169 thoughts on “Pitt vs Louisville BB Game Thread”

  6. Has anybody else read the linked article before?

    http://pittsburghsportsnow.com/2017/11/15/pittsburgh-never-given-kevin-stallings-chance/

    This type of article is precisely why I cringe when people even imply that PSN is a credible source for coverage of Pitt sports. Vukovcan himself wrote it.

    I particularly liked this nugget “John Calipari wouldn’t have won at Pitt either last year or this year. That’s a fact and you can’t criticize Stallings for not doing the same.”

    Really, that’s a fact? That’s your opinion that can never been proven as fact. I also think it’s total BS. Calipari has a rich history of recruiting and likely would have recruited good players including a PG and big man last year. He also probably would have RETURNED Pitt to the tournament as a result. This season he probably would have recruited better players than KS would have. He has done so for many years.

    I also liked this one “The roster on last year’s Pitt team was completely devoid of real talent. Stallings critics will cite that “he had Michael Young and Jamel Artis on his team.” Were those two players talented? Of course they were. Young and Artis were also described by someone that’s covered Pitt for many years as two of the most selfish players he’s ever been around.”

    Really Mike? Any chance that certain reporter is named Mike Vukovcan? Also, “devoid of talent”? Do you mean beyond the 4 seniors? Cam Johnson will be playing for defending national champion UNC. If it wasn’t for Luther and Milligan Pitt probably would have only beaten McNeese State this season. I mean WOW.

    Had it not been published last month I would have thought it was the seminal work for all Stallings apologists.

    Like

    1. Quite a coincidence that post returned today. Tough to have a pillar in your believe system attacked. Nice touch with the whine.

      Well, I’ve taken a look at another pillar.

      I excerpted the often quoted Chris Dokish’s preseason assessment of the new Pitt Basketball guys. IMO there is something that is very off for each one.

      Marcus Carr – Luckily for Pitt, there’s a good chance that his skills and maturity will prevent him from getting overwhelmed as a freshman. A good, but not elite athlete, but that doesn’t prevent him from being a shutdown defender and getting into the lane.

      Carr has been overwhelmed at times in ACC play. He hasn’t proven to be even a capable defender. He is no threat in the lane.

      Kham Davis – The combo guard does not have topnotch offensive skills, but he is a good finisher thanks to his excellent athleticism.

      I’ve seen very little in the way of exceptional athleticism or finishing skills.

      Monty Boykins – He especially has excellent potential as a three point shooter. Barring injury, which is a big question with him, he can be a three point threat, and the Pitt staff does believe that he can replicate his junior production while at Lafayette.

      He’s shooting 24% from 3. He’s a total liability in all other areas.

      Parker Stewart – Not an elite athlete, but he’s smart and crafty, and he can also play point guard. Good passer and his length may offset his lack of elite athleticism to help get him into the lane. Will be his best as a catch and shoot off guard, but if he can overcome average foot speed, he could play some at the point.

      His athleticism is average at best. He has little ability to create his own shot much less shots for others.

      WIlson-Frame – He’s average to slightly above average defensively, but he’s got what it takes physically to be better than that. Offensively is where he shines, though. He can use his big frame to rebound and score inside, and he can make shots all over the floor, including from three point range. He’s also a very good passer.

      He is shooting 37% from the field. 30% from 3. He has more turnovers than assists. He’s played more than 700 minutes and still doesn’t have 100 rebounds. He is a poor defender.

      Stevenson – Elite athleticism is the best trait for this 6’6″ small forward. Can play some power forward because of his toughness and 230 pound build, but also has the athleticism and perimeter game to be a small forward. Very good defensively and has a nice outside shot that should only improve.

      Stevenson may be the closest to Dokish’s assessment. However he is a poor defender. He demonstrated a mid range game for the first time today. He doesn’t rebound well so it’s highly unlikely that he’ll ever be a power forward.

      George – An undersized power forward with the ability to put the ball on the floor a little, but his real strengths are toughness and rebounding. One member of the Pitt staff described him to me as “crazy tough”.

      Rarely plays and Pitt is in desperate need of toughness and rebounding.

