Let’s be clear about something. In 95% of the cases (yes, a made up number) any player who completed his junior year does not “voluntarily” transfer or leave a D-1 program unless there are criminal, academic or personal issues. That player is stuck dropping down to D-2 basketball if they want to get a scholarship and play. Their eligibility at the upper-level is shot because at D-1 a transfer has to sit out a year. They can play immediately if they drop a level.
So, I’m not even going to pretend that Pitt coaches weren’t doing everything they could to convince Cassin Diggs to leave the basketball team. It may not have been with the direct coldness of a Jim Calhoun forced exit, but it was done. I can’t say I’m comfortable with it, simply because it means falling back on the old chestnut of “well it goes on everywhere else.”
At the same time, the rationalizing part of my brain that knows how this helps Pitt by freeing up that scholarship to a player who may be more productive and may fill that immediate need at shooting guard. It continues with the point that this is only the first time it has happened, and only the second transfer under Dixon.
To say nothing of a reflexive defense when Diggs unloads a bit.
Diggs said the split from Pitt was not amicable. He had wanted to remain with the team, but the coaches repeatedly encouraged him to transfer. After a while, he relented and decided to leave because it became obvious he was not wanted.
“They basically wanted me to leave because they wanted to sign someone else,” Diggs said.
Diggs, a Williamsport, Pa., native, went on to say the Pitt coaches were “manipulators” because they made it seem like he would receive more playing time during the recruiting process.
“The walk-ons were playing more at the end of the season than I was,” Diggs said. “[The coaches] made it seem like it was because of my injuries, but it wasn’t.”
Again, the defensiveness of the program screams, “The walk-ons were playing more because even they were better than you!” I also feel the need to dispute the “manipulators” accusation. Diggs is the first player leaving Pitt under Dixon to complain bitterly. Dante Milligan left because of a lack of playing time, but hardly went crazy about it (of course he still had plenty of time to his eligibility).
The final thing about this, from a planning standpoint is that it only leaves Pitt with 3 scholarships to offer for next year — Fields, Young and Biggs — rather than 4 (barring any other transfers). That’s a little frustrating, especially if Travon Woodall Darnell Dodson (remember him?) is still in Pitt’s plan after his JUCO stint. He would be part of the 2009 signing class.
On the plus side, Jermaine Dixon’s signing will give the team a scholarship opening in 2010 where at present there are none.
My bad. I linked to a Dodson thing. Knew it was Dodson, but wrote Woodall.
Correction made. Thanks Omar.
Of course, if his name wasn’t Ed Turner, then you guys have no idea what I’m talking about, and that might kill my point. Also, now that I think about it, Howland might have still been here when he left. So, just forget I said anything unless you can clarify.
A player has the responsibility to perform to the best of his abilities in the community, in the classroom and on the court. From the lack of accounts indicating otherwise, Diggs was doing that. Asking him to leave in light of this seems petty.
This is what happens at big time college basketball programs. You think Taylor King left Duke because Coach K told him he was going to start next year. Obviously they had a conversation and Coach K agreed that he wasn’t going to be able to cut it at Duke. I’m sure he didn’t tell him that he was going to ride the pine when he recruited him. It happens.
Diggs has a ring, big deal. He lost a year of his life that he can’t have back. As much as I care about a winning football and basketball program, I want to see our University handle itself in a way where it does what is best for the students and the community. I do not believe this was done here. In closing, there have most likely been several athletes of poor character and poor academic standing that deserved to lose scholarships. When is the last time one heard about that happening? (Allen Richardson maybe) We never heard that Cassin Diggs screwed up so it is ashame that he was scewed by people that I have a lot of respect for.
#27, 6th in the BE. Not bad. Three top ten BE teams.
And honestly, he must be much worse than what i saw last summer. Or they really love this Dixon kid.
Dante Milligan, who was w/ umass nit team was also a Pitt recruit who transferred out. Thats at least 2. Is Austin Wallace on the medical/pup list yet? if not, he should have been first. from the news of his injury, it did not look good. also what is the status concerning Mike Cook’s appeal for 6th year elg?
If you saw him play, you can obviously see that athletically he didn’t live up to his side of the bargain. I don’t entirely blame Pitt’s recruiters either, though that have some blame. If some kid gets good grades in HS, gets an acad schollie, then flunks out at Pitt, it’s on him, not the school.
