After a full two seasons of commenting on Pitt football via the Pitt POV blog you readers can tell that I am very frustrated by what has been happening with some readers and  the comments they post.

What started out as a convivial gathering of Pitt fans with similar interests has disintegrated into backbiting, sniping and just plain mean actions by certain commenters. Let me take a minute and remind each of you what the intent and purpose of this blog is.

First and foremost it is a gathering place of like minded readers who share a strong interest in Pitt football. That is the baseline for the POV and always has been.

Secondly we all have a responsibility on here to treat others as we would like to be treated – it is exactly that simple.  If you can’t do that one thing you’ll not be posting on here as I am changing my own rule and will begin to ban commenters who are purposefully being disruptive. I don’t mean ‘timeouts‘ either – I’m not a babysitter.  You comment on here at my leisure and I will stop that as I see fit.

Believe me when I say this is the last thing I want to do and have worked very hard to avoid it as I feel we all have voices and opinions that are worth sharing – but I will no longer tolerate the bullshit some bring on here.

Third is this: I love writing about Pitt football and truly enjoy this blog. I think that comes through on here. But here is the bottom line. You can disagree all you want with my thoughts, opinions and information I pass along about Pitt football and I expect you to do so. But don’t ever get personal with me and think you know me better than I know myself.

Do not play junior psychologist with me – I have had way better headshrinkers than you inside my skull and I don’t need you to try to tell me about myself – because the truth is very few people on here know me personally at all.  Do that once and you’re out.

Again, feel free disagree with what I write or say to your heart’s content, I enjoy that; get personally insulting to me (or toward other readers) and you’re gone.

I’m not going to jerk around with this any longer – for every commenter who makes an ass out of themselves we have many hundreds more who just want to read the articles and discuss Pitt football. Do not screw it up for everyone else.

This blog is about having fun talking about something we all love – don’t doubt I’ll do what is necessary to keep it that way in the future.

So, everyone starts with a clean slate as soon as this is posted.  Let’s remember why the Pitt POV was started in the first place and act accordingly.

Thank you,

Reed

 

Michaelangelo holds a degree in Travel Writing from the University of Pittsburgh. He was a former staff writer for InPittsburgh Newsweekly, and currently resides near Atlanta, Georgia. He has been a Pitt fan since 1997 after he witnessed Pitt upset #22 Miami on Thursday night at Pitt Stadium.

80 thoughts on “New Pitt POV Standards For 2018”

  1. Seems quite reasonable to me Reed. It was quite unfortunate that this even happened and I personally want to thank you in your efforts to continue with something a lot of us enjoy, and are thankful that we have someplace to bond with other Pitt Men/Women/Fans. We should all strive to honor our school motto.

    Veritas et Virtus !

    Liked by 2 people

  4. @Reed, although I am sure you believe you have set clear guidelines by what you write above, I think the objective application of said rules will be very difficult and over time almost impossible to implement. I suggest a one strike variation where you send ONE email to posters who “slip” and then ban on a second violation. This will allow for those that are infrequently here and vital NEW posters to get their ONE chance to screw up and yet grow this great POV site.

    Just my useless opinion but think about it.

    BTW, I would like to know if I would have been banned by the above stated rules for any of my posts in the past. I sure recall one terse response from you when I “called you out” on what I saw as an equivocation by you. Just wondering for clarity.

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  8. I love this site. Good luck with enforcing your reasonable requirements. I hate the backbiting and sniping that are only peripherally related to an honest disagreement. I read this every day. Here’s to a great Pitt 2018!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Reed does not need good luck to ban people as the owner and operator of this blog he has is in his rights to ban people. I say kudos to him for doing so. I come here to see what is happening with Pitt football/Basketball and not bickering, putting people down or any other forms of derogatory put- downs on other posters.

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  9. Amen Reed. I love reading and occasionally commenting on the POV. Everyone is frustrated by the mediocrity of Pitt sports. That’s why the POV is a great forum for us to vent. In a city where there is so much apathy for the Panthers, it’s so nice to see that some of us actually care. I would hate to lose this. Let’s be civil in 2018.