      Brown – Brown has very good shot blocking ability and uses his long arms to rebound well. Also a good passer for a big man. But his real strength is his shooting ability, out to three point range.

      I haven’t seen the passing skills. He has 14 assists and 27 turnovers. He is shooting 45% from the field and 11% from the arc. He doesn’t typically shoot beyond 10 feet. He doesn’t rebound well at all.

      Ilegomah – Another native of Nigeria, the 6’9″ 235 pound center is still developing offensively, but he uses his body and athleticism to rebound very well. He still has a way to go offensively, but he’s big, athletic, he can rebound, and he can block shots.

      Pitt desperately needs rebounding and shot blocking but he rarely plays.

      Like

  8. Wow, you are even digging through old articles to bash KS. That dedication really isn’t needed. LOL. Most on here aren’t KS apologist. They know the hiring went horribly wrong but since he isn’t getting fired they are hoping he does well for Pitt. The same Pitt leadership that let an AD make such a bizarre hire aren’t going to have the coach fired.

    You are correct. Calipari would have been in the tournament last year, he would have recruited 5 stars for this year and last. KS should have made the tournament last year also. Artis and Young were very good college players. Johnson will be better when he eventually plays. Karma got him this year.

    Pitt will never have a coach of Calipari’s caliber. They will never recruit one and done players (Adams was luck). Most programs can’t. Pitt can recruit occasional top 100 and build on them developing over three or four years like Dixon did.

    Until Pitt has a different coach, may as well hope the present one does well.

    Like

  9. Good post NRS, no apologist here but what’s done is done. Hey, we are PITT, get over it. All of a sudden Paul and jamie are gaads. It’s called being a hypocrite..

    Like

    1. I thought posting as multiple people was hypocrisy (which literally means acting like you’re someone else)

      Like

  10. Did it once jack and that is a fact and owned up to it.. You know, not like everyone else who’s done it, including your hero. btw, that’s a feature on the POV I don’t like. By all means. Keep up your good spirits..

    Like

  13. 11 nothing run by the cards and no time out by Stallings.

    Seems Lyke a broken record.

    Another point / defense is about making your opponent uncomfortable. Pitt’s opponents are comfortable and wide open to make easy shots.

    Like

    1. Seriously, Louisville has gotten anything they want today. I wonder why Pitt has abandoned the zone.

      The one glimmer I’ve seen today from Pitt is two nice midrange shots by Stevenson. That’s exactly what his game needs. He needs to show it all the time.

      Like

  17. If Louisville goes big $$ for their next HC as is their custom, I would like to see Heather consider Padgett. Louisville plays really hard

    Like

    1. They also play well.

      That would be about the best possible outcome for Pitt if the buyout amount is accurate for KS. A former player and young coach from a winning program, with a season of successful ACC head coaching experience under difficult circumstances, and who is likely affordable.

      Like

  18. 39 to 9 run by the cards to end the half and KS took one time out.

    I’d fire him for that alone.

    The Panthers with zero FG’s in the last 9 minutes of the half.

    Like

  20. KS should be fired at halftime. There is absolutely no coaching going on here. They do the same thing game in and game out. He just sits there with his stupid face in his hand. I would be thrown out of the Pete if I went to one of these games for yelling at Stallings the entire game.

    Like

  21. it isn’t Stallings after all

    Chris Peak@PantherLair
    #Pitt’s conference record since Jack Anderson retired as band director: 32-52.

    Like

  22. That was terrible that Stewart didn’t get back on that turnover by Carr. It was clear that it was going to be a turnover.

    Like

  23. Lol the announcer is begging for pitt to make a shot. That’s pathetic. The team may be young but they haven’t shown one bit of improvement at any aspect of the game

    Like

    1. I had the same thought at the time.

      I was having this same conversation with a friend last night. I absolutely agree. As a team the only time that I saw defensive improvement was when they went zone and were competitive against NC State and Syracuse. They’ve been blown out of 3 games since then. In addition individual players like Stewart, Carr and Brown have strung together 2-3 good games but haven’t sustained it.

      Like

  25. If you are a fan, and a supporter, and your face isn’t crimson after this performance them you have no pulse. I’m actually embarrassed FOR Stallings. It’s like watching that movie where you know what’s gonna happen, you watch and cringe at the same time.

