“Jamie Dixon leads TCU past Kansas, kicks Pitt in groin“
I’ve stayed away from BB talk on here because I historically haven’t been that interested in it. But halfway through this season, and after reading the complaints about Kevin Stallings on here, I started paying more attention.
And what a waste of time that was. Again, I didn’t watch much Pitt BB under Dixon – just tourney games but it seems his teams were 100% better than what I saw out of Pitt this season… and I don’t think Dixon had that much better talent every year either.
I had a phone conversation the other day with some interesting third-party info being passed – which means it is 50/50 at best – but supposedly Stallings wouldn’t mind moving on if the financial side of things didn’t hurt him. Again, that may well be just water cooler talk but still… I wouldn’t be surprised on bit – would you?
We’ll wait and see on that. What is evident, and I’ll disagree with one of our commenters here, is that Stallings had zero control over that squad from the day he was hired. My take on that?
These student/athletes aren’t stupid and whatever happens in the Pitt administration as far as coaching departures, hires, press conferences, etc…, affect them way more than that stuff affects Pitt fans. After all, this is not only their educational opportunity on the line but in some cases it maybe their life’s work and huge financial opportunities in the balance also.
Players don’t like when successful head coaches leave the school and in turn, leave them and their teammates. They may understand the reasoning for it but they were almost all recruited by the old coach and signed on with Pitt to play for them.
We saw that writ large when Dave Wannstedt ‘resigned’. Even with all the negative things going on those returning Wannstedt players carried their hurt feelings over into the 2011 season with new HC Todd Graham. I could hear it on the Southside in my off-the-cuff conversations with players during the spring and fall camps very clearly. They were angry and very skeptical of the changes.
I believe we clearly saw that again with the basketball team this season. And much like Todd Graham Kevin Stallings didn’t endear any of them with his immature habit of tossing his players out into Oakland’s dedicated Rapid Transit Bus Lanes going past the Petersen Events Center after their losses.
When those negative factors start to really gel, and that begins most often in the first third of the season, communications start to break down and confidence starts being lost – in both directions. The players don’t trust the coach to have their best interests at heart and the coach gets frustrated because he’s not getting the 100% buy-in he feels he deserves just by being the head coach.
I also believe Stallings didn’t realize the quality difference between our ACC opponents compared to his old SEC opponents – and the ACC has proven to be a better conference by far year in and year out.
When you have a 4-14 record against your new conference with a team populated with experienced returning players, there is something wrong in your coaching style. ..not their playing style.
Stallings needed to sit down with the upperclassmen right away and asked them for advice on how the ACC plays – they are the one who had 216 ACC games under their belts so far in their careers.
Case in point: four of our Top Five scorers were seniors this season. Right there should show you that we certainly should have been scoring more points and allowing less than the previous year. But instead we saw this:
Now that is hard to read but it shows that our scoring went from 75.0 ppg to 72.8 (-2.2) and then more importantly our points allowed per game rose from 67.3 to 74.7 (+7.4).
7.4 points may not sound like much but when college BB final scores are often well within that margin it shows how we dropped the ball there. Of course along with that our W/L record had a -5 win turnaround and early exit from the ACC tourney – with a slim to none shot at getting the NCAA Big Dance or whatever they call it these days.
Obviously that happened because there was a breakdown between the players and their coach. I started watching the games more after that horrendous 55 point loss to UL in January and was shown time and again that it got to the point that when we pulled out a win in the remainder of the season it was going to be because of the players’ talents that evening and not Stallings’ coaching acumen.
Stallings career at Pitt has been cursed by the old AD Scott Barnes with the under-the-table search and hire mechanism even before that ridiculous initial press conference announcing Stallings where Barnes’ idiotic and rude statements about the Pitt fans and the local media left Stallings both stunned and holding the bag. Not a great way to get your feet under you at a new place, that’s for sure.
I don’t know what the future holds for Stallings and Pitt BB. He may well stay and turn things around – but this season didn’t do anyone any good at all. It wasn’t just our highly successful Jamie Dixon abruptly leaving either. It went deeper than that because Pitt fans understood that Dixon had finally had enough of Pitt and wanted to go ‘home’.
That is what a roiling and unstable athletic department does – it shakes the foundations of the sports programs that are trying their hardest to make the best of a bad situation.
After the new Chancellor fired long-term and hated Steve Peterson and then when the carpetbagger and resume’ builder Scott Barnes thumbed his nose at Pitt and left us searching for another AD in the space of a bit more than a year, it showed to the people below on the food chain that the guys above don’t have their best interests at heart.
Which is why the most colleges that are successful in both football and basketball simultaneously have that stability with success use it to ensure confidence down through the athletic administration, coaching and support staffs and then into the players themselves who then carry it out onto the field of play.
Aside from our football staff at present Pitt doesn’t have that yet, hasn’t for six years and may not for some time. One third of the equation isn’t enough for a school like Pitt – we need firm and consistent support and quality work from the Chancellor on down to achieve the successes other school already have.
Notes: – here is a good compendium of Pitt Football info – I just submitted the Pitt POV for inclusion. The SportsSpyder website (http://sportspyder.com/)
For the golfers: My home address to send your POV Golf Outing fees to is:
Reed Kohberger
5551 Phelps Luck Dr.
Columbia, MD 21045
4120-997-0388 (H) or 410-782-9981 (c)
rkohberger@gmail.com
…and please make a notation on the check that it is “golf” so I don’t think it is a donation.
pittpov.com 
Boy, where to start with this thought provoking article.
I thought it was time for JD to move on, there was a lot of calls for his head here for playing “slogball” and micromanaging calling for a more high octane offense. Y’all got it. While it bugs POVrs like wwb and others to hold players and coaches responsible for their behavior it was clear to me that JD had problems 2 years in a row with Arits and Young who refused to play defense, bang the boards and let their team mates down constantly.
When Artis was benched earlier in the year he was asked after watching the team lose without him what he learned – answer ‘that MY team mates need ME” HIS team mates, how self-centered. HIS TEAM. How about I let my team mates down with my immature behavior. (He got two chances wwb and still sucked – still looking for that right to a second chance – US Constitution, Declaration of Independence?
Beyond the horrible hiring process and carpetbaggers ‘talking above the noise” IMO he should have disciplined this team top to bottom from the get go. This is what the GT coach did. instead making Artis a point guard, was a HUGE joke and mistake. He let the dynamic duo, and a few others, get out of control and then tried to rein them in – Huge mistake.
Throwing people under the bus is not my favorite but those players threw themselves under.
Pitt will not eat his contract.
The instability of the BB program and Athletic Department is why I don’t think Conklin will be fired mid-season.. If the defense is as bad I look for him silently pushed aside for Partridge during the season and let go after.
Excellent thought provoker. Pitt could be vetting UPItt for AD as we speak – boy that would take years. 🙂 ,Would UPitt bring Darkie on as media man to finally replace the late Beano? 🙂
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Pay the man… Bingo!
