in Pitt Football 63 Words

So, What’s Happening??

I am going to drive up to Pittsburgh for Pitt’s 2022 Spring game on April 9th at 1:00 pm. Is anything planned as far as taking care of Reed with cold beer, hot food and pretty women? I need it (first two anyway) badly and need to talk to real Pitt fans face to face.

I’ve been too busy to follow comments but what’s shaking??

157 thoughts on “So, What’s Happening??”

  2. She would get the same rating. Football is coming off a monster year. Basketball remains the same so one improved. No one gives a crap about baseball, soccer,etc.

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  3. And I’m guessing the answers to the “Do you have confidence in Jeff Capel ” question would be the opposite of 2 years ago.

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  4. Reed – I too will be driving up for the Spring Game. I plan to tailgate as always and past Spring Game tailgates have featured much of the Red5A crew. Last yr, I believe tailgating was prohibited, but prior to COVID our gatherings have been in the Gold Lot due to smaller crowds at the game.

    Look fwd to seeing you there.

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  5. Great news. KP’s hand grew 1/8” since the Combine. At this rate, he’ll have one of the biggest hands in the NFL by start of season

    Sent from my iPhone

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    Liked by 5 people

  6. Carolina HC Matt Rhule originally recruited Pickett to Temple. And Carolina owner Tepper is a Pitt alum. Rhule was standing next to Duzz during KP’s session today

    Sent from my iPhone

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    Liked by 2 people

  7. These Pro-Day figures for Lucas Krull look pretty good. But will his drops keep him out of a camp?

    Lucas Krull – 6-foot-6 1/8, 253 pounds, 9 3/8 inch hands, 33 5/8 inch arm length, 80 inch wingspan
    Bench: 14 reps
    Vertical: 35 inches
    Long Jump: 10 feet
    40 Time: 4.54
    Three Cone: 7.16
    Shuttle: 4.35

    Impressive 40 time and shuttle time for his size — and interesting to me that Bartholomew looks to be faster, at least to my eyes…

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. He did catch every pass thrown at him today. And he looked RIPPED. That and the 4.57 will definitely get him into a camp.

      Liked by 1 person

  8. I’m not a big fan of spring games but I am a huge fan of tailgating with my POV friends! I plan to set up a tailgate along with JoeL, assuming we can coordinate a location together. As Joe said, the Spring Game attendance will not be high enough for ALCO to open the Red 5A lot. So we will be in either Gold 1 or Gold 2, just to the east of Heinz Field.

    As Fran mentioned in previous posts, he has a wedding to attend April 9th and will not be able to join us. I plan to meet Fran before the 9th to borrow the PItt POV flag from him. I will raise that flag on a telescoping pole next to my car. I hope we can use that as a beacon to help others find us.

    There will be plenty of ice cold beer, Reed, and food of some sort. They will definitely not open the parking lots 5 hours before game time like they do for in-season games. I’m hoping for three hours. But it could be as little as two prior to kickoff. So we may not have enough time to cook on site and would have to rely on what we bring. We will.know better when they announce the time that lots open.

    I’m looking forward to seeing as many from this site as possible and maybe a few joining us for the first time.

    Liked by 4 people

    2. JoeL, LizL and Big Al will be there, Wolfe.

      We’ll coordinate….breakfast tailgate.

      Who’s gonna play the part of Fran smoking a cigar next to the garabage bags?

      Roll call….

      Liked by 3 people

  9. Hugley just announced he’s staying at Pitt. Good start!

    About 9 years ago I came back to the Burgh for the Pitt Spring game over at the Soccer Stadium. Got to meet some guy named Reed who lives an hour away.

    I went to every Spring Game 63-75.

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  10. I would give almost anything to get back to the Burg for the Spring Game, however, my on-going medical problems say NO WAY! I had back surgery for a compression fracture and need rehab. So, “The kid from Brooklyn” will stay home in York and hope that all the POV’ers who make it to the game have a blast.
    One final thought I really would like our team to avoid off-season injuries!!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. isnore — best wishes with that back of yours. We’ll miss the kid from Brooklyn…

      Go Pitt.