Nothing in life in entitled!!! You have to work for it. Just my two cents…
Jermaine Dixon’s last five games in the brutal Panhandle Conference:
5 Tue. OKALOOSA-WALTON COLLEGE* TALLAHASSEE L, 89-72
9 Sat. CHIPOLA COLLEGE* TALLAHASSEE L, 93-77
13 Wed. Gulf Coast CC* Panama City, Fla. L, 72-67
20 Wed. Okaloosa-Walton College* Niceville, Fla. L, 82-78
23 Sat. PENSACOLA JC* TALLAHASSEE L, 69-58
However, one point that irks me strictly from a point of equity … the school is only obligated to provide a scholarship year to year, but the players are not allowed to move on (at least within D-1) from year to year. Not that I want that to be the case by any means but it does suggest that maybe a scholarship should be at least 2 years worth … say, if the school wants to cancel the scholie, it at least owes the kid tuition for one more year, either at the school or payment of value equal to tuition at the school (or less if needed) for another D-1 program for a year.
Another acceptable reason for student discipline or sanctioning is a behavioral issue. As derf suggests, quite correctly, we also have no evidence that Diggs has had a history of behavioral problems such as arrest or altercations with the police.
I am not passing judgment on the Diggs situation since I simply do not have enough facts. I am just pointing out that comparing him to a student with a .8 GPA is incongruous.
On the one hand you say “However there is no evidence that Diggs was not performing in the classroom, hence the incongruity with that analogy.” Then you say, ” I am just pointing out that comparing him to a student with a .8 GPA is incongruous.” Obviously you saw correctly I was making a comparison by your second statement, but the first statement shows a total lack of understanding. It was a comparison, not a statement of fact. He didn’t perfrom, therefore he lost his ATHLETIC schollie. Just as a bad performaing ACADEMIC schollie student would, therefore it wasn’t a heartless move sas some would portray.
Look up analogy in the dictionary, that may help you understand.
The coaching staff failed this kid. They gave up on this kid. Please remember he is a kid. They promised him the world along with a Pitt education and forced him out of the university because he was struggling. BULLSH*&.. We all know to well- No one wants to be in a situation where they are not welcome… NO ONE..
This is college not the pros. In regards to the student with a .8 in medical school. The University would offer all acedemic, social and any other assitance available to help the student. They would not throw his arse to the curb and hope the next student succeed.
Jeff… plese be very clear- it was not just an athletic. Diggs had to perform in the classroom to maintain his scholarship and Please note that no coach tells a kid that it is a ONE scholarship. Each coach promises four years and the DEGREE.
Like i said in previous blogs. JD is overrated.
Heaven help us if that’s the standards Americans have come to.
A coach will promise that if a player does well, he will be eligible for a degree. No coach would ever promise the degree, those aren’t hsi to give out. That’s up to the player. Same with playing time, no coach would promise it. They would likely say, if you prcatice hard and play well, you’ll be in there. Things in life are earned, not given.
You guys are in for a rude awakening. In life, it is not enough “just to stay out of trouble”. You need to perform. If a salesman for some company works really hard, harder than everyone else, but sells nothing, he will be let go. The boss may have even told him of the commission package they **could** make if they sell. It’s up to the individual to perform then. Imagine this guys surprise then when he responds to his boss, “But you can’t fire me, I was never tasered”. He’ll still be on unemployment the next day.
Anyways, this topic is so done. Diggs is gone. JD is a very good coach (by the way, I’m sure many of you who are hating him for Diggs are also the same ones hating for not getting past the sweet 16 - if you want to have the best team possible, you can’t have it both ways).
I’m out on this topic.
It is the harsh reality that is elite D-1 schools. If you don’t like it now, then you better get thicker skin.
Or you could just continue to show your complete lack of journalistic integrity by not fact checking…nice job.
Please tell me what did Diggs did wrong? He went to class and perform well enough (i dont know what diggs GPA was). Did not get into trouble. Went to practice and played as hard as he could in the situation that was present. When you recruit off POTENTIAL sometimes you get burned but why screw the kid because you got burned? JD should honor the Diggs scholarship and give him the chance to Graduate. Period.
