in Pitt Football 222 Words

Xavier Johnson Has Left the Building…

XMan Johnson, our too flashy basketball Guard has opted for the Transfer Portal. Expect to see hin on the Robert Morris team next season.

Discuss…

From ESPN:

“PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Panthers junior point guard Xavier Johnson is transferring.

The school made the surprise announcement Wednesday. Head men’s basketball coach Jeff Capel said in a statement “it was in everyone’s best interests that we part ways.”

Johnson will enter the transfer portal immediately. The move ends an eventful three-year run with the Panthers for Johnson, who averaged 14.2 points in 81 career games, 78 starts.

Johnson, from Woodbridge, Virginia, arrived shortly after Capel was hired in the spring of 2018 and made the All-Atlantic Coast Conference freshman team in 2018-19. He leaves ranked 30th on the school’s career points list (1,152).

Johnson has been one of the program’s few constants during Capel’s tenure as he attempts to rebuild the Panthers after a difficult run under Kevin Stallings. Although it’s unclear what led to the decision, Johnson was asked to come off the bench rather than start twice this month, including a 32-point performance as a reserve in an upset victory over Virginia Tech on Feb. 3.

The Panthers (9-9 overall, 5-8 ACC) have struggled of late, dropping seven of eight after a win over Duke on Jan. 19. Pitt will visit NC State on Sunday.”

196 thoughts on “Xavier Johnson Has Left the Building…”

  1. There is no more difficult thing for a coach to ask their point guard or QB to leave the team, especially during the season. I had to do it only once and had dad (who I invited to meet)face off with me post conference, with full intention of doing me harm. I used to say in business that I don’t fire people…..people fire themselves. In this case Xman did just that.

    I know many of you want to jump down Capel’s throat for many things, recruiting, in game coaching etc. As a favor, could you please hold off a few days. I can assure you this was one of the worst days of his coaching life. H2P

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Unfortunate. But had to laugh a little when I read that X was one of the few constants in Capel’s tenure.

    Maybe they meant that he was constantly inconsistent.

    I’ll miss his good play. I will not miss his out if control games that likely cost us a few Ws.

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  3. This is a very sad day. When I first saw Trey and X three seasons ago I knew I had never seen more athletic guards at Pitt. They were both lightening fast to the hoop and could finish. They were young, hungry but unfortunately had no surrounding cast. When Trey left I wondered whether the wrong guy had gone, but who knew, they both had similar skill sets, X was more consistent but Trey looked to have the greater upside and a better looking shot. They certainly were not good together. Remember the talk about how X was going pro after his freshman year? Funny then ludicrous now.

    Such a shame that neither of these guys fulfilled their promise and perhaps like Paris Ford the team will be more productive without X, but I will miss some of those amazing drives, of course not the bad decisions and turnovers.

    I think Capel’s statement that it was in everyone’s best interest was pretty astute.

    I hope that somehow X can find his way.

    Liked by 1 person

  6. I think Capel gave X a lot of freedom and was beyond patient with him. Time for his out of control play and emotions to move on.

    Liked by 1 person

  7. Capel’s own recruiting failures, brought some of this about. For he had no one to plug into
    the game, when you should have sat them or limited their minutes or for that matter PT at all.

    And these kids, if anything are street smart…and they knew Capel had no or not many options.

    Also he clearly picked the wrong one, if there was a choice between X & McGowens.
    McGowen’s brother is rated the 19th best player in the country…a 5 star recruit…joining
    his older brother at Nebraska.

    Could have been joining him at Pitt !

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  8. I won”t bash on capel tonight Dan. Always tough going thru a divorce. Look we have achieved balance at Pitt in your example. Capel asked an out of control point guard leader to leave after three years. Great. Narduzzi asked his qb field general to stay for his 17th season.

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      1. Congemi at least got us to the Fiesta Bowl. Unfortunately for us & Foge he peaked as a Freshman.

        Pickett peaked against Wake Forest…3 years ago.

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    1. Per this article, it’s all player attitude. Pitt doesn’t need it. Wish X well, but time for all to move on. Focus back on Capel to get the RIGHT players in the program and start showing some momentum in the right direction.

      Liked by 3 people

  12. Not sure I knew what transpired. However Johnson was always out of control and undisciplined. Trey McGowen was the one Capel should have kept. If Capel continues to not have control of this team, then we need to look elsewhere. Frankly, this Capel PITT era team has not been fun to watch. Forget the wins and loses, it’s how disorganized they look. I miss the Chipman, Howland, and Dixon styles of coaching.

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  13. There’s always a final straw. I think that straw occurred when X hit a three then wolfed at the Fla St bench getting his first technical then bitched at the refs for the call getting T#2.