    Like

    1. Lyke is going to have a difficult time in March. As if the Stallings hire wasn’t bad enough Barnes extended SMS through 2021.

      Like

  27. how cool is hockey?

    The Pens brought the players’ fathers along on this road trip

    At a break in the action, the St Louis Arena played “Ah Leah”

    If you haven’t done so already, may I suggest you turn your total focus on the Pens

    Like

  28. Was at the game…PATHETIC performance. Heather nowhere in sight but I could have missed a photo op. Im kept busy keeping Scooter out of jail. Peters Pub before the game was a ghost town. This crap has got to end.

    Like

  29. This is what you get when your board and leaders don’t care about sports. Bad hires have a way of destroying brand equity and costing millions. Maybe our chancellor will begin taking sports seriously. He has over $20 million reasons to begin caring.

    Like

  30. Reed , what are your thoughts on a POV golf outing mid May…Friday 5/18 perhaps. Somewhere near Latrobe or my course at River Forest? Let me know. Or a bit later in June?

    Like

  32. Pitt went a 11+ minutes without a FG. Sadly that may not even be in the Top 3 since the offensive genius too the helm

    Like

  33. But at least “the noise” has quieted because the fans have chosen to stay away from The Pete, once a tough venue for opposing teams.

    With KS, the Pitt BB rolls over and plays dead Lyke a trained dog.

    Like

  34. Pitt has a big announcement on Tuesday and after it is made I’m sure the resident Pitt academia windbags will say sports doesn’t matter anyway. It a huge business Pitt’s failure to see the money that can be made makes me unimpressed with the university.

    Like

  36. 46-20 at halftime….at home. Are you kidding me. Glad I some paint scraping to do.

    This is the worst Pitt team in forever. Even the 1976-77 edition had some good players on the
    team, like one of Pitt’s all-time leading scorers Larry Harris and Sonny Lewis from Schenley.

    Like

    1. Pitt had an 11-7 lead with about 13 minutes left in the half – Otis sat and watched as the cards ran up and down the court making uncontested shot after shot.

      34-9 run was painful to watch, but KS got paid a handsome sum of money to let it happen.

      Painful ! ! !

      Like

      1. How can the muckety mucks let this go on. Otis doesn’t even live in Pittsburgh, which shows his lack of commitment right there.

        Of course good thing he doesn’t he might get tarred and feathered.

        Like

  38. I thought the coaching fraternity might throw KS a bone to keep him around but probably can’t figure out a way to coach poorly enough to lose to Pitt.

    Like

  40. EJ Borghetti
    ‏

    @PittBorghetti
    16 Nov 2017
    More
    Ways Pitt people have changed the world:

    💉 Curing Polio
    🍊 Discovery of Vitamin C
    🌇Built world’s first academic skyscraper
    🏈 Desegregated the Sugar Bowl
    🏀 First female official in the NBA
    Hiring World’s Worst Basketball Coach

    Like

  41. Craig Meyer@CraigMeyerPG
    Pitt coach Kevin Stallings:
    “I don’t think that our guys are not getting better. I don’t think our guys are not playing hard. We’ve got some obvious weaknesses and those weaknesses are getting exposed a little bit. Some of those things, presently, we can’t do a whole lot about.”

    I have a suggestion that just may help a bit

    Like

  42. So proud of my fellow Alums and Pitt fans who have finally voted with their feet and said “no more” to this hoax of a basketball hire! We stood quietly by while the SOP rehired SP and let him abuse us changing the script to bloc Pittsburgh, tearing down our stadium with no plan to replace, firing Wanny etc. So many times the Admin and BOT have not consulted us or cared one whit about our thoughts toward all things Pitt Sports! And WE pay a hell f a lot the $$ bills. For 3 Days everyone of us took to the media to say “don’t hire this guy Stallings”! Just crickets from the Admin and BOT. I’m sure they thought…hey they’ll get over it…hell, they’ve already forgotten about that stadium thing! Good for all of us! Enough is enough!

    PS…heard there was a game today…

    Like

  43. I guess Pitt plans to use the $30M they receive each year from the ACC to cover the basketball losses. Since football breaks even at best, our overall athletic program is probably running a huge deficit this year due to basketball alone. I think the Chancellor has some explaining to do.

