the projects, telling him he needs to stop dreaming about a pro career, all the other minutiae pales in comparison.
    Better ways to get your point across.
    Sit a kid – there. That’ll get your point across and u don’t look like a douche doing it.

    Like

  37. Former Duke big man and ESPN announcer Jay Bills used to say that if you were playing Pitt you better bring leather helmets at a minimum because they defend and play defense. Their culture in Pittsburgh demands it.

    Not now. Our culture went the other way when you have an outsider AD. Pederson and Barnes put Pitt behind everybody but Syracuse and Boston College.

    If you want an ” A ” program you give it “A” support. You want a “C” program, you give it “C” support. The Administration somehow likes “C” work, which is odd coming from academia. We can have A or B work if the Admin wants it. I am afraid they don’t so we should start looking for Gallaghers replacement. You are either all in or all out! Your choice.

    This is not about head coaches or OC’s. This is about bringing in the best leader if you can’t do it. It is either Tressel for AD or me….. or Upitt so long as he doesn’t call his employees slinky haired vacuum salesman. Seriously though, I stand behind what I typed, except for the upitt reference! Sorry upitt, you have found your lane and are progressing through life splendidly, except for a headache or ten. Did you start feeling this way right after Duquesne game?

    Like

  38. Listen, anyone who watched the early games and saw the huge leads blown, and Stallings coaching style,or lack there of should have had alarm bells going off. This did not happen in a few games, it was almost every game. It’s baffling, I for one had never seen it before. I thought he was making a point, or I was missing something. Can you really say you weren’t concerned??
    Team played well enough to beat some very good teams, but games where much, much, closer than necessary. Then something happened the last three weeks. Not sure what, but something happened for sure, and no, it’s not just better teams.
    Remember, these guys never, ever, played any defense, but they tried, just weren’t any good at it. After seeing Jamie, and the control freak he was, Stallings is quite the change. He gets no pass from me. If players mutiny, and that is what it is, then the coach takes it on the chin, espically one who has built up zero equity.

    Like

  39. Devils advocate here again. PITT won those games that they blew large leads in almost, if not, every time. But when they had a huge deficit and came back only to lose, everyone said the opposite. Louisville first time around had a 28 pt lead or so and had to hang on and win a close game at the end. Much like PITT did early in the season……. but that’s not the same right? Memories are like stats. In my book a win is a win.

    Like

  40. I probably shouldn’t comment on this team since I find it too painful to even watch them. But before the season even began, I asked myself just how long would it take for the wheels to come off this team when they will have to play this season without an ACC caliber point guard or ACC caliber center? And since most losing begets more losing and as such the HC’s commentary after the loses seem to be inflaming the situation. That’s not even taking into account IMO that this team hasn’t even come close to seeing the bottom as of yet. Wait until you witness the results from the 2017/18 Pitt BB team to see what a real bottom looks like.

    Like

  41. Pulled this from Gorman’s Trib article –

    Stallings certainly deserves his share of blame. He shouldn’t be asking his players for energy. He should be demanding it. For all of its faults, Pitt beat No. 22 Maryland and No. 12 Virginia and should have beaten No. 14 Notre Dame.

    With top reserve Ryan Luther out with a stress fracture, Pitt has serious depth issues. But, at some point, Stallings has to show some trust in his team. And the Panthers have to show some trust in Stallings.

    “I’m not concerned with if they’re with me or I’m with them. I feel pretty rock-solid on that,” Stallings said. “I’m concerned that if you don’t have success, you don’t have success, you don’t have success, it tears at them. I worry for them. I’ll keep fighting. I’ve been through this.” (Key quote)

    Stallings has the security of a contract with five years remaining. This is it for Pitt’s seniors. The Panthers must show some pride. (Another key line)

    “We have to come in here with the mindset of one goal,” Artis said. “I think we can still pull it together and string a couple wins and get back in it.”

    Pitt needs to win eight of its next 10 games to finish .500 in the ACC. With games at No. 9 North Carolina and No. 17 Duke this week, that seems like wishful thinking.