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      1. Thanks, however, standing for any length of time is not easy. I was always active in my life–ran freshman track at Pitt, played roller hockey, played golf 2x per week (couldn’t putt to save my a–), and walked every one of our 6 dogs through many years of great woof, woof. Using a cane and a walker is not fun>>>I expect to get better but it will take an extended period of time. When you drive through York sing a Pitt fight song because this is PSUX Territory.

        Liked by 1 person

        1. Good luck with your recovery, I had my second fusion in December and have finally turned a corner and hope to golf again by June. I am on a long road trip and am handling the drives better than I expected.

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    3. Best wishes for a full recovery. If Erie hosts another POV golf outing, we will want to see you – even if only for the 19th.

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  13. So with Hugley staying can Capel find a good point guard, a couple of three point shooters and another big man? Plus who else is leaving? Plus can he coach up any of the existing guys to make a difference, Santos, Amadsun, who certainly looks the part? How about Femi and Jeffress can they improve enough to make a difference? Will Capel do enough to save his job/career?

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  16. Heather this morning “I don’t think it’s my place to tell a coach who his staff will be unless there’s an integrity issue!”

    Also she said”a coaches buy out is not a factor in whether we decide to retain him!”

    I call huge BS!

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    1. That is very sad. When you are someone’s boss you have the responsibility for results. She obviously doesn’t see it that way. What? performance doesn’t matter? The second statement is a flat out lie. Money talks and BS walks. How many time do the brass of pro ownership require coaches to make changes?

      It is sad that Capel doesn’t have what it takes to make the necessary changes of staff. Remember the definition of crazy. Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. He needs some young talent on that coaching staff. I guess he is just laughing all the way to the bank.

      Unless he pulls some major rabbits out of his hat/portal, the Pete will be Stallingsesque next year.
      They will definitely need some young talent to replace me, I don’t have the time or money to waste on the garbage they are trying to feed us.

      Liked by 3 people

      1. While I agree with you guys, HL was actually speaking to potential transfers in her remarks – and what else can she do at this point.

        So far, Coach C. has contacted it seems like over 400 players in the portal. If any are going to come here, Capel has to be able to show them that he has the backing of the AD…

        Sad, but true state of affairs…

        Go Pitt.

        Liked by 2 people

      2. You are absolutely right. Money makes all the difference in this case. Seems like she is playing us all like we’re fools. We have a chancellor who’s part of this mess. He signed off on two abhorrent hires. He’s throwing the shade at Lyke and Pitt fans are screwed.

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      1. Dan & all – I take HL’s public comments with a grain of salt; to me the comments were public posturing to support the University’s & Capel’s best interests going forward given the decision not to replace him yet. I agree, the buyout was certainly a factor in her decision, but she’s the one that give him an extentsion and I doubt she wants to get grilled on that issue (she did field one question about it, but didn’t get grilled). And regarding the coaching staff, I have to wonder how it would affect our coaching candidate pool one year from now if the AD meddled in the assistant staffing makeup this year (plus, who would want to join Capel this year anyway).

        I’ve resigned to just support and root for Capel and the team (whoever they are) next year, and if they do an about-face and are fun to watch again, then great, and if they bottom out, then we can have legitimate hopes that Capel will be canned. The last thing we need is for them to do something in the middle and be stuck with a bad situation longer term, so to me that’s the biggest risk with next season. It was only one year ago with Capel’s original trio of recruits that we beat Duke and had a lot of momentum, and the headlines the next day were that Pitt Basketball was back, so who knows what will happen next year (my guess is we have the wrong coach, for the record).

        H2P

        Liked by 1 person

    1. I’m happy for the guy as he was a real Pitt man this past year but we all know what his achilles heal is and its not his achilles heal.

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  18. 5 BB scholarships available for next season with another player entering the portal today. There ain’t a snowballs chance in hell of Capel being able to turn Pitt BB into having a respectable 2022-23 season.

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  19. The only loss was Mo Gueye. So he should try for three portal guys and two freshmen to at least look like he is trying to build a program.

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  20. Dan Olepo leaving Pitt as of an hour ago.

    MMajors, you are correct. Capel has offered over 400 portal players to come to Pitt. It appears desperation has taken hold.

    Whatever happened to “targeting”.
    Find the best shooting point guard and the best canter out there. Add Hugley and build from there.

    I never fired a sales rep for cheating on his expense account but I’ve fired many for lack of targeting! Just throwing sh- t against the wall is unprofessional and a horrible look for Pitt!