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Dr Tom and Upitt and everyone else. Here’s a guy I met and he has had his ups and downs when considering tough luck. “Baseball Joe” He’s an amazing individual who made me feel small in comparison to him, hope the link works.
blackandgoldworld.blogspot.com/2010/09/baseball-joe-faithfully-passionate.html
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Dr Tom and Upitt and everyone else. Here’s a guy I met and he has had his ups and downs when considering tough luck. “Baseball Joe” He’s an amazing individual who made me feel small in comparison to him, hope the link works.
I can’t get the link to work but it’s a great story.. Google baseball Joe Pirates
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To begin…I was not a fan of the Stallings hire… didn’t like him as the pick, didn’t like the shady way with the search firm, etc…not a huge fan of his style both X’s and O’s and also leadership. With all of that said, Jamie had a great run but there is no doubt his effectiveness diminished in the last years.
His recruiting was suspect b/c even with his successful years he had trouble landing consistently good players, the type that can be program changers. While that was Jamie’s weakness in my opinion, I believe the true shame is the how the program and administration couldn’t capitalize on the great years the program put out.
Even in Jamie’s last years, you could feel the diminishment of the program not only objectively but also subjectively through wins and losses in conference play. Was it Jamie’s lack of recruiting prowess or was it the administration not pushing, leading and supporting the program financially to acquire a complimentary person or plan to overcome some of the weakness shown in the last years…
End of the day, I still always agree with Upitt that there is something deeply wrong with the administration. Always uncertainty, always something unsettled, rarely exceeding customer expectations with anything they do. Most in my family went to Pitt, played at Pitt or coached at Pitt and it just never seems to correct itself. Normally we look at each other, shake our heads and all know it is just what you get with Pitt.
Unfortunate and totally unnecessary.
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The admin wanted Dixon to make changes. They know he peaked and time was up. I’m sure they suggested to him or gave him signs to begin looking elsewhere. But the admin had no plan to replace him. If you’re going to nudge him out, you’d better have someone in mind. I cannot believe that KS was the guy from the start they targeted. He was recently fired by Vandy. A 500 coach. On his career decline. No ties to the ACC.
His hiring shows me that Pitt cannot play with the big boys. Thats why they need to hire a big boy AD and the Chancellor needs to leave him the hell alone. When the BoT gets involved with sports, they muck things up. When search firms instead of AD’s make the ‘hiring’ decision, you’ve got dysfunction in the department and no leadership. The new AD needs to be hired now (Tressell), Tressell lines up some boosters to buy out KS after financials are negotiated. New coach gets hired by June.
KS knows he will never win over the fans. He knows he cannot compete in the ACC. He knows a new AD is coming in. The writing is on the wall for him after 1 quick year. Dixon saw the writing over his last 4 years. Pitt cannot afford to give KS another year or two with his players and after adjusting to a new conference. At best he is a 500 coach. Any good coach would have Pitt making the NCAA’s. KS is an average coach who does not represent the university well.
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FWIW, I had little issue JD’s offensive tempo, just his recruiting in recent years. I think it was a mutual feeling when JD left (or was left go.) I don’t believe JD ever felt comfortable (he had long advocated staying in the BE), and never really adjusted. His success thus far at TCU is not surprising, he is a solid coach.
However … and while the hirings after DW was axed were poorly handled, the hiring of Stallings may have been even worse. The search firm that recommended the new AD also had ties with Stallings who was just left go from Vandy. Only one interview was held, and Stallings was hired.
And national basketball writers from the likes of ESPN and CBS Sports immediately questioned the hiring process, and opined that Pitt could have done much better. And you know what …. THEY WERE RIGHT!
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wwb – I don’t believe Stallings was actually fired by Vandy. I think Pitt hired him as Vandy was contemplating firing his angry butt.
BREAKING NEWS: Illinois just fired their men’s BB HC (Groce). That brings the number to three power conference openings that would allow Pitt to move Stallings with very little financial impact – LSU and Missouri are SEC teams that fit Stallings’ background and Illinois is when Stallings grew up – went to Purdue…
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No one wants thid AARP Saggy Balls Fuck Head. He looks like a bad Cesar body double. I’d rather Pitt coached by a Billy Goat than this Turd. The goat would have more passion, class and would at least win over his player than this Brissel Vaccum Rockport Selling Thinks his shit doesn’t think bad suit wearing ass.
Reed – All cussing is warranted when talking about a cancer like him that poisens our great school.
Barnes – That guy wouldnt get a job selling hotdogs at Gabes. He is a disease and reeks of puckering his fat fucking lips when the noise called him a fat pussy fuck.
Louisivile smokes us again in Baseball. Yesterday 15k’s by the Blackhawk Pa stud pitcher. Jordano should coach at Gannon or somewhere where no one cares about winning.
Upitt and Doc Tom had a dinner and cigar. What a good night Doc.
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I got called out on another blog for calling him a cancer…go figure. It is the truth.
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Tommy, I have cancer. There may be a better word??
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So does my mother in law and my brother. My cousin died of brain cancer late last year.
Sorry, guess i am not politically correct. I use it in the grammatical way, Nothing personal.Sincerely hope you are doing ok – my prayers are with you.
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👍👍
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Brian Batko ✔ @BrianBatko
Meanwhile, Vandy doing just fine w/o Kevin Stallings. Did he leave a good team behind or is Bryce Drew an upgrade? It’s like the same debate
Bryce Drew is winning with Kevin Stallings’ players. Kevin Stallings couldn’t win with Jamie Dixon’s players. Time is a flat circle.
The above are tweets from the P-G earlier today. What is missing from this is the fact that Vandy had two No. 1 NBA picks last year.
Maybe Stallings can recruit …. but there is little evidence he is a good coach
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Absolutely. HCKS supporters say wait for his players to get here…but he has shown for 18 years he cannot coach up kids. Insanity is expecting the result to change when the same old thing keeps being done. 18 years is a helluva record to be judged on – this bozo is no spring chicken learning the ropes.
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Watching the various conference tournaments, you get a feel for how many good young coaches there actually are. And Pitt (Barnes) felt Stallings was the only interview they needed.
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I was going to make some snarky comments, but I actually started thinking about our ADs. The only one that I recall that was worth a shit was Cas. It’s really incredible how many really, really bad ones we’ve had. And before someone brings up SPI, I am of opinion he got bat shit lucky hiring coaches that he got on the cheap that worked out.
Seriously, a school couldn’t have hired much worse for that position if they tried. Even if you did not care at all about athletics, could you really have hired a worse group. You’d think by accident they would have got a decent guy. And Long was only acting, wasn’t he?
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Believe it or not, Stevie I may have been the best AD Pitt ever had (although many of you would not forgive him for not maintaining an OCS). Of course, Stevie II may have been the worst.
Ironically, I feel the same about Johnny Majors I and II
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Keep and eye on Pat Bostick in ten years for the AD position. He’s learning the ropes and just like a military officer the higher-ups are moving him around to different jobs for full administrative experience.