    Like

  44. And thank you Pitt for tearing down Pitt Stadium for the Pete. A mausoleum that is at 20% capacity. Might as well begin playing games at PPG. I just found the location for our new OCS. 🙂

    Like

  45. For the first time today, I saw Pitt players not hustling. I think the losing is getting to them and the moment things go bad they pack it in. They don’t seem to know yet how to keep up the effort for the entire game. The play that irritated me the most was the sloppy pass by Carr that was intercepted, and then Carr watched as the guy blew by him for a dunk. KS pulled him after that play but the announcers didn’t even mention it. Is there no pride?? The one thing that is saving KS’s job is that these kids are still believing and hustling. If that goes South then KS is toast.

    Like

  46. 4772 announced attendance today. I wonder if that counts Sir Patrick G and the Heather’s empty seats.

    Paid for, you bet.

    Like

  47. If you’re into Black(Dark) Comedy you gotta watch Otis’s post-game presser.

    http://triblive.com/home/video/

    This team will never get any better because :

    1) They practice against eachother
    2) This Coach is clueless, in any other offense then chucking 3’s from 25 feet.
    3) Knows next to nothing about defense, how to teach it or even so much as boxing out.

    Like

    1. At 54 years old, I believe I could average 5 rebounds a game for Pitt at 5’10”.

      You see, I would not have to battle my teammates for a rebound, only the opposing team of 5 players. By boxing out, I’d grab 2 or 3 and then by hanging around the paint on offense, I’d grab 2 or 3 bricks that clang off the rim from teammates chucking threes.

      Like

  48. Ike..the kids stayed away. Many adults in those seats today. I just assumed they were at Heinz in their “new” seats.

    Like

    1. If the Zoo has given up on this team, the negotiations must be going on behind the scene to lower Otis’ buyout. I’d give him a beer and a kick in the arse goodbye.

      Like

  49. Could someone get Larry Fitzgerald to play in our POV Golf outing? He and Streelman won the pro am at Pebble Beach today. He is really good!!

    Like

  50. Hoping KS stays as coach.
    Why?
    Because with the buyout and the lost revenue, Pitt will hire an up-and-comer from the middle school Catholic league (orthe coach from the Squirrel Hill Jewish Community Center).
    Same old, same old, same old.
    I’d rather just let the disease run its course and in a few years, well…probably make the same mistake again.
    Oh look, the front porch has fallen apart.

    Like

    1. This disease could kill Pitt. Best to treat it with a new coach now.

      The buyout is a cancer that can be removed (negotiated down or paid out over several years)
      The lost revenue can be replenished with a new infusion of fans

      This young up and comer could just be the next Dixon.

      Like

      1. And my fat arse could make Pitt’s basketball team. Think of that…not my arse but me actually being able to pull a rebound, get a point, get an assist, and play D. 90% of Pitt’s players cant do even that and they are regressing fast. KS has lost this team and the fans.

        Heather – please do your job. Have a coach ready to hire by season’s end. And then apologize to us fans. Its your problem now cause your boss wont do anything about it. He is complicit.

        Like

  54. KS has one more year until his buyout is reduced. By the way where on earth do you think these “new” basketball fans are going to come from. I had season tickets for 40+ years and I will never buy season tickets again. I have moved on with my tennis coaching, grandkids, and my 1974 MGB. FYI, I did buy tickets to one game this year.

    Like

  55. If nobody wanted to come to Pitt two years ago, who do u think we’re gonna get now?
    Toss in the low budget, and we are screwed.
    I don’t like it either.
    Thanks, Herman, for allowing Jamie to flee with a reduced buyout.

    Like

  56. How can we make 2 of the most horrible athletic decisions ever, one in BB and one in FB (Dixon and Heyward), not to even mention Pitt Stadium.. Money I guess.

    Like

    1. Not money, stupidity. Always stupidity first with Pitt, then money.

      Gottfried and Wannstedt in football, not allowing more funds to hoops to get better assistants. And after sellouts for 10 years at the Pete that is so Pitt being cheap.

