in Pitt Football 54 Words

Who is the next Pitt BB Coach?

Let’s let the Pitt fans decide. So far there has been no public movement toward a new hire shown by the Pitt administration as to who will step into the big pair of Rockports left behind  by the departed Kevin Stallings… who took the money and ran.

Give us your thoughts:

 

463 thoughts on “Who is the next Pitt BB Coach?”

  4. Who they should hire….someone like Cronin. Successful head coach.

    Who they will hire…someone like Chris Jent.

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  6. This is too good. Loyola won today on St. Patrick’s Day possibly setting up a rematch with the team (Cincy) they beat in 1963 to win the NC, Their coach’s name then was George Ireland. No kidding.

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  10. Nobody mentioning Pitt alum Kevin Willard as a possible HC. Has won 20+ games each of the last 3 years.
    Giving Number 1 seed Kansas all they want. Took Villanova to OT during the season. Can recruit Pitt’s former main recruiting area.

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  11. BigEast is a much tougher conference than Hurley in the A-10. Seton Hall won the BIgEast tourney in 2016.

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  12. I voted “Other,” and for my wild guess I’ll go with JoeKnew’s candidate — Earl “The Pearl” Grant.

    I’m guessin’ he can recruit and we sure the heck need some recruits…

    Players first/Coaching second…

    Go Pitt.

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  13. PITT’s next basketball coach will be…………………………….. Whoever it is they hire.. . Get over it.

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    1. I like Oats. They will hire “Matta” and furnish him with a Rascal to drive around Oakland. He will last 2 years and will realize it is to much. Then we will watch other programs hire Oats and a Grant and do great.

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    1. That is unfair Dan. Matta bad move. Hurley Stinks.

      I’d like Oats or insert any of the sitting Head Coaches who are doing great across the Mid Atlantic or Southeast.

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      1. Tell me about it.

        She will go with Matta. She won’t have the konyoens to take a up and comer she isn’t 1000% sure of. Matta will be a bust.

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  20. Thinking that it could still be any of the possible names, including Matta, since the BoT probably still needs to make the approval. That means any delay does not necessarily relate to someone being off the table.

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  22. Hurley is the top choice and Pitt is going at him heavy. It is closer than a week ago when he was a done deal to U Conn. The second name is a surprise but don’t be surprised if Pitt pulls a name not mentioned sometime next week. The money is the concerns as to buyout to hire him/

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    1. Really, that game was over at halftime today. Hiring an A-10 coach is not impressive. I’m off the Hurley bandwagon. And they beat a team(Oklahoma) in the first round many thought wouldn’t even get a bid based on how terrible they were the last month of the season.

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  23. Of all the names on the list, I hope its Oats. Hopefully its not Schmidt(would be a typical Pitt hire). Hope to hell it isn’t a assistant, that would be a major fail. If we don’t have a hire this coming week, were working on Plan b,c or d.

    There is a chance the hire isn’t even on the this list.

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  25. No way Pitt pays Matta. Georgia would have given him 3 mil. Plus 1 mil for coaches, plus perks. Not heppening at Pitt.

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    1. I liked Oats until I saw today’s game. And that he didn’t recognize they couldn’t play UK straight up Man to Man. I think he is ok but in the ACC, Pitt is more than likely going to be playing teams with more talent than them, so you need someone who can teach multiple defenses. Didn’t see that today from Oats.

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    1. Seton Hall captured the Big East Tournament title for the first time since 1993 and returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2006, a return on a $1.4 million investment in sixth-year coach Kevin Willard.

      Willard originally was hired by then-Seton Hall interim athletics director Pat Hobbs, who now holds the position on a full-time basis at Rutgers and is the one who tapped Pikiell. The 2016 Big East Co-Coach of the Year has since received a contract extension.

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  28. I’m tired of all this hoops discussion. I’m salivating at the thought of reading the Ricky Town biography which Reed promised weeks ago. Come on Commander, let’s see it!!!

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    1. Ricky who??? Never see the field. Neither will.patty cakes. We finally have a half decent QB.

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  29. What costs more??

    Pitt’s New Hoops Coach?
    Stallings Mansion Pitt bought in Brentwood.
    A night of passion with Emel?
    A bag of potatoes.

    Liked by 1 person

      1. Laughing feels good. Been a while for me. Thanks Kiski.

        Emel – Don’t sell yourself short.

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  30. I still don’t understand why you would think Matta is a consideration. He would not have gotten a better offer than Georgia (from Pitt or anyone else), and he knows it.

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    1. She will find money and he will say the proximity to Columbus and his comfortably with Heather who he loved ( probably never knew her) from his time there. This one just felt right. She will close him with a golden rascal.

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  31. here’s an interesting quote

    Brian Batko@BrianBatko
    Rhode Island coach Dan Hurley says for the Rams to go further than this in the postseason, “The investment’s gonna have to increase, but that’s like any program that’s trying to get better.”

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  33. I am leaning toward Mussleman. He has a great basketball mind, develops players and has coached HS, College and NBA. His three year turnaround of a lousy Nevada Basketball program into one that has won the Mountain West and made it to the NCAA Tournament is proof enough for me. Hurley is a Hurley and they on the Crean level of spastic explosions. Mata is going to have to, as some have said, ride around in an electric wheel chair and it is a crapshoot as to whether Oats can start-up a program from scratch.

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  34. I have no clue who they will pick or which one would be best.
    Just hope to see a competitive team sometime soon.

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  36. Pitt wants success and coaches with energy and Hurley fits that. GA hasn’t hired a good BB coach since Sherman blew through GA. Crean was a real concern for me.No retreads for Pitt. Gallagher and the AD want a full Pete rocking out. The right coach and money will do that.

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    1. Gallagher Hired Barnes who Hired Stallings and gave him 6 years. I wouldn’t use Gallagher as wanting anything other than a clue.

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  38. I’m still on Team Matta.and hoping his second act at Pitt could be like Steve Fisher’s second act at San Diego State after Michigan dumped him.

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  39. I doubt very much Musselman would leave his North Californian home to come East. He’s home every weekend from the somewhat short trip from Reno.

    Would be a good get no doubt as he has vast coaching experience and contacts galore.

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    1. Ask him if he would want to coach in the ACC? If he says yes give him an offer he can’t refuse.

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  41. Usually West Coasters love the West Coast.

    Oats is best choice. My gut says Matta is done deal but if not Oates better get done.

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  42. I voted for Oats earlier this evening. My thinking is that he hasn’t associated with anyone paying their athletes to go to his school. And he’s done very well.

    I have no idea if Miller can recruit, based on how his assistant reportedly paid for players.

    Musselman scares me having his nba relations. Normally that’s a huge plus, but with the ongoing fbi investigation, it’s quite risky to me.

    Hurley is more expensive than helps proven worth I feel.

    Grant is a decent choice too. But atm Oats seems to give the most bang for the buck.

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  43. Latest rumor Miller to Pitt. That hire if consummated will create quite a stir in Pittsburgh and well beyond this area as well. A desperate hire in a desperate time if it comes true.

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    1. if Miller is hired, then we know that the boosters were behind it … same people who will pay off Stallings

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  44. jrnpitt – boy I hope you’re wrong! Pitt would have a lot of explaining to do as to: (1) why we hired another coach about to get fired, (2) what is the status of FBI investigations, and (3) since he seems to be a poor coach and just lost his best recruiter, what kind of staff would he put together to mitigate his weaknesses, and can we afford it? Maybe someone on here can answer some of those questions?

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  46. Must be the Avatar –

    I voted for Oats, but Lyke Grant as a close second.

    Look, Stallings is gone – we should all be happy there is a new beginning about to happen with Pitt basketball.

    Matta is not a retread – he is a proven winner, recruiter and is only 51 yrs old (with back issues). Pitt has access to some of the best doctors in the world.

    Sean Miller is an intriguing choice. Just two years ago he was considered our savior. Now several of you are turning on one of our alumni? Give it a rest. Yeah, I know he has underperformed at the big dance, but if Heather gets Sean back to Pitt, we should all welcome him with open arms and positive noise.

    Kevin Willard is a Pitt alumni too – why not? Don’t judge him because of his dad – not a fair assessment IMO.

    I’m looking forward to the hire and will take 24 hours to post any negative comments (hoping not to have any) while vetting the choice myself.

    I am proud to be and lyke that I am an alumni of Pitt – I don’t always agree nor Lyke the choices being made, by I’m along for the ride and realize sports are for entertainment purposes, not life or death.

    Tee time at 11am today – went to church last night – let the entertainment begin.

    Four! Just practicing before I crack that first drive…

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  47. Does anyone on here know who the “ big boosters” are? Since we are dead last in the ACC in donations I was just curious.
    In the Golden Panther days the owner of Baierl Chevrolet was a big time donator

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    1. I don’t know the big time donors, but I sure hope HL does. That was to be one of her strong points as an AD.

      Revis, A.Donald, Fitz and Shady could be on the list…

      Liked by 1 person

  49. EE – I (and others) have every right to critique Miller on the FBI investigations alone. Further, he has landed top recruiting classes every year, and has done nothing with them, and now he has lost his best recruiter to jail? So all I’m saying is, we would have a lot of explaining to do surrounding a sketchy hire like that. If I am overlooking something, than discuss the facts, don’t just ignore them because he’s an alumni. I think we’d all support a Sean Miller hire, but we’d be owed answers to the obvious concerns I just posed, because they are all big concerns. Frankly, Dixon had less concerns, always too tight in tournaments and poor recruiter, but there are ways to directly address those. I’m not sure how we answer the Miller concerns, if there’s any credibility to this… Just looking for discussion.

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    1. The FBI stuff is a bad look, I agree. But, innocent until proven guilty, especially with an alum.