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Have met Bostick a couple of times now. Very personable guy. Bleeds Blue & Gold. He definitely would be a “Pitt guy” pick for AD. That should keep the Yinzers all happy. ; )
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I expect to be dead in ten years Reed.
also by and by Reed, Your buddy is posting something exciting may be happening with PITT this coming week??
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rkb – what if our offense plays above what we think and starts to score 35-40 ppg afgain? Do you stick with a DC who is giving up that many points and could ruin what might be a great season?
Why do people think firing a DC is such a huge deal and shouldn’t be done?
We fans don’t blink an eye when a coordinator leaves Pitt under his own accord, yet fans have major heartburn when the discussion of forcing a DC out comes up.
At the end of the day a co-coordinator is a staff coach and thus is expendable. Especially if you have someone you can fleet up (Partridge) to take his place.
Last season we could have fired Conklin mid-season and let me, you or EJ Borghetti assume those DC duties and we still would have given up 35+ points.
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Thou dost protest to excess of a problem that will evaporate before our very eyes when the appropriate James & Josephs are permitted to demonstrate their athletic prowess on the field of play.
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The AD’s for LSU and Illinois doing a good job explaining why they cut ties with their BB coaches and are doing a great job up selling their schools.
Come on Pitt, get with it. Get a good AD and show Stallings the door.
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Archie Miller’s name showing on the list of replacement candidates at LSU, Illinois, Missouri and NC State.
Some say Archie is waiting for tOSU gig when it comes open…
Still no mention of Stallings as a candidate for any D1 openings –
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@EE
Archie is pretty happy right now at Dayton the guy I work for is a big time supporter/donates large dollars to the school. Archie is the emperor of Dayton and is worshiped and walks on water. Not saying he isn’t going to leave but he is a happy camper right now he isn’t going to NC State.
Regarding Stallings I can’t see him bailing yet and Pitt ponying up already for a buyout.
Stallings is at the end of his career so I really can’t see anyone hiring him and forking out buyout dollars.
I’m sure they are going to let the new AD make that decision whoever he or she may be.
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If Stallings is a mediocre coach and at the tail-end of his career, why on earth did Herman give him a six year contract?
Incompetence.
How on earth did anyone at Pitt approve that? Isn’t Jimbo Covert on the BOT? Rip his name down off the stadium list. Dumbshit!
Of all Herman’s missteps, that is the most egregious.
We try pretty hard to keep shooting ourselves in the foot.
But don’t worry, we will name a division 3 no-name as AD, and he will pledge allegiance to KS, a formation of a game-excitement committee, and new furniture for the front porch.
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The hire was bad enough.
Giving Stallings a 6 year deal was criminal incompetance.
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Seriously. what are the odds Tressel has a shot at the AD job?
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Hypothetical: Indiana fires Crean. Hires KS.
A man can dream.
The chance of Pitt taking Tressel? Longer odds of that than Kate Upton showing up at my doorstep topless tonight.
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What is taking the administration so damn long to hire an AD? This is ridiculous!
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No one wants Broke Dick Stallings. Not even a D3 school. South Dakota school of Metal Shop.
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Do you stay up late at night creating these nicknames?🤣😂🤣😂
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Poor Sap may not be alive in 6 years.
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The mid-majors are paying basketball coaches almost as much as the P5. It’s why Few, Marshall, Archie etc. don’t leave. They have cushy gigs. They can compete with the big boys. They don’t have major conference stress. And they still get paid like they would at a mid-major.
Archie is waiting for a blue chip school. I’ve heard OSU. I’ve heard Michigan St. I’ve also heard Duke. He’s not going anywhere that will prevent him from getting to the top of college basketball … and if it doesn’t happen, he’s perfectly content at Dayton.
This Stallings rumor keeps popping up. I’ve heard it from Erie, Dan_72 and now Reed. Were one of those two your sources, Reed? Or is it a 4th? Where there’s smoke there is fire. Please, everyone, stop teasing me with this glorious rumor. The more I hear it, and read it, the more of a sucker I become.
If this does, indeed, happen, Pitt better be willing to throw about $3M (and be prepared to go higher to match other schools) at Kevin Keatts and then beg, grovel and plead to get him here. If Pitt somehow finagles this into a Kevin Keatts hire, missing on Stalling last year becomes totally worth it. The coaching pool last year was uninspiring to say the least.
For someone who doesn’t like college basketball or follow it much, this was a pretty insightful and well thought out post. Good job, Reed. Keep watching the sport. You’ll come to appreciate it more. College basketball isn’t like the NBA. The sport gets called more closely to the rules book you remember. Traveling gets called. Teams actually run offense. Not playing defense gets you killed. It has it’s own issues, sure. The college game gets bogged down a little with spacing. The 3 point line needs extended. A wider lane.
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The Wichita State coach is good too.
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Stallings ain’t going anywhere. First of all who is going to eat his now 5 year contract with Pitt after this season. And Pitt isn’t going to buy out the remaining 5 years of his contract either. So Pitt will just have to live with Stallings come hell or high water for many years going forward. Playing in the ACC without a legitimate point guard and center and expecting a great season is just being naive. That’s not saying Stallings could not have done better just that there was little hope from the beginning.—-Let’s see what happens when he cleans house and gets some of his recruits in place. Do we have any other choice?
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OT: “Now or Never” lead article in TribLive today on Browne coming to Pitt this year.
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It will be a very interesting season for Browne at Pitt this year. His success will depend more on the OL replacements that they plug in for Johnson & Biz more so than any other factor.
Pitt is going to surprise a lot of teams this year with their offensive power.
I loved James Conner. His leadership and inspiration will be missed, but just like Ollison did when James went down early in 2015. His absence will be seen as an opportunity for the next man up. The only question will be who takes advantage of that spot on the roster to start.
Browne might not be a homerun QB for us this year but from everything that I’ve read, he is already establishing himself as a leader on this team. He’s a grinder in the weight room and I’m betting dollars to donuts he’s already clamoring for the playbook from our new OC to digest that before Spring ball begins next week.
The guy is no inexperienced HS All American strutting into Pittsburgh with an attitude of entitlement. This grown man of 22 has put in his time at USC for years, waited for his chance and then got ambushed by a coaching staff that just couldn’t rationalize NOT playing an absolutely phenomenal Sam Darnold as their starter. Otherwise Browne is the guy for USC for the next couple of years sans Darnold. Browne starts at 95% of other FBS programs. He just got screwed because Darnold decided to play for USC.
So after the rug gets yanked out from under Browne’s feet he makes the mature decision of grabbing his last chance opportunity and transferring, and Pitt was lucky enough to get him.
Just like Savage and Peterman before him he will flourish at Pitt. The reason he will potentially have even more success than either of his predecessors is because he will be surrounded with a much more talented pool of athletes than Pitt has assembled in a very long time. We are loaded with talent now, especially at the skill positions. This team is primed to pop. We just needed the right guy under center to orchestrate the festivities. Browne will be that man. The 23 year old 6’5″ 225lb man, that will get the job done.