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  22. Just watched the Heather Lyke presser. I don’t believe everything she said but I think she handled it well. I think the basketball took its toll on her though. Her brow was much more furrowed than I ever remember.

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  23. DAn, you are hitting on an area of my last post when I talked about portal recruiting and that there will be portal camps in football and basketball at some point. Offering to offer all 400 is absolutely ridiculous. He doesn’t have a vision for recruiting. Obviously he is behind all other schools that assigned coaches to portal only recruiting. Gets to your targeting. You work. You look at tape. Your recruiting coordinator gives you a list and you target recruits. One problem is he cannot tell a recruit “how” the team will play offense or defend because he has nothing he can show them. Will he get recruits, yes of course. They want a place to play. Just getting recruits is easy.

    A couple folks said that it will be difficult to recruit players to pitt because of an adversarial relationship with the AD. That is not true. Players have all the power with the portal. Players decide what they want to do and hold all the cards.

    Also agree that the statements you quoted Dan are just BS by the AD. If buyouts don’t matter, why have them in contracts to begin with?? She can’t be serious. Same with coaching staff changes. Those should have been verbalized last year. He doesn’t change, his loss. No coming back from that. Again, what do you do if he finds lightning in a bottle and gets to .500.

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    1. Huff – I’m trying to understand your 2nd paragraph – could you expand on it a bit? On the surface it would seem that recruits, hearing there may be friction between Capel and HL, might want to steer clear. Even if they have control over their own movement, would still seem like many would want to avoid it.

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  26. Dokish is posting a Pitt News article from March 2018 after Dan Hurley turned down HL’s 3M offer , and she then interviewed Mark Schmidt at St Bonaventure. The responses were every bit as negative as what we are currently reading here. (St Bonnie beat UVA last night at UVA in NIT).

    Pitt fans then got what they wanted when a big name like Capel was hired (including me). I hope we all remember this next year at this time.

    Sent from my iPhone

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  27. Hugley was more productive from a points and rebound perspective in my opinion. Gueye gave better effort. My sense is that they played about the same number of minutes. I would also say that Hugley drew more double teams that may have freed up Mo for more opportunities. So based on my limited watching of games, that is what I saw. Perhaps others who suffered through watching more games will have a different opinion, but that is mine based on a 10-12 game sample size.

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    1. “we need better players” didn’t sit well with him?

      me neither, but we do

      we definitely need a better coach and staff and maybe AD related to the extension

      not a snowball’s chance in hell we are watching Pitt play basketball next year in a meaningful game in March, wishful to even think February as we’ll know that in December

      hell, we’ll know in several weeks

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        1. LOL…I think

          I watched UVA lose to St. Bonnie with Kareem Caulibaly as their 6th man. Bitter sweet!

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  30. Horton’s loss seems to be the only material one thus far, but I think it’s in everyone’s best interest that he moves on. Horton may thrive with a team that sets screens well and has a better offensive system, he is a role playing 3 point shooter that is only marginal defensively. I suspect it was a number of factors that contributed to him moving on, but the final straw had to be him simply not playing toward the end of his time here.

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    1. And the team he left to transfer in to Pitt (Deleware) made the field of 64 without him. That had to rub him the wrong way. He actually transferred “down”.

      Is there anyplace he could go that is lower? Wait, I thought of an answer while typing – Oregon State with AD Scotty Barnes who started this whole mess.

      Liked by 1 person

  31. I don’t see Horton leaving as a big loss either. For three years we heard how he would make a difference, but we only saw it in a couple of instances, plus he was a defensive liability.

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  33. Hugely was the teams best player by far.

    I would guess Horton did not like being suspended from playing while ending up innocent of his charges. Suspended twice.

    I don’t know where Pitt draws the line but a person is innocent before proven guilty. Something this country has lost sight of with the media wanting to take everyone down immediately and corporation, universities, etc. complying with the witch hunts.

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  35. if the chancellor doesn’t care about it getting fixed, it won’t get fixed.

    If Pitt alums hate athletes getting into trouble and giving degrees a bad name, which never made sense to me, how is having an abysmal program any better? It’s still a huge negative to the Pitt name.

    If you tell a stranger you went to Pitt, that person would say “‘great year you had in football’ or ‘what happened to your basketball program’?”