      I don’t think the rumors are true – Sean to Pitt ain’t happening. Just trying to keep it positive with a fellow alumni member. That’s all.

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  50. @jrn There is NO WAY Miller is hired now. Not with the cloud hanging over his head. Pitt is ultra conservative, they will not take on that risk. Athletics are not even important to them, by that I mean winning.

    I cannot believe some are thinking this is possible.

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  52. It would not surprise me if we hear in the next few days that Hurley either takes the Uconn job or he stays at Rhode Island with a extension.

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  53. There is more anticipation of Reed’s “Ricky Town’ article than there was for J.D. Salinger’s 2nd novel

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  55. Erie – He’s guilty as (rhymes with Pitt). He didn’t break the law of the land, just NCAA by-laws, so there will be no trial … Just a trial of public opinion.

    Hopefully, that satisfies Reed’s no curse rule.

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  56. well whoever it is, the announcement will happen this week.
    I expect the new coach to keep about 3-4 players
    There are probably 3-4 that dont want to stay
    New coach will bring in 3-4
    Pitt will have little bench next year

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    1. Keeps Golden in the fold and adds Brandon Stone to go with Carr, Davis, Frame, Ellison, Luther, Brown and Stevenson. There is nine and a grad transfer big off the bench.

      Pitt basketball will be competitive again.

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  57. Great comments by Boeheim on Pitt during one of his press conferences. Glad he was taking a shot at the idiotic Panthers fan base, the majority who always want the coach fired. Watch it and weep, suckers.

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  59. Matta is the next Tiger Woods…fuse that sucker! He can have a second life! Just think he has the best resume…the only one on the table with a W-L to admire in a major conference.

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  60. Nate – Boeheim is clueless relative to context of Dixon’s departure, and it sounds like you are as well. And this coming from a guy who ran a dirty program, how quickly we forget. The contingent of people who want their coach fired resides in every program in the country,doesn’t make it right, but that’s the reality, and the coaching fraternity sticks up for each other, just like the way every coach interviewed praised Stallings.

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    1. No fanbase wants its coaches fired like Pitt’s. And the administration seems to appease the masses, which is idiotic. So coaches still in the tourney with dark clouds over them at some point in their respective careers: Boeheim, Izzo, Huggy Bear, Pearl. All the more reason to hire Miller. The NCAA doesn’t care.

      The tourney is how the NCAA makes its money. It wants as many good teams as possible to sell tickets. Hence, its reason for not punishing Carolina: the classes the players took were offered to regular students. Case closed, Carolina, you’re free to continue what you do best: win and sell tickets come March.

      Pitt needs to sell tickets again, so even the idiot in charge, Gallagher, better make sure a top-notch coach is hired.

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  61. Pitt could have kept Dixon. His teams would be middle of the pack in the ACC. His teams would have made early exits in the tourney.

    Or Pitt could have hired a new coach

    Pitt got the hire wrong. But now they have another chance to get it right.

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  62. The reason Matta is in the picture at all is because he has to be. His contract with OSU requires him to seek another job and mitigate the OSU payouts in order for his OSU payments to continue.

    My opinion: Nate Oats is out of consideration because (1) he just signed a 5 year extension (I know, I know, that doesn’t mean much these days, but . . . ), and (2) he still needs coaching experience — his inability to switch to a zone against Kentucky, inexcusable.

    My choices, in order: Grant (black, recruiter, knows the ACC geography), Willard (proven experience in good conference, Pitt guy), Musselman (experienced at a rebuild, but West Coast guy)

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  63. Grant’s problem is it’s very Dixon/Bennett-esque. Slow pace, defensive orientented … and UGLY.

    I’d personally like him but I really don’t think he’s the exciting brand of basketball most Pitt fans want right now.

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  64. Tossing, absolutely wrong. He played that game as he had to to win. However, early on at ?Charleston he played that game when he didn’t have the talent to match up. When talent improved he played much more uptempo winning games in the 70s and 80s. He adjusts his style to fit the opponent. They will always play d, but he can win anyway that’s called for.

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    2. JoeKnew – I like him. I’m just pointing out his defensive style may not be a lot folks’ cup of tea.

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  65. Nate, wrong, we are not unique, we are like every other fan base. I was a huge Dixon fan, still am, it was time for him to move on unless he was prepared and able to replace his staff

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    1. Totally agree. And if barnes made a decent hire the first time we wouldn’t be having this discussion.

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  66. That was exactly the way he had to play that game to have a chance to win. If required, the can and did go uptempo, and they were exciting. That’s why you have to watch all these teams thru the yer, not just an NCAA game. If that’s all I saw I’d agree 100%.

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  68. Michigan State is playing so poorly (27% fg) (50% ft) and is still leading horrible Syracuse.

    Almost like a Pitt game where the other team is shooting so poorly to keep Pitt within 10

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  70. At 11 a.m. ET on Saturday morning, the media evaluation firm Joyce Julius and Associates estimated that publicity UMBC had generated was worth $21.3 million in equivalent advertising exposure. By 11 p.m. ET on Saturday night, Meltwater put that number at about $119 million, meaning that roughly a third of the publicity value UMBC has generated in the past 12 months occurred in 24 hours.

    History suggests that UMBC’s tidal wave of publicity will likely lead to a massive surge in freshman applications for the 2019-20 school year.

    https://sports.yahoo.com/publicity-umbcs-upset-generated-worth-staggering-amount-money-054324907.html

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  71. You POVer’s ask yourself a question. If the PITT baseball team would have swept UNC would it have been posted on this Blog? .. and you all can get up in my face cause I don’t care and simply tired of the PITT bashing on this Blog. It’s flat out ridiculous.

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    1. Izzo micromanaging his #36 scoring offense to a measly 53 points (thankfully Boehem elected to foul twice). Has nothing to do with 26% FG and 22% 3P shooting. If it wasn’t for beating the crap of Cuse on the boards it would be Cuse in a walk.

      Izzo always folds in March to much lower seeds.

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      2. Yea but even if MSU shoots 35% fg they win the game easily. They missed their last 13 shots of the game and were an unbelievable 17 of 67 fg’s. You don’t micromanage that, that is just gawd awful shooting.

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  75. It would be a crime if this lousy Cuse team got to the Sweet 16. Forgot about the sex scandals at MSU.

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  77. No it’s ike, it says so up on top on my comment. What happened to the blowout for MSU? Keep throwing stuff against the wall, sometimes it actually sticks.

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  78. If you felt so strongly that I was wrong, why didn’t you post that at halftime. Come on at the end, and say.

    like a little baby.,…..you were wrong you were wrong. Take a hike ike.

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    1. F you Emel, you post what you want and I’ll do the same. Unless you want to come and try and make me. Sounds like you’re the one doing the crying now. As a matter of fact, all you ever do is cry like a baby.

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      1. Ike all you ever do is argue with ppl. This blog almost closed down because of you. You are very juvenile and I don’t want anything more to do with you.

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  79. https://www.yahoo.com/sports/publicity-umbcs-upset-generated-worth-staggering-amount-money-054324907.html

    so if one upset could be worth this much money, imagine the amount of money Pitt loses over an entire year going 0-19 in ACC play. Maybe Pitt finally gets that success in sports is tied to academics.

    And imagine the good publicity the football team gets by beating top teams each year. Those regular season wins against the would be national champions or the #2 team in the country do get noticed. Not piddly bowl games in Detroit against scrub teams.

    And when Pitt loses by 60 to Louisville in basketball (last year), that also gets noticed. When attendance is at its lowest level since 1982, that gets noticed. Or flaming out each time Pitt gets to the tourney.

    Yellow seats in football…that to. Free Fanta give aways if students stay past the 3rd quarter. 4 football coaches in 4 years.

    So perception matters people. And, Its who you beat and when you beat them along with the other stuff that the media can run with and either denigrate you or put you on a pedastal.

    Much like the rag of Pittsburgh media today coming to Stallings defense and making Pitt look like fools. Pitt needs to hire a PR firm before it hires any more damn search firms.

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  80. We must root for the ACC teams. We need the money. Cuse, Clem, Du, NC, FSU can make us money. What’s the problem with that?

    Lets hope we make a good BB hire. Otherwise the Pete will be an echo chamber. Actually I liked Fitzgerald.

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  81. well, the what have you done lately category … we can rule our Musselman along with Hurley, Oates, Schmidt and Miller. That leaves Grant (close loss to big favorite Auburn ) and Matta

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  82. The snobs in charge do not care about athletics. Their hypocrisy of propriety: sweating is for the barnyard, not the university.

    They fail to acknowledge the profound effect of winning on the collegiate experience, the increase in applications with athletic success, or the financial windfall that awaits programs that win.

    Their behavior is actually quite embarrassing.

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  83. Well guys, our blue blood ACC teams are dropping like mosquitos in the Bid Dance! Yes, the same ACC that we were 0-19 in. Wow!
    We’re witnessing “Match Sadness” for sure.

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    1. Tell that to Cuse & Clemson…we could get 4 teams in. We have the first team in the Elite 8 too.

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  85. I’m getting a kick out of the University of Cheatolina getting spanked in Charlotte. (ACC or not)

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  86. Grant problay is in the running. As of 4/17 he was making 309k per year. BoT/Pitt admin kind of hire. Does he want to leave his hometown for the Pitt Admin or just wait a little while for a school that cares about winning?

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  87. I just cancelled my electronic subscription to the Post Gazette….one I’ve had for 11 years. I will no longer listen to Monsieurs Filiponi and Cook. The vitriol at Pitt and the glee in which it’s bad news reported is not news. It’s utter bias. I hope when this nightmare is over, Pitt develops a long memory and deals with these schlubs. Zeise is the one guy who reports straight news.

    I still like Matta.

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    1. I read that crap for free when I decide to hold my nose and peek. Can open an incognito tab and use Ghostery.