    Liked by 2 people

  10. I am all for you Reed. This site is read daily by many like myself who love football. Frustration with wanting to win. And go to a really nice warm bowl game drives us at times. This year year three with narduzzi we should see better results. It amazed me how many true freshman have played and starred for teams in bowls the last few days. They were not all 4 stars either. Hopefully in next two years we can do better. Great blog. Thanks for all your work H2P

    Liked by 2 people

  11. Ike great video clip yesterday. I’m down with it haha thanks and you all have a great day oh by the way Ike that was Myers singing with the young blonde who’s my wannabe wife haha. H2P

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  13. Another visual for Friends of Pitt and his imaginary wife in case some of you missed it. Please look away if you don’t want to view

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  14. Can I please attack Nitter or Hoopie trolls that come aboard or someone who hides behind ‘anonymous’ as their handle and makes snarky remarks? 🙂

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  15. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Reed! I don’t know how you put up with the jerks for this long. As I have said before, it is possible to disagree without being disagreeable. Here’s to a better 2018, for each of us personally and for our beloved Panthers!

    Liked by 1 person

  16. Reed, I agree with your tact, and am surprised it took so long, but in the end its your blog so it doesn’t matter what anyone thinks. This may be a way to salvage an otherwise good blog imho. However, one thing to consider in fairness is whether you intend to apply those standards of conduct to comments about Pitt players, coaches, etc… If so, then you’ll have yourself a fair, grownup place to discuss Pitt football. H2P

    Liked by 1 person

  17. 1618 – What do you reckon we discuss then? It is Sports. You talk about Players and Coaches and AD’s. Puppies and Koolaid would be fine for many of you guys. Probably why Narduzzi is home during Bowl season and Stallings is atrocious and we have him for 5 years.

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    1. You are funny. I’m guessing your married with kids. First wife? Does the family give you sh-t about your cup always half empty?

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  18. If you want to make this blog better in 2018, how about stopping the idiotic and moronic name calling of all things and people associated with Pitt sports.

    Liked by 2 people

  19. Upitt’s right. This is a sports blog. We should be able to talk about players and coaches positively or negatively (without calling their mothers’ names). Pitt is a mess athletically right now, plain and simple. The commonality is we all want to the major sports to get better. I should be able to start a sentence “UPitt, I disagree”, or “Ike, I disagree” ….blah blah blah without disparaging either one of them. We should also be able to heavily criticize the coaches. If folks disagree, then they can come back with clear reasons and facts to support their support of the coaches. That’s the purpose of a blog. I love the POV and while we should police personal attacks, we can’t sanitize the content. Truthfully, if you read carefully, there really aren’t many personal attacks, but some on here get “testy” when their positive views of Pitt are challenged with facts sprinkled with harsh truth.

    Good job Reed. If people are truly attacking others on here personally, and you warn them, then they should be gone. I don’t think you’ll end up with much of that in the end.

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  20. Thanks Reed. While I love the debate and disagreement, I can do without the namecalling and stupid nicknames. Having respect for each other and yes even our opponents would go a long way to improve the civility of discourse.

    We have had a very down year, but when I can’t look for the bright side of things, I will find another hobby.

    Yesterday I sat with about 5000 Pitt fans watching a team, we knew would lose. Great to see Pitt Fans who could still cheer for the individual plays made by our guys. Gallagher and Nordenburg were right there sitting with us.

    It is about cheering for the kids that were willing to come to Pitt and play for us.

    No one should be happy with losing, criticism is fine but constant bitching, moaning and complaining is just boring. Namecalling is just childish.

    Liked by 2 people

  21. Upitt- Your question shows me you didn’t comprehend my simple point. And this is just my opinion. But first, it’s hypocritical to apply a certain standard just to Pitt posters then turnaround and make those personal dimwitted comments against players and coaches. And secondly, this has nothing to do with being critical of critical of players or coaches’ performance, it’s about boneheaded personal attacks that detract from sports discussion. For example, I’ve been no fan of the Stallings hire from day one as I’ve said many times, but theres a difference between being critical of his mediocre record at Vandy or the shady way he was hired or his defensive strategy etc. versus making fun of his appearance. That’s just one example. Lets act like real men.

    Liked by 2 people

  22. GC – I hope this is better for you. Mr. Stallings is a very bad basketball coach and is robbing Pitt of 2M a year.

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  23. You mean like ‘King Pat”?

    I don’t want this blog to be a large dose of pablum either.

    Readers have strong opinions about Pitt and those that run against the grain should be heard also.

