A reader emailed me today with a great idea – write an article about Pitt’s Strength and Conditioning (S&C) program. I agreed it would be a good topic… then I emailed back “Do it yourself and I’ll post it!”  But he, like myself, is too busy – so what I did is to take the body of his email and will use that as a conversation starter. Here that is:

There have been many guest contributors and by now just about all facets of the team have been covered, except one:  who is in charge of Strength and Training, what does it consist of, and is the program any good.  I know there is one poster — I don’t specifically recall his moniker — who has been critical.  Perhaps if he has special or inside knowledge, he would be a good candidate to write the article.

The reason I am suggesting this is this.  I was at my athletic club last Saturday.  One of the trainers there is the father of Josh Lugg, formerly of North Allegheny High School and now a freshman at Notre Dame.  As a freshman he was on the two deep as an Offensive Guard.  Not bad for someone Dokish always saw as overrated.  

The guy ahead of him, a senior, will be in the pros this fall.   Well anyway, Josh and his younger brother were also at the club — lifting weights, natch.  Josh is around 6’7”, 315, and there is no body fat.  (His little brother is a couple of inches shorter and about 50 pounds lighter, no body fat.)   Seeing them lift, my thinking:  if there is a typical fat-ass, or just plain fat, Pitt defensive lineman across from Lugg, the Pitt guy is going to lose that match up every single play.

So, what is going on with the Strength and Training program, who runs it, etc., etc.

 That my friends is one excellent question and one area of the football program which there will be a bright shining spotlight on this fall.  Why, because regardless of some Pitt’s fans believing that we ‘have more depth’ than we have had in the past I do not, by any means – especially in the unit young Mister Lugg above plays on.  BTW – Lugg is a prime example of Pat Narduzzi’s missing out on blue chip players of need right in his own backyard.

I think most fans understand just how important S&C is – a good example for this with Pitt is that in two of our losses, and to teams we really should have beaten in Syracuse and North Carolina, our players were sluggish and pretty gassed in the last quarter of play.

SYR scored 17 points in the 2nd half to win and in the NC game we had an opportunity to keep and extend the lead but on our last two possessions we went backwards two yards on the first series and on the second we had to punt again.

This 2012 article, while old, is still relevant today.  In it is a good take on just how important  a S&C program is to the team.

“They’re the heart and soul of your program,” says Texas coach Mack Brown. “They have to have the guys in condition, and they have to push them while doing so within in the rules to be safe.

“At the same time, they have such a close relationship with the athletes that if the athlete is griping about a coach, our strength and conditioning guys have to stand up and get everyone back on the same page.”

Meyer put it more bluntly in a recent interview with Pete Thamel of the New York Times:  “You can’t function in today’s era of college football without a superstar as a weight coach,” Meyer said. “That’s more important than a coordinator or a line coach. That’s changed.”

Here is the very-early two deep going into the 2018 season split up by the three units that I feel S&C is the most important.  not surprisingly they are also the units where height and weight make the most impact on opposing teams as they are the players who directly engage opposing players the most in close blocking and tackling (save maybe the TE unit when they are being held back to block).

Let’s look at them one-by-one – and I’m kind of guessing on the actual two-deep:

S&C OL

All these guys look to have the height and weight required to play on the OL.  What is hidden of course is how that weight is distributed and what the muscle mass and body fat percentage is. Here is an interesting graphic showing the average size of the college OL by conference in 2016:

OL by CONF

…and by NCAA divisions:

S&C OL AVG

Our starting five OL averages out to 315 lbs with a huge RT Justin Morgan coming in at 365 (according to the Pitt roster).  That is a bit too big in my opinion mainly because these kids aren’t going to be dropping straight back to form a pocket for 3.5 seconds… they are going to have to be quick and nimble to accommodate Pickett’s style of play – which is not your typical pocket passer. And because of that our tackles have to be the best on their feet of all the OL.

So – does the S&C coach get a mandate to slim these kids down and get them more mobile – and if so how good is he at doing that?  It is a question I don’t have the answer for.

Here are our other two units that I feel are impacted most by S&C.  First let’s look at our DL and here is the average size in college:

S&C DL AVG

…and here is what we have in our two-deep.  Our DEs average out to 255 lbs which is heavy I think.  Our interior DL kids average out to 286.

S&C DL

Weaver is big for a DE but he carries it well and was a surprising good addition to the DL last year. I like the interior lineman to be shorter than ours but that may be because I use Aaron Donald who was 6’1″ and 285 as a benchmark for the DL. BTW – just for a laugh look at Donald’s NFL Combine page and his overall score of 5.3 – which grades out to “5.20 – 5.49  NFL backup or special teams potential”.  Missed on that one….