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          1. FWIW, I have never had an electronic subscription to the PG .. there is enough free news and sports available on the web. I do check the PG a few times a day for headlines as well as the sports twitter which often provides breaking news pertaining to Pgh sports

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  88. Dan, The morning show with Dunlap, Cook and Poni, and Eric Nitter Hagman are by far the worst. Starkey and Muller are actually pretty fair. I will ask a few friends who should know why Cook hates Pitt with such vitriol. I have no idea why, it’s pure hatred, ad that’s just flat out bat shit crazy!
    I have no dog in the fight, but ?Ike, you really have a thin shin, what’s up between you two? Did I miss something?

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  89. As much as ?I feel Grant is by far the best guy, I’m beginning to think he won’t come, even if offered. I hope I’m wrong, really,really wrong!

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  90. I like Zeise but he’s bad on the nightly sports call show. His “my point is this” and “one more thing” get’s old but when Pomp and Walsh roll their eyes it worth it.

    Shane Roy to have a better season for PITT?? Thinking the defense will be much improved.

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  91. I like Grant for his beliefs. I think he will recruit well enough but the right young men as well. Although C O C did look like PITT the other night. The point guard being at 40% hurt that team.

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  92. watching these games, I know just how bad the coaching and players were this year. For Pitt to have success in the ACC, they need athletes particularly guards. They also need a coach with at least half a brain who also has a better selection in shoes, ties and actually has hair.

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  93. my new coach can believe in Satanism for all I care as long as he wins. The NCAA doesnt care about student athletes, graduation rates, GPA’s, good citizens. They care about the money train. Pitt actually does care about these things and thats why they struggle while other schools get ahead. But there are a few coaches and programs that can pull it off. Pitt needs to strive to be one of those. But again, there are idiots in charge at Pitt, and until they prove me wrong…they are idiots. Prove me wrong Heather. And I hope they still have that measure counting physicist chained in the basement of the Cathedral until the hiring decision is made.

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    1. Agree. Hire Miller, let him keep Carr, Davis, Frame, Ellison, Luther, Brown, Stevenson, Golden and maybe Peace. Add a recruit late, like Brandon Stone, maybe a grad transfer. Then Miller can start working all these up-and-coming kids in the Western PA area.

      Those who are afraid of Miller’s past can lock themselves in their homes after the hire is made.

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  94. Txpanther, glad you’re not in charge of the process.

    Into the night, like I said they better do some serious getting with Miller, and since he’s a poor coach they’d need tho find the right assistants to complement him

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  99. I’ve been reading sparingly the last few weeks and posting even less. I just read today’s comments and I have two comments..

    Ike. The “f you” comments aren’t appropriate. I’m not a shrinking violet but you’re better than that and it really raises my ire when people throw that around.

    Zeise is a jackass. If the point is that he’s better than Cook, Smizik and the other PG clowns, that’s one thing. But he’s a petty, petulant, arrogant hypocrite who “dishes it out and can’t take it.” So please, save the platitudes when that blowhard is concerned.

    I have ZERO idea of who Pitts next coach is and I’m prepared to give him a chance but honest fand of our programs have to think they’ll botch this one.. again.

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  100. Wow, Jay. Finally, sounds like someone who actually spent some time around Zeise. You are right on the money on that one. Things are not always what they seem.
    I said previously I thought this would be wrapped up by Wednesday, now I’m not so sure. I, like Jay, have no idea what’s going on, and that’s much better than stuff leaking out, in my estimation.
    Some guys may want time to interview, discuss with family, talk to team, etc. That said, it’s a nice day in the Burgh, I’m going golfing with my buddy, Mikey the Nitter. Last time Pitt was in coaching search we went golfing and they announced we hired Stallings. Still remember my shock and his smirk( as if a Nitter should ever smirk over a bb hire!). Well, we are going to a different course, so maybe different result. Hold down the fort!

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    1. Then again Zeise tells it as he sees it which is a rare commodity within the mainstream media in PGH.

      I’ll get some info on football via back channels, verify it then write about it and no one wants to believe it’s true…then Zeise will come out and talk about it publicly which he then gets blowback for.

      I like what he has to say regardless of his delivery. I don’t always agree with it, but he calls it as he sees it and doesn’t do a dog and pony show to draw attention to himself like so many PGH radio guys do. They are one way and almost impossible to listen to.

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      1. I like him too even though I don’t always agree with him….like wanting to give KS a couple more years.

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  101. Interesting that a lot of the teams that could be involved in the current hire for play scandal have folded their tents. Although there is still a good possibility that this years NCAA basketball championship may be vacated… and maybe some from the past?

    Concerning Matta’s health? It hasn’t stopped him from traveling all over the eastern side of the country interviewing for jobs. Looking more like he could be the next coach. If he is, the question becomes, what took so long?

    I’d still like to see Grant, I like the way he handles himself and his team.

    Knowing what we know about PITT and their mission statement, it would seem very unlikely that they would be very interested in Sean Miller … but… it kind of looks like the boosters may have stepped up and put their two cents into the firing of Stallings and the hiring of a new coach. If that’s true it’s just possible that they may want Miller. << Which I would be fine with.

    Week two of PITT spring practice and not reading all that much about PITT football. I guess the climate on football would be much different if Narduzzi gives up on closely his practice doors to the media. That decision is looking worse than ever as the basketball drama has taken center stage.

    Ricky Town must have a lot of back information on himself and we can all bet Reed is digging as deep as necessarily to uncover it all. ike

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    1. The story isn’t just about Town’s abilities but his life up to transferring but also about Pitt football and the situation he’s being brought into.

      Not a hitpiece at all but a close look at an interesting human story… Some positive stuff and some negative stuff but life issues, etc…
      I’m at 8,000 words now and am about halfway finished… I’ll be done in a week or so.

      BTW, a novel is about 115,000 words at minum.

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  102. I really doubt Matta and Crean were serious interviews. I think they were for show. Of course we will find out when the next coach is hired. If Pitt hires some scrub for cheap, they never were serious about the two big names.

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  103. Or, can we be sure if the two big names were interested in PITT? For two different reasons, Matta’s buyout and Crean for posturing and raising his worth through supposed competition?

    When Stallings was hired we were told that a lot of coaches didn’t even want an interview.

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  106. OK Reed, I admit I don’t play, coach or administer at PITT. Speaking of administering at PITT, I see that just throwing a couple of bucks at Stallings and telling him to hit the bricks didn’t work out so well. Although I’m not saying it wasn’t worth the try and I still hope they can get that number down several millions. but they must have the money to pay or they wouldn’t have taken the chance. ike

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  107. It’s funny how the media reaches out to Boeheim regarding the Pitt’s bb situation, a guy who’s program was sanctioned due to ncaa violations and whose assistant coach’s wife had relations with former players. He is filthy, so he should have ZERO credibility, but how quickly we forget when we want a story. We all get the ‘be careful what you wish for’ mentality and there’s credence to it, but everybody knows that, and his take on why Pitt wanted to move on from Dixon is completely out of context, not to mention he is completely lacking contractual details relative to Pitt/Stallings- embarrasssing. And coming from a dirty coach and program.

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    1. What did he say that was untrue except for”yelling at his players”? Everything else was spot on.

      Btw they didn’t reach out to him about Pitt. They asked a generic question and he used Pitt as an example in his answer.

      Fact is that though our BB program is so bad and unsettled the national media does use it as a talking point for ineptitude.

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  109. My sources are telling me that Hurley is the top choice, but may be playing hard to get. The second choice is apparently an EXISTING P5 coach, not a mid-major. This could possibly be Miller- can’t say at this point. Supposedly Matta is out of the running. Willard is apparently out due to FBI scandal links over Isaiah Whitehead. Allegedly $37K transferred into Whitehead’s acct.

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    1. I read something in a New Haven newspaper that sources close to Hurley indicated he prefers UConn. UConn most likely doesn’t have the resources to lure him, but perhaps he’s trying to give them time to up whatever offer they may have made. Sounds like a current asst of Hurley’s has already been identified as his successor, so there may be an expectation he will be leaving URI.

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  110. Some fact, some stupid opinion:
    There will always be a vocal minority of idiots in every fan base who are overly critical of a coach, sometimes even if he wins it all. Was there any real decline of fan support by attendance at the Pete or otherwise? You’d be surprised how Gary Williams was criticized soon after winning it all at Maryland.
    HCPN went 8-5 his first 2 years at Pitt and we all know how much he sucks.

    JD’s recruiting was trending downward. Yeah, but why? $$$ support declining? Effort declining? Need/requirement to stay clean? Crappy staff/recruiters? Switch to ACC and bad decision by JD to try to do things differently? What?

    Barnes sure screwed up the KS hire and intro presser. Hindsight is 20/10 and my laser sight and everyone else’s says he is a friggin’ moron. Even so, who else is implicated in that total debacle? Maybe SB was the original puppet. I mean the admin or BOT kept that jackarse on payroll after he resigned to head out west to administer CPR to his declining parent??

    I am glad Boeheim is exposing this disaster, even though I think he is a self-serving jerk…who isn’t? If nothing else, it pressures Pitt to do it right this time. If it doesn’t at least LOOK like a good hire, I’ll be surprised and it will say everything about the future of Pitt sports.

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  111. Odds are Pitt will hire a MAC head coach or an assistant from the Big10, or maybe Dooley from Providence. LOL.

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  112. This too, shall pass.

    No one cares anymore and the ones who do, forget very quickly. PeeSU was the media’s darling last year. How they “rose from the ashes” to return to former glory– despite being the ones who burned it down. No one cares that Baylor’s players can’t read, rape and beat women and murder their teammates. No one cares that Pitino bought players or nailed his assistant coaches wife. No one cares that UNC gives it’s players a free pass.