      Like

  57. Pitt Basketball is dead to me, just like Pirate Baseball. You all get so worked up. There is not one damn thing any of you non millionaires can do about it. Pitt Admin doesn’t care or care if you care.
    If s a shame but it is what it is. Don’t discuss it, think about I, pay money for it or care about it.

    When I see one single oz of care from BOT, Heather or Chancellor Physicist von Gallagher, then we can care again.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Hurley said no last time, he’ll say no again.

      His stock is higher now than in 2016 and a bigger job awaits. Crean comes with no buyout, so he’d listen. To fire Stallings, pay him and his assistants off, hire a new guy, pay him and the assistants long with paying that buyout is very pricey. A road Gallagher certainly doesn’t want to go down.

      Like

      1. I don’t know what, if anything was said the last time, but there is no reason not to go after Hurley if a change is in order.
        Crean is not the answer and IMO “Joe Knew” is completely correct (2/11 @ 2250).
        Any of this is meaningful only if a change is forthcoming. This cannot be fun for KS either.

        Like

  60. How do we know nobody wanted the job when Dixon left ?

    Herman ? give me a break. If he had intentions from Day 1 to hire his buddies Search
    Firm’s client (Otis)….then he’s gotta make up a story…right.

    Like

  61. And besides that, the next coaching coming in, is going to be following the disaster of Otis.

    Not Dixon and his 11 NCAA’s in 13 years. Otis shouldn’t be a hard act to follow !

    Like

  62. Crean would be a bigger disaster than Rockports. He is an @hole of the highest proportions. I’m serious, he would be a nightmare!

    Like

  63. So long, Coach. Please, someone tell me that they see improvement in any area since early in the year? I see none. A couple of individual players have shown some improvement at times. Nothing consistent. Dear Heather: Get this hire right. We don’t need a repeat of Haymaker/Fraud/Potato Paul. Set our football program back 10 years. And before anyone gets their panties in a bunch about Chryst, I acknowledge the good he did in stabilizing the program. But he was never going to elevate the program and couldn’t recruit defense. I don’t have any idea who would be interested in taking over this mess. But it’s time to open the checkbook.

    Like

  64. MissingWlat – therein lies the problem, opening up the checkbook. That seems to never happen to a larger extent. I see KS surviving another season. This administration is looking Lyke they want to see what he can do to turn this around. KS only has to win 10 games next year for this muckety muck group (Emel’s wording borrowed) to keep the status quo.

    Pulled this from PSN:

    The Cardinals, playing without leading scorer and junior forward Deng Adel, used three players 6-foot-9 or taller against the Panthers. There was senior 7-footer Anas Mahmoud, junior 6-foot-10 forward Ray Spalding and off the bench, 6-foot-11 freshman Malik Williams.

    Pitt also played three players 6-foot-9 or taller against the Cardinals. There was starting 6-foot-10 freshman center Terrell Brown and 6-foot-9 forwards sophomore Kene Chukwuka and freshman Peace Ilegomah.

    The three Louisville players combined to play 59 minutes. Pitt’s combined for 54. In those minutes, the three Louisville forwards scored 32 points. Pitt’s trio had seven.

    Like

  65. Here is a snapshot of the Top 25 for men’s college hoops:

    nova -1
    uva – 2
    Purdue – 3
    Xavier – 5
    cinci – 6
    Texas Tech – 7
    Auburn – 8
    St Mary’s – 11
    Gonzaga – 12
    Tenn – 15
    clemscum – 16
    Rhode Island – 18
    wvcc – 19
    Wichita St – 22
    Nevada – 23
    miami – 25

    I see a lot of teams Pitt has competed well against in the past, even beat numerous times.

    The mountain seems tall at this point. And Rockports aren’t the shoes to choose for mountain climbing.

    Like

    1. Interesting to note, UVA pulled a Pitt (against Syracuse, in what seems like eons ago) in that UVA had a chance to be #1 this week (don’t think they have been since Ralph Sampson days, many eons ago) and lost a heartbreaker to arch rival (again think Pitt vs Cuse in hoops) in Overtime.

      Allowing our old pals over in Philly, from BigEast days….to reclaim the #1 spot.

      Amazing that as Pitt’s program has disintegrated, Villymanilli’s has flourished. Coincidence ?

