Here is the full Feb 2, 2021 Sports Illustrated article copied below…
Mannie Netherly is quite happy these days, even without football.
He is a father to a five-month-old boy, has a solid job as a FedEx delivery driver and is studying to be an electrician at a Houston-area junior college. But that doesn’t mean he has no regrets about a football career that went south in a hurry.
A four-star signee with LSU in 2016, Netherly transitioned from receiver to cornerback and worked his way into the secondary rotation by the end of his second year in Baton Rouge, even recording a tackle in the Tigers’ rousing Fiesta Bowl win over UCF.
In March 2019, two months after that game, Netherly entered the NCAA transfer portal.
He never played a down of football again.
“You’re taking a big risk by putting your name in the portal,” says Netherly. “The grass is not always greener on the other side.”
Netherly is a cautionary tale of what awaits some players in the transfer portal: nothing. Because of the NCAA’s strict scholarship limitations and the latest portal surge, there are more teamless players than there are teams for them.
Hundreds of college football players find themselves stuck in portal purgatory without desirable landing spots. And there seems to be no end in sight for the latest stream of portal hoppers given sweeping new NCAA rule modernizations. The one-time transfer exception, which eliminates the one-year sit-out penalty for FBS transfers, is scheduled to pass later this spring, and athlete endorsement opportunities, often referred to as name, image and likeness, are expected to arrive by August.
While available players are on the rise, available spots are plummeting. The NCAA’s annual 25-man signing limit is reducing opportunities, and the organization’s decision to grant an extra year to athletes in light of COVID-19, while sensible, is creating a “super freshman” class that will further minimize roster spots.
In fact, as the 2021 National Signing Day approaches on Wednesday, college football recruiting stands, like the sport itself, at a seminal moment. This may be the last class of signees before a cascade of legislative changes forever alters recruiting.
Fewer high school players are expected to sign as coaches leave spots for a booming transfer market. Evaluations could grow increasingly difficult with coaches traveling far less as part of a COVID-19-inspired overhaul to the recruiting calendar. And more and more football players could see their careers die in the portal, like Netherly’s.
“Change is inevitable in college football. That’s what makes things better,” says Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck. “But we have to ask ourselves what we’re doing to make things better. We’re heading down a path where there are a lot of rules in place for reasons and you start lifting them and we’re opening a whole new can.”
Since Aug. 1, about 1,500 players have entered the transfer portal, according to a 247Sports database that tracks portal movement. That’s just 200 players shy of the total number who entered the portal all of last cycle, from Aug. 1, 2019 to July 31, 2020.
However, portal numbers can be skewed. As many as one-third of those players are walk-ons, according to an SI examination of the portal. As of last week, only 964 of the 1,500 FBS players in the portal garnered a recruiting ranking from 247Sports (a vast majority of the other 500 are walk-ons).
Of the 964, nearly 60% (558) are uncommitted and still searching for a landing spot. The 964 players are split between those transferring from the Power 5 (557 players) and those transferring from the Group of Five (407 players). In a striking statistic, of the 299 Power 5 players who have committed to a new school, 60% took a step down in level, their next destination a Group of Five or FCS school. Just one-third of Group of Five transfers stepped up to the Power 5.
There’s also a collection of portal entrants, the number of which is unknown, who have had to swallow a very difficult medicine: They’ve become walk-ons. Some, like Netherly, may soon be out of football completely.
“Right now, there are a lot of kids in the portal that are not going to find scholarships,” Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby says. “There may be twice as many people in the portal as there are places to transfer. There will be some who won’t be able to go to college if they don’t get a scholarship.”
The recent portal influx can be traced to the impending one-time transfer exception. Expecting the transfer legislation to pass in January, leagues of players rushed into the transfer portal to get a head start on a market expected to boom in the spring and summer.
Though the NCAA delayed its vote on the transfer legislation, the proposal is expected to be re-examined and adopted “no later than April,” says Shane Lyons, the West Virginia athletic director who sits on two powerful NCAA rule-making committees, the Division I Council and Football Oversight.
Officials from every walk of college sports believe players are entering the transfer portal under the impression that the one-time exception is an easy way to find immediate playing time or to elevate their situation in some way. Oftentimes, that’s not happening.
They’re receiving “bad advice,” says one Group of Five assistant coach.
“They think they enter the portal and are automatically going to have a scholarship,” Fleck says. “The portal isn’t something where you teleport magically somewhere else.”
The transfer surge is expected to continue well into next year’s cycle, not only because of the one-time transfer exception but as a result of a COVID-19-inspired rule granting each athlete an extra year of eligibility. While the seniors who return for next season do not count against a team’s 85 scholarship limit, players from all future classes do.
For instance, players who were juniors in the fall of 2020 and would normally have graduated by the 2022 season will now have the option to return as fifth- or even sixth-year seniors. They’d count against the 85. Meanwhile, some freshman classes in 2021 will be giant: 25 incoming freshmen will be coupled with roughly 25 “COVID-shirted” freshmen (true sophomores who were freshmen during 2020) for a 50-person rookie class. That leaves 35 scholarship spots for three classes.
While teams can have 85 players on scholarship each year, they can sign only 25 new players a year. The 100 signees over four years leaves a 15-player wiggle room for natural attrition. New transfer legislation and the impending COVID-shirter wave is causing unnatural attrition.
In the 2022 and 2023 recruiting cycles, coaches have one of two choices: retain their scholarship players and add fewer signees, or push out scholarship players and sign a normal class.
“The biggest challenge are these juniors who are going to be seniors [in 2022],” says Coastal Carolina coach Jamey Chadwell. “Those are going to be hard discussions.”
Players who are pushed out have one option: the transfer portal. One Sun Belt assistant coach expects as many as 500 to 1,000 more players to enter the portal by June, a ghastly large number that will almost certainly end some careers.
In light of the one-time transfer exception and COVID-shirters, high-ranking leaders in the sport believe the NCAA must loosen the annual 25-player limit on new signees, referred to in legislative terms as “initial counters.” Several conference commissioners have publicly supported the move, including Bowlsby and SEC commissioner Greg Sankey, who told SI last month “It has to change.”
“Next year, in theory, we have 50 freshmen on the roster and 85 spots,” says Troy Dannen, Tulane’s athletic director and a member of the Football Oversight Committee. “There is going to be a huge issue in 2022–23 and beyond if the 25 cap doesn’t change.”
Three proposals exist to adjust the 25-signee limit, says Lyons, but it’s unlikely that one will be adopted for this cycle. One proposal allows coaches to replace each player lost to the NFL, the transfer portal or for medical reasons, granting an unlimited number of signee spots in a one-for-one approach. Another similar proposal caps the number of replaceable signees at 10. A third proposal turns the one-year signee limit into a two-year limit, granting coaches 50 signees to be used over a two-year stretch.
Lyons and others are concerned that replacing departures with additional signee spots will “repeat history.” The 25-man limit was implemented to disincentivize the trend of coaches cutting or pushing out scholarship players in an effort to oversign high school players or transfers.
Jon Steinbrecher, commissioner of the MAC, says the 25-man limit needs a “hard look” because of the concern, from a host of college athletic administrators and coaches, that teams will not consistently fill all 85 of their scholarship spots given the transfer movement. A transfer is leaving a scholarship spot empty at his former school and is using one of the precious 25 signee spots at his new school.
“It’s going to be hard for teams to have 85 when the season starts,” says Pat Chun, Washington State’s athletic director, who sits on the D-I Council.
As it pertains to the 25-signee limit, Bowlsby has a somewhat revolutionary idea that is probably a longshot. To inject more parity in college football, the Big 12 commissioner believes the annual signee limit could vary from school to school based on that program’s past success and failures.
“If you win the Super Bowl, you have a low draft choice. So maybe in the college environment you have fewer than 25 to distribute the talent, so the rich aren’t rich all the time and the poor have a chance to build their programs up,” he says. “It’s time to think differently about how the enterprise is managed.”
There are other longshot ideas for scholarship relief. For example, the SEC has proposed that all athletes who are COVID-shirted should not be counted toward the 85. That could result in more than 100 players on scholarship on a given team for multiple years.
Bowlsby calls the move “not likely,” and most other college administrators feel like the proposal has little momentum because of the finances alone. Sure, SEC teams and others in the Power 5 can afford to fund such a large number of scholarships, but what about the little guys?
“Let’s not reduce future opportunities for people coming into the system because we had to manage through a pandemic,” Sankey says. “It’s going to cost a little money but we ought to be spending that money on student-athlete scholarships.”
ACC athletic directors have recently discussed the SEC’s proposal, examining a way to find relief for what could be a real mess in 2022, says Clemson athletic director Dan Radakovich.
“When players move up through that COVID-19 pipeline, how are they going to be counted?” he asks. “There is more to be discussed on that.”
Nearly 600 players sit in portal purgatory, hoping that coaches hold open enough signee slots to add them over the spring and summer. For that to happen, the 130 FBS programs would have to each leave open roughly five of their 25 spots after this week’s signing period. That is unlikely given the number already signed in December’s early signing period.
For example, 18 of the top 26 programs in 247Sports’s team recruiting rankings have signed at least 21 players entering this week.
But coaches do plan to adjust their recruiting approach given the transfer surge. Todd Berry, the executive director of the American Football Coaches Association, says he’s heard from coaches who are planning in the future to dedicate half of their 25-player signee spots for transfers.
That could adversely impact high school and junior college recruiting.
“I think JUCO kids are really going to get impacted,” Chadwell says. “Those are the guys you try to get immediate help from. If you need an immediate impact, now you’re portal hunting.”
Portal hunting comes at a cost. Not only does a transfer punish his own school by leaving an empty scholarship spot, but he’s using a signee spot at his new school despite, many times, not having a full four years of eligibility remaining.
For coaches, the decision is quite simple: Take an unproven player to develop over four or five years or grab an older player who may need less development but might only have one or two years of eligibility.
“When you start looking at where we’re headed with the transfer portal, there are two ways of looking at it,” Fleck says. “The first signing day is like the draft. The second part is free agency and that’s the transfer portal. You’ll see less and less people signing 25 high school kids. I can see us being 80% high school kids, because that’s what makes our program our program. We do want players who can play multiple years.”
And then there are the coaches against transfers all together, fearing character, work ethic or talent concerns.
“I hate the portal,” says one Group of Five assistant. “Some people say one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. I think it’s B.S. Those guys are leaving for a reason.”
Not everyone feels that way. In fact, Berry is concerned that college football will evolve into a tizzy of free-agent movement—the time-honored history of developing high school players eschewed for the easy route of landing transfers.
“Why would you take a high school player rather than a proven college player?” Berry asks.
Chadwell believes more college coaches have left for the NFL this offseason as a way to escape the coming tidal wave of change (one-time transfer, NIL, etc.) about to crash upon the college game. Coaches are not necessarily building programs anymore, Chadwell says, as much as they’re building year-to-year teams like the NFL.
Barry says Group of Five coaches are worried about Power 5 teams poaching their best players, and Power 5 teams are fearing that their depth will suffer as talented backups leave for starting roles elsewhere. Recruiting a player from a college team before he enters the portal is against NCAA rules, but it’s still rampant now. With transfers eligible immediately and NIL upon the sport, officials expect even more illegal recruitment.
“Say it like it is,” says one SEC assistant. “You’re going to be recruiting but recruiting your own team to stay.”
Recruiting change isn’t relegated to the transfer aspect.
The recruiting calendar itself is receiving somewhat of an overhaul, as officials take what they are calling a “holistic” view. They’ve learned lessons from the yearlong dead period during COVID-19. Maybe coaches don’t need to visit prospects so much and spend weeks at a time on the road. Virtual recruiting through Zoom was successful enough at some places that a few coaches claim they know their current signing class better than any they’ve ever signed.
In short, expect more dead periods in future recruiting calendars.
“We just can’t turn the calendar back and say, ‘We’re going back to what we were doing in the past,’ ” Radakovich says.
For now, there is the task of lifting a dead period that has stretched from mid-March 2020 and is scheduled to end in mid-April. Officials are deciding on three options, Lyons says: (1) keeping the dead period through July, (2) instituting a Quiet Period, where players can visit campus and coaches can hold on-campus camps, or (3) completely opening recruiting with a Contact Period.
“This is all dependent on the virus,” Lyons says.
In the meantime, teams continue portal hunting and players continue portal waiting. As of last week, Arizona, Western Kentucky and Utah State led the nation having each added commitments from 11 players in the portal. WKU dove into the portal to replace players who have left for, yes, the portal. The Hilltoppers currently have a nation-leading 21 players in it.
The average Power 5 program has 8.5 scholarship players in the portal while the average Group of Five squad has 6.3. Those numbers will only rise, not only because of COVID-shirters or the transfer exception rule change. There’s another reason to expect more transfers, experts say. Some members of the latest signing class, because of the pandemic, never took a visit to the campuses of the school with which they signed.
“Some of these kids are going to show up and realize they don’t like it,” says one SEC assistant coach.
And where do they go? Into the portal, of course.
Netherly knows all about that. He spent months in the portal, and while he fielded a small handful of offers, most of them were for him to play defensive back. He wanted to play receiver. Five months after he officially withdrew from LSU, the Tigers won the national championship. Netherly spent that 2019 fall at a Texas junior college while his former teammates got title rings.
He’s back in Houston now, raising his child, working toward that degree and possessing a lingering regret that he’s using to advise young portal hoppers today.
“Looking back, I probably wish I would have stayed at LSU, not just for football but to get my degree,” he says. “A lot of kids, I know they know where they are going before they put their name in the portal, but if not, you’re taking a big risk. You’re gambling on yourself. I know there aren’t 1,500 scholarships out there.”
Editor’s Note: What I haven’t read anything about yet is the ‘recruitment’ of transfer portal players. We know that CFB Head Coaches and staff (and Public Affairs in that school) cannot discuss before LOI Day who they are targeting and who they have commitments from of the HS seniors. What most fans don’t know is that because of this NCAA rule all the recruiting sites on the internet are publishing lists of recruits and commits for each school that they are, in essence, taking a guess on.
Now are HC’s going to be able to convince and recruit players on other teams to enter the portal based on promises made that the school recruiting them will automatically give them a scholarship if the do enter the portal? Who is going to hold the recruiting school’s feet to the fire if they renege after the kid leaves his old team?