Our LBs two-deep may look like this:

S&C LB

Here is the D1 FBS average for LBs:

S&C LB AVG

This is the unit that concerns me the most after our OL.  I think our LBs have been pretty poorly coached over the last three years and 1) either that accounts for their first step being wrong half the time or 2) our LBs are too dumb to understand the flow of an offensive play. I do not think it is the latter.

But the first step / quick twitch for a LB is essential and we have to get better at it.

Our S&C coach is Dave Andrews – here is a bit of his bio on the Pitt football site:

 Described by Narduzzi as “a highly disciplined coach who instills toughness in our entire program,” Andrews arrived at Pitt with strong credentials in both physical development and as a former player. He was a tight end on Ohio State’s 2002 national championship team and has spent the past decade as a major-college strength coach.

He is a certified strength and conditioning coach by the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association (CSCCa) and USA Weightlifting (USAW) as a level one sports performance coach.  In 2014, Andrews was an assistant director of strength and conditioning at Notre Dame, which defeated LSU, 31-28, in the Music City Bowl.

 Prior to Notre Dame, he spent two seasons as the associate head strength and conditioning coach at Illinois (2012-13). From 2005-11, Andrews served in various strength and conditioning capacities at the University of Cincinnati, including his final four years when he was the Bearcats’ head Olympic strength and conditioning coach. Andrews was a graduate assistant football coach at Cincinnati in 2004.

 Andrews is a 2004 graduate of Ohio State with a bachelor’s degree in education. In addition to his undergraduate studies in education, Andrews also owns a master’s degree in that subject from the University of Cincinnati.

I wonder how well he’s accomplished his mission at Pitt but I will be the first to admit I’m no subject matter expert on S&C.  Let us know what you think…

Here is the latest on the Spring Drills from Pitt:

PITT FOOTBALL SPRING PRACTICE: DAY 5

3/20/2018 2:00:00 PM

2018 Pitt Football Season Tickets: Purchase | Renew

Pitt Head Coach Pat Narduzzi

Opening comments:
“Practice number five, we are about a third of the way through. Coming out, I didn’t know if they were cranked up or not, to be honest with you. But it was energetic and enthusiastic and competitive. Our guys kept throwing punches—not physically throwing punches. It was just an intense practice today like you want to see. You sometimes worry about the enthusiasm you have in the first week and that it would kind of wear off by the second week, but they came out and had fun today. That’s when they get better, when they enjoy being out there. I like how things are being done. I like the way we’re coaching them. I like the kids’ attitudes. I feel good.”

On Saturday’s scrimmage:
“It was back and forth. There was a lot of good things on both sides of the ball. There was nothing ugly about it, so I liked that. There were not as many explosive plays that I’d like to see from the offense, but that is a good thing for the defense. Defensively, I would say they weren’t as stingy as I’d like them to be as far as five-yard gains here and there. I would like them to be two-yard gains. So as a head coach, that is about as happy as you can walk away at a scrimmage. Things are just good on both sides, but nothing is great. If the defense is doing a great job, you are upset and miserable because you don’t know what’s wrong with the offense and vice versa. So all in all, it was a good day.”

On if the outside linebackers can learn multiple positions:
“Yeah, I think they can. Saleem [Brightwell] is playing both. Elijah Zeise is playing field and boundary. I was impressed with the linebacker corps on Saturday. If you had to say, ‘give me a position where I would say whoa’, our linebacker corps is pretty good. There are some young guys that are starting to play really well. [Cam] Bright has shown the ability to pick things up. Kyle Nunn—a guy you have never heard of—is just doing some really nice things and being coached and doing the little things right. Sometimes young guys don’t do things right. Anthony McKee [Jr.] has finally arrived; we have been waiting for a couple of years. So there are a lot of good things coming from our linebackers right now. We just have to sustain that and keep it going.”

On George Aston and Tre Tipton returning from injury:
“Receivers are different. They get all excited, they call, they run way out there, they get in cat fights. George is in there with the linemen; he’s in the dirt and mud. It’s a different energy, I guess. George is energy, and Tipton is positive and a leader.”

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On the biggest difference in quarterback Kenny Pickett since last year: 
“With Kenny, it’s obviously night and day. Last year he was just looking around, wondering what facility he was in as a young freshman. He has grown up, matured and is confident. The biggest thing is that he is confident with what he’s doing. He’s a leader out there on the field—period. He gets the guys going. He’s playing real well so far, so I’d say his confidence.”

On the mid-year freshmen enrollees:
“Shocky [Jacques-Louis] has been a little bit limited with what we are doing with him. Jake [Kradel] is doing well for a true freshman. They’re about where you thought they’d be as freshmen. It’s hard as an offensive lineman. Shocky is talented; he’s got a lot of juice to him. We are just making sure we don’t bring him out here too early, so he doesn’t get hurt.”

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On if Chase Brown will play tackle at all:
“There’s a possibility. There’s nothing set in stone at this point after day five. There’s a long time until September 2nd.”