    From what I heard Capel had just had a heart to heart talk with X about being incognito when he plays and not drawing attention to himself.

    My view is that X personally cost us 3-5 games this year. For sure his play won us at least two.

    Liked by 1 person

  14. Just read the article on the P-G. The items that stood out to me were: Heather Lyke was present for the meeting. Perhaps that is not unusual when a schlolarship athlete meets with a coach and agrees to move on from the program. However, Johnson’s father said the decision was due to unforeseen circumstances. That covers a pretty broad spectrum of possibilities for sure. X-man was portrayed in the article as someone who was -at the very least- saddened by the turn of events. That is not exactly how I would expect someone to come across if the meeting was one where the coach was telling him it was time to move on and that his services were no longer needed. No doubt my interpretation is likely off the mark, but it seems to me that there might be more going on than a simple case of a player being dismissed because the coach feels it is what is best for the team and player. It will be curious if anything more is disclosed than what has been revealed.

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    1. Hey you might not be off the mark at all. Clearly the timing of this, with only 3 regular season games
      to go and the 1 and done in the ACC tournament, till the end of the season, is certainly strange….to say
      the least.

      Heather emerging from her cocoon…to be there is interesting as well.

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    2. There are grade issues for Xman and class skipping issues from what I hear.

      In HS, I always ask the Principal,
      The AD, parents (both sides if divorced) for serious player issues. Boy, I don’t miss those!

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    3. Seems very appropriate to have more than one person present when handling a dismissal. A witness to ensure the protocol is followed as well as provide support to the person handling the dismissal. A tough thing for anyone responsible for others – whether a coach or a manager.

      Liked by 1 person

  15. Power in numbers during those difficult discussions. Clearly Capel did not want to lose his lunch and felt it best to have some calming influencers.

    X ust didn’t stop going to class last week, or did he? My sense is that this has been an ongoing issue and Capel was tuned out and lost control of the kid. This gets back to my point that Pitt is not this sparkling program where there is academic priority over everything else. They use academics when they have problems. Perhaps the same with Hugley, but i hope not.

    The graduation rat of bball players is awful, but the manipulation of statistics will continue. I think you lose points for transfer outs, but i haven’t looked at the rules closely since I realized that the top 100 schools are withing a point of each other for rating purposes.

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    1. Excellent points, though if Pitt were anywhere near a ‘dirty’ or loose program, X would easily still be with us, and he is not. If Bill Self, Sean Miller or Will Wade wanted to keep X, he’s still be here.

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  17. So who on the roster is the best option to replace Johnson. Maybe Odukale down the road, but his shooting is horrible right now.

    Horton, Nike?

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  19. While it will take a little time with another point guard (or Odukale), I believe this move was necessary to develop the team chemistry Capel desires. Losing Champagnie however would be pretty devastating. Having said that, he would be wise to stay, develop his body, and 1:1 skills. Very effective against zone, not so much 1:1 yet.

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  21. Well, here we are again. A player or coach that many fans have loved to hate has left the program. Speculating on how it happened doesn’t change that. I suspect that Xavier will have no problem landing at another D1 program and becoming an asset to their team.

    But there is this nagging little problem of replacing him with someone better. As the Commander would say, “ay, there’s the rub”. Does anyone think that cutting ties with the ACC assist leader will not have an effect on recruiting? If the recruited player does not think about it, the people surrounding and advising that player sure will. Competing schools’ coaches sure will. When you have Cam Johnson, Marcus Carr, Trey McGowens, then Xavier Johnson leave your program, and succeed at their new destinations, you are serving up negative recruiting material on a silver platter.

    But no matter. We will still go on blasting our coaches for not being able (or my favorite read phrase “willing”) to recruit elite players to come to PItt. So frustrating.

    Liked by 1 person

  22. Capel’s first mistake with Johnson was keeping him at Point. Would have been better alternating at the Two.

    This goes back a couple of years when N’Dir would take over at Point and you would see an immediate improvement in how the Offense functioned.

    Capel DESERVES to be questioned at this point in many regards. He can take it. GUARANTEED millions gives you that ability.

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  23. X was maddening to watch and as my family would tell you, he was my favorite target of criticism during games.

    But the loss of X compounds what has already been developing into a very bad situation.

    We lost Carr when Capel was hired. We lost McGowens to Nebraska (presumably also having to do with X). We lost Murphy (who we could have used this year. At least he can shoot). We might lose Champ to the NBA draft (I doubt it though). We lost Hughley to stupidity.

    We currently have one point guard (Femi) who is decent, but who cannot shoot. We have one player with an inside presence (Coulibaly), but he doesn’t stand out as either a scorer or strong rebounder. We are otherwise deficient at both of these positions.