    I care, but the collective conscious of this country doesn’t have the desire or the capacity to care about doing the right thing. So, for all of the negativity and embarrassment surrounding the Dixon/Stallings debacle it will make NO difference just a few years from now- provided we’re winning.

    If an 11 win football season can make the country forget the sexual abuse of little boys, I’m guessing a 25 win basketball season and a run in the NCAA tournament will make everyone forget Otis was ever here.

    In the words of Tripper.. It just doesn’t matter!

    make funny GIFs like this at MakeaGif

    Liked by 1 person

  114. I’ve said it multiple times, I don’t believe Hurley has any interest in coming here. You have to be a complete dope to think Pitt would hire Sean Miller with his personal situation. Winning isn’t high on totem pole for the Pitt decision makers. This is tough because I loved Miller as a player at Pitt. And he’s had success in the tourney in the past.

    Like it or not, Jim Boeheim speaking out is the truth, many many coaches share his opinion about Pitt.

    I’m getting a sense its not going to be any of the top names mentioned……Pitt decision makers can make some really dumb decisions and this time we have a rookie AD leading the charge.

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  115. Jamie was a fine coach but for unknown reasons his recruiting was terrible after the Young, Artis year. The drop off started even earlier, because there was a gap between the Patterson class and the Young class.

    You can’t compete without centers and guards and Jamie failed to bring them in.

    None of us really know why, and why he really left. Was he pushed or did he just really want to go? Could Pitt have convinced him to stay?

    Blaming any of this on the fans is just stupid.

    Same with the hiring and firing of Barnes. Fans had nothing to do with this cluster#$%^. Other than they are smart enough not to spend good money to see a bad product. (Myself not included)

    I do agree that many Pitt fans think that it is easy to compete with the blue bloods, and have unrealistic expectations of what should be.

    Also that no matter who is hired, he will have his detractors from day 1.

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  116. I recall that Dixon refused to speak out or condemn Boeheim when his scandal hit and he was suspended by CUSE. Boeheim probably remembers that support and will continue to slam Pitt over the way the Dixon matter was handled.

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  117. Reed, no Boeheim was not ‘spot on’, he spoke out of turn about issues he didn’t have enough information about. He’s dirty and should be more humble than that.

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  118. I recall also that Dixon’s assistants were not so hot. He never really replaced Slice, and the better ones left the program. He just didn’t have the quality of assistants to recruit for the ACC, and he was unable to close on any top talent.

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  119. Bj, your statement is more accurate, Pitt obviously botched the Dixon situation, but it was obviously time for him to move on when they encouraged him out the door, the problem was Pitt’s replacement plan (or lack thereof) and that’s what was unexcusable (along with reducing the buyout???). Boeheim got it wrong, out of context, and it’s disappointing even Pitt fans on this board don’t recognize that, or assume he understands legal aspects of the Stallings contract enough to speak out about another university. Cronyism. Jay91 got it right though, nobody cares about that stuff anymore.

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  120. No doubt Zeise speaks his mind, he is one of my favorites for sure but … a 25 minute call in show, who has the time for a caller with him?

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  121. UMBC’s AD “Hall hired (coach) Odom two years ago without the aid of a search firm”.. Wait, some AD’s actually do that? Then how do they find the time to hand out certificates?!

    Sorry. I just couldn’t help myself.

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    1. Haha So True. Can we please can 75% of the coaches we have and get coaches who try to win.

      Keep Volleyball and maybe Men’s soccer.

      If Narduzzi doesn’t win 8 this year that is another problem. His biggest weekness is his recruiting and if taht proves to be the case that shows this year with winning less than 8.

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  122. I contend that Dixon’s heart wasn’t really in it when Pitt joined the ACC. I’m not implying he tanked it, not at all, but he went at it with less enthusiasm. Remember the following:

    — in 2010, Pitt was being mentioned as possibly the next B10 member (Nebraska ultimately was invited.) Jamie, who was not outspoken about anything, came out said that he was definitely opposed and questioned why Pitt should leave the best BB Conference at that time (the BE)

    — in the spring 2011, the BE used Dixon as a conduit to lure his alma mater TCU to join the BE in 2012. TCU was an Indie at that time. Then, a couple of months later, Pitt joins the BE. Dixon had to feel betrayed.

    — in 2014, after a series of competent assistant hires (Slice, Sperring, Rice, etc) Dixon hires Smoke Williamson as chief recruiter .. a guy with no connections in the ACC footprint. In fact, none of Dixon’s assistants had ACC area connections. (Pretty curious)

    — it was obvious that Jamie, who had turned down attractive positions in the past, was ready to move. And Barnes certainly facilitated it. Nobody can tell me that it wasn’t a mutual decision.

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  123. JD did not want ACC because his style of play meant death in ACC. B12 style still not to his liking but maybe a little better. At any rate we really messed the whole thing up by not hiring a young vibrant coach. Now we pay the price of this mess. The road back will be a land mine of money and empty Pete.

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  124. You nailed it, wbb. Also, it always seemed that the assistant coach turnover was exceptionally high under Dixon. Some coaches took head coaching jobs so that is understood. But with high turnover go the relationships built by the assistants. I think that Brandon Knight was a total bust as an assistant. Can’t think of a single player he recruited for Pitt. Dixon may have thought he could continue to recruit the NY area for players who would just love to play in the ACC- NOT!

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  125. Opinions are one thing but direct assertions and unsolicited proclamations are another, not that they are not welcomed, I embrace them but when someone is wrong about an unsolicited prediction then what’s wrong for pointing that out? I hear and read all the time when someone has said something that turned out to be true.

    Jay has an opinion about Heather’s certificates, me, I’m meh on them. I guess it’s good PR for the PITT but I’m good either way. Either way that’s Jay opinion and I’m fine with that.

    I still would have loved to have been fired and went home for twice the money. I believe Dixon and PITT had mutual thoughts on his BB future.

    Speaking strictly for myself here but I can’t wait to get back to more football talk. Problem is, I see another explosive round of backlash after the next coach is hired. Oh well, I’ll be taking the advice of many and avoiding exclusive BB articles here on out. ike

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  126. Ike – I have have hopes for a good coach. If the coach is not what meets the fans expectations then fans complain. Remember – We are getting rid of Jamie to upgrade. Didn’t Pumpkin Head say that?

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  127. wbb – interesting perspective, that could be right. Good thoughts. Didn’t have to be, could have stuck with his style in the ACC, Bennett already proved it works. Frankly, I hope our next coach goes back to lunch-bucket style, I miss it. Then again, winning is winning, but I did like having an identity.

    Ike, you’re right, unless the next coach’s name is Calipari, there will be complaining, but I suspect the overwhelming majority will be behind our next coach this time around, so it’s a matter of keeping perspective. And yes,, looking forward to some good football scoops!

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  128. ike.

    You and I actually have the same opinion on the certificates. I really don’t care either way about them. I just chose to reference an often-mentioned issue and tie it into the whole “search committee” issue.

    It’s called humor.. with a little sarcasm thrown in.

    I actually think Pitt’s AD has done a fair job to this point. How she handles the basketball hire, football attendance and needed dismissals in women’s basketball and women’s soccer (possibly others) will define her tenure here. I’m rooting for her. She seems like an educated well-meaning administrator.

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  129. That said, give me an OCS and bring back “Penn State Sucks” to the fight song and I’ll commission a Heather statue to be placed in front of the Union. I think she’d really “Lyke” that!

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  130. After the hire is announced, google the guy and check out his record, experience, level of competition and recruiting. Then, ask yourself if he is an upgrade from what Pitt had in Dixon.

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    1. btw Upitt, still waiting for you to name Heather a great AD or something like that. << forget exactly how you put that if KS was fired.

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  132. A month ago the cries were for an upgrade over Stallings, now we’re back to Dixon.. Goal Posts moved again… << yes I saw that coming..

    Meanwhile, who has won more games at PITT than Dixon? I’m still waiting for an upgrade over Jock…

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    1. Are you senile?

      I never wanted the skunk to go if you are replacing him with Stsllings!

      I’m waiting on the upgrade that was promised when Herman who you said was a good AD that lowered Dixon’s buyout. God you make this board tough to read sometimes Ike.

      This goes back to zjamie bc that is who was run out of town.

      Sell my BMW don’t replace it with a ford pinto.

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  133. With regard to Miller, this is an easy one for Pitt to solve. They can do it contractually. They need to put a clause in the contract that if he is found guilty in any way as a result of the FBI investigation, he must immediately resign and not have access to any buyout money. If he is clean, Pitt gets a good coach. If he is dirty, Pitt is in no worse position (as if that could happen). Pitt eliminates risk and goes pure upside. Strike while the iron is hot, AD.

    Second, I like Odoms demeanor and coaching ability. He is just likeable in the interview and made it about the players, not him. Humility is such a great trait and something we lacked for awhile. I know UMBC is offering him a long term deal, but it would be worth a chat. Heck, his home footprint is in Baltimore/DC which is exactly where the players are for recruiting purposes.

    Grant, I also like, and for many of the same reasons as stated above.

    Musselman I like even more, but that is not going to happen due to his west coast tie-ins.

    Oates is okay, but without Hall, “I can’t go for that”, no no, no can do. Well they did have “one on one” so that is sort of basketballish.

    Just wanted to make the contractual risk transfer argument for Miller so Pitt wouldn’t run away from a circumstance. You can embrace risk and thrive or you can never take one, and be average at best. Problem is, we aren’t even average in any sport and haven’t been in 35 years. In fact, handling Miller in this way would make the Pitt Administration look like they actually thought something through on both sides of the argument. I know it would be earthshattering news to actually come out and address it with the media too. Wow, telling the actual truth can be used to your advantage.

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    1. Huff, you belong in the Administration. Who cares if we have to let go of still another head coach? … that’s what we do here!