I continue to sing the praises of Narduzzi’s recruiting prowess. This year he succeeded again in filling the key weak spot in our roster with Max Browne. Everything else is in place.
The new names that we as Pitt fans will come to appreciate in a few months will be too numerous to count. The 2016 recruiting class will prove out to be loaded with talent. This current class may even have some true freshmen seeing the field like Ford, Sibley, Harris & Smith, they are that good.
Sneak in a couple other ace gets like Chris Clark and our newly acquired kickers and we have an ACC juggernaut that no one saw coming in 2017.
We beat penn state again on 9/10 and it will be hard to keep this bunch of young studs from thinking that they can beat anybody on their he schedule.
You’ll see. 2017 will be a magical season.
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Correction:
Harris=Davis. Autospell check sometimes comes up with some really weird corrections???
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For an opinion about 180 degrees opposite vertually opposite to every other poster to this thread, read the PSN article on Troy Simon’s recruitment to Pitt and the comments of Rico Abbondanza who mentored Simon’s career in Pittsburgh. To say he has a much different opinion of Stallings and Pitt assistant coach Ballard would be an understatement to say the least.
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who gives a crap what a kid .. who attended 4 different high schools, spent 2 years at JUCO and still has to pass two online courses this summer to be eligible .. says about anything? Hopefully, he is a diamond in a rough .. and, of course, he will be very grateful for local big school taking a chance on him.
But there’s the rub …. Stallings apparently knows how to charm these young unsuspecting kids, as he seems to recruit very well. But what happens after they are in his fold?
I remind you that a kid who was drafted in 1st round this past year was yelled at about a year ago by Mr Charm himself .. “I’m going f..king kill you”. I keep asking …. what happens if a college player would publicly yell that to a coach? Isn’t someone going to answer me?
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wwb – I’ll take a shot at answering your question – the college player would be removed from the team and possibly the university all together. Kithcart???
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Thank you. So why doesn’t apply to the coach who (1) gets paid handsomely (2) is the school employee (3) should know better and (4) is in the position to influence young men?
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Jrnpitt – Quite possibly the world’s worst writing I have ever read. The story says 2 items about Stallings and speak zero to him. This kid plays in a talentless
League and hopefully if he gets the grades he can average 4-5 points a game. This is the ACC bit the juco funny farm in Forida. Stallings is garbage and 3 people like him. His wife and Vandy because he is gone and his terrible hitting son.
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Ballard is a bigger joke.
Look at Cam’s
Body. Great Weight program at Pitt Basketball.
Vandy is glad that whooe band of misfits are gone.
Drew did more in 1 year without 2 nba players than AARP Balls.
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2014’s Conner in his prime, Boyd in his prime, Holtz, Orndoff, Johnson, Rotheram, Clemmings, Rowell and Bisnowaty might disagree with the quality across the board on offense this season Dr. Tom!
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Reed – I think what Dr. Tom is saying is the talent will be very good at all positions on the O this year – he did not say it would be better or worse than 2014. But, I will say the coaching should be very much better.
That 2014 team SHOULD have won a lot more games than 6.
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Reed, you foolish “show me 1st” foot dragger, oblivious to the Pitt tsunami 🌊 🌊 building before your very eyes, if only you could recognize the signs of this impending onslaught of Pitt talent already there for inspection.
Addressing your previous points. Boyd is trumped by the entourage of Weah, Mathews, Araujo-Lopes, Tipton, Ffrench and soon to be WR contributors Flowers & Smith three times over.
Conner’s 2016 exploits, although significant, won’t be missed in 2017 by the time the likes of Ollison, Hall, Moss, Sibley & Davis shake out who their two deep best on the roster by mid season will be. Great depth at RB now and I’m not even considering the running play contributions that stars like Henderson, Aston & Whitehead can drop on opponents on a moment’s notice.
Last year, Scott Orndoff eliminated the distress of losing our modern version of Pitt tuff guy TE Mike Ditka in the persona of JP Holtz. Come September, Chris Clark will be more than willing to make Orndoff’s contributions fade away quietly into the shadows of Pitt history by getting down to the business of compiling his own soon to be substantial TE statistics, materializing come the 2017 season.
Remember the name Justin Morgan, he becomes a fixture on the OL this season. Added to Bookster, Officer, O’Neill & the overdue return of Jones-Smith from injury and we don’t skip a beat on offense. This group of five only get better. And no disrespect to Artie Rowell, but if you think his talent can be compared to any of the current OL veterans returning for 2017, well then you are not a very good judge of offensive line play.
But like I keep preaching, and that you fail to appreciate, the biggest transformation in this program in 2017 will be the metamorphosis about to occur on Defense. This same Narduzzi defensive scheme that Coach has so stubbornly been installing over the last two seasons finally comes into it’s own with the reinforcements patiently waiting their turn. Troops that now possess enough talent to properly implement the system that Narduzzi lives & dies by.
McKee, Pugh, Pine, Coleman, Miller, M. Henderson, Campbell, Garner, Weaver, JonesII, Camp, Wheeler & brand new arrivals Paris Ford & Kamonte Carter are those “too many names to remember” types that are yet to see the field that will all be contributors in the near future.
The “new guys” we saw make waves in 2016, Edwards, Taleni, Brightwell & Jackson, only get better in 2017. Then consider that two potential defensive stars Hamlin & Hendrix are just waiting to prove that they really are worth the wait. Just consider how long it took for Price to finally show his worth, after seasons of successive injuries? Yeah, that’s Hendrix & Hamlin’s situations personified. Their time is now, just like Max Browne’s last chance come 2017.
Like I said, LOADED with talent. We’ll talk again in December.😘
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Getting in late on this article.
I’m happy for Jamie Dixon, he was a good coach and an even better person. He is a very good x and o guy, not surprised he upset Kansas.
But at Pitt he could no longer recruit. No more Johnny and Joe’s. No high prospect wanted to go to his program. If you can’t recruit in the ACC you are toast! Both parties desperately needed a change. It helped Jamie much more than Pitt.
Barnes did us no favors with Stallings. So now what? Wish I knew!
I guess we are a football school (for now). :>)
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I’m with Dr. Tom as I think the Pitt offense will be very good absent significant injury to some key starters. Just looking back to the bowl game and seeing the result after the Peterman concussion should give all pause in trying to predict success or failure in any given season.
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Anyone ever consider the lack of coaching interest was NOT due to Pitt’s treatment of JD (he was well-paid, picked his own schedule and stayed forever), but due to few wanting to work with Herman?
Everything Herman touched turned to shit!
Stop behaving as if we are the red-headed stepchild.
Desirable city; top-notch university; beautiful venue; and I graduated there.
What’s not to love?
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Herman was a fuckstick and no one respected him and Gallagher proved douchness hiring him. Oh and we paid a recruiter fee for that fat fuck.