    Like

  42. I have zero, absolutely zero problem with what Wanny did and/or allegedly did after that ridiculous and unprofessional fiasco Peterson pulled. I loved the on air throw down during the FIU game and he should without question be welcomed back the same way Walt Harris and Johnny Majors are.
    With regards to hoops, at YSU Tressel never cared much for the program and still doesn’t-they stink, so he may not care much at Pitt either. Stallings is awful and for the sake of the program I am all for pulling the plug after this year and looking at ANYBODY else.

    Like

  43. Louis Riddick interviewed for 49ers GM position. He has a heck of an administrative background. While he has no AD experience and may not be interested, but he may be a consideration for AD

    Like

  44. Anyone can cherry pick a game and say “see, it happens to good teams too”. But when it happens consistently, and the coaching style is consistent, you should worry. This isn’t stats, this is how this individual coaches, and it has been his pattern. Now, if you think this is fine, OK, different strokes, but just get ready for an extended period of frustration. And for those saying wait till he gets his own players, well, sounds like Toddy boy saying the same thing needing his players to run his style.

    Like

    1. Josh Pastner at GTech is a 1st Year coach in the ACC and beat unc and nd this past week with less talent than Pitt had at the start of this season.

      He IS doing more with less. It’s called coaching.

      Like

  45. How the hell can u expect results in the ACC without a point guard and true center, you’re best bench player out for an extended period of time and Mike Young having trouble hitting shots shooting thru a plastic face mask?

    Like

  46. The only way this team can succeed is that they shoot well collectively the entire game. They can’t rebound or defend .. they merely pass it around and take the first open available, 95% from > 15 feet.

    KS’s grand experiment … no point guard or low post .. is failing.

    Like

  47. The buck stops with the coach who makes 2M+ a year. I see a lot of other coaches win with other coaches players.The KS situation can either be fixed fast as he is one or done or you set Pitt back 5 years. His recruiting? Until I see his players do something that is all smoke. He better recruit studs because his coaching sucks.

    Like

  49. Speaking of PITT BB, Lamar Patterson has returned to the Atlanta Hawks on a 10 day contract. I really enjoyed watching him play for PITT. Hope he latches on with them a little longer this time.

    Like

  52. Per footballscoop.com:
    Kentucky: Inside linebackers coach Matt House will be promoted to defensive coordinator source tells FootballScoop. Before joining Kentucky for the 2016 season, House served as defensive coordinator at both Pitt & FIU.

    Like

    1. It shouldn’t hurt that the HC is Mark Stoops, who has a long, accomplished defensive background. Best wishes to him.

      Like

      1. Quick get Barney to put Kentucky on the schedule soon – make that his last move before heading to Oregon State.

        Like

  53. Thanks, Ike. I will read it when I have enough time. Working gets in the way of important things like this article.

    H2P

    Like

  56. Reed, What I recall hearing was that DW called his recruits as a courtesy to let them know he would not be their coach (which at least appears to be a decent thing to do).

    When some of them asked what they should do he essentially told them to keep their options open and see who the next coach would be.

    That is just good advice to give them. Coaches recruit for their system. They also tend to favor their own recruits who they built a relationship with.

    Like

    1. I’ll keep repeating this. My conversations were with people who were right there when all went down.

      Every staff makes calls to current recruits when a coaching change is made… that is standard.

      That was absolutely not what happened with DW…

      Like

  58. Frank, the truth may be somewhere closer to what you’re saying. I know DW was tremendously bitter but the truth may never be known.

    I love how some want to bank on Zeise’s word like he heard all this from DW’s mouth, which he did not. But when Zeise’s speaks out about Stallings needing a chance and Jamie left him nothing….all of a sudden he’s an idiot.

    I like PZ just about as much as anyone, he’s one of my favorite’s next to Reed.

    Like

    1. Move the conversation on Ike – I’ve told you exactly what happened – if that isn’t good enough and DiPaloa and Zeise’s take on it (the same ) isn’t good enough then you don’t want to know the truth.

      I know exactly what happened and have shared it with you many times.

      What gets me though is why just because a guy went to Pitt he’s all of a sudden someone who just couldn’t possibly be an ass and be vindictive. Why is that? It’s like you just don’t want to believe what DW could be like.