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      1. If anyone should be good at hiring head coaches it should be Pitt. Who else has more experience at it?

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  135. Hey Iek…Major or Jackie might have proven to be worthy successors to Jock had either stuck around. And wasn’t Jock a nice upgrade over Pop Warner? He tops 3 national championships with 5 of his own. Ahh, the good old days. haha.

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  139. Huff, I agree with regard to the contractual handling of Miller potential issues, however I also have reservations about his coaching ability given how poorly he’s done with top recruits, and I also question how he will recruit in the future after losing a key recruiter due to the scandal. In other words, when the music stops, what kind of coach is Miller really?

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  140. I’m talking about what was said last week by almost everyone on the POV. As long as Stallings goes everyone would be happy, still waiting for the happy part . .ike

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    1. I’m always happy, just not here often…Reed lykes it that way. 😉

      I did lyke Huff’s entertainment above along with his acumen. 🙂

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  141. Ike, I’m very happy right now, in fact I posted a week ago that this is the best I’ve felt about Pitt basketball during Tournament time in probably 5 years, and we have no coach. If you want to focus on negative posts though, have at it.

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  142. I’m happy he’s gone. Happy overall? Well, can’t I reserve judgement until after the new hire?

    I believe what most said was that they’d be happy he was gone and I believe they are. Not one person said, “I don’t care who it is, as long as Stallings is gone.” Ok, maybe ONE person said it but the consensus was simply that we’d be happy he was fired. And we are happy he was fired.

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  145. Please read the announcement below, in keeping with Reed’s commitment to our Military families and those in need. The games are next Sunday.

    Army – Navy Baseball Doubleheader

    The Orioles and Oriole Park at Camden Yards will serve as the host site for an Army vs. Navy baseball doubleheader for charity on Sunday, March 25 beginning at 11:00 a.m.

    Tickets will be $10 for general admission lower level seating, with all proceeds split evenly by the Naval Academy Athletics Association and the Fisher House Foundation, which provides a “home away from home” for families of patients receiving medical care at major military and VA medical centers. The homes provide temporary free lodging, so families can be close to their loved ones during a medical crisis. There are several Fisher Houses located throughout the Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia areas, including five houses at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.

    Members of the military in uniform will receive free admission at the gates.

    Concessions will be available with all proceeds benefiting the two charities. Parking in lots A, B, and C will be available for $5.

    Buy Tickets
    Learn More About the Partnership
    The Fisher House Foundation (www.fisherhouse.org) will receive $5 for every ticket sold for the Army @ Navy doubleheader on 3/25.

    https://www.mlb.com/orioles/tickets/events/navy

    Liked by 1 person

  146. Moving forward………………. In all honesty with Narduzzi keeping everything top secret, I haven’t a clue what there is to talk about? << There’s your quick football update Reed.

    Isn’t pro-day coming up?

    I just had a nice relaxing couple hours with my youngest grand-son playing Xbox one. 4 years old and he works that controller like a CMU grad. The kids these days…

    I’m on record as of now, I’m fine with the next hire. ike

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  147. the front porch does matter. It was lip service by Gallagher. But with the basketball disaster, Pitt finally at least moved the old couch off and began sweeping up. It still needs some fresh paint though.

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  148. Let’s all remember, we are the same team by the end of the day.

    Check this video out play it loud and watch. The song is great to.

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  150. Hey, Miller coaching is another thing. I was addressing the overall issue of Miller and a possible matriculation and how to handle it contractually. If you want to bring him in, you protect yourself for letting him go. I never said he was my first choice and never said he wasn’t. Doesn’t the idea of a top 10 recruiting class resonate with anyone? I think Millers Time in AZ has been positive for AZ regardless of losing at the end. At least he gets there.

    The narrative to the media is outlined. Who cares if something is uncovered three years from now. You cut bait, tell the world you did exactly what you said you were going to do and move on. That’s not an embarrassment. When you hired him there was no proof of wrongdoing. Be truthful and transparent. Who wouldn’t go for that here?

    @WWB – Thanks, I wouldn’t touch an administrator job at Pitt. We end up with average coaches because we do what everyone expects us to do. Hire cheap, provide minimal support and have high expectations. I read that on here almost daily. Recipe for disaster. Why doesn’t the administration tell it like it is and say, “hey folks, we are paying our new BBall coach the 14th lowest salary in the ACC, with the 13th lowest budget for coaches and 12th lowest for recruiting. Because of this, we expect our team to finish last or near last in the conference every year”. That would be honest. Instead, we pay our coaches low and tell everyone naive enough to buy season tickets that we will win ACC championships.

    Many believe this crap about winning championships. We are tied for being the bad news bears in pittsburgh. Only the Pirates give us a run for the money and are now being sued for not spending enough money properly. The litigant will lose, but it emphasizes the point.

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  151. If Matta is named as the guy, it is likely that Pitt has spent the past week doing medical tests and getting a detailed evaluation of his medical condition. With the medical facilities here, it is not likely that Pitt would make this move without a complete check up. That is how the Steelers and Penguins do it. The Pirates would sign Sister Jean from Loyala Chicago if she is in their price range.

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  157. I don’t really care who the hire at this point. I feel So much better about the program now than I did just a month ago.

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  158. The last football article on pittsburghpanthers.com was the one Reed posted last week for day 3.
    Nothing new out yet.

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  159. I predicted several times Hurley had no interest in coming here. Even said in last two days that in a few days Hurley will be gone. Maybe Oats, don’t see Grant being the guy.

    Heather better be able to close one of the top guys on the list….

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  160. I think Hurley would have been a solid option, but I can say I like him any better or worse than the other top names being thrown around. If his heart was really elsewhere, we’re better to figure that out now. I can’t say I really care that much (about him becoming our next coach) or not.

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  161. Carr now transferring for sure. There will be no guards on the roster next season. Better convince Kingsby and Davis to stick around. Shocker Pitt handled granting the players their release the wrong way. Going 0-19 again next season unless Miller is hired.

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  162. Glad Heather has zero urgency. Waiting for a Kiss from Hurley when he and UCONN had a agreement when they fired Ollie. Meanwhile we are interviewing guys in rascals.

    Ike – I need some positive thinking bc this looks like a Sh*t Show. She aware there is a little urgency needed?? Miller or bust.

    I have one more guess. We hire the USC Coach. Old FGCU Coach and actually pay the man.

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  163. I had a great day on the course. Beat Mike the Nitter like a drum! lol. Surprised there was no coaching announcement as that’s when they usually happen.
    Guys, I’m not gonna get crazed until I see who they hire. Guess we all have favorites, but I’ll wait, check them out, and make my decision. Good, bad, or ugly. Funny part is that last time you really didn’t have to do much digging to know it was a really bad hire.
    The Duzz probably loves this more than anyone. He could be castrating bobcats on the south side and no one would know! For a guy who likes to keep,everyone in the dark he must be in heaven.

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  164. I never felt like Hurley wanted to come here. My source was right that Hurley was resisting Heather’s advances. We need to hire a coach who really wants to be here.

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  165. Also, in all honesty, have any of the coaching moves/hires to this point been a surprise?? I mean they were certainly a lot easier to picks than the pools, right? Crean goes carpetbagging to the highest bidder, Hurley to UCONN, Matta to nowhere, a VUA assistant to Charlottte I mean it’s just shocking, Not! Which big time gotta have them guy did we lose? Not one of those moves gets me sick that we missed on them. We’re pretty lucky there just aren’t that many big time openings, and there are a lot of really good coaches who can be had. That said, if this hire is a dud, it would hurt me at least as bad as Stallings. Well, in retrospect maybe not that bad,lol.

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  166. JoeKnew, I can’t say I disagree with any of that. I wouldn’t be thrilled with Matta either, unless he came into the Pete and did one of those trampaline dunks. Upitt – Miller would be solid if all of the question marks wereanswered (to me, that’s a lot of questions marks). The USC guy I’d prefer but I doubt he’d leave USC so soon.

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    1. If they hire Miller, I suppose he would need to do at least one trampoline dunk as well. He should be in better shape than Matta, right?

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  168. I had said all along that I didn’t think Hurley would be leaving greater NYC area … he’s been there his whole life and has too many connections. Still holding a glimmer of hope, though.

    Still, would not have a problem with Oats or Musselman …. just hope they interested

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  169. Joe Knew…way to kick some Nitter butt. Anytime a Pitt man tops a Nitter at anything as coach Majors used to say: “Its a fine, fine day….for everybody”

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  171. you people make me laugh … like Hurley or anyone else would have come to Pitt 2 months ago, or even interviewed.

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  172. Memphis canned Tubby Smith on Friday and hired Penny Hardaway (alum) on Monday.

    That’s a four day plan.

    Dan Hurley’s RI team knocked out of the tournament by Duke on Saturday and UConn has him almost signed on Monday night.

    Pitt fires Kevin Stallings three weeks ago and Pitt fans were elated. Plan, what plan. We’re talkin Pitt athletics.

    Give it a few more weeks. They’ll (Pitt Admin) have a ripe one picked out for us, for sure. Just in time for the Spring FB game.

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  173. If Pitt screws up this hire Gallagher better be prepared for “Noise” like he’s never heard before on his front porch.

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  175. EE, Penny reportedly had a lot to do with Tubby getting canned. He was lobbying hard for that job for quite some time. This is actually seizing up quite nicely for ?Grant. He can’t go to Clemson, USC, or UGA. He’s making a little north of 300k. If he wants to go anywhere down south might not happen for awhile ( unless G. Tech comes into play.) Even though he loves it there could he really turn down 1.75 or 2 mill? Not sure if he could turn it down, but if anyone would it would be him. Interesting times.

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  176. The two SEC teams looking for HC for BB are filled –

    Ole Miss with Kermit Davis from Middle Tennessee State
    UGA with Tom Crean from ESPN and former Indiana HC

    MTS now in discussions with Earl Grant from C of C.