This NCAA explanatory article states this “If student-athletes withdraw from the portal, the original school can return them to the roster and restore athletics aid if it chooses. The key words are “if it chooses” meaning the school will forgive the kid for wanting to leave and they will kiss and make up. Good luck with that…
I really don’t think many schools are going to welcome anyone back unless the transferring player was a star in the first place.
I believe this might change CFB in ways we have no idea can happen and it isn’t going to be good for anyone but the biggest of the Power Five schools in the long run.
See These POV articles on recruiting by our Pitt-Cocks Fan Richard:
pittpov.com 
Like everything in life, change will have intended and unintended consequences. There will be an adjustment period. Further changes. And then equilibrium will set in. It will all work out in the end. Let it all play out.
These new policies and procedures are minor compared to the seismic change that will occur once the tv contracts expire. And can’t forget the litigation and court rulings. Those things will fundamentally change the landscape.
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More chaos. If they enter The Portal……they should not be allowed to return. Who would want
them anyway. Or rephrasing, who in their right mind, would want them back.
Vacillating is never a good look. Plus the wolves will devour you !
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Excellent article, Reed! Thanks for digging it up.
Of the Pitt basketball players who entered the portal this year, I could envision Coulibaly being one who might be taken back if he desired. Certainly not likely but that is one instance where I could see both coach and player deciding a do over would be beneficial to all.
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The grass may not be greener but sometimes the grass is brown where you currently stand. If you can get more playing time, play your desired position, then go for it. Move closer to home. Get a better coach. I don’t blame the player. But there should be a limit. One transfer allowed. No questions asked. Whenever you want it. What’s so hard with that.
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But do you have to return the bag to the bag man too? Is it lighter?
Read where Hugley is still in class and working out. Looks like he was not afforded due process at all. Should have been suspended for 3-5 games and then brought back to play, pending the investigation. This will have a negative impact on Pitt recruiting if he is ultimately found to have not committed any felonies, and he leaves Pitt. If found guilty, he should be released from the team, but not sooner. Stupid Administration.
So let’s be clear. If felony, he needs to go. If no felony AD needs to go. Creating your own off court drama doesn’t work in sports and it seems that there is a lot of it around Pitt basketball. No Leadership.
Glad i didn’t have the compliance police following me around zelda’s, breaking numerous laws back in the day.
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Compliance people are no fun. I hung around future entrepreneurs, lawyers, teachers and engineers.
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Great comment. But never fear the Pitt purity police are always on patrol. Hmmm, how many administrative suspensions were there when Chryst lost his first game to YSU?
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Six. All I believe were in the two deep. Plus, Clemmings missed the game due to an injury.
Then there was Dixon not thrilled that Durand Johnson was suspended for the entire season.
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This portal stuff will end in the total destruction of the “team”. Maybe nobody cares because NCAA Basketball has become “me first”. Just like the Pros. Good luck with that!
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This is where you earn your stripes as a coach in my opinion Dan. A coach needs to promote a team concept in a sport where individuality gets you paid. That’s why Kentucky, Duke, Kansas really do well. When they can get 3 five stars and 2 four stars to play together for a brief period of time, they can do something special. When they can’t get buy-in, they are no better than above average and can be beat.
The Zags play a team game. It’s their culture. Duke too. Not so much Kentucky and Kansas.
Where’s Waldo was also found in the portal.
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I thought the nba was all about the “grass”
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Sounds like pro free agent stuff. I wonder when money will enter the picture. Is my scholarship worth more than yours. If so you owe me money from your shirt sales.
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Having the right basketball coach makes all the difference between struggling to post a winning record year after year and reaching the Final Four in year six. Yes. He’s had a run in with the NCAA but Kelvin Sampson’s hire by Houston shows good research on the part of school officials can lead to an out of the park hire.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelvin_Sampson
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K.Sampson is a proven cheater, over and over again.
Even Texas’ big money looked the other way when Pitino could have been courted.
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I notice you don’t see many if any top 20 programs on those charts. This makes me wonder how much these guys are getting paid at the big programs? As an athlete wouldn’t you rather go somewhere where you would play, rather than sit the bench. I guess those goody bags at the bowls are pretty good.
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That’s why I respect Jurkovec, not willing to wait at ND. If you are a sophomore and not playing, next year’s freshmen at these football factories could easily pass you by. Football is not much fun if you are not playing.
I also found it funny that walk-ons are entering the portal. Are they looking for another place to walk-on?
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BC is the better Catholic school anyway.
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One of the things you said I like. But I am an old Easterner.
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Im old but not that old. Very familiar with every city on the east coast given business and pleasure. Know New York State better than 99.99 percent of anyone on this forum. Traveled extensively for eight years in New York. And that’s the state. Not the City. Upstate is nothing like the City.
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A walk-on portal would be kinda cool. But isn’t that kind of the same thing as any kid usa having the ability to transfer to any school usa? That’s what started this portal in the first place….a normal student being able to transfer anyplace he or she wanted to without sitting out a year.
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They want a scholarship at any level – P5, G5, FCS & even the “true” D2. and playing time.
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I wish I could have transferred to penn state, somehow found a way to make the Nitters lose to pitt in football and then transferred back. Maybe I could have placed a enema in their gatorades. Gives new meaning to poopy pants.
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As long as you stayed out of the showers.
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Would not go near lasch Hall.
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Looks like the transfer portal is a black hole for some folks.
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and under any and every circumstance proves failures of HL, JC and Pitt
shocking news announced here on POV daily
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How much worse can it get Tommy? When your AD wears the team colors and hands out rewards to deserving PITT fans at half-time while Narduzzi refuses to shave his arm hairs and control his sweaty nature and don’t get me started on Capel’s nostrils. PITT is the laughing stock of the ACC. How embarrassing it is to be a PITT fan?
Some need to remove themselves from behind that one tree and take a look at the vast forest.
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omg, I forgot to include the PN above
they all suck and everything anyone can possibly think of is evidence of that
f’n pathetic
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and not referring to PN, HL, JC or Pitt
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If our very own T. Brown was claimed out of the portal, can it be that bad?
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I am going to give myself a big POD pat on the back because my transfer portal article covered all the salient points in the SI article. Just used ACC data.
Thanks Reed for the SI article. Confirms my research.
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POD pat on the back ….LOL!
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I feel sorry now for poking POD with a stick. He didn’t deserve it.
My original post included the phrase: But nobody remembers because I didn’t use a funny name, use childish name calling or comment on cheerful blouses.
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yeah, I’m feeling so thankful I sanitized my post removing jag off and such
embarrassing language that my preferred filterless verbiage included
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I probably did. LOL
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I predict that this will be the peak of transfer portal activity this year, and then the horrors of being left without a team will sink in to others contemplating the portal in the future. Think about it: a player enters the transfer portal, thereby ending his scholarship with his current school. He thinks he is good, but has no idea how many others are also entering the portal, or what the demand will be for his services. Most of the D1 transfers will end up at lesser conferences or with maybe no scholarship at all, since they can’t begin fielding offers until after they leave.
Not long ago, the push was to guarantee four year scholarships so that players wouldn’t get screwed if they were recruited over. Now, the plan is to let them fend for themselves, and go where they want to, even if they lose out completely on a college scholarship. This will not end well for many players, and the NCAA will probably step in to fix this rule.
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Exactly. Most coaches don’t like it. Coaches get what they want.
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Really this is overreach. Giving kids too much freedom. They are under contract aren’t they. Do a one time transfer rule. Universities have way too much invested for this to become a cluster.
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Maybe the solution is 3 or 4 year guaranteed schollies.
Sent from my iPhone
>
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That’s a good first step. Reasonable. Common sense. Protects player. And universities investment.
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Got my Pitt email about season tickets. Clemson again !@#$%^&* ACC sure throwing some more of their
love to us.
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Looks like the ACC wants usvto be the wiping post.
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I get the impression Coach Marion is scouring the country for speed and when he finds some he offers…
Be interesting to see how that works out. While speed is awesome, I hope he also finds some “hands” — like Tyler-Boyd-type hands…
Go Pitt.
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Lamont Wade was one of many that entered the portal….used it to force a conversation and agreement about future playing time….and then went back to Dairy High. The portal potty can be used as leverage to go back to your squad.
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Georgetown transfer Qudus Wahab is considering six schools: Maryland, West Virginia, Tennessee, Miami, VCU and NC State
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Broke the 1000 ‘in transit’ figure in The Portal today. Up to 1011 and he hasn’t landed anyone yet.
Haven’t counted how many are signed, but it’s a good number. Certainly the choice players are going
to go fast.
With so many spots on the roster he better get moving or he and Pitt will continue on it’s
bottom rung status in the ACC.
He seems like a good BS’er but maybe the kids are picking up on that. You can be too good
of a BS’er. Maybe he needs more stumble bum in his pitch.
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All schools with bagmen.
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The real game changer is not making these kids sit out a year and lose a year of eligibility.
That is what made them really think about whether the grass really is greener.
I don’t feel sorry for any of these guys that get stuck without a team, these decisions should have consequences. In the ACC it is now likely that a school that invests in the education and coaching of a younger player loses the benefit of that investment to one of its competitors. While Cam Johnson had good reason to go, now a kid like him can go to a better team just because he can.
Once again making it more difficult for the have nots.
Although many feel X leaving was a good thing, Toney and Coulibaly were going to be upper class men with experience and Pitt invested a lot in the three of them and won’t get any benefit. I don’t fault Brown at all, he was a senior and certainly paid his dues at Pitt.
The guys running the show have totally lost their minds.
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You got that right brother. Seems to be a common theme among those ‘running the shows’.
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More fuel to the NCAA fire – today’s (3/30) WSJ has an article about the NCAA facing a U.S. Supreme Court ruling expected in June about athletes winning pay rights – “NCAA Faces Reckoning on Pay.” Mentioned effects in the article are a bidding war for athletes and the siphoning of money from the other sports teams relying on FB and BB monies. Could lead a lot more folks hitting the transfer portal as the difference between the have and haves nots of NCAA schools widen. Wonder if Pitt will ante up to play.
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Been reporting on this for about 6 months Hobie, so I am glad you read this and advised the group. I guess that gets lost in the other stuff I write. Closing arguments in April, decision in June. In addition, various state politicians are introducing laws to expand on that because they are jock sniffers who don’t understand the repercussions of what they are proposing.
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Repercussions. Unintended consequences. When has a bureaucrat been right on anything?
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None and none. They are good at wrecking things though and getting lawyers and then the courts (which are just more lawyers) involved. They want a larger slice of the Sports Money Pie.
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Could lead to Pitt being rendered irrelevant or to play the game, secondary sports will be the sacrificial lambs.
Tex – who likes a good lamb chop.
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These kids give new meaning to “stick your nose to the grindstone.)” As a small business owner (45-50 employees)for 40 years I have personally seen a decline in the work-force in terms of commitment and loyalty as the years have passed. Probably relates to sports as well…stir in super egos/entitlement, unrealistc goals (most won’t become pros0 bad decision making/lack of strong parental guidance.. It’s been made too easy for them to declare for transfer. I bet only a handful of them know the value of the education they are being GIVEN- the rest are clueless. Really sad how NCAA DIV 1 sports has evolved as it orbits around the almighty $$$$$
Thanks for sharing that Reed.
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The blame can’t go all to these kids. There are adults giving them guidance. Kids are very impressionable. Remember those days?
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Well a lot of the so-called kids in the Portal aren’t kids at all. A lot of them are in their 20’s and more than pretty street smart, as are the late teens ones. As are their handlers, be that a parent or parents (not so much) or an AAU handler.
What they do know how to do is; take full advantage of situations when they present themselves.
Players I think the term is.
These aren’t the gee golly willkers teens of the 1950’s.
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Too many Eddie Haskells, not enough Wally Cleavers.
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Eddie – Thats a beautiful tailgate setup you have today, Mr. Farmers. My mother says you can tell the type of person by the quality of their tailgate setup.
Wally – knock it off Eddie. Geez.
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It’s hard to overlook that fact that only about 2% of college players will earn a pro contract. For the rest of them, the college degree is of life long value to take with them, and the studies show a college degree means many thousands of additional dollars in earnings made over a career. So why would a college player who can’t get playing time at his current college, or is maybe disgruntled for some reason, risk that free ride to enter the transfer portal?
Some kids are getting some very bad advice. With the NBA, there is a way to test the waters and come back to college if the skills are not there (like what Champ is doing). And with graduate transfers they already have the degree. But with the portal for young players, it’s walk out on a current scholarship in the hopes of getting another one… Very dumb!
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“Some kids are getting very bad advice” is the root problem in all this portal conversation.
Every time a player switches schools the street agent and posse gets paid off! Thus the continuing “bad” advice. It’s all about the $$
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After all……they all like being Players. And somebody or thing (Pitt) always ends up getting ‘played’,
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How much is a degree worth if you should have never been allowed into the college that gives you the degree ?
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Freshman college athletes should meet the same academic criteria as the general student body-talk about Equality- start there!!!…end of discussion….Many who want to be MD’s, dentists or engineer get weeded out every semester. Can’t make the academic cross bar- there are other options available. We need a re-set and get back to common sense. Div ! sports/costly is too costly and is has become a cancer unto itself. Too many other things to do to spend our bucks and more precious heart-beats on…just ask Reed.
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Good idea, but that genie has been let out of the bottle. They do have a re-set in mind. But it doesn’t entail common sense or same academic criteria. UC-Berkeley has forgone all usage of SAT tests or ACT test for admission purposes. And I would presume that is the entire UC system, since Berkeley is the UC flagship. Going the way of even less academic criteria, rather than more,
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The UCal System was required by court order to drop the use of the SAT and ACT as it was deemed as not a proven measure of academic success for perhaps disadvantaged individuals. Universities followed suit this year, blaming COVID as the reason kids couldn’t go to the testing sites safely.
Going forward, most schools are dropping the standardized tests as part of the requirement for entrance. Instead, universities will rely more heavily on GPA and get this, letters of reference from high school teachers and guidance counselors. Now ain’t that a funny one. Please name me one person that is going to put a negative statement in any college application about a student, even if true!!! Talk about law suits against high school administrators on both ends (i.e. they recommended me for admittance knowing i could do the work and or knowing i couldn’t). What a conundrum.
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Indeed. The courts are having a field day in the destruction of the old to make room for the ????
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Worth something to an alumnus giving you the job.