      Like

      1. First off, I have to get use to this reply button. I don’t always pan down to the recent comment portion and I sometimes miss a reply. Remember I come form message boards exclusively and I’ve barely gotten use to not having an edit button. I like to hit post and then proofread and quote other posts that will be displayed in the order in which they were posted. So that’s that.

        Here is how I feel about DW’s situation. If you read my post to HbgFrank I do give a little leeway acknowledging that Dave may have been bitter enough to cross some lines. That’s not the real stick in my craw though. When I hear people talking about DW like he’s guilty of treason, which is your opinion, and give steve a pass for doing even worse to the PITT football program, which is my opinion, I feel the need to question. The Sports Illustrated article was a terrible act on a PITT employee and possibly perpetrated by steve or certainly enhanced by him. I can’t imagine how you would react if you ever encounter someone hell bent on undermining you at your job…

        When I, as a joke, asked you to ban talk of steve on the POV, I was just kidding but I freely admit it drives me crazy to rehash that asshat and what he did to PITT football… I see you’re just itching to get that cage match back on. I’m off to do a pushup or two. ……….ike

        H2P

        Like

  59. I don’t have a problem letting KS go after 1 year, if that’s what the higher-ups decide. But I’d like to know, how the heck do you get a quality coach – or even an up-and-coming coach to come to Pitt?

    Next year he would have no ACC quality players on board – maybe a couple KS 4-stars, if they decide to honor their committments. But only having 2 ballers (freshmen) and no ACC center or guard on the team, any new coach is sure to go down in flames (imagine The POV then). Who’s going to choose to risk their future on a situation like that??

    Plus, a year ago, we couldn’t find a high quality JD replacement for a Tournament team with 4 seniors coming back. Who’d be daft enough to willingly come to Pitt next year.

    If we jettison KS, not only do we lose our Rockport contract, we’ll probably do well to pick up the JC PENNYS men’s room monitor.

    Like

  60. Agreed. NO ONE is coming here right now….at least that would please the naysayers on this board and every other one.

    Like

  62. https://pittsburgh.rivals.com/commitments/basketball/2017

    4 Guys are already signed for Pitt Bball next season. Two Actual Guards who play defense and a 6’9” Terrell Brown.

    We’ll see if Stallings can bring in more guys.

    Another problem is just thank Kevin Stallings is a very soft-spoken, not outwardly Charismatic guy. So that just exacerbates the irriation from the fanbase.

    ^^ Give the coach the support he needs, and Pitt will be contending for Conference [ACC] Championships. —- Good point Coach 🙂

    Looking back I have zero problem with how angry Wanny was and what he did. In hindsight Steve Pederson was even worse than any fans felt at that moment and thank goodness he’s gone and how could Dave Wannstedt not have been Livid?

    Like

  63. Did I miss a deadline to donate ? Do I get a pro-rate for helping generate hits on the site ?

    Or do you get tossed overboard if you don’t donate, sort of like a political party ? 🙂

    Like

  65. Kutztown (D-II – PA): Per source, offensive coordinator / quarterbacks coach Brad Mangle will not return to the staff.

    Wait for it…just kidding.?

    Like

    1. it is supposed to be a unique behind the scenes coverage .. and includes former Pitt All-Americans (although A Donalld is the only one mentioned)

      Like

  69. @rkb

    I have to disagree with you regarding Sunseri I went to high school and hung out a bit with him at Pitt.

    Sal is a pretty good guy and I’ll see him this September and find out.

    Regarding Wanny, he was absolutely heartbroken when he was canned and he went out of his way to gain screw and exact revenge against Stevie P.

    Very childish behavior but that’s Wanny a true blue Panther and you have to admit Stevie P is a turd that was fired from Nebraska and screwed their football program up.

    Liked by 1 person

  70. Pulled this from Cardiac Hill – Overall, it’s not an absolute bear of a schedule (2017). That’s good because Pitt will be breaking in a new quarterback, new starting running back, five of their nine starting offensive and defensive linemen, and a new kicker, among other things like, you know … an offensive coordinator (wait for it…the OC, you know).

    The chance for a slow start exists and 1-3 isn’t even out of the question, to be honest.