    No one is saying “I heard your university is on the cutting edge in Physics due to your chancellor’s background.”

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  36. Hum

    The remaining sports playing at Pitt stink. Softball is bottom of ACC. Baseball is bottom. Lacrosse gets a pass since it’s their first year. Track and field can’t compete. Both indoors and outdoors get lapped.

    Wrestling was disappointing as well. Both soccer programs underachieved. Swimming in both men and women’s was totally outclassed in the ACC championships.

    Basketball is a dumpster fire in both programs.

    But volleyball did achieve. Final 4. Football did win the ACC. Final rank in top 15 aided by a near 24 year old fifth year senior and Heisman candidate. And our cross country boys did well. But who cares?

    Is this progress?

    Winning is one thing. Fundraising, budgeting and facilities are another.

    If Pitt really wants to sip English tea or smoke Carolina tobacco with other ACC presidents, I would think they should try harder. I won’t even mention how FSU is now on par academically with Pitt.

    The ACC should have picked UConn.

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    1. No one cares about those sports. They generate zero dollars, they have little attendance, they wouldn’t be on TV if there was no ACC network.

      Fix basketball and Pitt is in good shape.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Also, I get it he was on a roll, but the premise that those sports all stink is wrong, wrestling was disappointing but ended the year #25 before the tournament, and soccer is a very good program. That said, you are right, there are only 2 sports that really matter at a national level.

        Liked by 1 person

        1. And Pitt throughout its history of not treating those two main sports seriously is appalling. Pitt hoops could have been a powerhouse alone from recruiting its own backyard from the early 50s to the late 70s. Pitt literally could have been the flagship school of the East while UCLA was dominating out West.

          Just a few of locals from those three decades: Stokes, Twyman, Van Lier, Durrett, Simmie Hill, Maurice Lucas, Brad Davis and Pat Cummings. I wish there was a book of then Ames because I know there are a heck of a lot more.

          But why give your alumni, students and fans something to cheer about?

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          1. So according to USA Today’s 2022 college rankings, we are tied with Syracuse for 9th place in the ACC at #59 nationally. Duke is on top at #9 and North Carolina State is at the bottom coming in at #79. Ahead of us in the rankings after Duke is Notre Dame #19, UVA #25, North Carolina and Wake Forest #28, BC #3, FSU and Miami tied for #55. Clemson is next to last at #79. Many people don’t put stock in these rankings but they are interesting. We should be doing better for all our talk of academic excellence, don’t you think?

            https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/search?schoolType=national-universities&_sort=rank&_sortDirection=asc

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    3. But, Heather says there’s not a coach at Pitt she wouldn’t be thrilled to have her kids play for.

      What ever happened to that thing called winning??

      Again when you hire a rookie compliance officer who never hired or negotiated with a big time coach, this is what you get.

      And I love Heather as a person and appreciate all her hard work.

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  37. From PSN an interesting static: Horton over the last 8 games led the team in minutes played 35 and shots taken. So its my guess he didn’t leave because of his lack of participation. It has to be he’s bailing because he doesn’t any possibility that Pitt can put any sort of competitive team together prior to next season.

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    1. Correct, that was my bad above, I could’ve swore he sat a lot toward the end of the season, maybe I’m thinking he didn’t start toward the end of the season, but regardless he got his minutes. So it must’ve been the legal debacle and/or the direction of the program.

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  38. Another article by Heather w more Mia culpa s for Pitt BBall and a very non-chalant attitude toward why players leave Pitt for the portal.

    In. Beaver County Times PSN section not behind a pay wall if someone wants to post it!

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  39. There has to be rules implemented for transferring and NLI. It is a free for all.

    Players should get one no-penalty transfer, another no-penalty transfer if a head coach leaves or cheats. After that, they should have to sit a year. The number of basketball transfers around the country is unreal.

    Liked by 2 people

  40. Fact – Pitt has had 18 players transfer out in the last 4 years. Most of any ACC team and most 95% of NCAA D 1 teams. Not saying Capel is a fraud but….

    Liked by 2 people

    1. That’s his worst stat. Only thing that changes that is winning, so it won’t be fixed by him, lol.

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  41. I agree with Lyke on coaching changes. That is on the HC.