    What separates the POV from others is just that, we don’t toe party lines and we call them as we see them.

    How that is received by others is up to them.

    In 18 months, 500+ articles and over 55,000 comments the POV is far and away the most highly read and commented on internet site about Pitt football yet I can remember maybe two or three readers who have left saying negatives about the content or discussion.

    That’s because of the high tolerance level regarding other’s opinions found here.

    I have always wanted to provide a forum that is inclusive rather then exclusive.

    I have written many times that for every commenter we have there are thousands of readers who don’t ever comment but read everything written by myself and those who readers who do chip in.

    There are some on here who others feel are continually negative; I know some look at me like that.

    But we also have readers and commenters who are always so positive it seems they can’t see fault in anything that happens with Pitt football and that drives me crazy.

    Should I ban them also? Of course not.

    It’s a new year and we see how things go…

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  24. The POV is the only blog/media that Pitt can’t control or quiet. Read any newspaper or blog and you would think we are Alabama.

    I will stop making fun of Stallings and Narduzzi appearances in 2018. I do expect people to look a certain part when making 2M a year. They look disheleved and not representing (foolish on sidelines) (mother f-er) live TV to luther) my school in a professional way.

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  25. I agree that name calling and personal insults are not good, but Pitt gives us little reason not to bitch and complain. I try to see the big picture and bright side, but Pitt always seems to dash any hope.

    If Wisky can win 13 games this year, why does Pitt make it so difficult to win just 9. It tells me that its more than just coaching and recruiting. Its the damn program and support. Pitt’s BoT should be a 4 letter word that is never banned.

    Liked by 1 person

  26. UPitt, I’m fine with that, but you don’t have to say it thirty times a day. That’s your opinion, mine is that Stallings is an average basketball coach, playing against great coaches and great teams, with a team of freshmen.

    This is not directed at you, but the guys that That say our kids stink are wrong, they are a bunch of freshmen who were willing to come here and play for Pitt against the elite of the ACC. To expect them to excel is pure folly.

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  27. How a guy dresses seems to have little impact, take Belichek for example.

    Brandon Knight was very sartorial, not sure he was a good coach though.

    When you get old and have sore feet, you’ll be loving those Rockports too.

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    1. I just think you should look your best and look professional.

      I also think Narduzzi’s sideline antics make him look JV – ish. If he learned to be humble it would help him. I mean, do something before acting like a king. 😉

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  28. GC – 10/4. I agree with you.

    It just burns me to no end that Gallagher isn’t held accountable for the Barnes hire. No one with a clue of hiring or growing an organization hires a 50 something who spend entire career in PNW to Pitt. It was never gonna last more than 2-3 years. Elderly parents, upset wife and kids, etc.

    To Emel’s point it was a mercinary hire to get rid of Dixon b/c Gallagher didn’t have the balls to do it himself. Then everyone takes care of everyone on the way out and Gallagher pays his way back and keep him on the payroll and sends him a Heavenly Ham at Christmas. The whole thing needs purged in my eyes. Gallagher is inept as is Heather.

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    1. Agree that Barnes was a bad hire. But kind of like beating a dead horse.

      Pitt should have given Jamie whatever he wanted and needed to improve recruiting.

      Other schools would have named their court after him.

      Unfortunately Pitt Brass rarely does the smart thing, when it comes to sports.

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    1. I regressed a post later Reed. But I’m trying. I think Ike and I just need to email each other and not respond to each other on here because we are polar opposites.

      Liked by 2 people

      2. UPitt your comment “I regressed a post later Reed” was cool but funny as hades too! I have tears in my eyes from it. Thanks for posting it and you are not alone because we all have to try to get along with each other.

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  30. I’m very happy with this discussion and the civility of it. couple thought.

    Reed I don’t think that the “King Pat” is exactly what most are referring to but….. when you call the coach that it does make one pause and think you may not like the guy all that much. I’m just saying that’s how that comment makes me feel and I’m certainly not trying to tell you how you feel about the coach. Again, it’s how it makes me feel.

    No, I think it’s the non stop name calling of almost 100% of all things PITT. Like when I went on and on about steve. I’m sure that bugged a lot of posters so I stopped. Everyone gets I like all things PITT and others have made it very clear they don’t like much of anything about PITT and then there are the in-betweeners and last but certainly not least are the readers who enjoy intelligent PITT football talk.