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Mark – you do crack me up, but once is enough please…
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Upitt, why are you always so God damned diplomatic?
Every once in awhile you should just take off the gloves and give your no holds barred opinion about a subject. I think you’d find it very liberating! 😁
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Pitt is a destination school for any successful coach in a non P5 conference. Like that Wichita State coach.
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jrnpitt – I think you misunderstand how Stallings would leave. If he leaves early he pays a buyout. If Pitt fires him early they owe him a buyout. Money is great but no one wants to miserable for a few years, especially in the twilight of their career. He’s already rich and will get paid just fine at his next gig.
If Stallings sees the writing on the wall and doesn’t want to put up with being shit on 24/7 (which is gonna happen) he and Pitt can come to a mutual decision on a reduced buyout to let Stalling move on and allow Pitt to find a better fit. So it’s not about finding someone to eat his 5 year contract.
It’s probably about paying a quarter of that. The only way his works is if it’s a mutual decision for both parties to move on. You’re right though, if it’s not mutual then it’s not happening. However, the rumors are that it is mutual. Which give credence to hope that it can happen.
I cannot think of an instance in any sport where a coach so reviled ever turns around a fan base. Sometime money isn’t worth that hassle.
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You guys are missing one main point. No one and I mean no one in D1 wants the guy. His record sucks. He berates players and can’t control his tongue. He looks terrible and yes that matters and he is a dicksock. Pitt could fire him for multiple reasons if they want. Anyone with sports IQ would see it is warranted. From Day 1 I said Herman was a shitshow and so was this schwanns man salesman Stallings.
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Good day of BB yesterday. Hugging,what a coach, but he may be the only person on the planet with a bigger hat size than Herman,! In fact if you put a couple cables on him he could float in the Macy’s parade. Actually, put a cap with a hook on top and you could hang him on the Hornets tree downtown as an ornament. And he may be the only coach in America that makes FHCPC seem like a slave to fashion wearing those moo-moos. But he sure as shit can coach!
It will be difficult to go through this March with no rooting interest, but better get used to this if Stallings remains.
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Upitt – he’d land another job in heartbeat. Despite your opinion of him, he is well respected and not nearly as bad as you imply. College basketball is littered with hard ass, dickhead coaches. Few look as goofy as Stallings but they’re all over the place. Huggins makes a living out of calling his players out in the media.
The results on the court are what they are but they aren’t his kids and, overall, it was just a bad fit of players and style. The problem he had at Pitt was he was trying to replace a better coach and Pitt fans called bullshit. He’s not in the same class as Dixon and he doesn’t have much, if any, upside. When Dixon left, Pitt should have aimed higher or gone after potential to be higher. They did neither. Instead they hired a lesser coach under circumspect conditions. This is the root for Pitt fans hate. The season only added fuel to the fire. Dixon recruited this team and had a difficult time with on-court discipline. A less disciplined coach never had a chance.
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C’mon, Tossing … even a diehard like you has to agree that Stallings had no business being hired at Pitt, and Pitt could and should have done much better. When national writers with no ties to Pitt call FOUL, then it is time to right a wrong. And further, Stallings never did anything fantastic with his kids in the SEC … a much less competitive league than the ACC.
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Tossing – Laugh my ass off. Comical. Vandy was firing and it takes other coches to say nice things about him because he is such an easy win. Shit the bed at Vandy. Turned PItt into a Turd in 6 months. Yep AD’s are lining up for a old never been terrible hair fu to his players lazy no heart or spine fucktread.
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Huggins Wins
Stalling never won dick.
He sucks
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So Tossing you are AD tomorrow. You keep this lazy —– or fire him? Fire or keep. I’d replaced
Him with O Fries. At least they have heart and aren’t 78 years old and actually won games before.
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TT – well said. Pitt BB fans need to be somewhat patient right now. There is motivation on both sides to make this coaching hire by Barnes go away. And there are numerous options to make this happen…
If, for some reason it does happen, there are also numerous (very good) replacement options to Stallings. The problem Pitt has right now are these facts;
Pitt has no AD in place.
Some big programs names are looking for a coach as well – LSU, Missouri, Illinois, NC State, etc.
Did I mention Pitt does not have an AD?
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TT – at 10:35am that is…
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No one but Pitt hires this Turd. That is a fact. He definitley wouldnt be in a P5 conf.
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Erie – You are wrong and Tossing is full of shit. He is trying to peddle that this douche stallings is good with his players. I call Bullshit. He had 2 nba first rounders and couldnt make tourney lost by 20. His MO.
Drew
Not with his players beats Gators 3 times and is in tourney. Had UK beat on road. Stallings sucks Drew proved it if anyone needed a lesson.
No AD is par the course for Gallagjher and his shitty leadership. Par the fucking course. Pitt would 5 put from 7 inches from the cup.
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UPitt – what am I wrong about (pertaining to your comment)? I’m wrong about alot of things, but I like to defend myself if needed…
Did Pitt hire an AD overnight that I am not aware of? lol
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The one thing we fans control is attendance. Administrations take notice. The Pete may need to give away free food if they want fans to come.
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Like the 💩sandwiches that they were peddling this season at The Pete?
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Upitt – you greatly underestimate how bad of basketball programs are out there. Pitt hired an average coach. Not a bad one. To a school replacing a bad coach, Stallings is fine. He’s an upgrade. He had worn out his welcome at Vandy. That’s different than shitting the bed. He could easily end up at a mid-major making $1.5M a year or a middling SEC program that only cares about football.
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When did I ever say he was good with his players? I only said his type of coaching style is hardly unique. I don’t like him or his brand of basketball and I’ve been vocal about my dislike of him and the hire from day 1. I’m under no delusion he’s a bad basketball coach though. He was a bad hire, however. He’s just you avg Joe Shmo basketball coach that are a dime a dozen.
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I disagree. Any goodwill he had was wasted proving he is a disaster. No one wants washed up never been garbage.
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Tossing – I disagree he is avg Joe. I think he is below and Vandy masked that playing 14 rent a wins.
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I think the best we hope for is that Stallings restocks the cupboard and we get a guy that can coach in the next 2 or 3 years. Unless he leaves on his own we are stuck with him. No AD and when has Pitt ever made an aggressive move regarding coaching? Heck, Barnes should have been tarred and feathered and put on a freight train to Oregon and Pitt Admin says he is great and pays him for three more months.
Barnes has created a mess that is going to last for a long time.
Besides if he does go, for whatever reason, would we have enough players to field a team next year?
It is telling that TCU and Vandy’s fortunes are going up, and Pitt with 4 seniors, fell on its face.
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Upitt – we both agree he shouldn’t be here. We at least have that. I just think he’d be desirable at a lower tiered program.
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In a Tubby Smith sort of way;-)
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KS has five years left on a contract paying him north of 2M per. What does he care if he is vilified, or if the Pete is empty, or come every March he gets to head to sunny Florida and watch his kid in the Grapefruit League? Sure, he misses out on some incentives, but the taxman would gobble up those anyway. He has a good – no, a great – seque into retirement. So why would he ever want to turn in his union card?