Jeff last time I checked these players arent getting paid so you cant make the correlation to the job market is erroneous. For the record… if an employee busted his butt and did everything the Boss/Manager asked he would not be fired. Sh(* Norte Dame did not fired Rudy.
The kids are promised the world by the used car salesman/coaches. Than as fans we either complain that the player doesnt attend your University and label him a bum or we annoit them as the next legend. You forget the basic neccessaity- These are kids/young men trying to develop into productive adults and make something good of themselves. All many people care about is that he could not perform to YOUR EXPECTATION on the basketball court. We no nothing about what was going in his head after walk ons played more than him.
And, JD is overrated and it has nothing to do about not reaching the sweet 16. BTW JT3 is overrated too.
Diggs..If you read the blogs. I hope you are on pace to gradaute and can find someway to secure aid to finish your degree at Pitt (since the private student loan industry has basically disappeared).
You say you don’t know his GPA, then how do you know he went to class or had decent grades, you don’t. You don’t know how hard he practiced, Pitt’s practices are closed to the public.
Also, how do you know what coaches promise, or JD in particular? Were you in the kids living room when he was offered?
You state that fans have unreal expectations of players, then you bust JD. I wonder, what unrealistic expectations you must be harboring?
Diggs was not let go because of MY expectations. He didn’t meet someone’s expectations though, that’s why his schollie was rescinded.
By the way, he wasn’t kicked out of Pitt. He could still go there and get a degree and make something good of himself. Nobody took that away from him.
An employee will absolutely be fired, regardless of effort sometimes. Just happened where I work. Lady worked till 3 am, but the results weren’t there. Gone. It’s not always about effort, it’s about performance. CD, you need to gain some experience in life and then you will be less naive and become more jaded like the rest of us 
. But in the end, make any comparison you want…no good play = no good pay, that’s true in any aspect of life, unless you want to be on welfare.
My guess CD, is that you also may be an underperformer and that is why this is stinging you so hard. But mark my words, if you don’t perform in life, things won’t be handed to you, they will be taken away.
Jeff- I dont know Diggs as a person. I dont know his status as a student. I do know like you know his stats last year. Bad year but he had (before taken away) his senior year to stepped up and turn his career around. We both must agree that Diggs is a not professional basketball player getting paid by the University (to our knowledge). Please No comment about the fact he gets to go to school for free as payment. We know that doesnt wash your laundry, give your spending money to hang out with the guys or take your lady on a date. We both agree that Diggs is a student first than athlete. We do know htat Diggs was promised the opportunity to play athletic/basketball at our incredible Univesirty on a Scholarship (note they are called student athletes and the scholarship is written that way- you would know since you are high preformer) and Diggs also has the ability to secure a degree that will open some doors to many possiblities in the future if he signed the LOI. Nothing in the letter talks about being forced out your senior year because you were injure and not playing well or that the coach can sign a younger player.
With that being said- I watched a lot of his games. Could he improve? Yes!! Could everyone improve on the team including the coaching staff improve?? YES!!! It is JD’s job to get the most out of his players in the four to five years he has them. Some players catch on quick… some take longer. The coach knows this. JD quit on a player who he begged to attend his University. Promise and cajooled Digg’s parents that JD and Pitt were the right choice for their son. Now, with ONE year left he forces Diggs to transfer- not stay and finish his career at pitt and hopefully graduate. Now.. you say that JD is right. You are wrong my friend. When you shake someone hands and you promise to take care of their kid and put him in a position to graduate and make something out of himself- You deliver. That is a real person. JD is turning into a Slick Hair Con Artist
In regards to the employee who was getting paid to sell products from a company that worked until 3 am. You and I know first hand that working until 3am is not the sign of a hardworker. Usually, that individual is struggling because they cant grasp the market, product, sales cycle, have a horrible territory management plan and cant priorotize. More importantly, her manager in my opinion set her up to fail. The end result is, if she did everything the manager asked and it did not work than who fault was it? Hers? Or following her manager’s advice?
Coaching dont speak to parents after the sign the LOI.
Just admit.. JD was wrong. This is college basketball.
Good Luck to Digg’s. Hopefully, you can graduate and move on from this.
If Dixon was such a slick hair con artist, he would have burned the redshirt and played Diggs at the end of games when Frye and Polen played.