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The NCAA is calling the shots, they have shown themselves to be ineffective and impotent when controlling the structure of the college sports landscape. Something needs to change the NCAA is screwing it all up.
Hold my box!
GRRR!
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A college degree is typically required for many jobs that still provide on the job training. So the paper degree might be used to meet a minimum requirement. Coaching high school sports is an area where many schools will give the advantage to someone who has a degree. What skill set is required to teach gym class, monitor lunch and study halls and then coach Jr. High basketball?
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This cluster will be resolved. Coaches don’t like it. Players are disillusioned. There will be more changes. Sad that the stupid NCAA created this mess. More stupid than Pitts BoT regarding athletics and having some inkling of foresight. That says something right there.
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Both the NCAA and Pitt’s BoT are run with the same elements that can lead to nothing but more chaos and confusion, both in college sports and on college campuses.
And those elements guarantee the same chaos and confusion in society in general,
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Seven ACC teams. Pretty damn impressive. Maybe this year is the year for a regional. First time in 25 years.
Ps
Heather no anthracite for these unis please. I really want that P hat.
Tex – collector of hats.
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Tex – specifically for you but all can enjoy… Narduzzi’s voice for 20+ minutes (he’s on at the 4:40 mark)
https://pitt.app.box.com/s/7kmjem9mfex5wzcd7wduzs8hkfi0aqws
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Yep. At 4:46 he comes on and screws up. I think he said the F word.
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I nearly had to call an ambulance for my aneurism.
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Best pitt coach in my opinion given circumstance and situation and the hottest team in the ACC right now.
Hot as in winners of ten straight. Narduzzis never sniffed ten.
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A few points:
Pitt used to honor the full four years when giving a FB and BB player scholarships even though they were only committed legally to a one-year at a time scholarships. That has gone by the wayside.
I think this rush to the portal emphasizes the academic reality for some D1 players. That goes both ways. I read an article (can’t find it) that some players are hoping to jump from their current school to one with better academics for them to pursue. That will be the true student/athletes (and there are a lot of them folks) who look to do that.
The above means that now these FB players are in contact with other schools before the enter the portal. Not like in the old days where if a player wished to transfer he had to request his school to release him from a binding scholarship/roster spot (the school had two days to respond in writing) the the school itself would contact the receiving school.
VoR correctly states that only 2% CFB players make it to professional ball – and that means NFL draft & free agency, Canadian League, etc… I keep saying this, and readers don’t believe it I think, but the vast majority of recruit and roster players’ parents I have talked to have a very realistic take on if their kid is NFL material or not and, again, the majority know it isn’t going to happen. Thus they chose Pitt for both quality of play and academics because Pitt has one of the highest rated student/athlete Academic and Life skills programs in the country.
I will reiterate the difference in the standard and quality of recruits we have gotten under both PC and now PN as compared to DW’s. It’s no comparison actually. I haven’t heard of hardly any Pitt players recruited by our last two coaches who have gotten in legal trouble when at Pitt or after their time here. Tyler Boyd… maybe another but not nearly as many as before.
Now, unless the player leaves Pitt early to sing with an agent and/or try their hand at the draft almost all the kids get their degrees. Thus the players are not going to enter the portal from Pitt as much as they will from other universities.
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Bookser found himself in some real hot water. Lucky he didn’t kill someone.
That defensive tackle Chryst recruited from Hawaii that Narduzzi threw off the team in 2017 was a huge threat to the Pitt students.
Counting Boyd we’re tied with Wannstedt’s total from 2010.
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And herein lies the great deception.
“They think they enter the portal and are automatically going to have a scholarship,” Fleck says. “The portal isn’t something where you teleport magically somewhere else.”
Hope Capel proves a progressive. Otherwise he’s out of a job. Needs become savviest with that portal ASAP.
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See – these kids need to learn how to play Final Fantasy 14! I learned how to teleport very easily…
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Lol
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The thing with Capel is….perhaps the things that make him likable to many of us. (and many of us are over 40 or 50 or 60 or ? years old)
Would not make him that likable to an entirely different generation on so many levels.
And he’s got the aura of Duke permeating around him, but can offer in Pitt, nothing on the basketball
order that Duke did when he was recruiting for them.
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Today In my daily journey threw the 24/7 football transfer portal site, I found a first for the ACC.
Casey Washington, a 2019 Illinois recruit, entered the portal on 1/18/21, he signed and enrolled at Wake Forest 1/21/2021. Yesterday 3/29/21 he entered the portal for the second time this year.
I thought it was in error, but the Wake Forest Rivals site confirmed he reentered the portal.
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A Wake coach might have told him he needs to practice his FT shooting. And Casey didn’t like that.
This is all totally absurd. but it follows with absurdity in life in general under the p’s.
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In the last 23 hours, 63 playa’s have hit the Portal. Things are picking up. The Momentum is growing.
Including NC State’s Braxton Beverly, who naturally had his 2 best games of the season, against
Capel & Company.
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Of the 1053 up to the moment Players in the Portal. 161 have been signed already,
By the likes of Kentucky(2), Loyola-Chicago (2), Florida State, Az State, Duquesne (3), Indiana, Georgia,ISU, Louisville, Missouri, Notre Dame, Oregon State (2), Robert Morris (2), St John’s, Seton Hall, Tex A&M. St. Bonaventure, Butler, VA Tech, Wake, Washington & Wisconsin. And a whole host of lesser bball schools.
As you see, some of the better programs are taking advantage.
Crickets from Pitt. zzzzzzzz
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I hate to request this, but things are getting increasingly more worrisome with Capel and Pitt basketball. We need to get some clarity on the situation. If any POVers have contacts within the athletic administration, now would be a good time to tap those sources and find out what is going on. As Asleep at the Switch observes, we are hearing crickets and that is not a good sign…
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So today Reid was crystal balled to Pitt by a guy who is 19 for 22 on crystal balls.
The Marshall kid is a lock apparently by a guy on the Lair who seems to be connected.
Today was actually a positive day of sorts. If both predictions hold true then it will be great.
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Another crystal ball to Pitt: Nate Santos.
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That would be something…..since Pitt is real late in the game with him. Immediate PT would be the big selling point there.
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That’s because we are recruiting the old fashioned way. This is like Santa Claus cruising over misfit island. Every player in the portal is there for a reason. Some because they are better then they thought, some because they are worse then they thought, some because of a bad fit, some because they are a good fit and want a better team.
Reed, I will disagree with you to a certain degree on parents and players stating to you that their kid picked pitt because they knew they were not going pro. I think that is not true. Some parents are humble and just don’t want to be “that parent”. We all know who that parent is. That is the one that thinks little johnny is going to be all pro and do not hide there obnoxious little selves. So, the likes of Orndoff, Holtz and many others on their outside may be humble and say their kid has no chance and have taught their kid to say all the right things about being there for an education, but in reality, they really think their kid can play professionally.
Not sure this is provable. If you are playing P5 football and P5 basketball, you have already proven that you have the inner drive to be very good. There are not many gifted players ahead of you. I always flash back to the movie, Bull Durham. Meat, you just say you are happy to be here and are happy for the opportunity to show what I have. Be humble, always. I think you hear that a lot, because most parents understand that they don’t want to be that parent.
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Portal 2021 fact:
Syracuse had three players enter the basketball portal this week. Their starting PG, freshman Kadary Richmond played in the same backcourt as Femi. Kadary was a 4 star (Rivals) shooting guard out of HS and ranked in the top 100. Richmond was known as a tenacious defender in the cuse zone.
Femi is working hard to recruit Kadary to Pitt.
https://n.rivals.com/content/prospects/2020/kadary-richmond-234142#school-interests
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Many more reasons for the misfits in addition to what i quickly jotted down.
Most teams use the portal potty for one or maybe two pick-ups. Pitt needs 5 at least, maybe more. Capel can’t even answer a recruit honestly as to whether Hugley is coming back. We look stupid. If the flippin head coach can’t answer, who can??? I would not get overly excited if we sign 2-3 players this next week. They all have baggage of some sort.
Would be good if Pitt could honestly say that Collier, Odukale, Hugley, Jeffress, Champ and Amadusun are returning. That is a good starting point for a rebuild without portal players. I don’t like the portal because they bring their own issues to deal with. I prefer a head coach that can lead and shape a kid, not put humpty dumpty back together again.
Instead, we do not know if Champ is in or out. This too, cannot help recruiting. How do you discuss potential playing time for a potential small forward with champ on the fence? This stuff matters. My disappointment also continues with respect to communication around Hugley for sure…..for the same recruiting questions that arent being answered there either. Stupid!
Did anyone know that Ron Ramon is back at Pitt? Chawntez Moss is back in the portal too, which gets back to my point about inheriting issues.
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It appears to be a ‘crap shoot’, with playas coming out of HS or JUCO or the ultimate Portal PLAYAS.
Not much stability or known entities in Bizarro World. the one constant is continual chaos
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I did know that Ronald Ramon was on the Pitt BB staff. The guy Pitt needs to snag from the portal is Earl Timberlake. Anyone know if he and Champ could play together – same size and skill sets – could they co-exist?
Need a big guy regardless if Hugley returns next season.
Timme for the Zags is really good – hustles, anticipates well and an accurate shooter.
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Timberlake plays the 2….a position that is overloaded now. Of course i’d take him anyway, since he probably will be better than Horton and Sibande, plus he has lots of eligibility left.
Plus if the Marshall kid rumor is true, that also means Femi would be playing some 2.
Yes more bigs are needed since current ones are all big question marks.
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The House is rolling at halftime. Up 19 over what was…a red hot USC team that hasn’t been blown out like this all season.
Of their previous 7 losses, worse loss was by 10.
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You are talking about my Wife’s country!!! Spokane is were her family lives. They are Gonzaga, Eastern, and WSU people. Love them all.
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Yea it’s amazing what Gonzaga has done. Prior to 1998, they had only been to the NCAA’s a grand total of once in 1995. Since 1998-99 season, the Zags have been to the Dance each and every year it was
held.
Saint Luigi Gonzaga…..the patron saint of epidemic infected.
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I think coaches should recruit the portal like recruiting high school. Do the research, talk to people. There is film on these players that can tell you how competitive they are and if they are team players. If they have attitude issues it will be known. We’ll see who ultimately signs X Man, for example. There are no secrets..
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Neither Michigan or UCLA looks all that special to me. I wouldn’t expect either of these teams in the championship game.
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Coach-speak is Coach-speak, but I found two Duzzer comments of interest.
One was that RB Izzy Ibanakanda was doing better at pass-blocking and had hit some holes. Pass-blocking problems seems to be the popular reason for keeping freshmen, and sometimes Sophs, on the bench. We shall see…
Another comment was the mentioning of freshman TE Bartholomew. Duzz said he can run and is physical. Did we finally find a TE who can work his way into contributing??
Go Pitt.
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Krull who? As previously noted.
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I’m not giving up on a guy who is 6-6 and can run, and who has a chance to make tons of money if he just catches some passes…
Go Pitt.
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He’s got the 6-6 thing down.
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UCLA excellent defense
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What a pleasure it has been to watch Gonzaga. Pass, pass, pass. All teamwork, no egos. No showboating. No trash talking.
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Packer and Durham this AM discussing “Who is the founding father of Pitt Athletics?”
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Jock Sutherland.
“Who is the Jack the Ripper” of Pitt athletics? Chancellor Bowman.
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The first name they noted was Pop Warner.
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Jock was Pops disciple I believe.
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The Destroyers of Pitt Athletics were the Killer B’s back in the 80’s.
The Destroyer of Pitt football was Cornhole.
The Rescuer of Pitt football was Walt.
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After reading ‘Golden Panthers’ I look at Dean Billick completely different. He should not be lumped in with Ed Bozik AT ALL. Bozik was a clown while Dean came off as a true Pitt man. He just had no authority to override the dullards who comprised the BoT and decided to let Sherrill walk.
Sure Billick overscheduled in football, especially in the in late 80s having Pitt play both Miami and ND in the same season. If he constructed the 1990 schedule then shame on him as well.
The huge killer of Pitt football was the man who helped turn it around with the hiring of Majors: Posvar.
Sherrill wanted the hierarchy to Posvar – Cas as A.D. and Jackie himself as the assistant A.D. and running football. Sherrill gave Wesley a list of demands that went unanswered in New Orleans the week of the Sugar Bowl when he saw that Cas was being pushed out for the aforementioned bozo, Bozik. The dude in compliance who also called Sherrill screaming about $400 spent on sandwiches for the team on its boat excursion was enough for him to start thinking of planning his exit strategy.
I guess the chancellor was sick of being really good and rolled the dice that Foge could keep it humming while not making any demands. Great plan by a man who graduated top of his class at West point.
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Posvar did allow that climate. Bozik was a former army bud of his?
But yes bozik knew nothing of sports particularly football and had no business sense.
That culture of being risk adverse with a compliance slant persists to this day.
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The four should not be allowed back on campus although I think most are already dead.
The one should be given a statue and immortalized.
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Got the final four teams but earlier mistakes kill all chances. Agreed kids should stay in Indianapolis. UCLA chances seem very small but …
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Bozik was an Air Force colonel. Not all military men make great leaders.
https://www.utimes.pitt.edu/archives/?p=4082
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Looks like the Marshall transfer who Pitt was in a good spot with was just convinced by Chris Mack to head to Louisville. Another miss. This staff cannot land anyone.
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Maybe they have all resigned but Pitt isn’t letting anyone know about it yet. Pitt bought the entire staff out. Secrecy clause. Pitt targeting some philly high school coach.
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The insider from the lair doesn’t appear to be a good insider. If he is an insider, that means he is a 4 or a 5. Capel ust needs to sign the insider, now! We need bigs, not biggie smalls.
Didn’t we have a Biggs back in the day?
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Yes.
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Posvar was a Rhodes Scholar, Air Force General, Vietnam War fighter pilot, had a Masters and a PhD and was a White House counselor…and a Chancellor for 24 years who turned Pitt around financially and academically.
And he brought a national championship to Pitt when no one ever thought, no one, that would happen again – and hasn’t since.
But sure, He ‘killed Pitt football”.
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Don’t forget football hasn’t been the same since he let Sherrill walk and went cheap with football
You can destroy what you built, and he sure did. Fired Mike and hired Hackett, too. As for academics, well no one gets a Saturday fix off of that so pointless in a football discussion.
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Very true.