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I agree his union card. LOL. We need to hope Sears or Men’s Warehouse calls or he will keep milking Pitt and zgallagher for every penny. Who gives xxxxxxxx 6 year deals? Herman should be fired but these douche bag zeise and others said he did good. LOL. Terrible uniforms in 18 months. Extended woman’s hoops coach who sucks. Baseball coach who is atrocious. Hired Pele who won 2 games. Herman is a Mormon Disaster.
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Because he is going to get booed and heckled this year. Wait till the Zoo turns on him. The media won’t be far behind. It is going to be bad. Four seniors are gone. Johnson will be double teamed. Unless several of the new guys can really ball, we will have a lot of losses before we get to the ACC. There will be no defense and little scoring.
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Gasman – yes, and get this, if his team makes the tournament, he has to coach them instead of going to Florida for the last two weeks in March to watch his son play baseball.
This guy is playing his cards right – don’t read the papers, nor listen to the talk shows and never get on the Pitt blogs to read anything about Pitt BB. Expectations are really low and he is taking the program to those lower levels.
$$$$$
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Man what did Stallings ever do to all off you. Maybe give him a couple years to bring in his recruits and begin the start of the rebuild. Pitt is going nowhere after Dixon pouted and faced the ACC and the recruiting hit of not selling the Big East to a limited number of recruits. Stallings is not a great coach, but the prior AD wanted a veteran coach who would benefit from not being limited by Vandy;s entrance requirements. I know I am in the minority but at the very least, wait to see what he does next season before indicting him as the monster many claim he is.
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Most of you bloggers on this site are idiots!
EVERY coach gets 2-3 years to recruit and make the transition to a new system. This year was a throwaway from the beginning. Artis was a cancer under JD as well as KS, and his two disciplines this year and ego centric comments are no surprise. You waited decades for Pitt football to improve, but won’t give KS 2-3 years. James Robinson played 4 years and has been gone for a year. Yet after 5 years there is no ACC level point guard to run the team.
JD’s recruiting collapse is the reason the program tanked, not anything KS did. Having a new AD hired at this point would make NO difference. Did it hurt Narduzzi’s recruiting?
By the way, cut the offensive language on this site, it doesn’t strengthen your argument..
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The argument isn’t whether he has had a fair chance. The argument is
1) Pitt coud have done much better but didn’t even try
2) he was hired under false pretense (pure collusion), and
3) he is a piece of crap of a human being.
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And he had 17 years to prove himself at an inferior P5 conference and emerged with a losing record.
Then he arrived at a superior conference returning all but one of its biggest contributors from the previous year and handed Pitt its first losing season in 16 years and its worst conference record in 40 years.
He had his players for the past 4 seasons at Vandy, including two NBA draft picks, yet only made the tourney last year and lost a play-in game by 20 points.
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Reed – I like that you jumped into the BB discussion and stirred things a little more.
Now back to FB with Spring practices starting this week.
Thanks for all your creative writing and research.
HTP!
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Sorry Mrs. stallings. Your husband sucks. 2-3 years and the abortion he created will
Take 8 years to turnaround. Wish I worked for you guys. No accountability. No pressure. USPS or Pitt Athletics. Same thing.
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A real AD fires his ass. That is why you are conditioned to accepting shit Voice of Reason. Think this is accepted at UNC or Duke or L’Ville. Get a clue sheepman.
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Upitt and everyone else- I have received four separate comments regarding the crude language in these comments.
You all know I hate to censor but I will. I want to remind everyone again that the commenters on here are about 500th the amount of readers every day. I do not want the blog to be turned away from because other readers – who we never hear from – are offended and apparently that has happened over the last two day.
I’m serious – a slip here and there is one thing but the “F” word will be removed and doesn’t have to be used in the first place.
For UPitt especially – you are so great and funny at negatively describing Barnes and Stallings you truly don’t need to swear…
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I’ve watched a lot of basketball over the years and never quite seen a coaching style like Stallings
That said here are some things I think I know,
1) have you ever seen a coach use his time outs like Stallings? If so please name them
2) If you have prima donnas and kids playing out of position wouldn’t you call an occasional time out to settle them down and explain what you see as an experienced coach?
3) you are 58 years old, have have a losing record in a generally weak conference, and had slightly below average success overall.
4) Has Stallings ever changed his style? That is the issue, not the players he has.
5) You must ask yourself, can that style be successful in the ACC? If so, give him time to develop players, if not, be prepared to have to do a total rebuild of fan base and national perception when you do cut him loose.
6) Have you ever heard an opposing coach say”Their coach is a total maroon and I hope they extend him for 20 years because he couldn’t coach his way out of a paper bag if you spot him 3 directions!” Or do you more often hear” He’s a really good coach who came into a difficult situation and needs time to get guys who can play his style”. What style? Loser style?
7) I have seen other coaches throw players under the bus often, but these guys are usually hard asss’ who are winning coaches, or complete losers.
8) I don’t like name calling, although I do it on occasion, but I do understand the frustration that leads to it.
9) The Pete will be tomb-like loosing even the support of the zoo if he stays for 2 more years.
And one thing I hope, if Pat Bostick is being groomed for AD please,please,please do not let him be like Foge, who was also groomed, a great guy but not a great head coach.
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UPitt, you don’t know what you are talking about, and once again fall back on insults. Maybe if you had an adult’s vocabulary you could discuss the subject and make some sense. KS is an average coach who deserves a chance since he is here and has a huge recruiting class coming in. You also don’t know what has been going on behind the scenes with the players. Mike Young seems to have fallen into the Artis trap, and Chris Jones is certainly no ACC level 2 guard. These are all flawed players that JD brought in. many of his previous flawed players had left the program. At least read JoeKnew’s comments above for a more rational discussion..
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VOR – LOL – His recruiting class sucks. It has 6 kids hence why people think something. Yes the local kid who went to 4 high schools and can’t get grades at a Florida JUCO is the savior. Blame the players. Dixon never had issues with them. How is this for an adults Vocabulary. Keep wishing and praying Stalling becomes a good coach. His previous 30 years were complete and utter dog turds.
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I refuse to eat the slop Pitt Athletics serves. The local Yinzer media can I won’t.
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Narduzzi catching a men’s BB game in Pittsburgh and it’s not at the Pete –
https://mobile.twitter.com/BrianBatko/status/840294643141087232
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I never claimed he was a rotten person. On the contrary, folks raved about him when he came to town: waitresses, cabbies, etc. No lie.
And, I don’t care that he screams obscenities at the players…hey, having a scholarship and all that it brings sure beats hitting the beaches at Normandy.
As for being ‘cancers’, if Young and Artis in fact are, that only hurts their wallets next year.
But let’s face it, his game planning was marginal, his record terrible, and so far he has demonstrated very little over which to feel optimistic.