    It’s just one man’s opinion that the constant name calling of the coaches, administration and sometimes players is redundant and plain boring for most to people to take time out of their day to read. But where to draw a line even if you wanted to? So I will just skip over the comments/ thoughts I don’t appreciate and move on down to the next comment. problem solved.

    It shouldn’t be this hard for you Reed. I think the message is very loud and very clear.. Thanks for all you do. ike

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  31. “Everyone gets I like all things PITT and others have made it very clear they don’t like much of anything about PITT and then there are the in-betweeners and last but certainly not least are the readers who enjoy intelligent PITT football talk.”

    So, Basically Ike in your eyes, the first (2) of your type of Pitt Fans are not worthy of intelligent Pitt Football Talk.

    I think those on here that think they are so intelligent are blind sheep who drink of the Pitt Teet and whatever Heather/Gallagher tell them.

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  32. And Ike – Try not to speak for most people because I have made lots of friends on here who email me that they love how we can speak the truth on this site. That this is the only site that is fair and balanced. Again, the Athletic Department is a mess. The best part is the leader of it came from a MAC School I didn’t even know had a football team and has no clue what to do and is providing no pushback b/c she is just happy she is making over 350k.

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  33. heather will never rock the boat
    you’ll never hear her demand excellence
    never chew a coach out for mediocrity
    never perform a feasibility study for an ocs
    never demand that sports be placed at a higher level than today
    shes a corporate tool and not foolish enough to be an instrument of change
    you wont find a dynamic leader, a visionary at pitt
    the bot wont allow it
    hence our programs will stagnant, be no more than mediocre over the long haul
    a cultural change is needed for pitt to become more like stanford or wisky
    change comes from within and pitt is run by a bureaucratic committee
    once you understand this, frustration levels go away, the passion is drained from your life force, you cease donating, supporting and caring
    I’m on life support now only

    Liked by 1 person

    1. This is why someone like Tressel wasn’t even considered. Life support for me too Tex (are you alright with that nickname…Tex ? ) I wouldn’t want to hurt your feelings.

      Liked by 1 person

  34. Upitt, good stuff. And by the way, though I’ve not been too critical of Narduzzi in the past (time will tell, but I think he will turn out to be the right hire for Pitt, I would not want to lose him), I don’t mind others doing so, he makes a lot of money and needs to be held accountable, even if we disagree in our assessments (though if anybody were really serious about accountability they’d be after the BOD). For 2018, my hope is HCPN has more guts and sheds some of his stubbornness that has held the team back. I think he botched the QB situation last year and stumbled onto the right choice, I wished he had the guts to cut Pickett loose sooner; I know hindsight is 20-20, but Reed (and others) clearly knew who the best QB was a long time ago. Then again, I watched the Louisville game yesterday and couldn’t believe how bad their offensive “system” looked (what a waste of talent), so most teams I suspect have issues to work through.

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  35. As a mother of 2 Div III athletes, I would like to see any criticism of players directed to skill. It is one thing to say a kid doesn’t have D1 talent, or is too slow, etc. It is another thing to call him a bum, useless, etc. Heck, as long as the kid is giving his best effort, lay off the personal attacks. Now if he is lazy or taking plays off, then that is fair game. Most kids are giving it their best. And I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that not any of us readers could do a better job on the field/ court than they are. Peace.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Annie thanks for the comment and I agree to an extent. D3 and D2 athletes are doing it for the love/passion of the sport and little else.

      D1 is a business where you received 100’S of thousands of dollars for a degree. Housing is handled, books handled, food handled, etc. It is a job and business.

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      1. Agreed, but you still don’t need to attack them personally. So they take a bad angle, are slow out of a break. Have hands like stone… I get it. Those are specific comments about skill. Sure they are getting an education- but maybe with that education they will go on to do great things. They aren’t useless, just not as skilled athletically as we would like. But don’t get personal. People get crazy. Unrelated to the above, my nephew was the head coach of as wpial baseball team(single A I think). A parent told my sister – his mom- that she hated him. Why? BC her son was not on the field. Now that year they won their first WPIAL title, so obviously the lineup was a good one. Sometimes we need to take a step back and appreciate the good things we have- good friends, family, health, and being able to pay the bills. The rest of this stuff is icing on the cake. H2P!