    Ugh!

    Like

  71. I think you get the right AD and then any coach will want to come. Great facilities and conference. Open up the budget for recruiting.

    Wanny and Cornhole were both children. Wanny for being vindictive and Cornhole for how this firing went down. Wanny should have taken the high road but passions got the best of him. Cornhole is just a grade A ASSHOLE. Nuff said.

    Like

  73. Two things. The decision to fire DW wasn’t made by Steve Peterson. It was made by the Chancellor and it was made earlier on than the actually firing took place.

    Secondly, DW that knew he was going to be fired… it wasn’t a surprise. Again he was talked to and told that the certain things would happen if he didn’t follow certain orders… he refused. He knew he was going to be fired and he was fired.

    I learned this in conversation with the man who actually made the decision.

    That said, I’m sure DW & SP hated each other, but facts are facts. Wannstedt wasn’t the lovable “Pitt guy” fans seem to want to believe he was. His ego was out of control and he felt that he was better and more important than anyone else at the University. Which for a FB coach at Pitt to believe is crazy…at OSU, PSU, Alabama or elsewhere that might have been the case but there was a limit at Pitt.

    Fans need to understand that what we see publicly is about 25% of what goes on in a football program, academic departments or at the university as a whole. Just like life there’s always other circumstances and people react in every different way imaginable. We saw how Dave Wannstedt reacted to his firing, it was immature and while fans might think it was justified it was acting out on a grand scale.

    One other point while we are talking about behind the scenes stuff. This Chancellor is not as engaged in the football program or athletic department as many people think he is. He’s very much a delegator, which is how he should be as University Chancellor, but to think that this Chancellor is way more interested or more involved in our football then Nordenberg was is a mistake I believe.

    Which is why the athletic director hiring is so important for Pitt at this point. We need a guy that is going to stick around, be aggressive and understand the market. That last point may be more important than anything else. Steve Peterson never really got it; certainly Scott Barnes never got it and we need to have somebody who understands Pitt football’s situation in the city of Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania as a whole.

    We are #4 in sports hierarchy in Pittsburgh and that is never going to change in my opinion. We can win championships and it would still be college sports, which again in Pittsburgh takes a lower level of importance. The new AD has to understand that dynamic and work with it.

    Like

    1. Just what the heck did we see from Wanny when he was fired. We saw a guy who was put into a room where he didn’t want to be who was overtook with emotion when his players came in for support. He had no business being there in the first place. He was actually there to appease the guy who fired him… imagine that! If it were me, I would have stood up in front of everyone and suckered-punched the SOB (I believe the C word is much more appropriate here)

      And don’t give me Nordy fired him … everyone now knows that Nordy just followed Smug Steve’s direction when it came to athletics; that should be quite clear. In fact, within a month of that incident, the AD was able to increase his salary offer from $1.4m to $2M just t bring in the Fraud.

      Once again, your hatred for Wanny and your adulation for SP totally astounds me … even after what we had seen after Wanny had gone. Total ineptitude.

      Like

  74. Pitt just got a commit from a walk-on kicker … same high school as Todd Sibley. Archbishop Hoban from Akron. He will compete with a kicker who redshirted this year (or did he grayshirt) … whatever.

    Like

  75. Reed, I will take some issue on the “we will never be better than 4″ statement. For an extended period of time Pitt basketball was no worse than second in this city. At the time the Pens were awful and about to leave town, the Pirates were going thru a record setting time of futility, the Steelers were great. Pitt basketball was almost the hottest ticket in town, new building, great teams, winners on a large scale. Pens win, attendance is sellout for what seems like forever, Pirates finally win and attendance and interest go thru the roof. I remember the Steelers giving seats away, but they finally got real good.
    Here’s my take on why we never had an extended run, the good old boys always screwed it up. I envision a bunch of people swilling martinis and saying” the boys gave it a fine effort today but fell short. Well, the BOT will gradually,gradually change, that will happen over time. The one constant is winning. It isn’t that Pitt is losing that has been the problem, it’s that Pitt has never, ever been able to handle winning! Sorry, but we are are own biggest problem. That’s my take, and I’m sticking with it.

    Like

Comments are closed.