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I’ve seen enough of KS to know that he will only be a mediocre coach in a conference that demands excellent coaches or you will be left behind. The Pete will be half filled every year you give this guy a chance. Pitt cannot afford half empty arenas and the brand damage. Its best to cut bait now and go to another fishing hole as opposed to waiting at the hole and hoping something baits with different bait. Different bait aint helping. Theres no fish in this hole. Why is this so difficult for people to understand???
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Stallings came in with a give the players the benefit of the doubt. They tuned out Dixon and then turned on Stallings. He had enough and threw them under the bus and rightfully so. He set the tone for the program. good for him. No one cares about Artis and Young, They will find the next level of D ball unforgiving and indifferent to their BS attitude. How long do these guys play for Narduzzi? Don;t let the door hit you on the a** boys.
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Here are the facts regarding Stallings that both Barnes and Sir Patrick G knew when they hired him last March:
his last Vandy team had (2) NBA 1st round picks (the Blue Bloods of KY, UNC, Duke and KS produced ten) – yet his team was –
Unranked with a losing conference record of 8-10
Lost by 20 points in a NCAA tournament play in game
And coach Stallings had threatened to f-ing kill one of his players.
His SEC career conference record was below .500
Show me that resume and I throw it in my filing cabinet and NEVER look at it again.
Yet, Barnes and Sir Patrick G hired Stallings to lead the Pitt men’s BB program.
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He set the tone that know one will play for him and his coching sucks and he is an awful ource of Sh!t
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Erie – And they paid a search firm 300k for that piece of garbage.
Makes you doubt Gallagher and already proves Herman is a turd.
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Barnes made Gallagher and Pitt look bad with this hire.
Gallagher now has a golden chance to save face and right the men’s BB ship – send this below average coach packing right out of Pittsburgh.
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VoR – He doesn’t deserver a chance because he never deserved to be coach. Blatant cronyism under the ruse of coaching search. A little insight into the search firm Barnes used …
“The company’s founder and president, Todd Turner, was the athletic director at the University of Washington when Mr. Barnes was the school’s senior associate athletic director from 2005-08. Mr. Turner also was the athletic director at Vanderbilt in 1999 when the Commodores hired Mr. Stallings as basketball coach.”
Source: http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/Pitt/2016/03/29/Pitt-Panthers-search-firm-coach-Kevin-Stallings-Scott-Barnes-conflict-of-interest/stories/201603290068
… and that’s not even all of the controversy … there is still the entire Jeter blocked transfer fiasco and accusations of verbal abuse with players at Vandy.
I’m sorry but he doesn’t deserve a shot to right the ship. It was a BS hire that most fans will never accept. Pitt (Barnes) thought this “noise” would just go away eventually, yet we’re still talking about it a year later. It will follow Stallings until the day he leaves here. Luckily Barnes preceded him.
It’s not Stallings fault but he’s the lightning rod we have.
Stallings 6 year contract provide problems for Pitt but if there is a mutual interest of parting ways something can happen. I didn’t think it was very likely until “rumors” started popping up. Now I’m just hoping and praying and wishing …
Gasman – People, generally, are not a glutton for punishment. Have you ever been in a job you hate? The money becomes inconsequential at some point. He coaches because he enjoys it. Once a job becomes unenjoyable the money argument only lasts so long. At some point it’s time to cut your losses. He’s a millionaire many times over.
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We aren’t talking about a coach with no track record, like Narduzzi…so yea we accept 8 wins until Nard Dog gets more of his recruits on the field. Chryst like Dixon recruited hardly anyone of note, on defense, so bad it was, Pitt set all-time records of futility for Points allowed.
Otis does have a track record. 17 years in the 4th best bball conference with NEVER winning a conference title and NEVER winning a conference tournament title. And in fact he had a LOSING conference record in those 17 years at 138 wins and 142 losses.
Pitt needed someone to take them farther in the NCAA’s which was another one of Dixon’s negatives.
So who do they hire. Another underachieving coach in the NCAA’s.
Otis’s 2 highest seeded NCAA teams (who were both #4 seeds)……bombed out, flamed out in 1st Round games to #13 seeds. This is the guy who is going to take Pitt farther in the NCAA’s ?
How about not even get a bid to the NCAA’s. For the ACC is not the liteweight SEC.
Pitt picked a Loser in conf. play and a classic underachiever LOSER(worse than Dixon by far) in what’s important….the NCAA’s. Although with this loser we won’t be seeing the NCAA’s anytime soon.
And in the meantime this LOSER is a terrible person to represent the University with his willingness to berate, swear at, demean the players and throw them under the bus at a moment’s notice. A trait this bum also showed at Vanderbilt, where he had worn out his welcome.
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Stallings gave Pitt an ‘out’ with his total disregard for an injured Pitt player (Jeter), a kid btw Otis had known for at least 5 years, since he recruited him to Vanderbilt. He was more interested in screaming the F word to Lex…..than he was in Jeter’s condition. Again a kid he’s supposed to be concerned about and has known for 5 years and btw a kid (Jeter that is) who stood by this loser, even after the Loser…caused him to have to sit
out a year by refusing to release him.
Besides being a Loser this putz is the ultimate jerk !
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Now for those with sensitive ears, the attach contains adult language from Pitt’s current head BB coach –
http://www.barstoolsports.com/barstoolu/pitt-coach-kevin-stallings-caught-on-hot-mic-yelling-at-player-to-get-the-fuck-back-in-the-game/
Quick, watch and listen before the Sensor Police erase it from this blog…
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Censor not Sensor – at least it was a “clean” mistake with words
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Upitt – Dixon had many issues with these players. They never bought into Dixon either. The players absolutely hold some responsibility in the way this season went down. Their flaws were magnified under Stallings and that’s on Stallings but lets not pretend this team wasn’t a source of frustration for the last couple of years.
This season is a very complicated one. Dixon’s exit, Stallings hire, Barnes deer in the headlines introduction of Stallings press conference, a roster without defined positions, checked out seniors (benching included), a player getting kicked off the team all steamrolling towards a complete rebuild year in 2018 … a lot of factors lead to the season we had. As much as I dislike Stallings and don’t want him coaching our team, he is not the end all be all with the disaster of the season. Only one cog of many. This is part of the reason it’s imperative to find a way to just move on from him. Pitt has to let this season die. The AD already left. Time for Stallings to go. Rebuild from the ashes of this train wreck and move on. #Never2016
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Tossing,
For 2M a year, I can put up with a lot.
How many on-campus games do we play each year?
20?
Less?
That’s $100,000 for two hours of boo’s – less if you throw out halftime.
How much garbage does Grayson Allen endure at away games (and rightly so) and he makes…uh, nuttin.