    We have 2 ACC caliber players at this juncture (Jeffress may become one, Horton is close), and have zero depth.

    Capel is in year 3. By now we should be much further ahead of where we are. Next year does not look promising, and we do not have a single recruit signed for the next recruiting cycle.

    Things aren’t good in Pantherland fellow POVers.

    Our new slogan: “Pitt Fans: Having to Exercise Patience since 1976.”

    Wlat

    Liked by 1 person

  25. The website NBA Scouting Live has Marcus Carr projected as a 2nd round NBA draft pick. After listing 7 “Pros”, the first 3 “Cons” are: Can struggle to score in traffic. Prone to hoisting up questionable shots. Can play too wildly on offense…..Hmmm?

    Liked by 1 person

  26. The timing of X Man’s departure is interesting. Why not just wait for the end of the season to enter the portal? Basketball is supposed to be fun, so play out the rest of the season, then transfer. If he was academically eligible at the end of the last semester, he would still be eligible today even if he didn’t go to class. This whole thing says something forced the issue, either disciplinary issues or a player revolt. I don’t see Capel telling him he can’t finish out the season under normal circumstances, so some breaking point was reached.

    And just as Narduzzi has been given time to learn HC duties and the ACC, Capel needs time to adjust to head coaching in the ACC. He knows what is needed, but doing it is another matter. One thing he is absolutely confident of, is his ability to recruit. So I think we can look for some recruiting successes in the coming months as Capel takes advantage of the COVID eligibility year to get transfer portal kids with two remaining years.

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    1. But does he have the scouts. 🤔. Well, time to pour over film and game stats.

      Does he have something to sell. Can he sell. This is Pitt and not Duke.

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      1. He has the Pete. Remember when it was first built how so many believed that just the opportunity to play in such a GRAND facility would draw talent.

        Obviously not the case.

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    3. I think that question has been answered, since now Toney is leaving IMMEDIATELY. A Player REVOLT.

      i don’t think Capel earned the Respect of some of these kids. Or maybe he did, but he clearly lost it.

      This can happen when you want to be friends with the kids, instead of the Head Coach.

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  27. X’s production will be hard to replace.

    The positives:

    14.2 points per game third on the team
    5.7 Assists per game 1st on the team
    1.3 steal, 1st on the team
    5.9 rebounds, 4th on the team
    2nd best foul shooter
    3rd most minutes played

    X always played hard and Fast

    The negatives:

    3.2 TO’s 1st on the team
    2nd on the team in PF’s

    X made too many poor decisions

    When he played well he was spectacular to watch.
    When he played poorly he was totally frustrating to watch.

    It is really too bad he didn’t at least finish the season
    The team is close to running out of bodies.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Times 2, now that Toney is also bailing.

      Kinda hard to believe, they couldn’t get thru 2 more weeks, before the season ended.
      And then, like many teams go thru at the end of the season…players come and go…anymore.

      It would have saved Pitt some major embarrassment. Something larger perhaps going on, with the
      immediacy of all this.

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  28. In time college teams will be trading players just like the pro teams. My point guard for your forward even during the playing seasons. The NCAA bows to the money of its big time FB and BB programs. H2P

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  29. Not that I really care where he goes, but the market for X will be interesting.

    One one hand, he is damaged goods whose reputation as an undisciplined hot head is going to affect who will pursue him.

    On the other hand, he is a freakish athlete who, when he is focused and playing under control, can be dynamic.

    The rub is that he is neither a point guard nor a shooting guard. You find a spot for good players, but he’s like putting a square peg into a round hole in many respects.

    I predict a lateral move to a mediocre or lesser Power 5 school, or perhaps to a mid-major.

    Robert Morris, as Reed suggests (perhaps in jest, perhaps not)??? I doubt that he will fall that far. However, if its an academic issue, all bets are off. I find it quite interesting that Heather Lyke was in attendance at the meeting.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I find it unusual. Either driven by mitigating a potential PR disaster or impending grievance.

      Well at least we know she’s out of the basement. But as AD aren’t you a public figure? Aren’t you supposed to be seen in public and communicating more than just zero times since last July. You’d think woundt Yunz?

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  30. Despite the turmoil at the Pete, I believe the basketball team will be ranked in the top 25 long before the pitt football team. That’s final ranking only at seasons end. That means after the conclusion of the ACC tourney and all bowl games.

    Capel can get them there
    Narduzzi cannot

    Best of luck to the men’s swimming team this week

    And for the wrestlers this weekend

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    1. Just saw that, yikes! This is officially alarming. People have been speculating at this for a few years now, but the timing of it is not a good look. Not even enough commitment to finish out a season, or did something happen behind the scenese?