On #TurnOnTheL19hts being the new recruiting hashtag:
“It’s time to turn them on. That’s the new one.”

MIC’D UP: Defensive Coordinator Randy Bates

Special Teams Coordinator/Running Backs Coach Andre Powell

Fullback George Aston

Here is an older first video of our new DB coach Archie Collins;
Paris Ford:

#H2P | Twitter | Instagram

 

 

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

174 thoughts on “Pitt’s Strength and Conditioning Program”

  1. Wow, the above article looks to be dam good and very informative. I’ll get to the guts a little later.. Meanwhile, losing a local player to ND is nothing to pin on a head coach. I believe Lugg was rated about the same as 3 lineman on PITT’s roster right now from the same class.

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    1. Lugg was a 4* and we got 3s and a 2 in the class of 2017.

      Ike – we need to beat ND and others to these local 4* kids. Pitt fans tout Narduzzi’s recruiting but he continually misses out on the local blue chip kids.

      If we don’t, and we aren’t – we’ll play like a 3* team (or worse like last season).

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      2. While I generally think u are a bit harsh on Narduzzi recruiting, I agree that the local misses last year were very bad and disappointing. No excuse to miss on all those guys.

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  2. I have seen my share of “flubber” on both sides of the ball for PITT and boy do those rolls show in the tighty whitey’s. Think back to the Military Bowl when the smaller and in shape Middies kicked our DL Pillsbury dough boys butts.

    Jones- Smith spent time in the off-season preparing for the NFL combine, losing the blubber which doesn’t do a damn thing functionally except slow you down…I know from experience. Why do our coaches allow it to happen then a player works his ass off to rid himself of the excess when he no longer can help the Panthers ? Doesn’t make a bit of sense.

    Liked by 2 people

  6. I would love to see PITT beat out ND for a recruit. I just feel when any team loses out to a cult following team like ND, it may not be as bad as losing out to another team. Some kids have their hearts set on a team (Jurkovic) and there isn’t a chance in hell he’s not going there with an offer presented.

    Reed, it’s called reading between the lines. 🙂 << that’s a joke before you start talking to yourself.

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    1. you can’t tell me that all of the empty seats in Heinz are big factor for the locals leaving town. All of these local 4-stars are also being recruited by some combination of PSU, OSU, Mich, ND and WVU …. at a minimum. VT, Mich St and Wisc also are pretty prevalent here

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      1. Nope wwb, that’s not what I said. I said their hearts were set on it. No need to read between the lines. It could be from the years the players were growing up but I think it could be more of their upbringing from a family of ND worshipers in Lugg’s case and surely PJ’s.

        Sure, PITT is behind an eight-ball. All this negative press doesn’t help one bit. It seems at times it’s PITT against the rest of the world… ike

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  9. So far Narduzzi hasn’t fired the strength and conditioning coach so I’m assuming he’s not displeased with what has taken place in that area. That doesn’t mean all the kids are focused on keeping in shape all the time. The problem if there is one on this front may very well be with the coaches and players they are having to continue to deal with at these positions. Also keep in mind just because you are in shape doesn’t necessarily mean you ever develop the “Aaron Donald” explosive first step off the snap.

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  11. Reed, great stuff, one of your best. Have to go back and read again.. too much for this old guy to digest

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  12. A sculptor can only do so much with the clay they are given.

    That said, it frosts my flakes when these players go to work-out camps to ‘prepare’ for the combine. Shouldn’t they have been preparing during the 4-5 years of free education while at Pitt?

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  13. So now she will get that “NO” from Hurley and and have to start out at step one knowing every Tom, Dick and Harry agent out there is aware that she offered $3 million plus to Hurley for the job. Yikes what a disaster!!!

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  14. Not getting involved with Miller is the proper move. If you are looking at guys with baggage go all the way with Pitino😱

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  15. Lets please understand the wording of Miller’s comment and translate. The translation is:

    “We talked. Pitt asked if I could 100% with certainly say I was clean. I could not. Pitt then decided to not consider me a candidate.”

    If he was offered or Pitt had interest in talking further and he did not want to, his statement would have been worded differently, IMO.

    Liked by 1 person

  16. Mrs. JoeKnew commented after reading the paper that it looks like Hurley is Pitts guy. She the said “I don’t like him” , being the astute and active listener I always am( despite what she may say), I asked Why? Don’t you like his coaching style? She said no, I think he looks like a real jerk. There
    you go. Enough said.

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  17. AD Lyke, if you read this I suggest two things. Get together with Earl Grant asap. If you reached out before and he wasn’t interested, do a full blown sales job. He really is the guy you always wanted, trust me on this one.
    Secondly, take an,es and remember all these media jerks who have for too long used Pitt as a whipping boy. If stuff leaked out from your staff get rid of them, no matter who they are. This simply has got to stop, and you wonder why local kids have no interest, isn’t it obvious??