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Upitt, PITT isn’t giving our kids $100m of dollars. If they did the records of our football and basketball teams would be a lot better.

        As often said, a bunch of the kids playing D1 football and basketball are only there with the hope of making it to the pros. There is no interest in a college education or degree. Frankly, they don’t belong in college, and a lot of them get little out of it. So unless you can show me all the new cars and actual cash in pockets/bank accounts, what is the value to alot of the kids that don’t make it ?

        I have to agree with Annie, none of the kids deserve being called “inventive” names I’ve read on this blog and the Blather over the years. Emel was the first, and a lot of them were funny. But really the name calling takes away from what you are trying to say.

        Liked by 1 person

    2. Annie,

      Some times the older ways are the best ways. Beano Cook was a student at Pitt with my father in the early 50’s.

      He was an awesome voice. I used to hear him on the morning drive in Seattle because he had a close relationship with Mitch Levy. He would talk college athletics. It used to bring the burgh to me here in the Pac Northwest.

      He was a firm believer you don’t attack the student athlete. You can feel free to criticize coaching/assistants/programs, but the students were off limits.

      I think that is a great philosophy.

      DaveD

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  36. Happy New Year to all. Reed, it would have been a miserable start to 2018 without the POV.

    UPitt I am truly sorry to inform of you of the basic requirements for the head of a major university:

    Academic achievement stands way above football!! It is not by accident that the highest rated academic schools have the largest endowments and the most successful alumni

    Pitt currently has a major problem with a law school that has dropped well below the top 50 in rank//a situation that demands correction.

    Pitt’s academic standing has dropped considerably in the last five years and sadly. It ranks below PennState and Maryland in many disciplines.

    Pitt is still a solid academic institution, however, it could be much better!
    Gallagher has two priorities/// raise the academic ranking of our undergraduate and graduate programs and raise the low level of financial support from alumni.

    Success in sports DOES CONTRIBUTE to higher levels of financial support at many institutions, however, winning football and basketball games is not the cure for all of our problems.

    I have a Masters Degree from The University of Pennsylvania and believe me winning football and basketball games is totally secondary to the amazing education offered at Penn.

    I believe that we will never be a consistent powerhouse in sports…NEVER!! Yes, we will have periods when we rise at or near the top but they will be the exception, not the rule.

    I value my Pitt degree, but my Penn degree was a door opener to a 38 year career in broadcasting. Football//Basketball I would love to see us do much better, but never
    UNDERESTIMATE the absolute importance of winning in the classroom.

                                      Hail to Pitt.  //// Fight on Pennsylvania

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    1. I agree yet again but Penn vs. Pitt argument is quite different. Penn is Penn and nothing else needed to say. Pitt isn’t looked in the same light so sports must be part of the equation. Heck, Penn could drop sports and be just as fine.

      Liked by 1 person

    2. Pitt was a powerhouse in Football in the past. So it can’t be NEVER. Cause it was. I know I was there when we won the National Championship in 1976 and competed for them in 1977, 1979 thru 1982.

      And Pitt has much more money available now since joining the ACC then it had back then. What Pitt lacks is a ‘will’ to achieve what we once had. And you’re right in one aspect isnore, it will NEVER happen again if there is no ‘will’ to achieve it.

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  37. Thanks for this blog. You need to enjoy doing it. Hopefully these new standards will make it a more enjoyable forum.

    For me, I resolve to try to give Narduzzi two more years without any criticism. Now that Penn State is back from the almost dead and spending money like a mad man, Narduzzi is going to have an even tougher time recruiting. In the coming year hopefully we will get back to having a winning season with a future star quarterback.

    I also have been satisfied with the hires so far from A.D. Lyke and look forward to what she can accomplish in the future. Hopefully she can loosen the pocketbooks of those Pitt Fanatics and Lettermen to help fund the improvement that need to be done. As for the OCS, I still think it is one stupid idea, but for those that do not, I hope they raise the money to build it after they find a place for it. (Neither of these I foresee happening in my lifetime.)

    Areas where we need a new coach is first in women’s basketball. Something is wrong there, as our star players keep transferring out. Apparently the reality they were promised during recruiting is not the one that exists. Turning to men’s basketball, Stallings came into a bad situation and has done nothing to help himself. That said, with his buyout clauses, we will need to keep him around at least through the end of next season before making a full court press for his removal if it so warrants at that time.