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  34. Toney now out of the program.

    What a disaster the Capel hire has become.

    This all traces back to Gallagher allowing Barnes to make the Stallings hire to bail out a friend at a search firm. What terrific leadership by the Pitt administration.

    Pitt football looks so much more well run and organized than basketball. This all falls on Capel.

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  36. Wow

    I guess pitt basketball is back to becoming a dumpster fire

    How much is capels buyout?

    I have a list of five basketball coaches just like my list for football

    I could humor some of you guys with it

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  37. Just heard about Toney. Un f’n real! His shooting form is atrocious but he hustles. Maybe bff of Xman. No longer feeling ok and sorry for Capel! This team may have big coaching problems.
    Not all players fit into certain coaches sys….Oh F it. Things are badly broken in Pitt Basketball !!

    Liked by 1 person

  39. Truly a dumpster fire. No way Champ is back next year. Capel will be starting over. My guess is he could lose at least one more.

    This has to have a huge impact on recruiting. Capel better have some answers that make sense for the media.

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  40. Wow, this season has turned into a total nightmare. Mutual agreement my foot. This doesn’t pass the smell test. Capel’s first class is gone. WTF?

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  41. Saw the note about regarding Capel being a disaster, and that’s certainly an understandable sentiment, but a bit extremist which is par for the course in today’s society, though I do think that nepotism could potentially as a stumbling blck. There’s got to be something that happened behind the scenes to lead to this, not even finishing out the season with only 3 games left. JoeL, can you shed any more light on the rumors?

    Pitt’s big 3 have left many speculating that each of them would depart early at some point, usually do to chemistry issues, and suddenly, they are all gone… The next casualty will be Champ I suspect, because even if he was on the fence to come back, this should cement his shot at the NBA.

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    1. Its behind the Lair paywall. And Jim Hammett has provided more than I have disclosed.

      Agree with your point regarding the hyperbolic us of “disaster”.
      Some stuff went down with a few of the players and was apparently not basketball related.
      Efforts to diffuse it were made but it got past the point of repair.

      Young, college-aged men sometimes get into it. Sometimes it gets out of hand. Anyboody who went to college has probably seen it go down.

      (This is where the Capel haters will say he should have had it nder control, or recruit better, blah, blah, blah. And yet, its Heathers fault. Correction – Gallagher’s. No, no wait – its the BOT! Good gosh just what we do if we actually could not blame somebody other than the kids.)

      Liked by 2 people

          1. Am I wrong??? You have to make someone who makes 4M a year accountable. Jesus if not can you be my boss please.

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            1. One has to have all the facts – or at least the prepounderance of them – in order to know what’s going on.

              Kinda like judging Tiger on the basis of his car wreck. Folks immediately drew parallels to his prior accident and DUI and then the police come out and say he wasn’t impaired and won’t be charged…and accidents happen there all the time.

              How about we just let the facts come out first?

              And you wouldn’t want me doing your PD review as your boss if all I had to work with was your posts.

              Liked by 3 people

              1. Sorry, UPitt, but on an otherwise down day, Joe’s last line was just what I needed today. As the Cable Guy would say, “Now that’s funny right there, I don’t care who you are.”

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        2. True. I always blame adults before kids. I take full responsibility for my kids. Or am I just old school?

          Capel is like Tomlin. He never dishes out punishment or a good benching until it’s too late. He lets the players run the asylum.

          Liked by 1 person

          1. Joe – That is f ing comical. He loses two players and another one is going to Jail, His record sucks and you defend him. Oh and he is his brother – That is comical also as a Asst. Coach made it clear they focused on other things than coaching and winning basketball games. My postings??? You mean the kind that are spot on about Capel since he was hired, Lyke who is atrocious and Naruduzzi who is essentially .500 have an OC who is 76 and runs an offense from 1956. You guys have so much blue and gold koolaid it is amazing.

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        3. UPITT is correct again. What could have possibly happened? I don’t care if it was a 4 on 4 fist fight. The team with proper leadership should still be able to come together.

          Liked by 1 person

          1. Just like the football coach. Give me 12 million over four years and I will give 500 grand back. Where do I sign up?

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      2. Not up to Capel to fix off court issues. Think back to college. You have a run in with some dude, do you quit your team and change schools. That is so weak.