Posvar may not have directly killed it but he hired the bozo that eliminated elite from pitt football and allowed a climate and culture to exist that pushed sports down and relegated it. That mindset exists to this day. It’s also part of the mans legacy. He gets my credit and scorn.
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Give us the Kevin Durant version of what you think. 🤠
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PFF has ranked the CFB Top Ten returning players by position just now – no Pitt players on it but Coastal Carolina had two, and Appalachian State, Marshall, Memphis and Cincy made the lists. Oy Vey…
Rashard wheeler was also named the #10 DL player in the upcoming NFL draft – he was a good one!
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Weaver?
You guys are jumping the shark discussing who ruined this or that. Ruined? Paranoid much.
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Pitt football hasn’t been the same since bozik. Posvar hired him.
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Not being the same and ruined/killed are not the same thing. Plus, I believe that PITT athletics is on a definite upswing generally speaking.
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You and I can disagree Ike…like usual. 🤠.
Tex – Yin.
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It absolutely sucks to be a student at Pitt this year
https://triblive.com/news/education-classroom/pitt-increases-restrictions-shelter-in-place-amid-covid-surge/
Probably also means the spring game is cancelled
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And the O shut down 😦
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That really sucks. No Peters. No Calicos. No Zelda’s. At least Winners is still around for some Red Bull liquor. Is CJ’s around? Oakland’s not the Oakland I used to know.
Tex – who lived in the Towers and on North Craig…down from chiefs and the Luna. With Mitchell’s a block down. Good times.
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CJ’s is a Dunkin Donuts now. Adds a lot of charm to the campus….don’t ya think. A Dunkin Donuts, lol.
Yes have traversed and stumbled along Centre Ave on the old circuit of Haddon Hall, Mitchell’s, Luna and
Thirsty’s. many a time.
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Weaver…thanks
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Majors – i have found over PN’s time here that the positions fans and media complain about the most (lately TEs) over the off season is the positions he talks most about in Spring ball.
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Another Portal Playa….Cape & Clowns were after per PSN….. 6’8″ Greg Gantt of Providence. Signed
with NC State today.
And PSN has the PG from Marshall, who was supposed to be so impressed with Capel & Clowns.
Well he signed with Louisville.
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Marshall transfer to Louisville////Hey, I wanna play in the ACC///Why would I play in last place in the same league. Yepper, I think we have the second coming of a Stallings Season as a possibility for next year/
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Whats also more than discouraging is; Capel & Clowns knew before most other coaching staffs, that they would be needing additional players next season. With what X & Toney leaving before the season was even over.
Even with the Head Start, they have netted a Goose Egg so far.
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That’s because they aren’t employed by Pitt anymore. That’s the reason for the silence and inactivity.
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But there are Easter Eggs for the taking this weekend. 🐣
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That’s a pretty damn good conspiracy theory don’t you think?
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It would be better, if somehow it was true. And Rick Pitino was going to be announced as next Pitt HC.
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He’s coming to Texas
Kevin Durant approves. When he’s not in a twitter fight.
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Wesley had the bushiest eyebrows I’ve ever seen, and the students used to chant “Wesley’s eyebrows” when he would walk through the crowd. Maybe some of you old timers like me also remember this. But I digress… the point I wanted to make is that the common thread going back 50 years is that Pitt has had some success, but also made many mistakes in hiring ADs.
Cas Myslinski brought in Majors and eventually left when Sherrill was the coach (that’s a pretty good tenure!). After Cas, Bozik was an administrator who was Wesley’s pal who really wanted to win (although he raised academics) but the university soon got in trouble for NCAA violations via the Golden Panthers (probably occurred under the previous regime). Oval Jaynes walked into the job in 1991 with Pitt having budget and NCAA problems, and Pitt athletics was a bust after the Bozik years, and then came Pederson.
I do give Pederson some credit for hiring Walt Harris and Ben Howland. Those were good choices. But he finally yielded to pressure to move Pitt football to Heinz field. This was not a new idea as previous administrations wanted Pitt football to move to Three Rivers Stadium, but they had resisted the pressure.
Pitt had success under Cas and Bozik, but the problems Jaynes inherited were huge, and he soon bailed out. They brought Pederson back after Jeff Long left because he was a known quantity. We saw what happened when Pitt brought outsiders like Barnes and Jeff Long in. They skipped out for lesser positions, which made it harder to find a top AD. More recently, Heather was considered an exception who could grow at Pitt and stay for a while. Time will tell…
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Think I read somewhere, where Posvar and Bozik were old Air Force buddies.
Bozik let Jackie S walk and then hired Foge and that was that. The rest is our history
of either mediocrity or futility.
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Wasn’t there a fan on one of the Pitt sites who used the name “Wesley’s Eyebrows?”
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You do not want to know what I heard about Capel today. Word is we will know Monday after Easter his status as Pitt HC. Disaster impending.
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Heather & Co. promoted his brother to HC and the rest of the Clowns get to stay to ?
And Pitt has decided not to have fans next year at basketball games. (cause nobody was coming anyway) Coy, very coy these people are.
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I want to know.
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Might explain a lot… if true.
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What needs to happen- and I doubt it ever will- in order for college basketball and football to return to some semblence of what we here at the POV would call normalcy is this: The NBA and NFL need to follow MLB and the NHL. Have an amatuer draft and minor leagues. The elite talent would get drafted and developed in that way and the remaining talent would become the college student-athletes that we imagine ourselves rooting for.
Obviously, neither league would be willing to give up their free minor league systems that we call the NCAA. My statements just made have a strong lean towards the NFL. I am fully aware that the NBA has a developement league, has drafted players straight from high-school, and an option also exists for players to play overseas- nonetheless, the one and done players seem to be the path most likely taken. I am also aware that there was a recent proposal by some entity to start a league strictly with high-school players that would pay them between 60 and 100 thousand dollars to play. We’ll see where that goes.
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That’s called AAU………
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Broke the 1100 ‘in transit’ figure for The Portal, Pretty heavy influx today.
So far Capel & Clowns are 0 for 1102. Over 220 are already signed and many by far
better basketball programs than us.
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I believe that Sherrill left in 1981, and Bozik didn’t become Athletics Director until 1982. So he didn’t cause Jackie to leave. Jackie wanted to be Assistant AD in charge of football, and I think he made a power play during the period between ADs, which didn’t work out. And isnore99, Louisville just lost 3 players to the transfer portal, so things cant be so rosy there… This Marshall kid may not know what he is walking into.
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While Bozik wasn’t AD, he was Vice Chancellor and was pulling the strings from behind the curtain.
And with his AF pal Uncle Wesley’s ok, made himself AD.
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Cas was being pushed out by 1981. Bozik was the one pounding on the door to the locker room after the Sugar Bowl win. He was in control by then with all but an announcement needed stating that he was officially the A.D.
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I’m ok losing the Marshall PG cause there are better options such as Kadary Richmond from cuse who was Femi’s backcourt teammate before college.
Anyone want to add to my list? Someone said yesterday that Earl Timberlake from Miami is actually a shooting guard. And how about Pittsburgh native Nelly Cummings from Colgate?
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Agree about the Marshall PG, but at this point we need some bodies and again he didnt close him.
Now it won’t mean much if we got Richmond, but what if we don’t.
Timberlake is another guy who is a tweener, being 6’5″ or 6’6″. So he could either play SF or SG.
Cummings is only 6’0″ so one would think he’s gotta play PG in the ACC.
Take a look at what dan72 posted above.
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Speaking of Posvar – West Point has named him one of the top 180 graduates of the Academy for leadership qualities. For any travelers – West Point has a beautiful hotel on its campus – The Thayer Hotel.
https://www.thethayerhotel.com/
Gen MacArthur’s mother lived in when it was called the West Point Hotel the whole four years he was in attendance at the academy…talk about a mama’s boy. That hotel was expanded and renamed the Thayer in 1926.
But I digress. The Thayer Hotel has a room dedicated to Wes Posvar. That room was ‘dedicated’ (sponsored) by Pitt in recognition of service to the university and the city.
https://www.thethayerhotel.com/posvar.html
If you ever have a chance to travel up north to see an Army home football game in the fall do so and stay at the Thayer. It has been one of the greatest experiences I have had – the whole weekend was amazing travelling through the Hudson Valley – great for history buffs also.
When my wife and I lived in NYC we kind of made that our 2nd home (when we could afford to travel).
I look at Posvar’s life and contribution to America then at the guy we have now and just wonder where Pitt is headed in the future…
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Uncle Wesley was a Rhodes Scholar, first USAF officer to be one. And Number 1 in his class at
West Point. So those two things probably got him the room at The Thayer. So he was Army Air Corps
which morphed into the USAF when the USAF was formed, post WW2, for those that are perplexed as
to how a USAF officer (and a General at that) went to West Point.
He married a NY Metropolitan Opera star, Millie Miller. So he was well connected to NYC as well.
Basically Posvar was a Giant of a Man. Wonder why he let Pitt football slide from the Top(’76) into the
abyss(’91). Or were there some other people even pulling his strings.
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Thanks Reed…that is awesome. Didn’t know all that about Posvar.
What amazing accomplishments.
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Reed — went to a football game at West Point when Army played, of all teams, Rice. My son played in Rice’s MOB Band, so it was a chance for us to see him.
Not sure how they schedule now, but Rice used to play a football game in the Northeast every season…
I second your recommendation — we had a good experience visiting West Point. 👍
Go Pitt.
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Traveled to NYC then bussed to West Point with fellow Pitt cheerleaders in that magical 1973 season. Still remember the scenery, Michie Stadium, and the win that day that put us in the Fiesta Bowl.
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Did Duquesne make a better basketball hire than Pitt? Record suggests they did.
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Dan, it can only mean about a hundred different things.
Did Felton Capel enter the Portal?
Did Felton pull a Gottfired?
Did he get another 3 year extension?
Did he sign a 2021 high school recruit?
Did he get caught wearing a blouse?
Did he promote his brother to Head Coach in Waiting?
Maybe Easter is a hint and he continued the recruiting class signings with a goose egg?
Did he change the equality wording on the back of the team jerseys, to help wanted?
Is he the new AD and the old AD is the Basketball Coach?
It’s an April Fools joke and there is no change and we signed 8 players, all guards.
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I forgot about April Fools
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Pitino to Texas
Little Ricky…
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My early April Fools joke on our buddy, Tex
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But Chris beard is now their coach. Homerun hire. I’m glad Texas didn’t go with the immoral and unethical scumbag.
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Let’s see….impending disaster could mean.
They’re bringing back Rockports to assist Capel & his clowns. Another former loser HC being added to
the existing clown staff.
I’d have to change my name then 😦
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Some change their names here more often than I change my socks…😎
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Fran, in regards to the “quick change artists” beware of masked POVerts showing up at Red5A !!!!! Hidden identities.,,,,takes me back to my “Lone Ranger” days…
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How often do you change your socks?
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I’m a sandals guy
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How bout PITTino to PITT….. couldn’t be worse…
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From my booster friends, the reason for the pitt basketball silence is because Capel is headed back to Duke. Coach K reached out to him and made him an offer he couldn’t refuse. It was supposedly a tough decision for Capel but the couilibay transfer and recent evaluations by nba insiders on Champ, convinced him that returning to Duke was his best career move.
So come Monday, pitt will put out a statement saying that Capel effectively resigned. No buyout monies needed. A clean and amicable break.
The thinking at Pitt is that they’ll probably see nearly the entire team transfer out once the news breaks. The program has imploded for the second time in four years. As a result, they (Pitt administration) are at least savvy enough to know that no respectable coach wants to walk into this mess. A team full of transfers and no returning starters.
Their approach will be to hire a temporary coach for 2021. They plan to bring a coach out of retirement to stabilize the program and ensure a smooth transition with the next full time coach.
Again the thinking is a full year of searching and vetting of a new coach will prove to be effective at getting someone who is a better fit at Pitt than Capel and a coach that can be successful without having to recruit top 75 talent.
The money will be there and most likely the offer will be above market to entice qualified candidates and open the applicant pool. We’re talking $4 million base salary plus incentives.
From what I’m told, Capel is now much happier after having made his decision to return to Duke. Pitt is extremely disappointed and frustrated but it appears they have a solid plan in place to deal with a really unfortunate situation.
Well that’s all I’ve got for now. There were some other things I was told but can’t say due to privacy and legal stuff. Things that made me roll my eyes and say ‘only at Pitt.’ Further validates my belief that the people in charge of Pitt athletics are buffoons and Pitt basketball has the worst luck.
Well best wishes to Capel at Duke. Don’t know if he’s coach in waiting over there. I just know that Coach K’s offer was real generous. Pitt may not win a ACC game next year. Dumpster fire 2.0 here we come. BTW- my insiders did confirm at least one of my five candidates on my list is being considered.
Tex
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Good April fools joke.
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There’s enough truth in that to be a real good conspiracy theory. If I didn’t know I wrote that, I’d buy into that 100 percent. 🤠
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You almost had me, Tex. But when I read that Pitt had a solid plan in place to deal with the situation, I knew it had to be an April fools prank.
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😂
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Now that’s funny!
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Read that today…. nibbled on the hook. Wasn’t fully set, but enough for a cut lip. Damn you, Tex. haha.
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Never a dull moment at Pitt. Most conspiracy theories stick because these things actually do happen at Pitt. Funny yet sad. But again, never dull. Can’t wait to hear what news breaks Monday. I’m still hoping it’s news about an OCS. 🤠
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Tex, saying that one of your five coaches is being considered….do you mean for the interim gig, or as the permanent coach in 2022? Knowing Pitt, if your scenario is accurate, they won’t start looking for their next coach until after the 2021 season is over and all the larger programs have hired their replacements.
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Sorry, after rereading your post, Tex, I think I got my answer.
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From The GUARDIAN:
“The US supreme court on Wednesday seemed ready to give college athletes a win in a dispute with their governing body, the NCAA.
With the March Madness basketball tournament in its final stages, the court heard arguments in a case about how colleges can reward athletes who play basketball and football in Division I, the highest level of college sports. Under current NCAA rules, students cannot be paid, and the scholarship money colleges can offer is capped at the cost of attending the school. The NCAA defends its rules as necessary to preserve the amateur nature of college sports.
‘I signed my life to rich white guys’: athletes on the racial dynamics of college sports
Read more
But the former athletes who brought the case, including former West Virginia football player Shawne Alston, say the NCAA’s rules are unfair and violate federal antitrust law designed to promote competition.