    Liked by 1 person

  19. Watching the past three years there were a few more games than the two examples listed where we ran out of gas in the fourth quarter. I also thought there were times when we were handled by opponents physically on both sides of the ball. Hopefully with some better recruits we can move people in the Pitts backwards off th los you win with power and strength. Hopefully a lot o has been added in their program this winter to get them more physical. A goood line wins championships and a strong team is essential today. Our schedule presents many tough physical teams so in the end the record will help indicate if change is needed. H2P

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  20. I do know if it’s that obvious Joe? I can’t assume the money issue was leaked out by a staff member? What I would say is that Heather should have her head examined for ever taking the PITT AD job. … but like the 3 million offered up, money talks! ike

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  22. I don’t know about you folks but I can’t wait until basketball coach search fiasco is finished and we can get back to some football talk. I had to rewatch the YouTube highlights of the Pitt Miami game to get me in a better mode going forward.

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  23. Ike, no, didn’t mean the money, I think we all agree where that came from. I mean the bogus names and false narratives that are so quickly jumped on. Miller,Willard, etc. When they don’t pan out they say,see,we told you Pitt is a disaster. The same guys would criticize them for hiring someone like Grant because they are too lazy to do any research on the guy.

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  25. Thanks Reed and from that article. What does this quote from KP mean to you guys and gal?

    “You lose one main guy in [receiver] Jester [Weah], but now we can spread the ball out to more weapons,”

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  26. Miller knows if Arizona takes a hit here, he is toast. Pitt may have been his life raft and no thanks as I have posted before. Hurley may have played it to cool here. When asked to take the job, either you want it or you don’t. I really don’t think Pitt and the AD give one rats a** whether any one or all go. some will stay once the coach is named as they are not in demand by any P5 programs and transferring is a risk. If there is one area Pitt seems to be a little behind it is the S&C program.But as Pitt brings in better athletes, the results may be better.

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  27. Nice article, Reed.

    Any information as to who is the strongest in the weight room? Probably not, given the secrecy…

    Lots of barbells in that photo. Back to the squat, deadlift, bench press, and shoulder press regime, olympic lifts (cleans, snatch etc), and crossfit-type workouts, would be my guess based on the equipment in that photo. I had heard that schools had moved away from isolation type lifting (machines etc) and into functional stuff.

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  28. I’m to the point now with Hurley that I may have to go full out Upitt on the bald-headed four-eyed spoiled jerk-off for sitting on his hands while PITT lets the dork dictate.

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    1. Upitt gives you 2 Thumbs Up!!

      Only way to better it would be the serial killer similarity mention.

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    2. Ike that was good. Now add in a few things like maybe: “meanwhile Heather is down Carrick handing out awards to the 4th grade art class, Gallegher is at the physics convention while pumpkin head and rockports are drinking IC Light in the Bahammas”…

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      1. Trust me Rocky, I do have a side to me…. I didn’t mention serial killer as I wouldn’t want to offend everyone. Just the everyday normal good people who are vision and hair impaired. No sense going overboard. 🙂 << PS, read between the lines on that one.

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    1. I remember that the Miami tight end got hurt in the game.

      I seem to remember that Pitt dodged a couple of bullets early on with the turnovers.

      Pitt made some key first downs including the tipped ball pass completion.

      Pitt ran the ball well near the end, and had a couple of well timed and executed blitzes, particularly the one at the end of the game that sealed the win.

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    2. fred, PITT started with a true freshman QB with no other starts under his belt. It was at least a fair fight. No?

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    3. No question about the fact that Miami players suffered injury after injury. Whether that was because Pitt beat them up is an unknown.

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  30. I still remember the Houston game…but that was right before Narduzzi came here. He was hired and in the booth, but not coaching. I would assume after he saw that debacle he would shore up this problem.

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    1. I’m feeling that way. I know he wants to stay in NYC area, he’s just hoping to get more from URI or UConn … hope I’m wrong. But he’s beginning to become a diva

      Liked by 2 people

  32. Ike love you going UPitt… excellent Frank Gorshin impersonation.. LMAO…

    UPitt..your up.. give us your best Iek.. on Hurley !

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  33. Big B so happy to see you. I remember meeting you and Janice at the Elks Club here in beautiful Ligoineer. Gosh she is a looker buddy! As for Hurley her goes…..

    Dan Hurley was born a winner. He comes from a bloodline of passionate lunch pail carrying hoopsters. Like many from SW PA the Hurley’s were born with the will to compete and win at various levels. In my opinion, Hurley along with Lyke will have Pitt in the Final Four in 24 months. These Young Men Kevin recruited are winners and just need the right spark to ignite them into All ACC Performers!