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  43. Things are never as good or as bad as they seem. Without knowing the reasons for the departures, it is hard to judge the coaches or impact. Maybe Toney is just tired of losing, and thinks that without X Man next year would be more of the same.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. You truly are a voice of reason. This could’ve very easily stemmed from something “off court” and put Capel in a position with no choice. I remember when Capel brought in these 3 in his first class, it seems like ever since each of them at one time or another was the subject of constant speculation as to when he would leave (as lastrow noted above in Toney’s case), you always got the sense that something was about to blow, even last year and the year before, and chemistry never looked very good, so it’s possible we had a last straw event away from the court, who knows. Either way, I think this gets Capel’s seat warm in terms of the fanbase, understandably, but not with me, at least not yet…

      Liked by 3 people

      1. I invite you to adopt the Richmond Spiders for now. Good team this year. Play well together and hopefully will make a run in the A10. Well coached too.

        JoeL who is UR ’82 undergrad.

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      2. Well if Capel is guilty of something, I doubt it’s the loss of these 2 players or even Hugley, it’s more likely the quality of recruits behind them. So ironically, Capel’s reputed strength – recruiting – has been his achilles thus far.

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  44. VCU – Mike Rhoades
    UAB – Andy Kennedy
    SMU – Tim Jankovich
    Manhattan – Steve Masiello
    UNC Greensboro – Wes Miller

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  45. I’m late to the party, but now Toney, if Champagnie( who is projected as a 2nd rd pick) leaves…I don’t even know how or why they put a team together next year. My God.

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  46. I’ll bet their “street agent” is the same for both and has already negotiated with their next team. He gets a bundle of cash off the books ( and shares w players) and both players get a new start. Watch who they go with…..school w best bagman wins! I think the deal is already done.

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    1. Thanks Pap. There is a theme with my list of 5. Well a few commonalities. There’s one particular Coach that I really like but all five could succeed at Pitt.

      I still have my list of 5-7 coaches to replace Narduzzi.

      I plan on applying for heathers job when she bolts to Sparty next year. She’s smart enough to know to get out of town before you know what hits the fan.

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  51. Put a message in to Zeiss who was in the middle of his Thursday sports PG Q and A. He was ok with Xman leaving but Toney stunned him. He said , and I agree that something way bigger than grades and classes caused these hasty departures. Wonder if they were involved in the Hugley mess? This has the odor of legal trouble behind it.

    Liked by 1 person

    2. Wonder if they are doing the required academics..what Coach Dan just mentioned..I think I am just going to watch the soccer and VB teams…way less drama….

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  52. On the good news front, I’m guessing that the top schools all have their commitments in line for the upcoming class. So there should be less competition for the transfer portal kids when Capel gets moving. There should be kids on the portal like Toney who want a change of scenery.

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    1. Who are Pitts bag men. I don’t expect pitt getting anyone elite. Pitt pays in O fries. Oh wait, we don’t have that currency anymore. Will the kids these days take a subscription to playboy and some cold IC Lights.

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      1. The O had a large import beer menu as well. At one time, the largest in da Burgh.

        We should have recruited more Euro basketball players.

        Another lost opportunity !

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  53. There is much more to this story than academics IMO.—-By the way, I can only imagine the comments on this board if Narduzzi announced that Pickett and Addison have just entered the transfer portal today.

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  54. Tex, this is on you. The young men were waiting all along for your regular Balcones shipments, and they never came…, who can blame them for leaving?

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    1. Indeed. On the way out X yelled, ‘You may all go to Hell. And I will go to Texas.’

      Davey Crockett did meet his end at the Alamo a few years later.

      Liked by 1 person

  55. OT: Pitt FB announced today that officially Marion was named our new WR coach. It does seem like that news was out about 30 days ago.

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    2. Heather gets news a little slow……. in her underground cocoon.

      Please forgive Pitt’s telegraph pony express news system.

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  56. Jeffress better play the entire games going forward as the 3. Femi as the 1. Horton and Nike alternate at the 2.

    Collier, Coulibaly and Drumgoogle share the big duties. Coulibaly has weak hands in my opinion. Is Hugley definitely off the team? He needs to be running suicides outside capels office while listening to his History podcasts in his ears. Seems to me that suspension should be done until it comes down to the legal decision. Let the legal system play out instead of being blouse like.

    I swear these buffons in Administration purposefully create drama so they have excuses as to why they didn’t win. This is an awful look for Pitt athletics, no matter what happens.

    After this week, Capel deserves an extension, and then he should say to gallagher that heather should double her salary. Do I mean that or is that already a rerun?

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    1. Drumgoogle is only 6’4″ tall. He plays the 2 guard. Your fav Brown will help man the big duties.

      Kid has stuck with Pitt thru bozo Stallings and now near bozo Capel.