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  38. You are correct, however, schools that uphold very high levels of academic achievement can succeed in sports. Obviously, Stanford, Duke, Cal, UVA, Vandy and Michigan are outstanding institutions and have enormous alumni support.

    I believe that winning football and basketball teams at Pitt would to some degree energize our alumni base, however, unfortunately Pitt needs to focus on academics. Pitt is NOT a very difficult school to get in to with one major exception>>medicine. I suspect that Gallagher is totally aware of our money sports but when a law school is ranked #80 and our undergraduate programs are below #65, Swanson is not in the top 40 and Katz is not in the top 40 ( but getting better) prioritiies to upgrade academic standing are on the top of the mountain.

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    1. I have several friends whose sons did not get accepted into Pitt engineering, but got accepted to PSU. And I thought it was much harder to get into Pitt now than in the past. If Pitt is so bad, how are they ranked the top public school in the northeast?

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      1. Annie — I have the same question. Similar experience with my niece — when applying, she was accepted into the engineering schools at Ohio State and Penn State — but not Pitt. She had to prove herself for a year — sort of like a waiting list. She still chose Pitt — She eventually was accepted only after her first year was complete.

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  40. Maybe it’s me, but I don’t think Dixon could EVER have competed in the ACC. He simply cannot recruit the types of players needed for the ACC. With his total disdain for the AAU, Dixon could never build the long term relationships with the kids to recruit them. Some coaches do better with international kids, but Dixon was not great there either (with one exception). In the Big East, a coach could build a different kind of muscle team with players like Blair who could be physically dominant, and then develop over time, but that formula wouldn’t work in the ACC either where guards dominate the league. Dixon is a pretty boy who can win in certain situations and leagues, but not in the ACC.

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    1. And the first inflammatory comment on this conciliatory thread about a coach who hasn’t been here for a season and a half.

      So an easy debunk on your premise, Pitt finished in fourth place in the ACC in Pitt’s inaugural season. Pitt never finished worse that 8-10 in ACC conference play under Dixon. Not sure what your definition of “EVER have competed” is but we nearly saw it in 2016-2017 and I suspect we will see it in 2017-2018.

      So in your opinion Dixon was incapable in the ACC but was somehow VERY capable in the Big East (which was an awesome conference before 2013-2014) and the Big 12 (which may very well be the most competitive conference in 2017-2018)?

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  41. Thanks for all your efforts in keeping this blog going. I have read every word and look forward to it. I am sorry that some people have to stoop to idiot level. I am a proud Pitt alum.

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  46. Barvo, by compete I mean finish in the top half routinely, and occasionally challenge Duke, NC or Louisville for the championship. I just don’t think it would ever have happened. His early years in the ACC were with older players who had developed, which couldn’t be repeated when he competed for new talent. He didn’t recruit a serious point guard since James Robinson who was average at best. His best days in the Big East were when he had a NYC connection and some assistant coaches to bring the talent in. He could never go into ACC territory and take a player away from any of the established teams. The few 5 stars he recruited were problem players like Khem Birch, or were overrated, or guys who left early.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Agree mostly with your rendition of Pitt bbball since 2012. We did pretty well the first year we were in the ACC, when Lamar Patterson was a senior and pretty much carried the team on his back, with his previously unseen ability to pass the ball and score lots of points. We got to the ACC semi’s in the ACC tourney that year. After he graduated, we never had a great distributor of the ball or a PG who could finish. Lamar being the Point Forward that first year in the ACC who did ….both.

      The pipeline of players Dixon had developed in previous years, nurtured into good players, suddenly ended as many transferred, left or just didn’t work out(Dwight Miller, JJ Richardson, Isiah Epps, Malcom Gilbert, Durand Johnson, Josh Newkirk, JJ Moore, Derrick Mostella) . To the point where Dixon had to go into panic mode into bringing marginal at best JUCO players or 5th year grad transfers just to have some big men to give fouls or even start. (Joe Uchebo, Tyrone Haughton, Rozelle Nix, Rafael Maia, Alonzo Ododo, Sterling Smith, Milligan, Derrick Randall, Trey Ziegler)

      Plus he had several misses on the few 5 star players he recruited like Birch, Dante Taylor. Adams left after only 1 far from sterling year, where he only got played 20 minutes a game. Mostella never even made it to campus after committing to Pitt. Damon Wilson never developed as a 4 star, so he was another miss.