    We got each other’s backs and we all we got. (Damn I can’t remember his famous tagline)

    -Iek

    Liked by 1 person

  34. Lyke blew this one
    so now its down to Oats, Odom, Grant and Cooley
    Mussleman aint coming
    Pitt is totally incompetent with this search

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  35. As much as I hate to say this………….We (Pitt) give our worthless sports paper writers so much material on how pathetic we are at times like this, I ALMOST can’t blame them for making us look lyke such idiots!!!!
    SIGH :<(

    Liked by 1 person

  37. Wow, Ilke went all out UPitt today, armageddon must be upon us…

    Going down memory lane… In the beginning of all this I liked Hurley, Grant, and Grant-like guys (Oates, Odom, Musselman type of coaches), and in hindsight I still feel the same way, and I still don’t like any of them above the others… The greatest amusement of it all is how everybody thinks they know what is going on inside of the process, who is interviewing, who was rejected, who we struck out on, and now we’re down to option #7 and nobody wants us; I think some posters are getting their panties in a bunch.

    Football: I’ll say it again, our interior DL is lacking, proof being Roy listed as a starter. We have no true nose tackles listed, but the young fella from DC is the wild card….

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  39. BTW, Pitt at PSU baseball is supposed to be televised now on BTN … but snowed out

    It could well be that the snow is affecting Hurley. Just watched the news about the blizzard in the northeast … Pgh today was mild versus what they’re getting up there

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  41. That’s the famous Jeanie B.

    We All We Got
    We All We Need.

    Ahh, those were the PITT POV days.

    Brighter days will surely come PITT’s day…

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  43. Pretty clear Hurley played us. He was waiting for UConn to up the offer, they stood pat. He never wanted this job. Now will most likely stay at RI. Welcome to the big time ?Heather, you got played! Now what?? If they hire Schmitt I will never,ever,ever give them another dime!

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  44. David Padgett will not be retained by Louisville. A gamble — very little experience.

    meanwhile enter Louisville in the coaching search. Maybe that’s what Hurley is waiting on. They would offer their coach at least $3.5M. Allegedly, they’re looking at Mack at Cincy and maybe a few B10 coaches

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  45. Crean? Nope!
    Matta? Nope!
    Miller? Nope!
    Hurley? Nope!
    Musselman? Nope!

    It’s like the limbo…how low can we go?

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  48. If Louisville lands either Mack from Xavier or Cronin from Cincinnati, they will be taking two of the best candidates out from under our noses. As I mentioned yesterday, Mack gets $1.7 million and Cronin makes $2.2 million. Musselman only makes $1 million, so it would seem that any of these three would jump at the $3 million Pitt is offering. Louisville is a tainted program that shouldn’t be able to out recruit Pitt for a coach.

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    1. those were the people interviewed
      Cronin is set at Cincy (involved in community and Cincy getting new arena)
      Mack will go to Louisville
      Mussleman is a West coast guy that wont uproot his family to head East

      So who is left – Oats, Grant, Cooley, Schmidt, no Williard (NCAA sanctions)
      All B list candidates
      The A list isnt coming to Pitt

      I’d say at this point reach out to an NBA guy

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  52. He absolutely should of been given 24-48 hours with a expiration time. That protects Pitt to move to Plan B quicker and faster. Heather being more on compliance needs to know how to sell and negotiate.

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  53. Hurley is going to the NBA. On a more serious note (unless you do feel weather is causing a delay in his hiring announcement by either PITT or UCONN), he really could be waiting for more suitors.

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  55. I think Padgett could be in play now that LVille canned him but the FBI thing appears to be a disqualifier.

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  56. Like

  57. I like the Mike Hopkins idea. His salary is $1.8 million. But he signed a 6 year contract, and may not be interested.

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  60. Just rolled in from choir practice and read UPitt’s “RichLittle style” impersonation of dear friend Iek… Great delivery !! You guys have each other down “Pat”
    Hilarious 😆!

    Liked by 1 person

  61. How many of you have taken a negotiating course? I’m hoping Heather has. I’ve taken many and like how Heather is playing it close to the vest. I think the Miller story was meant as a kick in the ass to Hurley. At some point in every negotiation the next one that speaks loses! Embrace the silence….I say Hurley chooses Pitt…..tomorrow.

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    1. ^^ Me, chief negotiator for two separate contracts a long while ago. << Not nearly of this magnitude. 40 workers of Street, Sanitation and Clerical workers. You make a point Dan, this almost seems too transparent to be real because it never is. Lots of posturing combined with the deafening silence. Not nearly as obvious or is it?

      Wouldn’t be surprised either way. Unless you’re at the table, you just do not know what is or isn’t being talked about. Probably explains why I can be patient and just a little on the positive side.. ike

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      1. Well Ike…I never thought I’d say this but you and I are about all there is on the positive side. Mark Madden called Heather a blithering idiot this afternoon. Hope she makes him eat those words. We need a win….I mean we all at Pitt need a win!

        Toughest negotiators I ever faced were women! Go Heather! It’s Hurley…..tomorrow.