The outcome will help determine how college athletes are compensated and whether schools can offer tens of thousands of dollars in education benefits for things such as postgraduate scholarships, tutoring, study abroad opportunities and vocational school payments.
During an hour and a half of arguments both liberal and conservative justices sounded sympathetic to students.
Justice Elena Kagan suggested that what was going on sounded a lot like price fixing. “Schools that are naturally competitors … have all gotten together in an organization,” she said, and used their power to “fix athletic salaries at extremely low levels.”
Justice Brett Kavanaugh agreed. He told a lawyer for the NCAA that “it does seem … schools are conspiring with competitors … to pay no salaries for the workers who are making the schools billions of dollars on the theory that consumers want the schools to pay their workers nothing.” Kavanaugh said that was “somewhat disturbing.”
A ruling for the former players would not necessarily mean an immediate infusion of cash to current college athletes. It would mean that the NCAA could not bar schools from sweetening their offers to Division I basketball and football athletes with additional education-related benefits. Individual athletic conferences could still set limits.
Still, if the athletes were to win, there would be pressure on schools to offer additional benefits, and that could create bidding wars for the best players. The NCAA says that could turn off fans and erase the distinction between professional and college sports.
Whatever happens at the high court, changes seem on the way for how college athletes are compensated.
The NCAA is in the process of trying to amend its rules to allow athletes to profit from their names, images and likenesses. That would allow athletes to earn money for things like sponsorship deals, online endorsement and personal appearances. For some athletes, those amounts could dwarf any education-related benefits.
The former college athletes have some big-time supporters. The players associations of the NFL, NBA and WNBA all urged the justices to side with the ex-athletes, as did the Biden administration. So far, the former players have won every round of the case.
A decision in the case is expected before the end of June, when the high court traditionally breaks for summer.”
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This will change the landscape for sure. Much less money for the secondary sports, so schools will have to find an alternative way to finance them. Title 9 will still be a factor.
Developing a salary structure will be very interesting. Will schools develop an NFL structure to maintain a level playing field or MLB type which will continue the have/have not scenario? Fund raising becomes much more of a factor. I see many more schools going D-2 rather than dealing with the added administrative effort.
Tuition, Room and Board added into compensation packages, kids will be paying taxes on all all this income.
Bars and Restaurants with a windfall. Car dealerships too. Potential players unions. It boggles the mind.
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Well well
They demand pay. Meritocracy for the best players, but want special standards for getting and staying in college.
Let them get paid by the NFL to play for 1,100 fans for 2,500 hundred a game in Altoona.
or
Go to school on merit and play football.
same for everybody
fair share I might say
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How in the heck does a DB that was good enough to get recruited/play a little bit for LSU not get an offer from the have not’s of D1 college football in the portal? The kid probably could have started for Pitt and 70 other schools. He could have been the next Joe Burrow.
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Little more to the story. Finally found this article:
https://247sports.com/LongFormArticle/Texas-AM-decommits-2017-Tate-Martell-Travis-Etienne-Mannie-Netherly-Creed-Humphrey-Tyree-Owens-142691235/
He was a Texas A&M commit for 2017 before flipping to LSU as a WR. He played in 1 game in 2017 (lost his red shirt. Played in 11 games in 2018 as a CB with a total of 3 tackles. (looks like a lot of special team time). This is where above link comes into play. According to article, entered portal in March but supposedly withdrew from portal. But when LSU’s fall 2019 season roster came out, he was not on roster. Link article says he reentered portal.
He is in the 24/7 2020 transfer portal so he did enter TP after 8/1/2019.
Not a great time to enter portal at beginning of fall preseason. Most team rosters are set. He did enroll at San Jacinto C.C. in fall of 2019. but they don’t have a football team. Just an all around set of bad decisions by that young man.
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Certain colleges will become a minor league farm system for the nfl. That’s what I’ve been saying
Wait until 2027. You’ll have a 30-40 school conference. The nfl might even subsidize it to some extent providing staff, technology, guidance, etc
Athletes will get paid. Don’t have to attend class. But the brand will be the schools name. They already have a built in fanbase. Plus facilities.
New tv contexts will provide the schools with $100 million each year. Plenty left over after paying out minor league salaries of $100k for 65 players.
That’s no April fools joke
Pitt will have the true scholar athletes and will be in an eastern conference that will be led by them, BC and Syracuse. Rutgers and Maryland will get invites. It builds from there.
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Would love to see that happen. would be honored to be in a student athlete league. Hope the new league follows service academy standards.
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Same here. The playing field would be level. Little incentive to cheat. Schools with similar mission statements. But that conference check might only be $20 million per year. The northeast would have one of the better deals though given the large tv markets. However, Unless pitt and other schools find ways to address the funding shortfall, some secondary sports would be cut. Now granted, schools won’t be paying coaches $3 million anymore. Your coaching candidates will clock in around $1.5 million.
Pitt doesn’t get many four stars and elite athletes to begin with.
Now there will have to be strict transfer rules because you know the Alabama’s are going to poach some schools where a three star is performing like a five star. Compensation to the school will be needed.
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Richman – what you are doing for your friends is awesome. Best wishes to you guys.
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Sorry for the delayed response Ziffel..
I was changing my socks.
Would not be surprised if some of Tex’s post above is true.
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I assume this will also affect basketball, much easier to manage because of the size of teams, many more will be able to compete. Question on how this will affect “all sports conferences.”
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These guys aren’t playing for “nothing” total BS. I had to earn every dime of my degree. Tre Tipton going on 7 years of scholarship money. I think remember receiving a solicitation flier from PITT stating a cost 0f $72,000 a year for player. They feel entitled…bunch of self-centered #$%!s.That’s a big problem in today’s society. Need money-get a job. Need discipline-join the military. Good thing about getting old- ya don’t have a lot longer to watch the deterioration of the game…..and in the big scheme of things “it’s only a game.”
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Those players then need that $72k to be taxable. Have them owe the IRS a $15k tax bill each year. Let’s see how they like that.
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I don’t see why the NFL can’t run things like MLB (as far as the draft). Kids can be signed out of high school or after college. NFL developmental leagues can be formed similar to the MLB minor league system. If a player opts for college, a two year commitment would be required. The answer to the problem of paying players is to not do it. Return it to a real college game where all schools could compete on a level playing field, and let the players decide whether to sign with the NFL or play college ball. I don’t get why the richest professional league gets off so easy by using college football as their minor league system.
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Colleges have a built in fanbase and the facilities.
The nfl will do whatever they can to allow colleges to own the brand and the product. Colleges reap the tv contract money, ticket revenues and merchandise. Boosters can still donate. The nfl provides some non monetary assistance. Players get paid. Nfl with little to no financial outlays to support this feeder system. Everyone wins and is happy.
Schools like pitt have a different model. Scholar athlete. Most will graduate. Earn degrees and get real jobs. Some might get drafted. Level playing field. Good competition. Historical big east rivals renewed.
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Couple scary numbers from a PG article:
In the most recent available numbers, in 2018-2019, Pitt spent 11 million bucks on men’s basketball and almost 6 million bucks on women’s basketball.
PSU spent over 7 million on men’s BB and over 6 million on women’s BB… Duquesne was at $5.6 million and $2.4 million…
Go Pitt.
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Pitt lost millions in revenues this year given covid. Will lose millions more next year with an empty Pete. Pitt conducting a cost – benefit analysis of Capel now.
Does reduced revenues from lower ticket sales, merchandise and donations outweigh the cost of a buyout.
And of course the irreparable brand damage of having your second dumpster fire in less than four years.
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Under Suzie, pitt lost around $4 million one year I recall. Pitt doesn’t report these bad numbers anymore. Just like they don’t post the bios on BoT members. And of course they have ceased to even comment about how much money they take from the general fund each year to balance the books. Transparency and accountability are dirty words at Pitt.
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On this first day of April I received a copy of our AD’s 2021-22 Performance Plan. Our AD went to Gallagher and offered to show progress next year by:
Demanding Accountability of Capel. Requiring him to win at least 6 games next season, or risk getting extended;
Increasing attendance numbers by at least 100 paying customers per game over covid year numbers;
Increasing portal entries from 5 to 6 next year in basketball;
Approving players “stay bonuses” each month they stay with the program to reduce in-season dropouts;
Introducing a truly innovative game to game scholarship offering for athlete students, replacing the 1-4 yr deal;
Changing the highly ineffective social message displayed on the uniforms, with basic math problems in order to confuse their opponents and secure early leads;
Changing said uniforms at half time to further confuse the opposition. This checks the boxes for coaches halftime adjustments.
Laying off one compliance person because that person has no players left to calculate the graduation rate for the team;
Securing a 12th year of eligibility for all players that said good things about Nardstop;
Being appointed to the NCAA Portal Committee to study why so many athlete students indicated they wanted to attend a place for a quality education…yet changed their minds and never mentioned quality education again;
Promising the koolaiders that the next 35 years will really be championship filled years if they chip in and get her extended another 30 years. Koolaiders, desperate for a winning program based on words, likeability and no action to back it up, raise the money.
Before signing, Gallagher copies the Performance Plan, changes the names and the Board approves his Performance Plan for the year.
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LOL….Hysterical. In our Pitt world of dark comedy,
You would be one of our screenwriters for sure Little oinker.
Loved the uniform bit and tying that into halftime adjustments. It’s all rather silly.
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I could actually see that happening. Sad to say.
Pitt is one dark comedy.
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Snorted a few good points in there Arnold Zif…OINK OINK
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Smartest pig i know…
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Saw this posted on the Lair. Pretty darn impressive…
US News (Americas Best Graduate Schools)-Medical Schools (Research) Rankings 2022.
ACC vs B1G Medical Schools (Research):
3 Duke University
13 University of Pittsburgh
15 University of Michigan
15 Northwestern University
17 University of Chicago
24 University of North Carolina
27 University of Maryland
31 University of Virginia
33 Ohio State University
33 University of Wisconsin
39 University of Iowa
42 Indiana University
42 University of Minnesota
45 University of Miami
48 Wake Forest University
54 University of Nebraska
55 University of Illinois
66 Rutgers NJ Medical School (Newark)
70 Rutgers, Robert Wood Johnson (NB)
75 University of Louisville
83 Virginia Tech
93-123 Florida State University
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The university side of pitt got divorced from the medical side of pitt almost to the point that they are now completely singular. Stated differently, UPMC is a separate entity and as such, spends hundreds of millions building robert morris buildings and duquesne buildings, while the university whose name it shares, can’t build a stadium. UPMC prints money. Pitt does not.
If Pitt ever had a LEADER, it would bring both together and form a juggernaut that not even Dairy High could compete with. In the region, OSU would be its only competitor in academic research, athletic prowess and national reputation. Pitt is missing the boat every year. The sad news is that there are only a few here that actually have the vision to make it happen. Everyone else talks like we have the reputation now, even tho we just don’t.
Usually, divorces are so expensive because they are worth it. Not in this case. STUPID BoT. STUPIDER Administration. Yes, I used the non-word stupider because it applies. Pitt will get a leader that leads, when pigs fly.
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I believe UPMC is just the hospital system and the medical school is still run by Pitt. Medical School uses UPMC facilities. I could be wrong though.
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University of Chicago is a Div 3 school. Not in the BIG.
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So, if the Supreme Court rules that athletes are under compensated, will Pitt ask me to contribute more to Paris Ford, Jaylen Twyman and the rest of the team who voted to forego a bowl game because they were tired of the whole COVID routine?
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As well as to contribute more for players to just walk off the team during the season. Ala Ford, X & Toney.
And if they pull these stunts under this new compensation agreement, will they be forced to PAYBACK previous monies paid to them.
Pitt will have to hire a Loan Shark collector type named Vinny.
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What is fair compensation. Football pays the bills. Few schools make a profit. Who wants to be that football player that brags that he gets paid by Pitt $50k and the women’s soccer team gets cut to pay for his new car.
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The FB player could care less about the female soccer player because “it’s all about me.” Wonder when/if we will get a Supreme Court opinion on the dude who thinks he’s a girl and wants to play on the ladies soccer team. On what side does the NCAA come down on this insanity and absurdity…think Jimmy Buffett had some lyrics “staying in touch with my insantity” in a song. Drives me nuts…Looks like sports, politics and discussion are becoming inseparable…don’t blame me
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Did Texas just hire Chris Beard, former Texas tech coach and Texas alumnus.
Did Roy Williams just retire from North Carolina?
And did Capel just resign to go back to Duke?
Which one of these is the joke?
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Do you really think Duke would want Capel?? He’s pretty much shown that he can’t win consistantly — at 3 schools!
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Coach K needs Capels connections and recruiting ability. He was the good cop. Coach K needs a good cop. That’s why Coach K thinks Duke failed this year. Capel makes that Duke bbq taste good. He was that secret or missing ingredient. In Pittsburgh, the Capel ingredient doesn’t work with pierogies. Bbq yes. Slavic food – no.
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Exactly what is, the reason for Capel’s discontent? He came in as the ace recruiter, and his first class should have been special to him. He dealt with COVID, but so did everyone else. He is making good money to run his own program. If he goes back as an assistant, his head coaching days are over unless he coaches a high school team. I just don’t get what the issue is. He can solve this thing by going back to his supposed strength, recruiting more players.
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But.
He might not just be an assistant. Could be coach in waiting when Coach K retires in two to three years. That’s the offer he couldnt refuse.
Chalk up Pitt to being a bad fit, poor administration support (he’ll privately use that excuse), covid year, ref bias, bad luck, you name it.
Interested in Dans sources since mine are just figments of imagination. April fools allows your creativity inside to run wild.
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And I fell for it hook, line and sinker….forgot the date, lol.
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Thank you for falling for it. I knew I’d get someone. I tried to make it as believeable as possible. But there were a few ‘tells’. Like Pitt having a ‘solid plan’. 🤠
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Please see downloadable video link from today’s media interview session featuring the following members of the Pitt football program:
Wide Receiver Jordan Addison
Linebacker Wendell Davis
https://pitt.box.com/s/nh9ssx1qku1cm3drc6x8weofoizivjtl
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Kids these days want to grow up too fast. There’s tons of value just being a kid and enjoying the college experience. Once you get paid, it’s a job. The fun is gone. Your freedom actually becomes limited. Your responsibility increases ten fold. Parents need to beat this into their children’s heads.