    Time is standing still…

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  177. MTS is Middle Tennessee State? If Pitt ends up with a lesser hire than Middle Tennessee State , ACC may start looking to expel our a $$e $…

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  179. Matt Steinbeck is reporting that Pitt counldn’t meet the money demands Hurley wanted so he’s off the board. Keep a watch on Kevin Willard. Looks like he is the new target Pitt is exploring. Maybe we’ll hear something by mid June…

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  182. Pitt doesn’t want to pay market for anyone. All these coaches know the deal w/Pitt admin. We’re in a premeire basketball conference and we cannot even get a legit interview with any of them.

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    1. Pitt thinks mediocre as opposed to premier. This conference is a bad fit for Pitt. Would be better off in the MAC.

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  183. When these guys come in to interview, they want to be served some real drinks. Heather needs to keep the Fantas in the fridge.

    The longer this goes on, the lower quality this pick will be unless they have already offered Mussleman and he has accepted. But I dont see a West Coast guy coming out East. He’s not moving family for Pitt.

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  184. Heather needs to sell her ass off. She needs to promte Pitt. Word I hear is that not a single coach we are interested actually wants to interview at Pitt. This could be a problem!

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    1. Heather will be their boss. That could have something to do with it. Plus Heather is probably gone in another 2 years anyway. Pitt has plenty to sell. But a supportive administration is not one of them. Huge hindrance. Thats all on Pitt. Thank you BoT!

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  185. I would have a really hard time with Kevin Willard. I think he would be Stallings 2. Please, not with all the other guys out there. Oh boy!

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  186. Willard being hired would boarder on Stallings hire. Truly stunning, and so SOP. That hire would push me over the edge.

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  188. They will remember his Daddy and him from his playing days at Pitt which were some dark times for Pitt. Truly uninspiring pick.
    Pitt would be better off with Brandon Knight.

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  190. Gee, maybe the fact that he is barely a .500 coach? Or that he spent most of his career under that scum bucket Rik Patino? That he was given everything from his dads relationship with clean ?Ricky. Do you think anyone, and I mean anyone will be excited about this hire?

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  191. The truth lies somewhere intertwined in the comments above. It could be a little bit of this or a little bit of that. This basketball program is a man-made disaster. Too bad it’s not grounds for FEMA to intervene or is it?

    Totally blaming anyone aside from the BOT could just be a little unfair. That’s a mess down in Oakland and I heard over the weekend that the “Pete” needs upgraded. I never liked that place in the first place due to what it represents plus the fact that the box seats are totally misplaced.

    Still have a small hope that the hire will be at least slightly uplifting. If not, send the BB team back to Fitzgerald Field House and bring back a new PITT football stadium right where it belongs. ike

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  192. Is he using Pitt to squeeze a last bit o’ cash from UConn? Or is Pitt’s offer materially more than UConn can afford?

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  193. “..send the BB team back to Fitzgerald Field House and bring back a new PITT football stadium right where it belongs.”

    We finally agree!

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    1. I’m all for that! I think the reality of the situation is that Pitt will be 0-18 ACC next year no matter who coaches. We might as well save time and hire Brandon Knight to come in and get his legs.
      If what I heard today is true, no one else is even going to interview. Pay Brandon $600,000 and get on with it. At least he’s a Pitt guy and thats all the Penn State led BOT and the academic Gallagher want to pay anyhow.

      There is a time limit on this Heather.

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  195. The Pete represents all that is bad with Pitt. The decision to tear down Pitt stadium was the day Pitt became a basketball school. Pitt could have renovated the place. Could have built a dome and used it for both football and basketball. Could have reached out to boosters, former players, business, the community, fans and alumni. They would have found the money. Build a rec center for sports and for the community to use. Think YMCA on steroids. Could have been done but Pitt took the easy way out. And then tried to justify that the move would help Pitt become competitive in football. It did help the basketball team but basketball doesnt pay the bills.

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  196. I’m hoping this is just the latest rumor, however, I’m getting that same sick feeling I got when Stallings name was floated and I said, “ Right, they’d never be that stupid” .

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  197. Ike,
    I think you and Jay may need to go out on a “POV Date,” have a botltle of red Merlot wine at a nice Italian Latrobe Restaurante and iron out your differences over some homemade lasagna! :>)
    Actually, that sounds pretty good!!!

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  198. lol Pittman, seems Jay and I are on quite the roll in agreement. Historical in fact. We have shared emails and do plan on meeting up someday. You need to make it up for a PITT game this year as well. ike

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  199. Hypothetical question…who would be happy if we made the NIT next year? I’m not saying happy forever, just for the results next year.

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  200. Rumor is getting stronger that Miller is the guy. There would be zero buy out cost if he is implicated in any wrongdoing.

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  203. TxPanther, I agree. The day they tore down Pitt Stadium is the day the powers that be at Pitt officially gave up on the Pitt Football program. They went all in on Basketball and now the current Pitt “leadership “ team has screwed the basketball program too!

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  204. Reed,
    How about a poll so we set expectations now?

    4 -5 ACC wins
    6-8 ACC wins
    NIT

    What’s the minimum you’ll be happy with?

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  206. Erie – Memphis and Pitt are completely different situations. Hardaway made a power move to oust Tubby and become head coach. Hardaway is the key to the local AAU circuit and he had cut Tubby off from being able to recruit in-state. That’s why their search moved so quickly. It also helped that Memphis didn’t have to wait for Hardaway to lose in a tournament.

    Pitt fired Stallings before the ACC tournament was even complete. Let the process play out. If Pitt ends up with a Willard, everyone will have their chance to call out Pitt. There are still a lot of good coaches on the market, however, and the only one I have zero interest in is Willard. The conspiracy theorist in me believes that Pitt leaked the Willard name to gauge fan reaction … it hasn’t been pretty on Twitter.

    I think Pitt will get a good coach out of this. Just be patient. If their targeting Mussellman, it could be a while.

    Like

    1. Lives in Northern Cal and a West Coast Guy isn’t moving to Pittsburgh buddy. No Chance.

      Like

  207. Also, rumor has it that Hurley wanted to goto ucon over Pitt and asked Pitt for basically a blank check just because that was the only way he would move away to pitt.

    If that’s the case, I wouldn’t want him. Because that would mean he didn’t want to be here an he’s not worth 3m a year to me yet.

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  208. All ESPN channels have run their bottom info bar all night that it is between “Pittsburgh and UCONN” for hiring Hurley away from RI.
    It just feels like we are being set up again to look like losers once again! Oh well :<(

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  209. Holy Scott Barnes Batman!

    I know that people in Pitt athletics read this blog…from a infrequent poster but a former Pitt season ticket holder, if Kevin Williard is hired then you can kiss my support (and from personal conversations over a half dozen other former ticket holder/supporters) for men’s BB goodbye for a long long time.

    Cannot believe ADHL put out the Stallings dumpster fire only to be entertaining lighting a brand new one.

    Williard is a bad bad bad bad bad choice – expect tons of Noise, Ms. Lykes…and don’t let the door hit you on the butt in a year or two when you exit stage right.

    What a freaking joke.

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  210. I mean how the hell did Pitt go from Matta/Crean/Hurley/Oats/Grant to possibly another mediocre boring hire like Williard??????

    I thought the BoT learned it’s lesson this past year – this is the frigging Atlantic Coast Conference – arguable the best P5 BB conference IN THE WORLD and the focus of tons of famous media type’s eyes, not the sleepy MAC.

    Pitt’s front porch is now hugely visible NATIONWIDE, and it seems that once again the BoT, Chancellor’s office and AD may have no clothes.

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  211. If the BoT and Pitt Athletics wants to make some good noise – then hire the other coach’s son…Ryan Odom will get positive spin and media noise, he will generate revenue and interest Nationwide, and he WILL PUT BUTTS in the seats at the the Pete regardless of what else he does. Plus I bet we could get him cheap.

    Even if he doesn’t generate a winner for a few (5) years, the interim will be fun and full of hope….

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  212. Honestly this men’s BB hire is not really all about X’s and O’s and wins losses for Pitt in the short run…it is about saving their reputation.

    The sporting public’s and media’s UMBC coat tails will not be out long…strike while the irons hot.

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  213. What most of you folks are missing is that most of the names mentioned over the past weeks don’t really want to come here. Many are probably using us to extract extra dollars from the other schools that either want to retain them or hire them. Pitt will have to dig deep down and hire one of those 300K coaches that would be happy to coach in the ACC for 1 million.

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  214. jrnpitt – I would prefer if Pitt held a press conference today and announced that we weren’t interested in Dan Hurley, that he is not on our list of final candidates and that an announcement would happen tomorrow or when the “plan” dictates. (Yes, I used that word)

    Don’t let UConn win this HC-ing race and don’t let Hurley use Pitt to pad his pocket.

    Pitt is better than this – take control of the media blitz and go on the offensive.

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  216. Everyone is going crazy over the speculation of Kevin Willard being the next coach .. yet all there is are rumors right now. He may not even be on Pitt’s radar … or he may not even be interested since (1) despite being a Pitt alum, he still harbors resentment that his dad was axed, and (2) (like Hurley) he is an NYC/NJ area guy who has a pretty good gig right now.

    So calm down …. at least until he is hired.

    Like

    1. We feel it might be a better strategy this time to complain before the hire….not after it’s too late like the last time.

      Like

  217. BTW, I wouldn’t doubt one bt if Hurley is playing Pitt to get a good offer from UConn … or possibly visa versa.

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  218. Most likely, Lyke will get 3-5 different guys a raise and she will be left holding the bag. If Lyke hires Schmidt that would be a real shit show.

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  219. You guys are crazy if you think Oats, Odom and Grant are better than Willard. None should be hired by Pitt but none of these guys are ACC material. I would take Willard over the other three.