      Like

      1. That would be arch rival, VT. I didn’t see the game, but if anyone that did can comment and
        document strange events, please do so.

        Like

  67. Anon, Tx Panther,

    1) hockey players are so adept that you forget sometimes that they are actually on skates. They stop, turn, swirl, etc while at the same time trying to move the puck or prevent movement of the puck … at the same time being defended by others who are allowed to create contact. And all of this on two thin blades.

    I cannot emphasize this point enough.

    2) it is the only timed sport where the final minute of a close game doesn’t take > 10 minutes to complete. And a 30-second timeout actually takes on 30 seconds.

    3) it is endorsed by Pope Francis because of the core values it instills in all players (not making thus up)

    Liked by 1 person

  68. Another gem from PSN:

    DOESN’T GET EASIER
    Boston College is the next opponent for the Panthers. When the Eagles come to the Pete on Tuesday, they’ll have lost 11 straight games to Pitt. So that should be a good chance for a Pitt victory, right?

    Not quite. The Eagles have victories over then-No. 1 Duke and are coming off a win over Miami where Jerome Robinson scored 29 points. He had 46 in a loss to Notre Dame earlier in the week.

    “Their guards are incredible,” Stallings said. “It’s not a break. It’s another good team in a really terrific league.”

    Like

  69. @Missing Wlat – I did see an improvement. Rock P saved his timeouts to plan strategy at the end of the half,. Unfortunately, I think he failed to use them when the game was in question. Well, if the resuly was ever in question. Rumors are he didn’t use his timeouts during a 34-9 lewisville run. Glad he saved those timeouts.

    He probably would have been better served to use all his timeouts, back to back to back to back to back. During that time, he should have taken his team into the locker room and come back out, hoping Lewisville would have been dazzled by the move and lost concentration for the remainder of the game to allow our troops back into it.

    Sounds crazy, right? Crazy is keeping him as the leader and keeping the leader of that leader employed. This would never happen in the private sector. If the AD won’t do something, the Chancellor must. I don’t think the administration and Board members understand the groundswell that should be unleashed soon.

    Like

  73. It’s club hockey Justin.

    Not to get off on the wrong foot this morning but we all know the deal as to what PITT sports are all about or maybe more what PITT is not about.

    Identifying the problem is step one to your mental health.

    Step two is asking yourself what you can do about the problem.

    Realizing there is not much you can do about the problem and coming to terms with it is step three.

    Amendment to step three as follows. Complaining about your helplessness to the problem on a PITT blog is now an accepted form of stress relief.

    Suggested solution? Go for it men and women… The outcries for PITT script seemed to come from a grassroots effort, so there you go…

    Like

  74. Our Lady Panthers lost to BC this weekend. Yepper, they are following in the footsteps of our men >>>
    Losing and then losing and then losing ……………

    Like

  76. Smiley face Heather has about 3 years worth of work ahead of her that will have to be completed this spring.
    Our sports teams are for the most part a disaster.

    Like

  77. Didn’t Pitt have a club Rugby (or lacrosse) team some years back that was suspended for rolling skulls on the field? It’s funny that the admin didn’t shut down the entire athletic dept after that

    Like

  79. Excuse me for a moment while I bring up something much more fun than the dumpster fire known as Pitt BB.

    Reed – Lastrow suggested another golf outing. I’m interested too and know a few others are as well. Is this something the POV could embrace again this year?

    Back to the nonsense…

    Emel – 4 family members are UVa fans and all my cousins are Hokies. A House Divided. The Cavs uncharacteristically failed defensively on Sat in OT, IMO. And they had their worst shooting night this year, so it was a big choke. ANd yet, still considered the number one overall seed for March Madness. The difference between Cavs and PItt is that the Cavs are highly successful in most every sport in which they compete, save for football. National titles in baseball, soccer, lacrosse, golf, etc. So, there are distractions from the occasional lapses on the court and mediocrity on the gridiron. They yearn for the glory years of George Welsh, Herman Moore and the Barber twins. At least Pitt fans have something on them there.