I’m very disappointed by what I’ve heard three Supreme Court justices say so far. They obviously don’t get it. But none were ever an owner of a small business. Did any even play sports at the college level?
They are worse than Pitts BoT.
But the NCAA brought this upon themselves. And I think their lawyer team all received degrees from wvcc.
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At the final 4 this weekend, most BB coaches will gather and toast each other. Only one coach will leave happy.
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Come on danh72 give us a hint on that Capel pending news. The suspense is killing us all.
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I heard from an insider that Posvar didn’t want Pitt to be better than Army at football so he didn’t OK the money for Sherrill. Notice how Sherrill went to a military university to coach. 😉
Word is that Posvar lost $20 on this game…lol
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The Pitt QB (#19) is better than PIckett. And the offense is more imaginative than Whipples.
What is this…100 years ago ?
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A lot bigger crowd at the game too…lol
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This is the Oct 25th, 1958 Pitt game vs. #1 Army. Ended in a 14-14 tie. That tie cost Army a National Championship as they dropped to #3 after this game. And ended 8-0-1
Pitt meanwhile jumped to #12 from being unranked, after being #10 3 weeks prior. And finished the season unranked after losing their last 2 games of the season.
The Pitt QB #19 was Bill Kaliden and you see Mike Ditka catching a pass. This is really a great vid,
thanks so much for finding this Jackagain.
Pitt’s Schedule in 1958: UCLA, Holy Cross, Minnesota, #10 Michigan State, West Virginia, #1 Army,
#9 Syracuse, #14 Notre Dame, Nebraska, Pedo State
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Looks like Pitt got ‘jobbed’ in this game. First Army TD the Army WR appears to have his one foot on the End line of the End Zone. A Pitt player rushes in to point it out and the ref immediately looks away and engages the Army player in a conversation.
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Also at 1:16 “First down at the 11”? He didn’t step out of bounds…should have been spotted at the 8 yard line. Did they have ACC refs back then? 😉
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The schedules in the 1950s were BRUTAL.
Good old Pitt screwing itself out of wins for honor.
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When Pitt-Penn State still had national relevance
Pitt did finish the season ranked in 1959 achieved by beating Penn State. At #20 Pitt finished 6-4. Penn State played in Philadelphia’s Municipal Stadium in the Liberty Bowl. https://bwi.rivals.com/news/missing-the-point-1
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“Historical footage in true HD”, lol. I wish the sound was better.
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Another grave mistake by Pitt: getting rid of grass for turf.
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Capel going back to Duke is reminiscente of Chryst going back to Whiskey.
Just sayin’
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Maybe he was here just to further foul up Pitt’s bball program.
Could work out that way at least.
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Toney signs on with Arkansas who made the Elite 8 this year and finished 25-7.
So Arnold Ziff will be happy. Sooie Pig
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On a serious note, I am friends with the Chancellor of Arkansauce. Good dude. Dry sense of humor, but at least he has one.
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Totally off subject but Pitt is playing Clemson today in volleyball at Clemson. The facility they are playing in has a very low ceiling. It is a disgrace that Clemson makes their team play in such a facility. Thinks of an old junior high gym and the Clemson facility for volleyball is worse than that. I have been to several Pitt volleyball matches at this facility and there is definitely a home team advantage to it. How many teams have to make digs on their own digs. Any ball that hits the ceiling and comes down on the same side of the court is in play. If it goes over the net off the ceiling and remains in the court of play, the point is played over. Pitt has to play Virginia Tech on the same court tomorrow. For all the money that Clemson makes on football they could spend a couple of bucks for a new volleyball facility. While Clemson was renovating the Littlejohn Coliseum Pitt’s women had to play a basketball game in this same facility. Fortunately no one arced the ball high enough to hit the ceiling. Pitt is currently the match two sets to none. That concludes my rant of the day.
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And I thought Fitzgerald was bad. They are football obsessed. Clunkards are they.
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The Porta-Potty is beyond absurd.
Portland(13) and UT-Martin(15) have their entire teams in the Porta-Potty. Jacksonville has 10.
6 & 7 from the Major Schools is not uncommon.
Porta-Potty Total now stands at 1159
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Wow, Roy Williams retired.
https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/michael-jordan-among-former-north-carolina-and-kansas-players-reacting-to-roy-williams-retirement/
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At least Huckleberry Hound never dyed his hair like Coach K does.
Wanda wanted Royboy home more.
How long for K & Boeheim ?
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Capel going back to Duke would not be a career enhancement for him. He can say what he wants about the Pitt administration, but it was the same administration he hired on with just 3 years ago. I wonder if the Duke blue bloods will think that 3 subpar years at Pitt are a sufficient stepping stone to inherit the Duke job.
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Potato Paulie didn’t exactly lite it up at Pitt during his on-the-job training gig at Pitt.
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Would you rather have three bad years at Pitt or five bad years on your resume. And really it’s only one bad year. Because year one is year one. Year two he owns. Year three is covid and transfers. I see year four being Stallings like. Year five not much better.
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Why hasn’t it occurred to any of you Einsteins that HCJC is going, not to Doooook, but to UNC?
A mere coincidence that Deputy Dog retired?
Me thinks not.
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I always thought he looked like Huckleberry Hound(especially when he was at Kansas), but ok Deputy Dog works too. lol
Hey they could keep the package of the Capel brothers together since the other one played at UNC.
And their old man is steeped in NC statewide basketball. So it wouldn’t surprise me.
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Pitt volleyball beat Clemson 3-0 today. They play VaTech tomorrow for their last regular season match. Now have an 11 game win streak. Yay Lady Panthers!
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Annie, thanks for remining us how well our volleyball team is doing. I look for the scores every game and try to watch if there is coverage. Men’s and women’s soccer too. Don’t forget baseball. Minor sports are all we have right now and they are doing well.
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No recruit or Portal player is coming to Pitt if the rumors persist. The rumor is Capel wants out bad and that he’s been secretly interviewing for UNC, Duke Texas and other open jobs. And…may have had one except that he wants a guarantee that his son can come with him as Asst. Head Coach.
That has been a deal killer so far. This is killing Pitt Basketball! I love Heather but if this ends in him leaving and screwing Pitt she should be fired on the spot!
I tried to wait until April 2nd to post so you don’t think this is April fools stuff. My sources for this rumor are everywhere. It will be in print by Monday.
And utter silence from Capel and staff!
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I’m guessing you meant to type…..his brother can come with him as Asst. Head Coach.
I could see UNC hiring him, since the brother is a Tarheel. And the father and grandfather
were involved with many schools in NC on many levels. Plus UNC has never had a black HC, so that diversity element could come into play. Only thing that could stop it, would the Tarheel wealthy
alumi, go for a Dookie as HC.
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Although after looking at some of the Tarheel websites, they have a lot of far better choices than
Jeff Capel.
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But the fact that he would be unable to recruit to Pitt at the present time because of what has transpired over the past year is spot on. So him leaving if true and not having Pitt saddled with his extended contract would be good for Pitt and Capel going forward. Pitt will suffer in the short run but the new coach would be able to give Pitt a fresh start once again in BB. Unfortunately the fresh start may take another 3 or 4 years before Pitt could even think of being competitive in ACC play.
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Capel, I bet also likes money. He not leaving without as good a salary somewhere else. However, the man is toast as a major school college coach. We will need yo get rid of him t some point. Yes, I would take Pitino in a heartbeat. He wins.
We will get a winner in the end. In Basketball, PITT is a plum job. Just need to fine the right super aggressive high energy coach.
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Dan, the question is why does he want out? He seems to be able to recruit here.
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Recruiting we he can to Pitt three years ago was far easier than what he’s facing currently.—-Any opposition coach competing for a recruit against Pitt now would have a field day in exploiting Pitt’s problems in BB. You can come to Pitt and play but just what would be the makeup of the team you are going to have to play with?
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Why wait until Monday to print, to help him land a job before posting? To keep the entire team from entering the portal? I don’t get it.
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Come on Mark. Clearly Heather has already secretly hired a top notch coach but is giving Capel some time to job search before the gala announcement of the “resurrection” of the program on Monday. Now THAT’S marketing.
I just hope the next coach isn’t Scooter…although Dan or Ziffel would be ok with me. 😎
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I’m hearing talk all over town that Scooter will be taking over for Billy Hillgrove… 😊
Go Pitt.
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I do not have proof, but I suspect this is the same old song and dance at Pitt where the professors always hold final sway. Gallagher appears to be so weak or so uninvolved at this point to ever make a sensible decision to support athletes and a coach. He kowtows to an English proof or a philosophy egghead and we lose a solid player. No due process. No thought of wins and losses.
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I’m sure you are right Fran, w Scott Barnes contracted to direct the search.🧟♂️
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Capel will never be considered for UNC or Texas. That is comical.
He isn’t walking away from Pitt. His career as a HC would be over if he did. Right now he is considered a bad hire, he has to fix it.
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You guys are making me pull my hair out reading all this April 1st speculation.
I can only give two responses besides the ones above:
-1. UGH! Should he stay or should he go? No good answer – BAD place to be…
-2. This only gets better going forward if HL hires Pitino – to use a little business lingo – PPP stimulus – (Pitt’s Pitino Portal).
Load em up with good transfers and win some basketball games. Hugley stays and becomes an All-American under dirty Rick.
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Now that’s a good Easter Basket Mr Erie!
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Be patient and wait for Heather to get back from vacation. Family first.
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OBX
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Capel won’t fire brother….family first. Interesting dilemma.
That was a hazard with the hire in the first place. I would hope whoever hired capel and brother thought thru the scenario before the hire.
Candidly, I don’t really care what happens. So many give free advice and a lot of it and get nothing back in return. If you bought the Pitt Athletics stock short for 35 years, you are doing well.
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Pitino would never work for heather. UNC has far better candidates including several African American coaches they are targeting. Texas just hired Chris beard from Tech.
Yes, why is he so miserable at Pitt? I thought he and heather had a good working relationship. I thought he really liked the City. I thought he knew that recruiting wouldn’t be as easy as Duke. I thought he knew all those things and more.
Is he just a quitter? Does he want to get out before a full implosion?
If Capel does leave this way, hops on a bus in the middle of the night, heather really should be fired on the spot. Or at least fans should gather for a burning of blouses outside the Pete. I’ll personally fly in for that.
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Heather asked Capel to get new assistants based on player exit interviews. Capel is refusing to do so. Run with it…LOL.
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Why is there always so much drama at Pitt?
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You didn’t finish your question: Why is there so much drama at Pitt which almost never results in over-achieving teams and consistent play? Evidence: Narduzzi’s 2015, 2016, 2018, and 2020 seasons and Capel’s long January and February losing streaks. Women are reputed to be the best at gossip, witchery, and back-stabbing, but when men do it, it takes the shenanigans to a whole new level. Capel’s rooster house.
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Yep. I can take drama and theatrics if it results in winning. Pitt is just a bad comedy written by Woody Allen after he married his daughter.
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Wow is this becoming a rumor and conspiracy site? Last time UNC hired Roy, I believe he had won a NC at another powerhouse, Kansas. So now many who think he is not a fit coach for Pitt are speculating he is going to UNC. Hardy har har har.
He might be leaving, I doubt it, I think he has too much character to quit, but I’ve been wrong before, certainly his back is up against the wall. He has definitely found that his recruiting chops worked better at Duke and Oklahoma. Pitt is a hard sell.
Pitino, Hardy har har har har. Pitt will never compromise ethically anywhere near that level.
Next they will say there is a pedophile ring operating underneath Cathy.
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A secret cult of JoePa worshippers exist deep down in the Cathedral basement.
The Pete is possessed by the Devil and previous attempts at exorcism have failed
Come Monday, Heather announces a feasibility study for an on campus football stadium to divert attention from the Capel mess.
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Good one
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IF “Heather announces a feasibility study for an on campus football stadium to divert attention from the Capel mess,” I’d buy into the discussions in a heartbeat.
I only wish I could wholly buy into your perceived ADHL strategy to make an on campus stadium an agenda believable enough to deflect from a bad hire; any reference to the potential of leveling the Pete for an Old Pitt Stadium would be welcome news
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Well you have to figure that pitt basketball is in a tough spot for at least 3-4 more years. That means a half empty Pete. 5,000 fans at most on average. At least a half empty Heinz is around 35k. And that number is pretty steady through the years. So it does make sense to raze the Pete and build a 45k MPC. Heinz lease expires in ten years. The Pete is already 20 years old. Use Biden’s infrastructure money to make Oakland easier to enter and exit. Provide shuttles to new off campus lots off the parkway. Scrap victory Heights. Refocus and reprioritize. Build a 5 year plan. Not a 20 year one.
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Gordon, has anyone mentioned Felton would go to UNC?? I dont remember reading anyone mentioning that as an actual reasonable possibility. Candidly, I don’t think that is a possibility, ever. I think Hubert Davis is in the lead which everyone knows. Now, I do like Wes Miller.
If you would have said Jason Capel would throw his hat into the ring for the UNC job, that would make more sense, but still not really a possibility either. As a head coach at App State, he secured a 4 year record of 53-70. No other head coaching experience. Still not sure why he is on Pitt’s Staff. Our AD got bamboozled there too.
Who knows what really is happening. I tend to follow the good advice of Dan and Tex in this non april fools space as they have some nice contacts. Sure there were some april fools nuggets dispersed around some truth in my opinion. Upitt has contacts too. Bad time to be silent in my opinion.
Anyone else find it odd that Pitt PR floated the bball recruit story where Otoole is the lead recruiter? Think back about how often you have heard his name hot on the recruiting trail of an un-ranked player. Red flag? Or, otoole trying to market himself since the department is working so hard at football spring practice. Ohh, that isn’t happening either. Maybe we get an update on that side of the fence as a smoke screen for the bball side.
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Something positive, a solid linebacking group and a star young receiver.
https://triblive.com/sports/pitts-jordan-addison-wendell-davis-eager-to-write-new-chapters-in-2021/
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Guys – very short on articles. As I said I’m going to be too busy to write much of anything – the articles I have posted since being back are either written by readers (thanks!) or mash-ups of other media articles.
So – if you can spare some time please send me something, of any length, to get different conversations started.
Reed
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I have an outline. Just need to put some dialogue around my script. Again it’s me playing the role of HCPN selling Pitt to a 4 star O lineman from Jersey.
I’m figuring Monday will be fireworks at Pitt. Something we haven’t seen since Fraud bolting.