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        1. as someone else described him here, Mark Madden is nothing but a shock jock … they prey on the lowest common denominator. The trouble is that there is a large market for these guys.

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        2. Dan, I’ve seen you watch a FB game…you ain’t all that positive.

          Now me on the other hand – I’m very positive about the BB team in 2018. I’m sure they will win at least one ACC game next year.

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  62. Just read Alex Officer dropped 20 lbs for his Pro -Day…..
    The trainer needs to teach the morbidly obese to push away from the training table.
    Congratulations Alex on your weight loss .. that’s a good start!

    Liked by 1 person

      1. coach should have benched him. made him run up Pitt stadiums steps. put him on a low carb program. Pitt should never accept, slow, fat and stupid. Sets a very bad example.

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  64. This hire needs to be a better hire than Dixon. This guys is another no namer and from California. Meh

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  66. What about the just fired coach from Louisville ? He has experience in the ACC and could maybe bring some players with him? Assuming Hurley is a no go.

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  67. WHY DON’T WE JUST HIRE THE BEST WPIAL HIGH SCHOOL BB COACH AND BE DONE WITH IT!…….
    I’m worn out over this mess.

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  68. Hopkins was with Syracuse 22 years and is reportedly an ace recruiter…Coach of the year in PAC 12. Stayin positive. Haha.

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  69. This may have been reported on the POV late last night, but just in case it hasn’t, here is the latest from PSN –

    http://pittsburghsportsnow.com/2018/03/22/reports-dan-hurley-to-accept-uconn-offer/

    Apparently UConn ponied up $3.1 mil per year.

    Reset button may have been pushed, but I believe Pitt should have been out in front of this and told the media loud & clear – “The offer for Dan Hurley has been pulled from the table. Pitt is no longer pursuing him as their next head BB coach.”

    I did hear a brief mention of something similar two days ago on XM Radio 84 during the 3pm hour – but no other media outlet carried that.

    I’m going to take a break from this madness.

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  70. Dan72, I think you were dead wrong on who was playing who on the Hurley Lyke negations all along. Hurley extracted about all he could pay wise in order to make his best deal with others outside of Pittsburgh. Keep in mind Hurley said he wants to contend for a national championship at some point in his career. Competing for that in the ACC with big brothers at DUKE and NC will always make that goal very distant.

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  71. URI will soon be on the clock for Hurley’s replacement. Buffalo’s Oats is on the top of their list.

    You can’t make this up.

    Would MAC to AAC be considered a lateral move or a step up?

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  73. No surprise…..we pretty much new Hurley was a strong lean toward UConn from the beginning. After our offer a UConn ponied up 3.1 mil. Hurley owes a big thank you to Pitt.

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  74. Attendance at the Pete next year will mirror a YMCA pick up game—great job BOT, Gallagher, and Lyke.

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  75. Lyke tried…. we are toxic when it comes toBB… maybe it’s a curse for tearing down Pitt Stadium and putting a basketball court in its place…..

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  76. I said from the Get Go.

    Hurley was not interested in coming here
    You would have to be a complete dope to think Pitt Admin was going to hire Miller(even though he’s better than what we end up hiring)

    These coaches know the deal about Pitt Admin/BoT. Its a fact.

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  77. UConn is far superior when it comes to alumni donations and Hurley knows the support is better in Storrs than in Pittsburgh. The Pitt offer was more money and if he didn’t pounce on it early then it seemed he wasn’t high on moving to Pittsburgh.

    With Miller out, the list looks very underwhelming because Musselman can’t even be included since there is no way he is straying far from his house in the Bay Area, and I doubt his wife would want to move back to Pittsburgh. Oats might be a decent coach, but seems to have zero interest. I’d settle for Hopkins at this point.

    Oh, Jamie, why couldn’t ave you sustained the program?

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    1. to bring up an old argument …. UConn is definitely a basketball school. That is their bread & butter.

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        1. Maybe that is why UConn stunk. The good kids from NYC head to prep schools and the Huskies haven’t been landing those players.

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  78. BJ totally right. Hurley and Miller were 5% probabilities from the get-go. We should not get too frustrated by this. Pitt needs to find a coach that a) will get Pitt back above 500 in ACC, MINIMALLY, and b) is not interesting in leaving Pitt in less than 5 years. Pitt BOT also would add to that c) one who is clean, and d) one we can pay about $2 mil. Neither Hurley or Miller fit those criteria. PERIOD.

    THAT SAID, given the obviousness trueness of these 4 criteria, Pitt should have used Hurley and Miller only as smokescreens while pursuing others. They probably had to LOOK interested…but behind the scene go after who fit the 4 criteria ONLY. Maybe that was their intention…but if it was, we probably would have hired someone else already. If I try to be open about this and not a kneejerk negative nancy, I would say, it is not time to panic yet….