    The first three coach in joke conferences. MAC, American East (hu?), Colonial. May as well hire the CCAC coach. At least Willard has won in the BE the last three years.

    Oats, Odom and Grant have less tournament appearances. Willard has three NCAA tournaments the last three years.

    He has four star recruits (2017 – 2 out of 3 recruits are four stars, 2016 – 1 out 2 recruits are four stars, 2014 – 1 five star, 1 four star out of 5 recruits). Most from the northeast. Sure, he may have cheated for the 5 star but he got him to Seton Hall, LOL.

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    1. He also paid money for one of his biggest stars to come to Seton Hall. According to the FBI…

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  221. I look at Williard’s numbers and they aren’t that bad at all. As NRS states in a fairly decent conference. Plus he cheats a little. Isn’t that the inference I’ve been picking up here? That said, he’s not high on my list. Although I wouldn’t judge him on his daddy but rather on Pitino’s tutoring.

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    1. I’d be happy with Kevin Williard. He recruits well and is a good coach. He has been winning in a pretty good conf.

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  222. I understand the argument about Oats, Odom and Grant playing in lower conferences, and Oats not having any ACC ties…. but what conference was Northern Arizona in?

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    1. Is that where Howland came from? That is kind of my point. Pitt should be hiring an established coach from a major conference. They should be thinking about hiring someone better than Dixon. If they don’t, Gallagher should be fired for screwing up the basketball program and then not trying to fix his mistake.

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  223. The question is…. Is Howland better than Dixon? It’s been reported that Ben is interested in coming back to Pittsburgh.

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  224. Just because PITT doesn’t land this or that coach doesn’t necessarily mean they were outbid. What I really think it means is that we haven’t a clue as to what the process has been so far and moving forward.

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  225. You guys really crack me up. You like his record? You do realize he is 62-82 in the Big East. His in conference record is absolutely terrible. He beats up on OC teams. Seriously, if you guys were doing research, well, you’d end up with Stallings again.!!!

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    1. That is because it took him 4 years to get the program turned around. I agree he sucked those years but he did get it turned around.

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  226. Why do you think Crean is not a Pitt coach? Pitt wasn’t spending over 4 million a year for him and his staff.

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  227. Get your facts straight. It wasn’t until his 6th year he had a winning record in conference, then he went 10-8 the next two years. Ya, really great job. You and three of your friends will be at the Pete if it takes 6 yrs to do that!

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  228. Willard is not who we want. Willard is on the FBI list. Some of you are getting desperate over this coaching process, outwardly talking about it being acceptable to bring in a cheater. This is the type of publicity we DON’T want: https://www.app.com/story/sports/college/2018/02/23/report-former-seton-hall-basketball-star-isaiah-whitehead-named-fbi-documents/366250002/
    At least Sean Miller claims his innocence, and Pitt officials can make sure the contract gives them some recourse if this changes. None of the other remaining coaches is worth the long wait it has taken to fill this job.

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  229. Look, the bottom line is if you look closely at his record I’ll ask you this, based on that record would he have been hired at the Hall? They are going by bloodline, and yes, his lengthy relationship with Pitino. Sorry, I’ll pass as I still want to shower every time I see the guy. Rather have someone who has worked their way up.
    And yes, he has had a winning record in conference the past 3 yrs, but really, his best team was a one and done. Just doesn’t pass the eye( or smell) test.

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    1. If you read my original post…I stated that he should not be hired by Pitt.

      Neither should the other three.

      I feel they are all below ACC level coaching and HUGE risks.

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  231. The reality is you either take a power 5 retread ie. Stallings, or you take an up and comer from a lesser conference. That’s pretty much what’s realistically available. Don’t want someone running from something, rather want someone running toward something.

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    1. If Pitt wanted to be truly good they would steal a coach like Cronin or Marshal or Mack. Sure they would have to put up big money, but they would win.

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      2. This sums up the search right there – if the BOT had authorized a compensation package of say $3.5M/yr for say 5 years, the new coach could have been announced yesterday because that type of money is rarefied air in college hoops compensation. This is what Va Tech did when they lured Buzz Williams from Marquette – write a big enough check to get a significant upgrade and this needs to be an upgrade.

        But since we all know that $$ will have played a role in this hire, well they’re gonna get what they pay for.

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  232. That’s because many that were contacted really don’t want the Pitt job. Pretty soon Pitt will be going after the Bucknell coach. And that may not be a bad idea at least from a budgetary standpoint.

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    1. Nathan is a very good coach. I would attend the press conference and applaud.

      And promptly buy a season ticket package…maybe a five game block since I live in Central PA.

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  233. Once again, Pitt is not a dream job., for any coach. Hopefully we get an up and comer, a very hungry guy.

    Certainly not an easy search. Recruiting is the obvious elephant in the room. You will never compete in the ACC without ACC level talent. You need to pick a guy with enough charisma to get those guys to come here.

    Maybe we are looking at assistants from the top teams in the dance. Guys flying below the radar that know how to get it done and have been taught by the best. Guys that are ready to step up.

    Even if true about Howland, is he hungry enough, or would he be like Majors?

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  234. Just like football, maybe more so, we can’t attract the top dogs to come here. Best hope is get a guy like Narduzzi, who has been a part of a winning program, and has fire in his belly.

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  236. If the coaching search continues to deteriorate I hope Pitt contacts Pat Skerry, HC Towson. Former Pitt assistant and great recruiter. Had a bit of a disappointing year. He’s a better coach than Grant orbOdem.

    Liked by 1 person

  240. A new video up on pittsburghpanthers.com – interview with Narduzzi. Coach Narduzzi called out the LBs as the highest performing unit in Saturday’s scrimmage. Also said that the lights are going on for McKee.

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  243. I can’t imagine Hurley would want to kiss the Calhoun ring everyday like Ollie did…just sayin.

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  244. Eastern Mich cut those sports today. Their current AD commented today, didn’t realize how bad things were when taking over the job from Heather. The new AD feels “handcuffed”.

    Heather could end being worse than Barnes. That is saying something.

    Its ashame were a ACC basketball school and she cannot even get a real p5 coach to return her call. Bargain shopping for a coach doesn’t help things.

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    1. Simply put she isn’t respected and that matters with coaches. Pitt’s last 3 AD’s have all been bad. Lyke has a small.chance to end up average but that is fading quick.

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      2. I don’t think that’s entirely fair. She fired The Waste. That’s a major plus right there. Let the process play out before you deem her average or worse.

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  245. Who did the due diligence on Heather. Cutting programs is not good. Growing programs is what ad’s do. We all know her job is made easier by being in a wealthy conference. Her success is tied to football since it pays the bills. But you can’t have the other programs being a huge drag on the budget.

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    1. Is it possible that she stepped into a situation where EMU was bleeding $ and she needed to stop the bleeding (cut programs) until things could be stabilized? Maybe EMU didn’t have a big football program in a larger conference to pay the bills. So, is it possible she made the cuts and the next step was to increase revenue from other sports? Or, only keep sports that were and will be profitable, if football was ever going to be able to pay the bills for other sports… I know nothing about EMU. Don’t even know if they have football… Just asking.

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  246. Here’s a small world connection. Ryan Odom, the UMBC head coach, is the son of Dave Odon. Dave’s last coaching job was at South Carolina. He replaced Eddie Fogler who was recently hired by Pitt for vetting purposes. Dave currently works as a consultant for Collegiate Sports Associates who where instrumental in Barnes hiring Stallings.

    http://collegiatesportsassociates.com/our-associates/

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  247. Breaking news on the fan…Pitt has offered Dan Hurley a multi-year deal worth more than 3 mil per year.

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  248. There is a tweet out there saying Pitt has offered Hurley north of 3M per year. Who knows if its true or not.

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  249. Like

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  250. Doesn’t make sense. If your going to offer top 14 pay in the country, why offer that to Hurley? There are a lot better p5 choices at that pay to offer.

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    1. Makes plenty of sense. Hurley is one of the highest profile coaches available and its become a high profile competition between Pitt and UConn. Successful in a HC role with great pedigree and strong recruiting ties in the Northeast.

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    2. Agree completely. Hurley is ok but not okay for 3M. Get Andy from USC for that coin or someone better..

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      1. USC or any Power 5 team would match any Pitt offer in a second. Unless Power 5 coaches are radioactive (Miller) or pushed out (Dixon, Stallings) they will not jump to a mid level Power 5 gig. (being nice calling us mid level). Sure a blueblood could poach a Power 5 coach but that is it. You can see that in football because the dollars are so much higher, but there is no Power 5 basketball team that can’t pay 3 million to its basketball coach to stay. Hurley is the most high profile name that was realistic to get, kudos to Pitt for trying. Sadly I agree that the fact that the offer leaked means he is not coming, or certainly does not want to.

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      2. Looks like all of a sudden Pitt is sorry they went cheap on Andy the last time…nice that they don’t make the same mistake twice on this.

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  251. I’m wondering if this just leaked out to get UConn to up their offer. Many sources say Hurley is leaning to UConn.

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    1. I bet he stays another year at Rhode Island. Good Class coming in and will get a pay raise then take one of the better ACC jobs coming. Syracuse Soon, UNC and Duke Soon.

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  252. If the level of the offer is true, great news. ADHL has the support of the BOT to spend competitvely to get good coaches. Even if we lose out to UConn in the end, nice to know she is being give the resources to compete.

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  253. This could be a method of telling the coaching profession out there what you are willing to pay. Some coaches of existing teams could now come forward and contact Heather which could widen the candidate pool. Maybe it is a way of letting some candidates such as Miller know what Pitt is wiling to pay.