Did Dixon encourage Diggs to transfer? absolutely, but is was Diggs decision to transfer. Diggs options were either sit on the bench at Pitt or transfer. Given those options, most kids decide to transfer. If Diggs told Dixon that he wanted to stay, he would still have a scholarship.
First, we have an impressive blog here, representing a dedicated Pitt community. Overwhelmingly, our posts are well-reasoned and very readible, which is quite an outlier from most blogs out there, so let’s not get too caught up in personal call-outs and name calling.
One issue I think we’re overlooking in regard to Diggs is that JD is under pressure to put the best product out on the court possible. With the university’s investment in the Pete and aspects of the program, there is a clear committment to having successful, national men’s basetball at Pitt. Such a program requires winning to generate the financial returns for those investments to make sense. Hence, JD has to operate with that mindset, and being a professional at recognizing and developing talent, he made a decision about the status of one of his players. If Diggs is not a part of the short or long run plan for the program to remain nationally viable, it is more than reasonable to reconsider whether his allotted scholarship could be maximized by someone else. For better or worse, this is driven by a need to maintain the status quo and expand the success (on the court and through revenue) of the program, if possible. Cdmoore is right in noting that this is college basketball, but the nature of modern college basketball is fundamentally concerned with the idea of remaining competetive on the highest level your program can sustain. Pitt, I’d like to think, is on the cusp of becoming an elite program, and that sort of ascension requires some uneasy sacrifices. Unfortunately, Diggs’ situation brings to light the very human element involved here, since, for all intents and purposes, he is just a kid who wants to play some ball and get a college degree.
But the bigger point is that Diggs didn’t come to Pitt for a degree. He came to play ball. He isn’t bitter because he isn’t going to get a degree in Russian Fairy Tales from Pitt. He is bitter/disappointed because Pitt is a solid basketball program that he wants to be a part of. Unfortunately, he isn’t good enough (based on performance thus far) to warrant keeping around if Pitt can get a better player who will actually contribute.
The question is this: do you think Diggs would rather never see another minute on the basketball court and stay at Pitt, or transfer and have a shot at playing elsewhere? I guarantee that he would rather PLAY. His bitterness is more about not getting to play at Pitt and then being asked to leave than it is about just being asked to leave. His reaction is one of disappointment, probably sadness, but ultimately, when he settles in at a new school and gets to play, he will realize that being on the court is far more important than being on the bench for a good team.
How the hell do you know? Were you at practice every day? For all we know, the coaches thought he was better than he was, and he may have seen the writing on the wall. There is NO WAY the coaches promised him playing time. They most likely told him that he will have the opportunity to for playing time…but along with that comes the responsibility of the player to show up and perform at practice EVERY day.
I am from the same hometown as Cassin, and he was a little lazy in high school. One reason was his weight. But he was still lazy. Did that continue, especially when it turned out that Blair was a stud and McGhee was better than anyone thought so soon?
cdmoore, have you ever been recruited by a college coach? My guess is no. Unless you are a complete high school stud, no coach promises guaranteed playing time and no coach promises a degree. They will say that they will do what they can to help the student-athlete get his degree, but it is up to the student-athlete to get the degree by going to classes and doing the work.
“Like i said in previous blogs. JD is overrated. ”
I will say this on this blog….you’re an idiot.
I will find out from my brother what happened, if he is able.
You dont have to be present at practice to understanding the pyshce of an athlete. You know from first hand experience once these players are built up so high that it hurt when reality sinks in that they are not that good as advertised. Please remember -All sports are 80% mental (that was my weakness.. i thought i had to be perfect and played by the rules). Mental toughness are what seperates averages playes from great players.
In regards to Diggs, hwe all know he e could not stay on the team. He wanted to stay but why stay somewhere you are not wanted. You only become frustrated and become a cancer. I feel bad for the kid and the actions that JD took on his life because of the added pressure on him to win.
My only hope for Diggs is that he can land on his feet. I hope the university and coaches atleast make calls to schools for Diggs. In regard to student loans, why take them out when you dont have to. Why would anyone wish that 15 years of payment one him knowing the job market sucks?