    I thought it was odd that she thinks she can give a coach stats or discuss penalties and team improvement. I think that is insulting to a coach. Program level discussions I get. Field or court level is BS.

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  42. Capel has to bring in the equivalent of the fab 5 to change this thing around. With teams taking NIL to the limit, Pitt will be out of the running for the best players.

    Where the heck does Horton think he is going where he will play more or even the same minutes? He should have stayed at Delaware. Not a quality player.

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  43. How do you recruit to a sinking ship? Go luck in getting “quality” recruits when the opposition coaches going after the same quality recruits points to the status of the current Pitt BB program.

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  44. I think it is interesting to read that losing Horton is not a bad thing when so many said it was a terrible loss during suspension and how better we would be when he got back. His suspensions were handled poorly as was the Hugley suspension. So much for clean programs under this AD.

    What happens to Pitt’s graduation rates with all these athletes that stop out?

    How many schollies are now available for the class of 2022-23? Still holding out on solutions until the AD at least acknowledges the POV suggestion box!

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  46. Horton is a decent 3 point shooter but not great. The top shooters are in the 40% and above range. He is around 37.

    Isn’t it a clean program since they got off? Lol. Would love to know who footed the lawyer bills for each.

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    1. Horton is not a D-1 Basketball Player. But then again, I said/posted that 2 years ago.

      My gosh, why are so many on this site willing to settle for SO little?

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  47. A quasi-interesting game tonight at 7 one even trough it is in the NIT tournament. Buzz Williams, who went on a public rant when his Texas A&M team was left out of the big tourney, will be playing Wake Forest. Would be nice to see Wake shut him up.

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  49. I’m probably coming back for the Spring Game Thursday eve if anyone wants to play golf Friday 4/8 before, I’m available. Last golf season for me on this knee. Having knee replacement surgery in September of which I’m terrified.

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    1. Dan, the surgery is a piece of cake, it is the rehab that’s a bear. But totally worth it.
      I am on a long golf vacation with no golf for me. Hopefully by June I will be able to play.

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      1. I know the rehab is brutal. I’ve had knee, elbow, wrist and major shoulder surgery. No prob but knee replacement scares the hell out of me! Hope we get a chance to talk. Thanks GC

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    1. Pitt chancellors are untouchable, almost God-like in their statures. Most throughout Pitt’s existence most, if not all, have been awful toward sports.

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  52. PSN has an article about a 7 foot transfer Capel is recruiting. Sounds great until you watch his film. I think there is one dunk and he barely makes it (he has zero hops) and I know I can beat him up the court and I am in my late fifties.

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  53. With the transfer portal the way it is, is graduation rates still a thing? I am not being in any way facetious here.

    Will Pitt be responsible for players transferring out, or is the school who accepts them now responsible?

    If you get a grad transfer, will it count against you if he doesn’t get an advanced degree?

    And how about super seniors? What are their expectations for staying a 6th year?

    Sent from my iPhone

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    Liked by 1 person

    1. With all of the transferring going on, I was wondering if it is harder for athletes to graduate. Credits from one institution may not transfer over to another one. Schools may not have matching majors or programs.

      I am thinking about kids like ex-PItt BB player Ryan Murphy. Didn’t he play for four schools? How does that work out academically?

      I was watching a baseball game the other day where a kid left Virginia after two years to start at St. John’s. Shouldn’t you stay at UVA for another year to get a degree from that prestigious institution? I believe the academics are going to fall even further on the back burner with the portal.

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      1. Like many a coach has said, these kids overlook the relationships and degree. Blame could be on their handlers, parents or them stupid selves. They will have to live with their decisions. That’s life. And always will be.

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  54. All the talk about portal comings and goings and how it has effected the Pitt BB program has got me thinking. Dangerous, I know.

    First let me confess first that I was a major fan of Jamie Dixon and I thought Jeff Capel was a great hire at the time. And today I don’t see how Capel can salvage his program.

    Its obvious that departures thru the portal have hurt Capel’s progress.

    So I’m wondering now how many of Dixon’s recruits and future starters and leaders would have tolerated Jamie’s defense-first, long haul development plans and how many would have jumped into the portal if the option was available back then. Ashton Gibbs? Dante Taylor? Brandin Knight? Julius Page? Others?