    But it will be probably, oh, lets say, Friday at 5 pm.

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  79. OK now Heather has to really earn her pay. I have no problem with her going after Hurley but I assume that she has Plan B & C.

    Musselman, Oats, Grant … maybe someone we haven’t of. There are a handful of successful mid-major coaches out there.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I have felt since KS was fired that mid-major is just what will happen.

      1) he’s cheaper in salary and

      2) Pitt has a built in excuse for”rebuilding” with a new-to-ACC / new-to-big time HC

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  80. I have not really posted this ever, surely many will disagree…. But I completely disagree, and always have, with the premise of getting rid of Dixon due to the whole, he had lost the magic, he could not sustain arguments. That suggest an irreversible trend. I don’t think we can say that would have been true.

    Syracuse lost their touch 3 years from 2007 to 2009. Barely made 1 of 3 tournaments. UConn under Calhoun was up and down, not getting in basically every 4th Tournament. Nova missed 6 of 7 tourneys under lappas/wright. WVA played .500 ball under Huggins for 3 years 2012-14 after 5 good years….and now has another 4 good years to show for it. Mike Brey had a similar drought in 04, 5, and 6.

    I am just saying. We really don’t know. Dixon very well would see the success of slow ball tough defense has done for VA (yeah, I know, not a great example at the moment) and gone back to his successful formula. We just don’t know.

    Liked by 1 person

  81. Pathetic, but not surprised. If true that Miller was told no I don’t know what to say anymore about this schools commitment to athletics. Sad, very sad.

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    1. how could you question the commitment when they offered > $3M. That would put Pitt in the top 10 or 15% of HC salaries. Pitt’s problem now is cleaning up Barnes’ mess and the last thing they need is to bring in Miller with that cloud over his head.

      Don’t get me wrong, Pitt has a great history of non-commitment to athletics but not in this instance IMO

      Liked by 1 person

  82. You don’t send a violinist into battle. You don’t hire a compliance person to run a search or major negotiations.

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  83. OK, New day, sun shining, looking at pure white out the windows. No, not sand dunes but 8 inches of snow, spring has sprung!
    I guess I could understand the fascination with ?Hurley but he was never a guy I really wanted. Not that he was a bad coach, he wasn’t, he just wasn’t a good fit here. I think someone with influence pushed him. He just never was coming.
    Joe Starkey did a nice article in today’s PG. I always like Starkey take, he rips us when needed, but seldom does a hatchet job. If you listen to theFan, he and Muller are good, unlike the rest who only want to sow discord and anger.
    Louisville will create an interesting situation. Dominos could get interesting, but I will be curious seeing who would be willing to take that job with the mess they potentially have. Tradition and bucks vs likely sanctions.
    This is sort of like my NCAA pools, lots of picks knocked out but top pick still alive. Can hope they stumble into it, right?

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  85. I do not believe for a second we offered any BB Coach $3M. Unless he’s already a big winner we are not going to pay a new BB HC a half million more then Narduzzi gets.

    Dixon got more than the FB coach but he was proven successful.

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    1. Maybe Fogler leaked it to attract more guys. LOL.

      I find it hard to believe but I believe it. Maybe it is wishful thinking that Pit will actually up their game in sports.

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  86. Totally agree Reed…I think Hurley leaked that BS…and it perfectly worked…UConn took the bait.

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  87. Next man up. There are tons of good basketball coaches out there. Let’s see how good Fogler is.

    Let’s get real here. The media’s list of potential candidates is complete BS. They are just naming coaches. I don’t think Oats has any intention on backing out of a deal he just signed. He knew he would be a hot commodity after the tournament but still signed the deal. I think the Willard thing was BS. Like Reed said, Pitt isn’t touching anyone with possible violations. Hurley was obviously moving on from RI so he was listed for every job.

    Have you read the media list for Louisville? All top coaches in good jobs. Do you really think any of them will jump to a school that is going to get blasted by the NCAA over the great jobs they have now.

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  88. Heather really got screwed
    Pitt is such a joke in everything they do on the sports side
    They are worse than the Pirates

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  89. @WWB you have to be kidding. Pitt admin has a horrible track record and reputation. A one time 3M offer doesn’t all of sudden make Pitt a contender. These coaches will need to see a lot more….follow through. Nordy/Gallagher…..it doesn’t matter, neither are committed to winning in sports.

    Just like the Canada offer. After Canada turned us down, we didn’t go out and strike gold with a big time OC. Instead we hired a quality control coach who no other school in football wanted as a OC.

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  93. Reed/DD you guys are certainly entitled to your opinions about the offer but I don’t understand the skepticism at all. Why is it so hard to believe that PITT would try and lure their guy in with a competitive offer?