Mook- did you ever hear of college factories with easy degrees for atudent athletes to obtain? OSU , Mich, FLA, LSU have them to name a few. Yes.. they the coach guareentte them degrees and keep them eleigble too. Here is a food for thought- the coach gives each player after they graduation a FAT ASS Check too. Did you know that?
We have to agree to disagree on the Diggs situation. Diggs is no longer a Panther and JD HIGHLY recommend that Diggs look to transfer. That is all the facts we know. If JD goes to the final four maybe people will forget. Not me and Not Diggs.
The main thing is that it sucks that our University is acting like the Duke, Fla, Lsu, USc, Uconn, Ucla, Kent of the worlds. I guess in the end these young men are not men but stocks/slaves and can be thrown away if they dont produce to the coaches plan. Sh(* it actually sounds like slavery has found a new niche- College Athletic- young free labor. Sad Sad Sad.
Slave Master Dixon has joined the southern circle of coaches.
It is a moot point anyway, because my overall point was that he doesn’t want a degree from Pitt. He wanted to play basketball at Pitt. He tried and he didn’t succeed. He will be happier playing for another team than riding pine for this team because every athlete wants to be on the court contributing. If he isn’t happier to get PT at another school vs. riding pine for Pitt, then that would show his problem- that he doesn’t actually care if he plays.
My only point about the loans was that you make it sound like he somehow had a shot at a coveted degree from Pitt ripped out from beneath him, and now he can only dream about what will never be. The reality is that he can be a student just like the rest of us and pay his own way if he really, really wanted to be a student at Pitt.
Hey.. I dont know if Diggs wants to graduate or go back to Williamsport. Either way.. i wish him hte best of luck.
One thing I wanted to add- when you read your LOI your need a background in law. The LOIs are just like the re fi loans. Small print and you trust that your lead recruiter. Just like buying a house or car. You trust these people becaue you beleive that they are looking out for your interset. NOT!!!!!! That is why coaches leave and live off the fact that they got so and so to sign when they were at State U.
Man.. watch blue chip, one on one. recruiting is shady business and people lie to these kids and other people make money by pointing a kid to a particular school (it is documented in many many books too)
I feel bad for him but I don’t think there is anyone that wanted him to fail. You don’t give a kid an athletic scholarship to your team and secretly want him/her to fall on their face. He could have been a 4.0 student but if the kid can’t paint then you give the canvas to someone else that can. I wish only the best for him and hope he finds peace in every decision that he makes from now on.
I am in no way saying C. Diggs is a bad person. I don’t know him, shit I think I only saw the kid play once for like 4 minutes. He looked lost, overweight and awkward. If we desperately needed someone to come in and help 6′7 Blair get some rest and a 6′10 guy couldn’t do it, then right there is your answer. We didn’t get to this point because the kid was fabulous, we’re here because the kid couldn’t run with the bulls. Biggs, a 4, was primarily backing Blair up.
This is life. Sometimes you bust your ass and get fired. Sometimes you are the most improved person…and get fired. I hate the way the situation panned out but I am not going to question Coach Dixon’s plan here. We need a shooting guard, even if the kid only scores 5 points a game.
Blair, McGhee and Biggs got the 5 spot covered. Wallace is in the mix as well, for now. This move makes sense to me guys. We had Wanamaker and Gibbs at the 2 guard for next season. That’s not good enough, not saying they aren’t talented enough but unacceptable to put this pressure on them. I rather put the pressure on Blair and Biggs at the 5 than Brad and Ashton at the 2. Brown needs to stay at the SF spot with incoming Robinson. This sacrifice makes sense to me. It makes us a little bit less classy but I think they can take it.
In closing I think the coaching staff did the move that helps this team win in the fall. I feel very badly for Diggs and wish nothing but the best for him. If I was a millionaire, I would pay for his senior year. This only proves that our team has high goals set and it’s about time we advanced past the sweet 16. Go Pitt!
I know schools will bend the rules for athletes. But some schools are worse than others. We just don’t have any idea of what truly happened. We don’t know if he couldn’t cut it in the classroom, on the practice court, we know he didn’t do much on the game court, we don’t know if the told him to get lost, or we don’t know if they told him that he probably wouldn’t see much playing time. The point is, since we don’t know what happened, anyone who has a strong opinion either way could very easily be wrong.