    It must be a major headache for today’s coaches to manage the attitudes of 18 year old kids who were stars in HS and are now getting limited minutes while they learn a system and develop their skills, knowing that the kids can jump ship on a whim at any moment.

    Liked by 4 people

    1. Pretty obvious that Jamie has adapted to his new environment. Although he is not competing for championships his job is pretty secure unlike Coach Capel whose record is abysmal and future looking mighty bleak. It certainly is a new paradigm for basketball coaches.

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  55. Dinosaur, some pretty good points. This is an entire different environment

    Heck, who remembers when Dixon actually pushed a few players out of the door when it was evident they wouldn’t contribute as thought? This actually happened

    Now the program are begging for them

    Sent from my iPhone

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  56. With a soft OOC schedule, it is pretty easy to get to .500 for the season. The question is whether or not that is good enough to save Capel’s job. Unfortunately, he will be scrambling to reach .500 by bringing in mostly Seniors who will then leave, and he has not recruited many high school players. The good ones are already mostly gone for this current class, so in order to build a program the right way with high school players would mean giving Capel probably 3-4 more years, or at least to finish his current contract. Be prepared for some mediocre ball the next few years.

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  57. Good coaches and Athletic Directors adapt AND capitalize on the new and ever changing environment. Neither Miss Lyke or Mister Capel have. And I’m not even saying excellence. Just solid goodness. But Pitt is just soo mediocre to notice or even care.

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  58. Good coaches and Athletic Directors adapt AND capitalize on the new and ever changing environment. Neither Miss Lyke or Mister Capel have. And I’m not even saying excellence. Just solid goodness. But Pitt is just soo mediocre to notice or even care.

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  59. Good coaches and Athletic Directors adapt AND capitalize on the new and ever changing environment. Neither Miss Lyke or Mister Capel have. And I’m not even saying excellence. Just solid goodness. But Pitt is just soo mediocre to notice or even care.

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  61. A 7 footer would be good! You can’t teach height. Also, the Purdue center isn’t very mobile but keep him near the basket and he can do some good things. Also, remember how awkward Gary McGhee was when he arrived on campus. Is Okudale (sp?) staying? We need a couple of shooters. The last good shooter we had was Ashton Gibbs if my memory is correct. The players who opted for the transfer portal so far won’t make much of a difference. Can’t understand why Capel can’t recruit better and keep recruits after they arrive. Seriously, Nebraska and Connecticut over Pittsburgh (I mean the college towns)
    Add X, Toney and McGowan to the current team and a record 0f .500 or better would have been possible.

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  62. Wow, quite a scoop from Vukovcan in the Pittsburgh Sports Report today regarding his conversation with Horton’s father. Check it out…

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  64. To paraphrase, Hortons dad says the problems with Pitt Basketball is between the lines and on Capel.
    “After three years it’s who you are”

    He goes into specifics as the Capel’s coaching flaws in the specific offense and defense being stagnant and easy to play against. Can’t disagree with one thing he says! I’ve seen it too… every game. Capel is a very mediocre game day coach and that’s being kind.

    He also says his son was not drunk nor disrespectful and definitely did not hit an officer. Having read the arrest report and been abused by the PGH Police myself after a fight in the Luna many years ago, I believe him.

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    1. I’m not going to comment personally on what happened in the towing/fight incident because I truly have no idea, but even if Ithiel hit someone I doubt he’s a bad kid, probably just someone who had a bad day with a little help from some alcohol. And that’s where I’ll leave that.

      Regarding BASKETBALL, I totally agree with many of his father’s comments, and we are all first hand witnesses of the on court disfunction and there’s some significant public history regarding locker room disfunction. I’ve always wondered if the reason Capel spends so much time harping on effort and character, is because its a way of taking focus off of X’s and O’s, and ultimately off of himself. Again, I truly hope I am wrong and Capel gets redemption for himself and the program next year, but I have my serious doubts.

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  65. In the arrest report the officer says Horton hit an officer in uniform.
    That was not true as pointed out in court by Hortons attorney who made the police revise the report!

    Then, out of utter irritation the arresting officer purposely missed the hearing
    so he could extend Hortens punishment. That’s how vindictive the PGH Police are.

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  66. A couple of things

    Beville Davis reportedly just entered the portal which should surprise nobody. Certainly wish him well

    I have mixed reactions to Horton. First off, if what his father said of the police incident is true, then the policewoman should be ashamed of herself for blowing off the original court date, thus extending Ithiel’s suspension a few more weeks.