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    1. I agree. The leak scares me because it is probably from Hurley’s Team trying to get Rhode Island to pony up more or Uconn. I smell a counter offer coming. If he wanted Pitt you take the 3M a year and no one hears till you take the job. 3M for Hurley is bad move. He is not close to a 3M coach now.

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  255. It could also ending looking bad for Pitt. If Hurley turns it down and either stays at RI of goes to UConn for a lesser amount, what does it say about us. That the job is that bad that not even a huge salary can convince a average coach to come here. What do we do then? I’m sure Pitt is pissed about this offer getting out.

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    1. Again, offer doesn’t get out unless Hurley’s team. No advantage for Pitt. If Hurley wanted it he takes it and we hear he accepted. I say he stays at RI gets more money and takes big role in 1-2 years in ACC.

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      1. I don’t agree. Leaking this lets the whole world know that Pitt is willing to pay for who they feel is the right guy. Should cut down on unreturned phone calls. Fanbase knows as well that Pitt is committed.

        If Hurley turns us down in the end, it would be ideal if Pitt had its #2 candidate already teed up and ready to announce. Not saying it would go down that way, but it would be good if it did.

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  257. Roc2 – I dunno, I understand the perception risk, but it also shows Pitt is willing to pay a good value for the position, and that impacts perception as well. Plus, everyone knew from day one that Hurley was more comfortable in the east, so staying put at Rhode Island or even UConn would be understood that way and in the end is not going to surprise anyone. Keep in mind too that whoever takes the job has to be willing to face the likes of Duke, UNC, Virginia, etc., some coaches don’t have the cojones for that- we need someone that DOES have the cojones and is not seeking out a soft path.

    Liked by 1 person

  259. Upitt…I think your are probably right in the money. Hurley likely stays put and waits until a better ACC offer arrives maybe next year.
    I think the current state of our program is really scaring potential coaches away. Few if any of the kids are good enough to compete at a high level in the ACC and how long will it take to get the program winning again. It’s all on recruiting. Coaches are worried about their W-L record. Going into an established program is much better then staring one from scratch.
    Pray for us……..

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  261. Wonder who will come first, Pitt new coach or the Easter Bunny? At this point I’m not sure either really exists. Maybe we could hire the Tooth Fairy?

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  264. Hurley doesn’t want the Pitt job. He wants UConn to up their offer. If Hurley says no, will be interesting to see who we end up with.

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  265. There may be something to the idea that mid-major or assistant coaches are a bit overwhelmed with the competition in the ACC. Hurley might be scared off by the competition. They may need to go grab an existing coach from an established program in a lesser conference and then juice up the assistant and recruiting budgets to get the right guy. Mussleman fits that description, and Miller would as well if they decide to go in that direction.

    Liked by 1 person

  266. Ya know, we are like that old cartoon where the balloon appears over the schmuk with the word SUCKER written in. Once, just once, I wish we were the smart guys.

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  267. USA Today indicated that Pitt’s offer to Hurley would place him 2nd in the ACC, only behind Coach K at Duke. Does that sound right? Hard to believe it would be more than the Tarholes pay ROy Williams.

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  268. I look up coaches salary. The list i saw was for 2017, this is recent. A 3M offer would make Hurley a top 14 paid coach in the country.

    This leaves MANY other p5 HC’s not making that money that has far more success than Hurley. Also means, they have actual p5 coaching experience. Hurley’s experience is in lower levels at this last 3 jobs. This 3M offer sounds fishy to me, there would be better options than Hurley at 3M. It that one single tweet accurate? Maybe, maybe not.

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    1. Hurley does not lyke Pitt and is trying to make Pitt look bad. He will accept the UConn job for much less than the $3mil + rumor.

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      1. Trying to make PItt look bad seems small-minded and vindictive. Not sure what his motives would be for that, Erie. Do tell….

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  269. I agree that $3 million is too much for Hurley, but not too much for a top notch coach with P5 experience and success under his belt. They should be able to get someone pretty good for that amount of money.

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    1. If Pitt can pay three million than what power 5 school would NOT be able to match that number? The answer is none. What power 5 coach would come to Pitt when there current better situation matches money from Pitt? The answer is none. Sean Miller aside, no current power 5 coach is coming here. It is not a possibility.

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  271. Pittpride, there are many coaches who would fall into that category. Mussleman, who we have talked about, makes $1 million; Chris Mack, at Xavier makes $1.7 million; Mick Cronin at Cincinnati makes $2.2 million. I could go on. These are good coaches who would probably do well in the ACC.

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    1. Agree 100% percent with you that those are viable and great targets. I would welcome any of the three. None of them are Power 5 coaches or have Power 5 experience. I meant that no ACC, Big12, Pac 12, Big 10 or SEC coach is gettable.

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  272. I doubt a top coach wants to come to Pitt in it’s current state and struggle for 3 years – putting a big blemish on their personal W-L record.

    We will end up with someone currently making less than $500k, for which a starting salary of 1 million will be a big jump. Then use $ for some top assistants and recruiting…

    It’s all in the recruiting in B.B…
    And there are lots of good players for a cool, likeable recruiter…IMHO.

    Go Pitt.

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  273. Hurley is/ was a priority for Pitt. They did go after him and with RI and UConn in play, he wanted to keep his options open. But my sense ifs if he doesn’t take the job shortly like tonight or tomorrow morning, Pitt will move on if not already doing so. If Hurley is using Pitt as a counter to UConn. He may be out to lunch by tomorrow as U Conn has a take it or leave it as well knowing Pitt is no longer an option by tomorrow. .

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  274. Relax. Let it play out. I agree Hurley leaked it but if his agent feels he can get more money then it’s worth the gamble. Pitt showed they’re willing to pony up. Based on Twitter rumors it sounds like Mille is plan B and may have already been stiff armed once while they try and close Hurley. It’s the internet so who knows how accurate that is but, hey, it’s out there.

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    1. Miller with baggage which he denied. Against the FBI I tend to think he is telling the truth is a Grandslam over Hurley from Rhode Freaking Island. Miller’s wife from Beaver Falls as well. Think Miller’s folks got a place in AZ. A market where Danny Hurley is worth 3M is comical.

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      1. The hope for Miller would be he could do for Pitt what Dixon did for TCU. The scary difference is for some reason Western PA never seems to have any D1 basketball players. I’ll never get why Philly, Chicago, Cincy etc churn out all this hoops talent yet Pittsburgh does not.

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        1. There are five kids coming through Western PA in these coming years. Brandon Stone is reclassifying to 2018 and waiting to see who Pitt hires. Then there is Trey Mitchell, Maceo Austin, and top 50 sophomore, Chad Morton, who is a Pitt fan. There is one more kid whose name escapes me. Also 6’11” kid in the city league but not sure of his potential.

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  275. Like

  277. I think in on of my first posts on the subject I said with the Pitt job you can no longer”just offer” you have to
    SELL the product. I’m not sure the Heather is the right person to do this. It’s being proven you can’t just throw money at it. Upitt is right, 3.2 milll for ?Hurley is crazy, ?I mean bat shit crazy. And he is letting us swing in the breeze.
    Here’s what Heather should do. “We never offered ?Hurley 3.2 and we never would”. That will fix the agent for leaking, and ?Hurley for using us to get money. Then go get someone who can sell this job to the next guy.
    And please, my family has 4 individuals who work for the FBI, and I take it as a personal affront to question the bureaus integrity. If the story is coming from them( which I doubt) they have him cold!

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  279. Either Miller or Hurley would be huge for Pitt. Need a coach with fire and intensity to sell recruiting and bring the energy back to The Pete. Miller has more instant cred with recruiting top 50 talent, but Hurley can build like Howland and Dixon in Pitt’s glory years

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  280. Sorry but I just can’t believe for a second that cheap old Pitt would offer any coach even Coach K $3000000

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  281. And particularly an A-10 coach. I mean I am a big Hurley fan but let’s face it what is his tournament record exactly, how many games has he played? To say the least that is a risky proposition.

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    1. I don’t like him either, and it looks like he needs twice to money to even consider Pitt. This guy will not be at all loyal……

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  282. Lots of chatter that Hurley will announce Pitt tomorrow. I don’t see it happening. Hope I’m wrong. As to the comment about Pitt paying any coach 3 million, they paid Dixon north of 3 million. Narduzzi will be due for a raise if they sign Hurley and he has a decent year. My guess is that Miller is hired tomorrow if no Hurley. He’s the only coach I could see them having on standby.

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  283. I think I said this on the Blather a week ago, but I have to say it again. The mainstream Pitt media (looking at you PG and Tribune) should be absolutely ashamed at how they have reported this whole affair. Every article can be summarized as saying Pitt sucks, Pitt is going to blow it, Pitt is he worst sports University ever, Pitt is the most undesirable destination in all of basketball. I mean, I am not saying he opposite is true…but it surely is somewhere in the middle. If these reporters have such despite for their hometown University, not a shred of pride or incapable of saying even the smallest nice OR EVEN NEUTRAL thing about Pitt, the shut the F- up already. Really. Their “reporting” is sub high school quality.

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  285. Ha, yeah Ike…they sound like many of us sometimes! But they are supposed to be, you know, the professionals. Not “the boys” flapping their jacks to one another at the bar.

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  286. Oh I get that DD, yet in a way, the sour talk is putting more and more pressure on PITT to do something special this time around. I think the students were one of the first to voice their displeasure.

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  287. If we struggle to convince a prospective coach that Pitt is better than UConn and RI, then we need to look elsewhere.

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  290. If Pitt gets Miller, I will instantly buy 2 season tickets and make a donation. I haven’t been to a Pitt basketball game in Pittsburgh in at least 10 years. I live in Central Pa with little to no hope of attending more than a game or two. However, getting Miller would signal a major move and one worth supporting with my fat mouth and wallet.

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  292. Miller just made a statement that he has no interest in the Pitt job and he is not a candidate……

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