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    2. The way things are going now it may end being his last show forever at Pitt.—-Some pretty ugly stuff being written about what went on for quite some time between the Capels’ players and family members behind the Lair paywall. Lyke has got some real problems to deal with now on Pitt BB. I’m just not sure Pitt can afford another coaches buyout at this point in time.

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  59. Looks like there’s a scoop on the pay board as to what really happened that led to both players leaving. Would appreciate any insight if someone has access. I keep going back to the fact that, not only did they both leave, but they both left with only 3 games remaining…. Had to be something apart from baskeball, I would think…

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    1. I have access but am not going to share that stuff unless it comes from Jim Hammett or Chris Peak.

      That said, there are some interesting takes on it and while many seem plausible, some are in conflict with other plausible ones. So, who knows for sure?

      Liked by 1 person

  61. Heather at the very least saved millions and valuable time with my generosity today. You’re welcome heather. Tex comes thru again.

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  62. Can take or leave Capel but something doesn’t add up. I did hear the families have been doing a little chirping behind the scenes. Especially the Moms. Maybe Capel should have locked the doors.

    Maybe Capel should have kept Stallings last class? Can anyone find a “where are the now”?

    ike, still alive and “ok” even though sometimes it’s hard to tell.

    Liked by 9 people

    3. For you Ike – where they went after leaving Pitt. Some I checked if they were playing.

      Samson George — Central Arkansas
      Wilson-Frame – Graduated from Pitt
      Marcus Carr – Nebraska
      Terrell Brown – Pitt
      Kene Chukwaka – Pepperdine (best landing spot)
      Parker Stewart – UT-Martin now at Indiana
      Kkem Davis – Weber State
      Peace Ilegomah – Evansville
      Shamiel Stevenson – Nebraska

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Not exactly a murderers row of college basketball powers. Other than Carr(Minnesota) & Parker, the rest
        are mostly bench, few minute, players.

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  64. Wow, just saw Toney has just jumped ship as well.

    Clearly a Mutiny on the Bounty.

    Only question is: is Capel a Captain Bligh

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  65. I have a Rivals subscription and just read a long comment by a guy who says he was very good friends with Toney’s mother.😍

    Basically it said was (take all with big box or salt) the HC assured Toney he could play a certain position but gave it to someone else – Trey was put there instead. 😥

    Trey and Toney had a fist fight then somehow Johnson’s father got involved with the team drama and Toney’s mother went after him.😐

    Then, and get this, Toney’s. grandmother passed and the BB staff didn’t help Toney through it! For shame! 😣

    Then… The HC did something behind Toney’s mother’s back and it was “…grimey (sp), personal and has legalities attached to it” so we should not talk about! Not at all, not Tex…no one.🙄

    Then (I’m getting tired) it turns out that Capel’s younger brother did the grimey bit by yelling at players where they could actually hear it with their own two ears…😴

    Then bits about Johnson getting the ball too much and Toney grieving more and then something about Champs. 😍

    Then the commenter says that he shared 95% or what really happen but won’t share the remaining 5% so don’t ask!!!😎

    Obviously I paraphrased this but here is the weirdest twist of all. That post, which was extremely long, actually had 42 “Likes” 🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡

    Liked by 4 people

    1. I read it too. Was probably one of the longest posts I’ve on there in quite some time. And don’t forget this person followed up with more thoughts on X-man’s dad.

      42 likes….People loved “Tiger King” as well.

      Woudl normally say there is another side of that pancake, but in this case it probably a cube and not a flat pancake.

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    2. Thanks for your reporting, Reed. I think that as stake holders we should all have the info to fill in gaps at this point. –N

      Like

    3. Hold me accountable. I thought Capel was a strong hire. Thought he had corrected his issues from his prior coaching stints. After the grand theft auto incident, the thing is crashing down with even more chaos. I knew something was up with Toney when he sat out the FSU game. Somebody in the media dropped a hint like “unexpected absence.” This bball program will not be able to survive this for years. Good luck getting players to come here and play for Capel. Are they still paying Rockports buyout? Is Roy Chipman available? UPitt, I owe you one. You were right on this.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Paul Zeise is refreshingly more candid about what the ramifications of what the last 2 days might be,
        for Capel…but more importantly for Pitt’s bball program long term.

        Cause a couple more things happening and Capel won’t be here. You would think, unless he gets the
        Lovie Smith kit glove treatment.

        Like

  66. Predicted this yesterday. Wouldn’t be surprised now, if Jeffress & Collier transfer out. Maybe even Femi.

    Pitt Reboot
    February 24, 2021 at 3:14 pm
    If Champ goes NBA and Hughley is gone for good. Yes almost. Still would have the best HS player in PA the last couple years, Jeffress. And Femi and Collier and Toney would be a Sr, if he doesn’t transfer out. The rest are marginal Stalling’s type players.