    Also, Pitt only plays zone defense to protect Hugley and they cannot expected to play defense anywhere near Syracuse.

    But obviously the most damning thing are the coach-player relationships which just seems to break down for Capel as the season progresses. And of course, the statement that Capel made about Pitt needing better players is Todd Graham-sequel. (Nothing more to say)

    Sent from my iPhone

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    1. Hoping Davis Beville lands in a good place. Seems like an excellent teammate. Often the first out onto the field to encourage or congratulate the players coming off the field…

      Go Pitt.

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  67. But both hugely and Horton are not what Pitt wants. Wannys firing or forced resignation was in part justified by this kind of stuff. Yet Capel gets a free pass. Does the BOT now approve of these discretion’s? Why is Capels leash so much longer than Dave’s? I have my own suspicions that would cause an uproar if publicly disclosed. Simple double standard.

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    1. That’s BS, Wanny had a whole bunch of issues including guys living with drug dealers, and made the cover of Sports Illustrated. Capel has had two fairly minor issues which were dealt with pretty harshly.

      Capel has a long leash because of his buy out, pure and simple.

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      1. That cover was orchestrated by Steve P. I lived with a drug dealer my freshman year. Does that make me bad? If the leash is driven by financials and not morals or business ethics, then I think Pitt is being very hypocritical.

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        1. It would have made you bad if your roommate got busted while you were in the house.
          Plus that Stevie P. story is a conspiracy theory.

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      2. Who was living with drug dealers? Chryst kicked two kids off who were friends with a drug dealer. One was actually a really good student from a prestigious high school in Philly. None of the three kids tested positive for drugs, either.

        Pitt never made the cover of SI and read the first paragraph of the article. It’s a joke. Eighteen of those incidents were dumb things like public intoxication. Just one bad incident. It could happen anywhere. Ancient history now and Pitt handled it the only way Pitt could: poorly.

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  68. I actually don’t have a huge problem with either incident by Horton or Hugley, depending on the details of what actually happened, and whether these are one-time incidents or not. I’d hate to think that students, whether athletes or not, get ‘one strike and you’re out’ treatment. My bigger problem was actually with the Champ-Toney-X situation, because that was festering over a long period of time and is a reflection of a lack of team chemistry/discipline which is a more foundational issue with the program. But when you add ALL of these up together, we seem to have a problem that goes beyond just recruiting better players.

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  69. Yep, Beville going into the portal doesn’t surprise me at all. I’m expecting Yellen to also leave after this school session ends. Pitt could now really be hurting for the backup #3 QB and i don’t want to even get into the possibility of Patti possibly leaving if Slovis gets the #1 QB slot after spring practice.

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  70. So with Beville leaving (agreed, no surprise), I suppose that means Yarnell moves to third string? I would be curious to see how he looks in the Spring game if so.

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    1. Yarnell I don’t think is even practicing but I don’t know for sure. He was hurt last fall and is still recovering I think. I’ll see if I can find out on the Lair.

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  71. Pretty sure I saw Yarnell’s name mentioned in a practice interview. Does Slovis have one or two years left?

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  72. Davis B’s tweet announcing his decision included “Forever grateful. Will always be a Pitt man”

    Sent from my iPhone

    >

    Liked by 1 person

  73. I don’t buy Mr Horton’s story. Everyone has done wrong but his kid. Come on, the truth is always somewhere in the middle.

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    1. Again, I’m not going to comment on the guilt of the legal incident, because there’s just not enough info. out there for me, but from a basketball standpoint I think Mr. Horton’s assessment of Capel (with the obvious exception of his flawed ‘zone defense’ as comment) is pretty plain and clear for everyone to see. Capel’s game day strategy and/or teaching seems consistently lacking/simplistic, and I think that especially hurts a guy like Horton who is more limited in terms of creating his own shot.

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  74. So my take from the comments on PSN and the POV is that Capel is a pretty good recruiter, but is not a good Xs and Os coach and does not build good chemistry and coach/player relationships that bind a team together. This is not a good combination in this era of transfer portal opportunity for unhappy players. But I thought he did a pretty good job of sticking with both Horton and Hugely as they went through their legal troubles.