    Like

    1. they certainly hired the right coach in basketball, Tony Bennett … and get this, his salary is same as Stallings with much less buyout … see below from internet

      On the other hand … they hired Bronco Mendenhall at $3.4M 2 years ago (Pitt has beat them last 2 years)

      “It will pay him $2.1 million per year, including $400,000 in base salary and $1.7 million in supplemental compensation. Of equal importance to UVa fans who might be fearful of another school’s advances, the contract contains a $3 million buyout if Bennett resigns before March 15, 2018.Jul 7, 2015”

      Like

        1. Wow…gives you some perspective as to how bad it could be. Makes me appreciate PN all the more. Imagine the “noise” that a recruiting season like that would create!

          Like

    1. And with that #22 ranking, the chokies pulled in 25 recruits to Pitt’s 20 recruits and a #36 ranking.

      The #’s matter.

      Like

  82. If you look at the ACC football map, Virginia is in a geographic area void of football tradition: Virgina, Duke, Wake Forest, North Carolina, NC State, & Virginia Tech. I’m not saying there aren’t some good, solid teams in that group, but there’s zero football tradition with he exception of Virginia Tech, so I wonder how much that impacts trying to build a program.

    More importantly, that was an interesting salary comparison wbb; if true that KS & TB are on par with regard to salary (and I have no reason to doubt it), then it tells me what the biggest problem is, NOT money, but administrative decision making.

    Like

    1. spot on. so Pitt needs to admit their mistake with KS and get his replacement this year
      and they owe us all an apology and to tell us what they will do differently this time so the same mistake isnt repeated
      i do NOT trust Pitt with hiring decisions

      Like

  83. I think Dokish even sees the inevitability of KS needing to be fired. He is by no means a KS hater and thinks he was not given a fair shot.

    That being said, He sees that Heather Lyke’s damning with faint praise remarks that she is not a fan. He basically tweeted that, if it’s not this year then it will be next year, might as well do it now because KS will no way be able to recruit well being on the deadman perp walk.

    My thoughts are pretty much in alignment…even if his buyout is $10M…you have to couple that with the loss in attendance over the next year with and his yearly salary, as well as the destruction a third year of futility will do for the program from a recovery standpoint.

    All of this has been said by others, but I think at this point they have a real tough decision to make. If the buyout < next year’s salary + loss in revenue from lack of attendance. Then I think Lyke has no choice.

    However, I am sure they will also take into account the next coaches salary in the equation, but if they do that then they should also account for years of poor attendance because of the inability/lack of recruiting that went on under the KS debacle.

    DaveD

    Like

    1. Pitt needs to put a price on a sports program….then move on from there. We’ll know that answer if they do nothing at the end of the season.

      Like

  85. Let me elaborate on my first sentence. Dokish still thinks (as far as I can tell on his tweets) got a raw deal with the fans, administration. However, I think given the details I provided, he sees it as an inevitable outcome.

    Typically I don’t have much time for Mr. Dokish as he is an overly sensitive fanboy, however his point(s) have merit.

    DaveD

    Like

    1. but he does score some points here IMO:

      “I want to thank Coach Narduzzi and the Pitt staff for this opportunity,” Borbely said. “To have the chance to coach at an institution with such rich history like Pitt is a huge honor for me. Also, to have the opportunity to coach where Joe Moore started his great legacy as the best in the business is very humbling. I’m greatly looking forward to getting started.”

      Like

          1. Oh great…..they get O’Canada and we get the Count. Sort of looks like the guy on Bar Rescue with a Stache. as well.

            Like

  88. Virginia has won 4 of the last 5 NCAA boys team tennis championships. And with a beautiful campus the football team should be able to recruit much better.

    Like

  89. Golf outing would be great. Quicksilver is a great Course, food really good, and price. Overall really good value for the buck!

    Like

  92. We have to remember that VA football was a dumpster fire for many years under London. Mendenhall had a quick bump his first year, but their record was troubling. That led to defections and a turn down in recruiting right now as far as average stars. Mendenhall will be fine there once he stabilizes the program.

    I talked to a P5 bball head coach last week and he thought that part of Stallings problems are the assistants. Great assistants not only recruit, but teach the game more then the HC does. I didn’t realize that. He said that assistant coaches are the key to strong fundamental bball.