    Like

    1. Pitt…a Continuing Dark Saga of dark comedy.

      Now we’re bringing a WR coach who played at Tulsa under Fraud Graham and coached under him
      at Hawaii.

      LOL

      Like

  68. Good thing Capel ducked Duquesne. They’d pound Pitt next year.

    Why on earth was Capel extended? This bozo is is on the hook through 2026-27.

    Like

    1. Didn’t Duquesne even lose to our Stallings team? I think we have bigger concerns than whether to play Duquesne or not

      Like

      1. Nope, Duquesne broke Pitt’s 16 year winning streak, by pounding a Stallings coached Pitt team
        in that bozo’s first year as HC.

        Like

  69. I would think the opposite regarding the younger players, if the last 2 that cause chemistry issues/friction are gone, the rest may all be a lot happier and can focus on basketball instead of the drama queen stuff baggage from x & toney. And Jeffress is a high character kid, not a quitter. I do think they will need some support and positive momentum with additional talent added of course.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Well you might be right….or you could be wrong. Cam & Ryan Luther were local kids, who had
      had enough.

      We shall has this plays out. If they do bail, that will confirm that Capel has lost respect of perhaps
      the entire team.

      Like

  70. It would appear it’s not just the players causing the chemistry issues. If that’s the case then some of the other characters involved are firmly entrenched in the program.

    Like

  71. Always the easy way out.. attack upitt to deflect from his posts. He did say at the time that Capel was a bad hire. How’s it looking so far? Honestly? Holding coaches accountable for productivity? Seems fair. Not here. But hey, upitt’s a jerk and he’s too negative. So, we should just disregard his points and take shots at him personally, rather than providing a counter point. Seems about right.

    Like

  73. I called out the coaching staff yesterday eve at cardiac hill . com under username markowynn. I had initial concerns but now I have a few more (understatement) regarding the Capel’s. There seems to be a lot more to this story, as evidenced.

    Liked by 1 person

  74. Like

    1. Well….one has to put on the most positive spin, especially if one is getting paid over $3.2 mil per year.
      You have something to protect.

      A more realistic view point.

      Next year, if he doesn’t find 2 players who can put up similar numbers to X & Toney, it will certainly
      have an effect. Even if he does, it will effect team depth. Which means you can’t do certain things,
      you might be able to do with team depth. For example, full court press more, rather than just
      the last 2 minutes of a losing game.

      And losing 2 players, 2 starters that walked during the season, is another matter, that at this point
      we won’t know how that will effect his recruiting…..long term.

      We will have an answer to all these questions down the road. Capel talks a good game, one could even say….it’s Graham like.

      Liked by 1 person

  75. Nothing new on Capel’s show. Just a lot of fluff and coaching cliches. Should have expected that.
    And of course the host knows not to press any issues.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Yeah, I turned it off. This should not have been a show with multiple guests to burn up the time. Hawthorn was terrible too and didn’t hold Capel’s feet to the fire.

      Like

  76. I’m questioning my comprehension abilities but Reed’s rendition of the commenter and Reed’s use of emoji’s aren’t painting a clear picture for me

    and whomever is using the changing username technique is also hard to follow from post to post as at times the fake names don’t help continuity
    not saying I care about the fake username thing but probably amusing for you but counterproductive,,,, as if anything much here is “productive”

    not great being the center of this crapshow headed by JC and having Lyke make an appearance FOR THIS sucks as a Pitt fan
    anyone listen to his radio show?

    anyone think had this all get exposed prior to donation day, it might have put a dent in the totals?

    Hail to Pitt?

    I like Iek!!!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Very sharp comment tvax1! I believe this was a done deal Monday. Bringing Heather in was all for show but I’ll bet she wanted this held off to after giving day. SOP. SOP. SOP

      I am thoroughly disgusted and disheartened by these events.

      Liked by 1 person

  77. I’m assuming these student/athletes were taking classes in the Winter semester.

    So are they just going to walk and not even finish those courses ? Cause neither one, more
    than likely are going to play in the NBA. So you need those course completions…do you not ?

    And if you are going to finish the semester courses, surely they could have finished the next
    2 weeks of a season.

    All very strange to say the least.

    Like

  78. More Nike. More Jeffress. More Collier.

    And Coach mentioned that Jeffress is only 17 and is still growing. Hah – there’s some good news…😊

    Go Pitt.