    The kids he has recruited so far, including the transfers, were good enough to win some games and maybe make the tournament. However, there is definitely a problem with his ability to generate good team chemistry and retain players, and we can all see the sideline deficiencies. So on balance, if I have to weigh his ability to turn things around, which includes recruiting and keeping his players, I’m not optimistic. He should have recognized his sideline coaching deficiencies long ago and found an assistant head coach who excelled in this area. Sticking with his current batch of assistants could in the end be his undoing..

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    1. Let’s take the last point, one step further…

      If after 4 years of very poor to very mediocre (at best) performance…MY BOSS would have stepped in during my annual reviews in the Corp. world and suggested some definite, specific changes in the management staff that support me. Sheesh!…and NOT waited 4 years to raise this point.

      Heather?
      Heather Lyke?
      A.D. Heather Lyke?

      // crickets chirping // …when is comes to ACTION.
      (Pitt doesn’t need glib & insincere comments during recent press conf. in trying to save the program)

      There is just as much reason to place blame for the awful b.b. performance on the A.D.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Heather has her BOT supporters and is a protected class if you know what I mean. The optics of firing a women for incompetence would not go down well. So far her picks for softball, baseball and both basketball coaches leaves me questioning her chops. I can’t think of one home run hire she’s made. Gavin was solid though. Randy may have potential. The extension of Jeff looks really bad right now. And remember, Miss Lyke already got her new extension and a very nice pay increase to more than offset sky high inflation.

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  75. Playing ketchup here, but with Jamie Dixon, you knew what you were getting when you committed to Pitt. You were going to be here for 4-5 years and play slog ball for most of it and wear a helmet to compete.

    With Capel, you don’t know what you are getting offensively or defensively. I don’t think he can explain it correctly. Therein lies the rub. Nice guy, maybe. I think he got political in some regards which was a smokescreen for his lack of x’s and o’s.

    The St. Peter’s back-up shoting guard got 2 NIL deals after last weekend. The only NIL deal that Pitt bball players could get right now is for Sani Flush portal potties or greyhound (leaving town). Actually Hugley should get the Greyhound NIL deal “and leave the driving to us”.

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  76. I think Horton’s dad is spot on in some areas.
    Capel’s remarks about the talent level were unfortunate at best and certainly self-destructive.

    Its a totally effed up for a guy in his position with his experience to say anything like that.
    He has no chance to get anyone in that will lead to a turnaround.

    I don’t think the school should buy him out. What he has done – or should I say has not done – is really on him. Nobody else. He does not deserve that money. I wouldn’t spend that kind of money just to get the program back on track one year earlier. The school should do exactly what they are doing right now – make it crystal clear who failed at this time next year. And it won’t be the school. When he does fail next season, no one will be able to say the school wasn’t fair with him. The next coach will see that there is abundant patience.

    The classy thing for Capel to do at this point is resign. Now. Go off somewhere, reflect for a year and get back in at a mid-major program or something smaller. He has the cash to live comfortably – its time for him to take stock of himself. Forget about how the Hugeley discipline matter was handled or the perceived inadequacy of the practice facility. Time to show character for the next chapter of his life. Character does matter – even if its overlooked so often in our evaluation of coaches and player. Someone will give him a chance down the road if he does so.

    But if he goes down fighting during the next year, he will be that much more unemployable afterwards.

    Liked by 5 people

  78. Zags we’re a fraud. Can’t shoot from the floor or foul line! Been that way all year. Hats off to the Hogs. We’re never behind entire game.

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    1. And some say Miller stinks as a coach because he never made a FF at Arizona. What’s the new coach’s excuse?

      It’s hard to win in the NCAA tournament.

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    2. But would not have advanced far due to coaching. Capel just can’t coach. Even with Blake, he only got to the Elite 8.

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  83. My only hope is Kansas…getting pummeled in the pool.
    Zags play a really easy schedule all year and don’t look ready for the grind of the tourney.

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    1. PJ O’Brien caught my eye in last year’s spring game. He has some quickness and is definitely a high-energy guy…. Unfortunately it seems to take a couple years to learn the Pitt safety positions…

      Go Pitt.

      Liked by 1 person

  87. Got all games right last night but still on course to failure in total wins. Duke – Villa final would be nice.

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