      It doesn’t take long in basketball, with misses every year, or kids transferring out, leaving to go from the Pent House to the Outhouse.

      When Slice left the 2nd time, that lost Mustapha Heron(leading scorer at 12-1 Auburn) and several others that might have saved the program from going that route.

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  47. Emel, you summed it up exactly right. Dixon never recruited a top PG after Robinson started playing, so it was about a 5-6 year miss on PGs who could shoot the 3 and also get to the rim. Newkirk has become a serviceable guard at Indiana, but not a top player. The list of failures you cited is amazing. It was never clear why some of the better players like JJ Moore transferred unless it was grades or disciplinary issues that we don’t know about. But clearly Dixon was unable to replace them.

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  48. Around this time most of his better assistants like Slice started leaving, and he was unable to replace them as well.

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    1. Right, Dixon’s 2 best asst’s imo were Slice and Tom Herrion. Slice brought them in and Herrion helped coach them up. And he was almost equal to Dixon since he had been a very successful HC at College of Charleston. The guy knew his X’s & O’s.

      Almost seemed like Calipari was out to screw Pitt, as he snatched Antigua and Slice away from else and their recruiting lines into NYC. And since Dixon was on the ‘outs’ with the AAu types, losing Antigua and Slice was something he couldn’t overcome. Smoke was brought in, but he was nothing but smoke.
      Never delivered.

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      1. This all seems like a specious narrative as Herrion (Marshall), Rohrssen (Manhatten) and Atiigua (South Florida) have each been fired from head coaching gigs after 3 seasons since coaching under Dixon. Not exactly great histories as assistants away from Dixon either. Herrion coached under Brian Gregory at Georgia Tech until Gregory was fired. Then Herrion coached under DIxon last year only to follow Gregory to South Florida. Rohrssen returned to Pitt for 1 season before leaving for Kentucky. He left Kentucky for St. Johns after 1 season. He left St John’s in 2016 after 1 season. St John’s was terrible. Antigua is now an assistant at IIllinois for Brad Underwood.

        If those guys were as awesome at recruiting and development as their mythic reputations, I’d think they’d have had more clear success in the past several years.

        BTW Rorhssen returned to Pitt for the 2-13-2014 season. The 2014 recruiting featured Damon Wilson as the only freshman and Rozelle Nix.

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        1. Rorhessen wasn’t mentioned nor was he considered very good as an assistant. It’s good to know where the other two are right now – Antigua and Slice were by far Jamie’s best recruiters and Herrion the best assistant coach.

          Sometimes taking the leap from assistant to HC doesn’t go well – it worked out great for Jamie though…

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  49. Very late to this party….Happy New Year to all!

    Thank you Reed for instituting a standard of conduct for the POV. Much needed and overdue.

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  50. JoeL…I’m even later than you buddy. Internet and phone have been out for 2 days. Working off of a phone. Happy New Year and a successful 2018 for the POV.

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  51. You do a great job, Reed. I like the fact you are a Pitt fan who tells it like it is. The health and status of the Pitt athletic department? Records speak for themselves.

    There are a few posters who have been around since the thriving days of Pitt Blather who need to disappear, reinvent themselves, change their monikers I groan when I see their names on a post.

    If it’s about growing old, do it somewhere else.

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  52. Thanks a lot Reed. I agree with your thoughts and I appreciate the medium in which you provide. It is awesome.

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  53. Regular visitor, Rarely comment. Would hate to see the site go away as I believe it is the best for Pitt athletics coverage. Thanks for all the hard work Reed. Happy New Year.

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  54. Pitt has developed a winning strategy to counteract it’s inability to recruit a top H.S. QB. Actually the strategy is safer getting a top notch 22 year old transfer who went to the top 10 schools in college football and was unable to start in the 4* and 5* recruited QB’s.
    Be honest Pitt’s top 2 QB’s might play special teams on the teams mentioned but never QB. If Narduzzi bets on a Qb who played a mediocre game against a team outside the top 25, Pitt will not get 6 wins in 2017 and Narduzzi will be fired. He needs to find another savage, Peterman, or Browne to save his job.
    After he is fired Pitt ought to immediately hire The young successfull coach at Troy State.

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