    Like

  79. As a math minor, I performed a complex computational analysis involving Herman Munster’s use of his pal’s search firm to hire a fired old coach, compounded with the obscene 7-year contract for said broken-down coach, multiplied by the absurd buyout that Pitt, at first refused to pay, followed by the hiring of Jeff Capel and his entire family, who shortly after receiving an extension, witnessed a mass exodus of starting players.
    I integrated all of this in exponential form utilizing the non-existent buyout that Pitts winningest hoops coach was given and packed it all into a Cray computer.
    The answer, I’m afraid, was quite obvious.
    SOP.

    Liked by 4 people

  80. The first year, any new coach will take any warm body that can play. There is no tradition of character, playing style and work ethic to fall back on. It is not surprising that the first recruiting year is a complete washout. More importantly, the 2nd and third years should be stronger. If these kids stick around and continue to get better then Pitt will be all right. But Capel expected 2 openings and now will have 3-4 so he better find some productive bodies in that transfer portal.

    Like

  81. Johnson and Toney have been X’d from the roster while Hugley remains.

    Interesting turn of events.

    New line-up (starters 1st):

    PG Femi/Sibande
    SG Horton/Sibande
    SF Champ/Jeffress/Drumgoole
    PF AKC/Champ/Collier
    C Brown/AKC/Hugley

    Like

  82. I forgot to mention Richard’s fine work on the TP articles. Thanks Richard! How lucky are we to have so many great contributors here on the POV.

    I know an on campus football stadium discussion is silly at this point but I still have a related question. If the Schenley <(sp) foundation would finally allow PITT complete access to the park to do what they will………… so they can build a 50,000 seat state of the art on campus stadium…… is there anyone out there that would say…No Thanks.

    The PITT football team will win 9 regular season games this year maybe 10. KP finds his groove and Abanikanda, Carter and V. Davis boys run wild while Pickett and Carter are named to the ACC first team.

    We have until April 7th to decide on season tickets….. at the moment I’m only at 25% go.

    Like

    1. Ike – there is a an article on recruiting that was posted on 2/15. It is located right after the GT game thread & right before Dan’s post game recap. I ran across it by chance when I scrolled to far down.

      That is why the TP article was part 2. Recruiting article was part 1.

      Like

      1. So far, Pickett has played 4 years. If he plays this year it will be 5 years, same as Tom Brady and a zillion others.

        Like

        1. 3 full seasons… games in 2017 + 1 snap vs Syracuse to burn his redshirt.
          He’s 22 yrs old.

          But lets not let facts get in the way, right Ike?

          QB is such a difficult postion to assess, with the variables of OL quality, receivers, RBs and scheme. Oh, lerts not forget play calling. He’s not really had a good OL to work behind his entire time at Pitt. Sometimes they can run block but not pass block. Then its the other way around.

          Should be interesting to see how things play out this year for him and the team. The kid is a leader and gritty. Have no idea how the team will do, but it will never be enough for some folk.

          JoeL who is also a big fan of Ike

          Like

  84. Still trying to wrap my head around why two of your best players unceremoniously leave after 3 years. I get the frustration of losing and playing during a pandemic, but another occurrence that seems unprecedented.
    Even after everything we have experienced over the last few years it seems surreal.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Especially when you consider the euphoria of Dan’s article after the Duke game, have we ever seen a greater collapse?

      Like

  86. The scary and disappointing thing from the PSN article is the confirmation that Capel does not have a SINGLE commit in the ‘21 class nor any transfers in the class. What is going on?!

    Like

    1. The Capel apologists point to the staff months ago only having one scholarship to give (Brown) before even knowing Nike’s transfer. For that reason there was no reason to put out a flood of offers to kids.

      My issue with that is the transfer rate is pretty high, so Capel should have been thinking he would have at least two offers to work with and maybe an unexpected third.

      Now that Hughley is likely gone, X and Toney definitely gone, Justin most likely and two openings (Brown, Nike) the staff has six spots to fill and not nearly enough offers out or interest from kids.

      High-end transfers won’t be boarding a burning ship, so I have no idea where these roster fillers will come from. Maybe Jeff’s buddy at Northwestern gets canned and Collins can bring three of his players? Would Pitt even want them not to mention the chances of the scenario happening are close to zero percent.

      What a mess. Another hoops mess under Gallagher.

      Like

        1. And drawing a huge salary….to get rid of Homecoming Kings and Queens. What next,
          Mister Potato Head ! Man I’m good.

          Like

    1. A 45k MPC like stade Pierre mauroy would be perfect. Retractable roof and hydraulic flooring. But heather is a dotard and the BoT is Nitter compromised. It will never happen except in my dreams.

      Like

      1. Do tell….why have you been holding this idea back, Tex?
        Does Heather know? You should talk it up here so the idea gains traction.

        Like

  89. The NBA knows that 6’8″ > 6’6″

    Like

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