    We all knew DH wanted to end up in Conn as he did with a nice 3.1 mil per year contract. Why would UConn pay that much if there wasn’t a competing job off at PITT? It’s ok to bash PITT at times for them just being SOP but when they step out away from that moniker, why is it so hard to give out credit when it is deserved? ike

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I agree with you Ike. Also, why as some say, is this a swing and a miss? To coach in the ACC meat grinder you have to have strong intestinal fortitude and especially for a rebuild. Clearly he doesn’t think he can handle it and wants what he considers a safer all around path. Well good luck Danny, because the last guy in Storrs was a Calhounie too, won a title, got fired for cause, and is part of the pay for play. Pitt just sucks on the floor.

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      1. Has Pitt ever really spent in your lifetime Reed? They haven’t over my 40+ years. I accept the fact they won’t and spend like a cash strapped Mid Major.

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      2. The only problems with that argument right now Reed, are the BB attendance issue causing a multi-million dollar drop in revenue and the expectations of the ACC as a member school. They are not going to permit Pitt to do a Bob Nutting while handing over $20 million a year in conference revenue.

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  94. I guess I am just skeptical they offered $3 since Nards is not top paid, and there was all the talk that Dixon did not get enough $$ for assistants. etc.

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  95. Disappointed, but not at all surprised.

    Hurley would have generated a lot of excitement around the program and attendance would have improved pretty quickly.

    Onto Plan B…

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  96. I am done commenting on basketball until Pitt names the new coach. Too much false info flying around.

    As far as the S&C coach. I think Andrews does a good job. I don’t get players getting in tip top shape before a pro day. The only excuse I can think of…maybe they weren’t that committed before because much of their day was school work.

    One thing is for sure, those type of players would be higher draft choices if they approached their entire career in the same manner. Now they are scrambling to get noticed. They are the type of players that are lucky if they get drafted at all.

    That being said, I am sure the coaches give them a goal weight. Officer was way over weight most of his career. Maybe this backs up Reed’s theory that the next OL in line suck, LOL.

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  97. Let me “half agree” with Ike. I don’t find it that hard to believe that Pitt made a lucritive offer– time are changing and forums like this one are showing that fans have had enough. Combine that with awful attendance and ridicule in the local and national media and I believe the administration feels the need to “step up”, at least to some degree.

    However….. to think Lyke, Gallagher, etc. should get credit for taking three weeks just to strike out is laughable. We’re not dealing with young children or the disabled so I’m not giving credit for trying. Is this t-ball? Everybody gets a trophy! Good try!

    In the words of master Yoda, “Do or do not. There is no try.”

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  98. I got you Jay and I was only asking to give PITT credit for coming up with the money. Not real happy about not finishing the job.. I will say it shows us all just how far the BB program has fallen and how hard it is for any AD to showcase that job.. Yoda is very wise.

    My sights are now on Hopkins out in Washington. ike

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  99. You got to get with the times Reed, think to yourself. Is it possible that PITT realizes the importance of successful athletics? Progress is not spelled S T A T I C

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    1. Crean and Pitino were the only ones who could be hired 3 weeks ago. In fact, any of the attractive candidates couldn’t have been hired until 3 days ago (and Musselman is still untouchable)

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  101. JoeKnew..we could of had a POV pool on the basketball coach search and hire..would of made this FUN…

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  102. Too depressed to comment anymore on the BB coaching vacancy after this post. Heather has not swam in this deep of a pool before, and could be getting outmaneuvered. They will now need to select only from a specific list of coaches who have already committed to accept the job if offered. The time has run out for fishing expeditions. So if they thought they could lure a top flight P5 coach here with a $3 million offer, it is not happening. And Madden, Cook, Filiponi, etc. are a bunch of self righteous a__holes who are frustrated because they could never make it in a bigger media market, and must make their bones by slamming the local college BB team. This whole episode is disgusting, My last comment on the BB coaching search is that they should either take Matta (if still interested), Howland (if there is any gas still in the tank) or Miller with appropriate exit clauses if he is sanctioned by the NCAA.

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  103. There is NO WAY Pitt is willing to make their basketball coach the 2nd highest paid coach in the ACC. Pitt is willing to pay more than UNC is paying Roy Williams. No way.

    One single tweet and people ran with it. Not me.

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  108. I still do not get the fascination w. Oats. DO you watch his games? Minimal amount of coaching required when all you do is run down the court and launch. That style of play failed miserably against KY because they have players… you know like Duke, Louisville, UNC and Syracuse has. It would not work in the ACC.

    Grant’s team played composed and ran actual plays… he should be considered. And the added benefit… and requirement for Pitt – he probably could be had for $2 million.

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  109. Oats would be a great hire. Lol An assistant to Hurley. Has a lot of high school experience. Just the kind of coach to put fannies in the seats and get people psyched for BB.
    Have we actually sunk this low……..

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  110. To keep in tune with the subject matter of the blog article.

    Our strength is not our Administration or AD.

    We are conditioned to expect the worst.

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