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Thanks Tex – your stuff is always top shelf…
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A strong AD does not ask a coach to change assistants (like whipple). A good AD has a discussion about changes so as not to alienate the head coach. If the coach pushes back, a strong AD leads and says, we are not renewing your Assistants (See Urb Meyer and Coach Zach Smith) and I will give you X more dollars to get a better one. Exit interviews can be interesting. I always do them, but always consider the source as part of the final evaluation. Sounds to me like immaturity from athletes. She is 4 years in and ZERO winning culture established.
I think Capel AND the team went sideways with our inexperienced AD when it came to Hugley. No way that Capel agreed with Lyke’s decision to suspend a player for the season without due process. That is 100% on the compliance AD. The players on the team also felt she was too harsh and ruined their year. She quit on them. The players took on the coaches reaction to that suspension and quit too. Very easy to piece together. This will never show up on an exit interview conducted by the AD that caused the problem!!
Her awful decision hamstrung his ability to recruit, because he cannot say that he will protect your athlete if you now send him to Pitt. She pulled out his heart. He is now, not believable to parents because she cut him off at the knees. Why, because no other program denies due diligence to players, especially when there is no bodily injury involved (Assault/Battery/Sexual Misconduct). It was a 9 year old car.
Unfortunately, this will negatively impact the recruitment of the next coach. She does not get the fact that her DRAMA doesn’t play well in the quality head coaching space. This reminds me of another Pitt AD, Pederson.
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Very interesting speculation. Pitt is very adverse to negative publicity when it comes to off court behavior.
She was actually caught between a rock and a hard place. If she did choose the innocent until proven guilty route, imagine the fallout on this site and in the media. No win situation.
I am also willing to bet she did not make this decision on her own.
The sad thing is if this happened at State Penn or other isolated U’s it would have been buried by the local Gendarmes.
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I agree, GC
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What did I learn from this? l learned that the Miami AD is/was a weak AD. Same boat as some think of ADHL.
Mark Richt was fired/resigned at Miami because hw wouldn’t fire some of his assistant coaches.
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Mark Richt was fired/resigned at Miami because he didn’t replace some of his assistants.
I guess the Miami AD is as weak as Heather.
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Arnold, I def appreciate your perspective here in comments. And whereas I can’t get fully onboard with you on this one, I can buy into a lot of what your saying (esp Hugely).
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Thanks for not crushing me Neil. I am not suggesting that I have any insider knowledge of what is going to happen or not happen next week. I ran with the scenario presented by dan and tex….although the first hint occurred before april fools. Regardless of whether something gets announced or not, we should all be in agreement that something is not right with Pitt Athletics (Revenue Sports). If the rumors are true, pitt pr folks in high positions will spend all weekend concocting a scenario where there are no hurt feelings and every explanation is sellable to the public. Getting to the complete truth is rare in higher ed because they do not answer to shareholders.
The timeline of capel blowups, player blowups and then players leaving, potential recruits doing an about face after leaning heavily to Pitt, indicate something is definitely off center.
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Frankly I think you are putting the blame on the wrong person when it comes to the Pitt BB fiasco.
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Roy https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/04/01/john-feinstein-roy-williams-retires/Williams portrayed as saint of college basketball…so says John Feinstein
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Read the comments to the article. Feinstein is ripped to shreds, a bootlicker extraordinaire.
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Why do I think There are rumors of Capel wanting to leave:
1. Heathers handling of the Hugley situation is being labeled “racist”
2. Heather as well as others are asking Capel to make assistant coaching changes due to the exit interviews of Xman et all.
3. Chapels frustration level with Pitt administration has reached a breaking point
4. I don’t F ing know?
Capel either needs to come out publicly and clarify or get out. Now
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Well heather did throw Capel under the bus when he complained about the refs. She didn’t even wait for the ACC to issue a statement. That was my first tip that their relationship was on rocky grounds.
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I’m guessing that IF Capel leaves it was decided a couple of weeks ago, and IF he goes as an assistant to Duke, Coach K is willing to wait a couple of weeks while Pitt pursues other coaches as a condition of foregoing any buyout Duke would need to pay. This could save Capel (or Duke) several million dollars. By waiting a couple of weeks and quickly filling the position, the new Pitt coach might be able to talk some of the current players into staying. (Mark Few isn’t available for another week) 🙂 )
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And O’Toole is not the answer as was hinted above. Many believable scenarios and the truth is, Pitt basketball is a mess.
The university will need to call in Hazmat to clean up this dookie stain if Capel exits on his own.
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By the way, if Capel was disgruntled, why did he accept a contract extension?
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He probably became disgruntled since signing it. Certain expectations were set. Maybe Pitt didn’t live up to some promises.
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I remember more than a few big Pitt announcements that never came, like joining the B1G.
Not much of this makes sense to me other than Capel being mucho frustrated.
I don’t see where he would have trouble shuffling the deck of assistants, this happens all the time,
after poor seasons. Saying there is a riff between him and administration when there is absolutely no evidence of it is just rumor mongering.
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Why have none of these rumors been reported on by the press.
They love this kind of stuff. Everyone wants a scoop.
Especially that one idiot that always gets it wrong.
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Filiponi. He’s a Syracuse grad.
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Leaked news release.
Hobie has been named the head coach of the University of Pittsburgh men’s basketball program as announced Monday afternoon (4/5) by Pitt Director of Athletics Heather Lyke.
“We are not excited to announce Hobie as our head men’s basketball coach at the University of Pittsburgh,“ said Lyke. “Hobie isn’t a high-energy leader but he is committed to being a part of our university and the city of Pittsburgh. He has no basketball pedigree and no track record of recruiting, developing and mentoring high-quality student-athletes. His sometimes work ethic, lack of passion for the game and cluttered vision of how to build a program capable of competing at the highest levels in the ACC and on the national stage are not impressive. I don’t look forward to our student-athletes, fans, donors and the Oakland Zoo getting to know Hobie and watching this program flounder under his direction. He’s the best we could do, however.”
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What is Pitt paying you?
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Glad you asked, TX Panther. We’re still in negotiations, but I’m pretty sure I get all the Iron I can drink and the chippedchoppedham and city chicken I can eat. Plus, I get guest appearances on Pittsburgh dad.
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That’s a very generous offer by Pitt. They must be desperate. 🤠
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Look, as long as Hobie doesn’t have a student hold a sign about which defense to play during practice, he is hired. What cemented the deal was the super duper double secret compliance handshake without a twist at the end.
While at OBX, our AD should stay in NC and talk to Wes Miller from uncg….affordable for sure and also uses his middle name as his coach name, like felton.
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You’re going to become more hated than me by some Koolaid drinkers…if not already.
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It’s a badge of honor, I suppose Tex. Look, the POV is like so many other things in our society. The koolaiders will always be koolaiders for all things Pitt. Got it. I have no expectation that anything I type will change anyone’s mind. They are just too far gone. Similarly, I am not going to change any of the negative nancies to be more forgiving and understanding of the athletics department. It just won’t happen as currently structured. It’s the realists who actually see what is going on and can debate the pro’s and cons, which is fun to me.
I really like alot of the commenters in a special way. Actually, I learn from different people too. I don’t have all the answers, that’s for sure. If I did, I would be Chancellor or some other high up position at a university and combine the strategic plan of athletics and business to create a juggernaut. It is doable and some places do it now……..without bagmen!
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About the super duper double secret compliance handshake with a twist, were you a fly on the wall, Arnold Ziffel? No one was to know about that.
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Hobie:
Start working on a social justice quote for the back of shirts. I heard it is a great way to keep the team together and stop kids from transferring.
Some unsolicited advice
slide your 4 star center and AVIS gift card on the weekends.
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Like…’Free Me, From Pitt’
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TX Panther, I was thinking about Make Pitt Great Again.
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LOL
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https://www.insidehook.com/article/sports/uni-watch-2020-ncaa-basketball-preview
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Here’s a fact. No recruit or portal player has committed to come to Pitt to play basketball while 37 other D1 schools have commits! Not one high school recruit has committed to come to Pitt to play basketball! Explain em any way you want!
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Must be a conspiracy
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Sounds like you’ve been watching to much HBO crap.
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It was a joke.
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Well you did coin P-Anon
🤠
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https://pittsburghsportsnow.com/2021/04/02/ecu-transfer-jayden-gardner-ready-for-first-zoom-with-jeff-capel-pitt-staff/
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Zoom ? lol I believe he Zoomed with the Marshall PG and the Gantt kid from Providence.
How’d did those work out ?
Means nothing, all these HC’s zoom since traveling is almost verboten by the PA Stasi.
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The point is that he probably wouldn’t be zooming if he is leaving on Monday.
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I have no idea whether he’s leaving on Monday. And it could be any number of people on the staff
that could be doing the zooming. Maybe Heather gave them a bonus to continue zooming. haha
The bottom line is; there are now 1177 in the Portal and over 300 now have been signed.
Pitt has a Goose Egg. And a Goose Egg with regular HS recruits.
So he better ratchet up the Zooming ! lol
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I thought the assistants recruited and the HC closes the deal. Maybe not in this transfer portal frenzy, though.
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True. So maybe it’s a staff shakeup. Maybe it’s a leave of absence. Maybe it’s part of the charade. I’m buying popcorn for Monday.
🍿
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https://pittsburghsportsnow.com/2021/04/02/report-pitt-reaches-out-to-indiana-transfer-jordan-geronimo/
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Again means nothing. Dozens of schools are ‘reaching out’ to Mr. Geronimo.
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First 15 minutes about Pitt Recruiting:
https://pittsburghsportsnow.com/2021/04/01/miked-up-worried-about-pitt-basketballs-recruiting-five-pittsburgh-pirate-2021-predictions/
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How did they fill 15 minutes with basketball recruiting?
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The Bill Self lifetime contract signed today at Kansas was the university giving the NCAA the middle finger.
Too bad Pitt is afraid of those clowns and have been for the association’s existence. Such poor leadership for athletics at the university. So sad for the fans, who’d probably throw more of their money at the school with more consistent and long-term winning.
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AKC signed on with the Bonnies of St. Bonaventure today.
Apparently Olean, NY has much more to offer than the Golden Triangle of Pittsburgh.
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It’s a nice town to fall asleep in.
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Only place they let him play power forward.
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The Bonnies won the A-10 this year. And in the last 5 years, their program is far superior to ours.
So it’s not like he’s going to some low tier bottom program. Like Pitt is in the ACC.
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On the other hand why would any player come to Pitt if they can’t steal a car occasionally.
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Couli transferred for the academics, silly folks……because college sports is all about academics.
How many examples do you need to finally believe what I have been typing for years and years. College sports is run by the athlete students. Can we start calling them by what they are, or do we have to wait for the supreme court to do that?
I see why Pitt never changes and it is because the fanbase has bought in to all this crap about academics being the top priority. This fanbase hides behind its own self taught elitism. Pitt is not elite in anything. UPMC, yes, but not Pitt. Two different entities. Did Toney go to Arkansauce for Academics? Did Coulibouli go to Providence for the same reason? Brown to San Diego for academics? And Tre to Nebraska and so on?
Pitt treated Hugley like he was already transferring to San Quentin. No due process. Awful AD decision and in my opinion (if you look at the timeline), is where I think Capel started to say to himself WTF? That is when he started getting tee’d up and speaking out about refs. He was angry at the AD and took to the media and the court to voice it differently.
I would not be surprised if Pitt comes out on Monday and says Capel is taking a Leave of Absence to help recover from C19 and we should respect his privacy as the burnout is real and it has left him exhausted, both mentally and physically. An assistant will be moved up in the interim. It gives Capel a chance to recoup his brand and gives Pitt a chance to try and say there is a nothing burger going on except this dreadful virus, which many will just believe.
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Yes we have all scholars on the football team. With that basketball hoop thing on the sidelines, which
is an achievement of design and usage, in itself.
You didn’t know ? Shame on you.
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That LOA excuse would be a terrible way to handle it but so Pitt like.
If Capel is burned out, he should just resign. If Capel can’t do his job effectively, Heather should just fire him or make him an offer he can’t refuse.
It’s not good for either side to let this linger and become a huge distraction.
Capels either up for the job and 100 percent committed or he’s not. If he’s not, he walks.
I did have this in the back of my mind when penning my April fools narrative. It’s not at all far fetched.
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Where has Heather been?????? Long time no see… no hear??????
Is she burned out or hibernating????
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Dan72 – if Pitt had bagmen, our guys wouldn’t need to steal a car. They could buy one
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Yep. And a far better one than a 2012 Chevy Malibu.
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What are the odds that the Pete has more fans next BB season then this past BB season?
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I’ll be there if allowed…I would miss pregame soda pops with Wolfe and Scooter at Hemingway’s.
If I’m REALLY lucky JoeL or Missing Wlat will be in attendance at times too.
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Better watch yourself my good friend Fran. You’ll be blamed for any PITT failures for being loyal and an enabler.
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Ike,
You may think differently come Monday. The news is big. You may actually come around to seeing my way. I’ll bet one of my secret recipes on it…wings, chili, ribs, and of course meatballs.
Tex – who will enable those loyal fans to see the 💡
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All this basketball drama may net mediocre Pat another extension.
Now, that would truly be SOP.
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Volleyball won again. Beat VT 3-0
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They are Pitts team of the year. Sorry men’s soccer.
I expect these women to go far in the playoffs. Like final 4 far.
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I would hope so, but overall we are a short team and could have problems with some of the traditional powers that have trees up front. There is no quit in our vb team though!
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Yep. That is their one weakness. Kind of like pitt basketball without a center. At least the women have the point guards. 🤠
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Good read on “Outkick” on Fla State renovating Doak Stadium and will reduce capacity by 10,000 seats….the see “the times are a changin’!”
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They did it for a better viewing experience.
Tv and streaming beats bad food, watered down drinks, hot sun, cramped seats, obnoxious fans, piss troughs, messing with traffic, having to plan your day, and the expense.
I’d personally rather watch on TV and just attend a few times. I can’t imagine buying tickets for seven home games.
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Crickets from Heather
Crickets from Capel
Crickets from recruits
Crickets from Portal players
Nothing wrong here?
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But I hear he’s zooming with recruits. 🤠
The quiet before the storm.
The 💩 storm that arrives Monday.