    Financially, look at the bball example to the left of Pittsburgh. In Columbus, they got rid of a coach because of a downturn in recruiting, a downturn in on court performance, and playing in a 19k gym that was bringing in 7k fans. They sucked up the buyout and brought in a solid mid major coach. In less than a bball year, they sold out a 19k gym over the weekend and they sit above the big14. It’s not rocket science. A strong AD handles the business of the business.

    Like

    1. Yep asst coaches usually run a good deal of the practices, where most of these kids need to be taught really how to play the game. Since a lot of them aren’t being taught basic fundamentals at the lower
      levels as they were in the past. That is imo why some of these games are almost unbearable to
      watch for anyone with any background playing or coaching.

      Like

      1. London was worse, much worse. 27 wins 46 losses. 1 Bowl in 6 season.

        Groh was 59 wins, 53 losses. 5 Bowls in 9 seasons.

        London had no qualifications to be a HC, much like the guy who coaches the Stillers.

        Like

        1. Included in that is Bowl Win over a Pitt team that had Larry Fitzgerald and Rod Rutherford in another
          disappointing end to a season.

          Like

          1. Was at the game. Continental Tire Bowl in Charlotte. Walt ignored Larry Legend at the goal line in a critical drive that failed and contributed to the loss. That game snapped Larry’s consecutive games with a TD streak, which at the time was an NCAA record. Also notable from that game was the tight end who played for Virginia. A guy named Heath Miller. Also notable was the A**wipe behind me who was a Virginia fan. Screamed “Lets go Wahoos” or something like that, the entire game.

            Like

            1. Yea I was there too Wlat……Pitt and everyone was kinda disappointed as we had a chance to go Orange Bowl and we end up with Tire Bowl. Team was a flat as a warm Miller High Life.

              And that game got us a bad rap with this Bowl committee since we only had a couple thousand fans there.

              Like

  94. It seems to be almost, Pitt was almost forced to take Otis, which explains how he got thru
    the purvey of the Board of Untrustables.

    Because anyone that even did the slightest of research of Otis’s record (beyond the rent-a-wins)
    and his even more abysmal record in the NCAA’s than Dixon, would have put a halt to this whole
    hiring process.

    The next coach was someone who was supposed to be able to get Pitt deeper in the NCAA’s.

    Not a retread who was a 2nd rate coach in a football league, who could barely get his team
    to over .500 in conference games and most of his years there, his team missed the NCAA’s
    10 out of the 17 seasons he was HC

    Like

  95. It seems with the OL coach hire Narduzzi has gone out of his way to dampen enthusiasm for the program. A retread coach from a mediocre program. I am so excited! But the new guy has a history with the so exciting and dynamic OC, so there’s that.

    Like

  96. How can you say London had no qualifications to be UVA’s head coach? I realize he only served as a head coach for 2 years before getting hired by UVA, but he won the FCS National Championship and was named national coach of the year one of those 2 years. And all that at a tiny basketball-first school within the state of Virginia. You’d think we greater resources at UVA he could have flourished; plus he was a former assistant at UVA and coached in the NFL.

    Like

    1. I’m a Spider grad…London was on my dorm hall and we had two classes together. No one was more stunned than me when he got the HC job at UVA. He won that national championship at Richmond with Dave Clawson’s players.

      Like

  98. Another uninspired hire….. yawn. Is Bob Nutting on the BOT or having secret breakfast meetings with Heather Lyke???

    Like

  99. This should also put to rest that Pitt couldn’t change out some of their difficult OOC games for easier ones. These two Dairy College games are scheduled for 2020. Two point five years into the future. Whoever argued that the schedules are made up 10 years into the future is just wrong.

    It used to happen with regularity, but not as much any more.

    OL coach is average(?) I don’t know. Why didn’t we look to see if there were any coaches with flurrrrida ties or already had a 4 or 5 star in the fold for 2019.

    Like

    1. Most likely somebody in the coaching fraternity put a call into Nard Dog and told him this old timer
      was unemployed and Dog was obligated to hire him.

      Like

  100. Dairy college showing us how to schedule OOC. Get to 8-9 wins every year for about 10 years and then you have something. Easy ooc and rely on your conference to carry strength of schedule.

    Like

Comments are closed.