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Now for those with sensitive ears, the attach contains adult language from Pitt’s current head BB coach –
http://www.barstoolsports.com/barstoolu/pitt-coach-kevin-stallings-caught-on-hot-mic-yelling-at-player-to-get-the-fuck-back-in-the-game/
Quick, watch and listen before the Sensor Police erase it from this blog…
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Is it me or when the Stallings F-bomb gets dropped with Jeter face down in pain lying on the court, does Sheldon think his coach is yelling at him?
Stallings attention “should” have been on Jeter…
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Gasman – $2M to you is not the same as $2M to a coach who is already a millionaire many times over and will get another +$1M coaching gig after he leaves. People at this level of the profession are not about just cashing paychecks anyways. Besides, he’s probably going to get $4-$5M to walk away. He’s at a place where the fanbase hates him, the guy who hired him skipped town and he has a complete ghost town of a roster set for next year.
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He is a cesspool bum. Everyday he is our coach makes our diplomas worth less.
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Check out Barney’s twitter account – he was on Pitt’s payroll up until February 20th – on February 13th he was announcing to “beaver nation” about his fan experience committee.
I’d love to see a PG article calling Barnes and Pitt out for wasrefully spending PA taxpayer money in the month of February. Maybe a psu grad will latch on to the story…
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https://mobile.twitter.com/beaverad
Failed to copy the evidence…the first time.
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Hey, Erie,
Has he introduced them to the front porch analogy yet?
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Q: Why is coach Kevin Stallings and his team like a possum?
A: Because they play dead at home and get killed on the road.
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It’s hard to keep the jokes clean – but here goes my last one for tonight –
Q: Did you hear that coach Kevin Stallings and his team does not have a website?
A: They couldn’t string three Ws together.
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Q: What is bigger than an Elephant and Herman’s Ego?
A: His Head
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Q: What does AARP Pappy Balls Stalling’s usually have a hard time finding?
A. W’s
B. His Pecker
C. Anyone who likes the Dick
D. Rockport’s in a Men’s 11D
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There’s only one poster on the POV who should be censored and he shows why every time he puts up a post.
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Reed – UPitt should be banned from this site for foul language and stupidity. There is such a thing as being too stupid to contribute. UPitt certainly doesn’t read or understand the many other valid and well though out contributions made by the other regular bloggers. As for KS getting an early pink slip, it won’t happen. It is not about coming up with the buyout money, it is an image thing with Pitt. With Pitt being a laughing stock after the previous football circus, they could not overcome the ridicule within the college community if they let KS go after only one year, which would acknowledge a total incompetence in ability to hire coaches. And no other up and coming coach would touch the job. Think about it: both Millers were not even interesting in interviewing for the job- that tells us something..
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Honest to God folks – why in the world should I have to be the one to censor other adults? That is the ultimate act of telling me you have no regard for the time and effort, and costs, that it takes me to run this website and provide content for you.
Then on top of all that you guys act like children and turn me into a friggin’ Hall Monitor and make me come on this site for the rest of the day, like I have nothing else to do after writing for 3-4 hours in the morning, to check and make sure no one is offending anyone else with their crude language and negativity.
How about this – ACT YOUR DAMN AGE!!!
I’m serious. I meet you guys in person, talk with you on the phone, exchange emails with you and I’m always damned impressed at the caliber of people I come in contact with that way… then you get on here and comment and are a different type all together.
It isn’t just UPitt either – the level of discourse is getting to be exactly want we all don’t want on here. I want this to be better than even the Blather was as far as civility and intelligent discussions go. If I don’t get that then what do I do?
I could delete the articles themselves – that’s sticking a sharp stick in my own eye after the hard work I do.
I could censor each comment – again, doing that makes me work at the computer way more than I am willing to do in my retirement years.
I could ban people – but I’m a liberal type that believes people have things to say and contribute.
Look, now especially my “No Politics” rule is more important than ever because we all want somewhere we can go to get away from all the madness, mudslinging and crap that is in the news everyday now. I want that and you want that.
I refuse to drag that mess into my running of this blog. I won’t censor but will advise. If that doesn’t work then I’ll do something else.
I try to remind all of you commenters that you are but one component of the whole here. We have thousands of readers per day and now I’m getting comments through the WordPress email system from those silent readers telling me that will leave the site if things don’t change.
But I will say this right now. The minute the website and blog becomes a burden rather than a joy I will shut it down and immediately pay back all contributions. Please don’t test that because the way I’ve been feeling after reading this tread of comments I’m starting to entertain those thoughts.
It has literally been pretty damned close to that….
Grow up and censor yourself. Unless you have Written Tourette’s syndrome where a mental illness forces you to swear in public – and some people do have that – then you clean up your own acts.
You’ve officially pissed me off but good.
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“someplace where we can get away from the madness, mudslinging and crap” …. Amen to that.
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Thanks for the dose of common sense Reed. It was certainly needed. Actually, most of the comments on this blog are well though out, and clearly show that fans care about their Pitt teams. Basketball is particularly frustrating because we watched a program go from #1 seeds in the NCAA tournament to a total washout. People generally knew about JD’s total disdain for AAU basketball, and his apparent unwillingness to get his hands dirty in the constant grind of recruiting. He became a pretty boy along the way, who built up his resume and career wins on the backs of a routinely soft non con schedule. The old methods of player development no longer worked, as teams like KY, Duke, Kansas and NC routinely reloaded with 5 stars. So he opted to go to an easier league. As I mentioned before, Pitt will never buy out KS’s contract because of the image problem (nothing to do about coming up with the money). No up and coming coach would take the job without worrying that he would be fired after only a year or two if he didn’t get immediate results. The argument for KS at the time of hire was that he could recruit better at Pitt than at Vandy. After next year, we will know if that is true..
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Do you read what you’ve written? You do realize that Kansas plays in the “easier league”. You do also realize that the “easier league” finished 2nd to the ACC in RPI this season? I recognize that easier is a relative term but I surmise that you had no knowledge of the facts when you wrote it. Nor would Dixon have known how this season would end when he left.
Also, what do you know of another coach’s perception of Pitt’s program if they were to terminate a coach after on season who has a mediocre career record including below .500 in the SEC, who led Pitt to their first losing record in 16 seasons, who led Pitt to their worst conference record in 40 years, who has a questionable management style, has public conduct issues, and who wasn’t hired by the current AD?
Also, do you go by the handle h2p012 on Cardiac Hill?
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You make some good points, Barvo, but I was referring to a longer term trend rather than just one or two years. KS will always be good, just as Gonzaga is, in a weak league. But few would argue that over time the ACC will be a much stronger league top to bottom, with more legendary coaches to recruit against. All the criticisms about Stallings being a mediocre coach are valid, but coming after Pitt went through the football coach merry-go-round (before Narduzzi) firing a BB coach after one year would send a message of complete instability and total confusion in the athletics dept. (also, why didn’t Pitt see all of those deficiencies you mentioned when hiring?) Also, there are parallels between JD and Paul Chryst that may make people wonder if returning to the alma mater is just a convenient excuse. BTW, my only handle is VoiceofReason, I even have trouble remembering that one! 🙂
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