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One more cricket and Capel has his starting five
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Can’t tell if this is legit or an extension of your April Fools ruse, Tex…
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I can’t tell either at this point. I think we’ve reached the state where fantasy and imagination is starting to blend and morph into reality.
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Not to worry if Capel leaves, Pitt has the search firm that found Stallings on speed dail.
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Herman will be called to….as a consultant. lol
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Well hot dam Tex, if what you described a couple comments above is your typical game-day experience then I can see why you’re such a sour puss. Then again, I really don’t see how any of your complaints relate to PITT football? I get season tickets and go to games when I can and my experience is a whole lot different that yours brother Tex.
Spend most of my pregame time at the Fran/Wolfe and friends tailgate eating great food, strategizing with the great people I’ve met through the POV. In the stadium, my seat isn’t cramped, bathrooms are much better than most I’ve come across at out of town games and if my man can’t take the hot Pittsburgh sun then go back to Texas where your sun is for the weak. Can’t imagine what you think of our cold days as Texas has softened you up like butter.
Tex, you need to get your Pittsburgh back in your blood. Hang around me for a couple days and I’ll show ya! 😉
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I get it. Pitt football is a bad product. Heinz stinks to watch a game. I have a tiny butt but I always feel cramped in my seat. And Pittsburgh is more cloudy than sunny so the risk of getting burned is minimal. Pitt fans aren’t anything like other schools. Very nice except for those behind you yelling to sit down.
And yes, if pitt or the city authority reduced or eliminated tailgating, the game wouldn’t be worth attending. The tailgate and not game experience makes it worth it.
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Those were nitters who infiltrated the Pitt sections, to cause division , descension and anarchy among the faithful. Sort of similar to the nitter infiltrators on Pitt’s BoT.
With so many Nitter pedo state alum living in the Burg, they come to Pitt games to deride Pitt.
Anyone that has gone for years knows what I’m saying. The second Pitt makes a bad play they’re
deriding Pitt, the coaches and the players.
Btw lots of fat people go to Steeler games but don’t complain about the seats.
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It will take multiple transfusions of blood Ike. Too much tequila in my system after over 20 years in Texas. I think I also might have worms from drinking all those margaritas. Not sure how you’d de worm 🐛 me. 🤠
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Arnold & Clariton; perfect examples of “sarcasm is the lowest form of wit.” If you want to rebut someone’s comments do so but scoffing just makes the writers look like they are desperate.
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Tex, meds can de-worm you but Scooter has a tool he keeps in his car…just sayin’😌
Also, I don’t active enanle anything…I choose what I do if the positive outweighs the negative giving me VALUE for my choice.
Simple social marketing theory.
I indeed value the tailgating.
I’ve made many good friends attending Pitt games and will continue to do so.
🎶 people, people who need people…🎶
Haha.
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Does that tool look anything like an alien anal probe?
👽
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Fran and Company’s tailgates are the best! They soften the blow of a bad loss… and make wins that much more fun. I really missed them last year and am looking forward to seeing everyone again this fall.
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Actually it does…haha.
But we also carry much anesthesia.
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Ive seen you guys in action before…
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Classic 🎥
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What’s a “dikfer” ..one of the greatest lines in Cinema history!d
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Is Scooter working in Proctology now?
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Scooter wears many hats…
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So come Monday the options for the big news appears to be
1) Capel is going on a leave of absence
2) Capel is going back to Duke
3) Capel has accepted a HC position at a G5 school
4) staff shakeup
5) nothing
I wonder what odds that Vegas has for each.
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Hopefully number four but my teams have coaches who stink at handling their staffs. Tomlin has become a joke at it.
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I’m guessing on option 5.
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Option 5B. Watch out for some noses being rubbed in it.
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I’m loving the fire in your posts, ike!
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Funny short story. The other day I was shopping at Walmart. I was wearing a pitt shirt. Older lady saw it and said Pittsburgh in a disgusted way. I told her I graduated from there. And she told me she’s from west virginny. Mentioned they love to say ‘crap on Pitt’. She did use the S word. Had a good conversation. Steelers Fan. Eastern Orthodox. Married a UT alum.
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How many teeth did she have? 😉
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I think a full set. But it was difficult to make sure I didn’t say Hoopie or morganHOLE or make any reference to teeth in the conversation. When she joked about couch burning, I had to bite my tongue so hard.
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Vegas over / under is usually a dozen. 😎
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You meant teeth, not options? She had a full set. Real teeth I don’t know. Doc Tom would know.
But again, a very nice lady. And sports helped us connect. Heck, we could have disagreed on most things but sports and a connection to Pittsburgh gave us common ground. She actually used to live in Pittsburgh for a time. Says manny west virginnies do. My wife’s mother’s side lived in mount lebo. 100 percent Hoopie. Right across the street and up the hill from where Mario used to live.
And really it is sad I dont see more Pitt gear down here. See plenty of Steeler. Seen at least four wvcc gear over the last two weeks.
Maybe heather announces a branch campus in Texas on Monday. I could sell that to the daughter but her top three schools are UT, NYU and Rice.
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I also dare not mentioned 13-9. She might have kicked me in the jimmy.
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6) pitt announces feasibility study for OCS as a distraction
7) Capel gets a contract extension
8) Pete attendance guidelines announced for next season
9) pitt has Duquesne back on the schedule
10) pitt will play in a round robin tournament of big east schools such as g town, nova and UConn.
11) pitt is bringing back barry R as co coach
12) pitt has hired Brandon knight as HC
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14) Hobie named the head coach of the University of Pittsburgh men’s basketball program
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Sorry, PittPT. I’m out of order.
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How the heck could I forgotten you Hobbie…the Hobitt.
Hobbie who has the ring. 🤠
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13) Narduzzi gets a contract extension…
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Only at Pitt can a coach get nine contract lives. Well, the mascot is a Panther.
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Pitt baseball losing at home 4-1 in the bottom of the 9th to ND.
If the comeback falls short, Pitt will have lost 5 straight ACC games with the last four losses at home.
Tex – not sure we’ll meet up at a regional game this year – a lot of baseball to play – feels that Bell is sharing meals with Capel and is feeling the late season swoon dive that Felton is famous for…
Need the bats to support the good pitchers – not happening these past two weeks.
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They need to go back on the road. Doesn’t help when there are only about 20 fans in attendance including five stray dogs and a pet ferret. Pitt is a road warrior team.
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They don’t play on a real field either – the batter’s box is brown turf as are the other bases –
The Panthers with no runs thru 8 innings – down 4-0 when batting in the bottom of the 9th and score a token run to avoid a shutout.
The Pitt starter went 8 innings, gave up 2 runs on 5 hits. Should be a winning effort in college ball.
This team is quickly becoming a .500 team that is dropping to the bottom of the Coastal.
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The experts did peg them as a bottom ACC team with an outside shot at a regional if everything broke just right. Looks like their luck is running out and the breaks aren’t happening. Tough for that sport in the North. That’s why I favor a Fall schedule. But the southern schools would never go for it.
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Houston won’t beat Baylor but they are once again proof that a team does not need a 6’10” to 7’ center to be successful in college basketball. Give me a couple athletic thick physical rebounders like Hugley, Blair, Troutman, etc.
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Xavier Johnson has narrowed his transfer down to four schools: Baylor, Houston, Indiana, and St. Joes.
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I know I’m waiting breathlessly for X to make his big decision. St Joe’s ? what are they doing among that grouping of P5 baggers ?
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Baylor and Houston will laugh at him….maybe Indiana too.
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Baylor can out bag the other 3 combined…
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We’ve been here before – Pitt and Coach Capel in the final couple for an elite center.
5-star Center Efton Reid to announce his school decision on April 15th.
So what if he picks Pitt? Oh yeah, apparently Coach Capel will be gone by then…
Go Pitt.
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We all know he isn’t going anywhere.
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WPXI Pittsburgh: New state-of-the-art sports complex to serve Pitt students for decades to come.
https://www.wpxi.com/rss-snd/new-state-art-sports-complex-serve-pitt-students-decades-come/NLE7TL7IJ5CBDGDVM4CKCQ26QM/
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They did a tour of it in the “Pitt Beyond the Script” programs. Looks really nice.
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UCLA plays a vicious defense
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Lots of traveling non-calls in this game. and not many fouls called….leading one to believe Refs were
told to put the whistles in the pockets to make this and up and down….nba type game. Therefore little of the rules apply.
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Zags UCLA one of the best games I’ve ever seen. Vicious defense on both sides. Zags best back screen/back cut team I’ve ever seen. Just great fundamental basketball.
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Two really good teams but one will pull away and it will be very hard to catch even with 3 point lead
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Zags inability to hit from 3 may cost them the game. I utterly hate Cronin!
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I love Cronin!
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I feel bad for the loser in a game like this
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Unbelievable game!
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Maybe the best college game I’ve ever seen..
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It was a great game.
But I remember the 1983 Sweet 16 game between Houston and Memphis State in the Dance. It was Houston’s first Phi Slamma Jamma team with Clyde Drexler and Akeem Olajuwan & Michael Young and Larry Michaeux against the dunk fest Memphis State team lead by their All-American Keith Lee.
Just incredible athleticism in that game. Houston & Memphis State played back to back years in the Sweet 16 which was a shame, because Memphis was Final 4 worthy as well. Houston made it the Title Game and lost both years.
And who can forget, #3 Michigan Fab 5 NC game and the Chris Webber mistaken pass to the UNC guard in the 1993 Championship game that led to UNC winning the game and the title.
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That one and the Duke Kentucky game where Laettner hit the game winner…except I was rooting for Kentucky in that game. 2 best I ever saw….
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Definitely for me Dan!
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UCLA is such a hard playing team
I hate the pros
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Wow, wow, wow!!!
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A truly great game
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Wow what a game! OT- Pitt mens soccer beat the Golden Domers today 2-0. Softball lost to Louisville 7-4. One big disadvantage softball has is that the field is very short- a hitters field for sure. They simply ran out of room for the outfield when they were building it. A 3- run HR by Louisville is what killed them today.
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Louisville’s HC was Pitt’s former – and a very good one at that. Not surprised that the cardinals beat our crew as coaching matters.
Pitt has a MAC level coach – Pitt plays in the ACC in case anyone needs reminded.
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What a great game. So happy the Zags won and kept their undefeated season going.
Only complete non-Pitt game….. I’ve watched the entire year.
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https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0?ui=2&ik=b416e8e19c&attid=0.1.1&permmsgid=msg-f:1696080134185271483&th=1789afe554b5c0bb&view=fimg&sz=s0-l75-ft&attbid=ANGjdJ8IosYM7e7X5fxEmQN_39Js-T1cqYFod1rLfGF3zisrBUp5TTQjtiTBzFt8VRX8EccSZFp_jWyYm6ih44iiKQDa1-usDbpATgMdOQtA9W5BXYPLy7PZNltLod4&disp=emb
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ok, pathetic showing in the POV NCAA pool so tried to copy screenshot of other 2 brackets I’m betting
If Zags win I finish 2nd, if Baylor I get 5th(out of the money of course) but in the POV pool I’m DFL!!!! 😦
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My bracket (not POV entry) kept me engaged and last night’s OT game was a classic.
I have both Baylor and the Zags I the final with Baylor winning it all.
I’m with Dan72 – not a fan of Cronin – it is a Cinci thing for me…
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Happy Easter everyone!
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Happy Easter!!! ✝️
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He is risen! What a great day to celebrate and enjoy life 👍🏼
Enjoy this Easter with your family. I know I will…
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… and death was defeated…have a blessed Easter!!!
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Amen…
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Pitt basketball will need to be resurrected after the news on Monday.
Happy Easter. May your eggs be golden and your ham fall off the bone.
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Happy Easter everyone!
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Huff, I get your point above about player’s parents as you listed Orndoff, Holtz, etc as examples.
I will say that, yes, highly rated and obviously talented kids like those and others look to the NFL as a reasonable goal. However, as stated, the majority of parents I have spoken with over the years since I have had media passes ( 2008) are realistic about what their sons most probably achieve.
That isn’t to say the parents and player don’t want the kids to progress higher…they sure do…but they also know that the real and long-lasting benefit of playing at Pitt will be the education, degree and connections they will take with them after they are finished with college ball.
Because Pitt is pretty highly ranked educationally (59th out of 388 and 19th in public universities) the academic aspect is pretty strong for the HS kids and families. Pitt’s NCAA Academic Progress Rate sits at a very good 988…the average is 968. That 988 score puts us tied for 11th out of 130 schools. That is a big plus for Pitt in separating from schools with same quality level football, or even better.
Lets remember there are at 85 scholarships and probably 105 kids on roster total, if not more per year. Some of those kids have left other colleges and universities to come to Pitt also even when they know they won’t get drafted.
It is every player’s and their parents dream the kid makes the Pros…but, again, many conversations I have had with parents say that the education received played a big part in recruiting and commitment.
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Happy Easter to all…I’ll be seeing some of you sooner than later but my hope is to reconnect with all my POV friends this year.
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Could Pitt follow Cincys lead? But you typically don’t break bad news on a Monday.
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TEX, you have thrown so much crap against the wall that something is bound to stick. You should get a job at the National Enquirer.
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Cincinnati?? Isn’t that the school I read on here that PITT should be more like? Meanwhile the hare keeps plugging and plodding along yet somehow always makes the finish line.
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We don’t need to be like them….we need to hire AD’s like they do.
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Happy Easter everyone!
How about that Zags game last night….wow.
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Pitt is either a baseball, women’s volleyball, or wrestling school. It all depends on who has the last win…
Tex may be off on his Blue Monday prediction – we’ll see, but you have to admit he’s pretty spot on when discussing how good or bad (or just mediocre) the FB & BB HCs and teams have been.
I just looked back in my Blather/POV history and realized the first time I was given media access to the FB program was in 2007. Wow, that is a very long time ago. Haven’t used it for the last 18 months or so but not that the POV is back in my lap when C-19 restrictions are lifted I’ll drive up to PGH for some on-screen articles.
Hopefully before Sept.
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Folks – just put up the NCAA Championship Game article. Did it early to get in the right frame of mind…
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Mediocre administrators hire mediocre coaches. It all starts at the top.
Narduzzi will have to be extended if there are no player transgressions from now until the end of the season. Capel will be fired on the other hand with another losing season.
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Big Man Qudus Wahab of Georgetown who initially had us in Top 5, the first time around.
This time around chose the Twerps instead of Pitt. So we’re two time losers on ole Qudus.
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