Pitt lineup: Blair, Young, Fields, Brown, and Wannamaker or Dixon….
we need McGhee to step up, which I think he will…
and then we need some versatile guards that are around 6′5 to 6′7 (see Memphis, Kansas)…
Nasir Robinson this year and Lamar Patterson the follwing year are upgrades…
I’d like to see us land Dante Taylor and Omari Lawrence…
and possibly Maurice Creek or Zeke Marshall
Analogy:
1. a similarity between like features of two things, on which a comparison may be based
2. similarity or compatability
source: dictionary.com
Hmm, it seem like I understood that you were trying to find similarity to make a comparison. I just found the logic of your model flawed. For example, how do you equate perceived underperformance to a .8 GPA? Through what calculus do you derive this arbitrary number?
Still you have inspired me to look up several other words:
Sarcasm:
1. harsh or bitter derision or irony
2. sharply ironical taunt; sneering or cutting remark
Now that I have mastered the nuances of “analogies” and “sarcasm” I can “buy a clue” in order to understand things better in the future. You see, I am getting the hang of this sarcasm thing already.
Dixon has said that Diggs wasn’t playing because of a hip injury and that the split was amicable. Diggs directly contradicts those two statements saying that the injury was never a limiting factor and that the split was not amicable.
Somebody’s lying — and the fact that Diggs has been shown the door in an effort to make way for Jermaine Dixon seems to implicate Jamie Dixon.
I, like all Panther fans, want Pitt to be successful. And perhaps this type of thing happens at every program. But I don’t want our program to sacrifice its integrity — not for big-time athletes like Pryor and Pope and not for middle-of-the-road JUCO recruits like Diggs and Dixon.
I really can’t understand why any of this is being treated like a black eye for Dixon or a stain on the program. There have been other players who have ‘disappeared’ in the past. Diggs decided to make an issue of it in an interview, making a lot of people feel for him. Had he not done that, most people would believe it was for the best, and many may not have ever noticed. It isn’t like he contributed on the floor.
There is nothing at all cold and callous about saying to someone that a situation isn’t working out. He was brought to Pitt to help Pitt win games. An LOI is a two way contract. The school promises to give the kid a chance. But the kid is also promising to deliver a product. Diggs didn’t deliver. It can’t be a big surprise to him to know that he isn’t D1 material. It was probably a surprise to find out (someone thought) he was.
This whole discussion is evidence that Pitt fans (actually all Pittsburgh sports fans) are hard to please. If Dixon doesn’t get better players than Diggs, he is a bad coach. If Dixon replaces a guy like Diggs with a better guy, he is a manipulator and a ’slick hair con artist’. Dixon is a good, clean, honest coach. But he is still a basketball coach. He isn’t a pastor. He isn’t a babysitter. He isn’t Dr. Phil. He is a basketball coach. He is paid to put a solid team on the floor and (to a lesser degree) to not let the basketball team embarrass the school. He has generally succeeded on both counts.
This all this bickering about Diggs has been rendered moot by the fact that Smizik actually wrote a surprisingly positive column about Pitt.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08114/875611-233.stm
Feel free to insert whatever joke you wish about Hell having frozen over.
HTP
You also failed to address the fact that Diggs wasn’t given the chance to succeed. Sixty-one minutes over the course of the season is not a fair shake. And let’s not forget that he contributed more than McGhee when he had the chance. I’m not saying that he was going to be an All-Conference player or even better than McGhee, but it’s hard to prove yourself if you don’t get to play.
I don’t think Dixon and his staff are “slick hair con artists.” I do think they handled this situation poorly, however, and that deserves to be recognized.
Keep in mind that we have two “proven” big men returning next year in Biggs and Blair. Neither of those players is a true center. Everybody else is a question mark (McGhee, Wallace and Miller). It seems like we could use all the big bodies we can get our hands on.
True, but very strange logic.
Dave in Orlando didn’t see him practice, so he must have sucked. Jeff didn’t see him practice, so he must have sucked.
I guess you can have your cake and eat it too. Well done!
That said, I can’t help but think this is the right thing for Diggs and Pitt. I know he had very limited playing time, but it’s patently obvious that Diggs is not a Div. I player. Anybody who attended the summer league in Greentree last year could see that.
Nobody knows what he was and wasn’t promised and, yes, this does call into question what the staff person who recruited this guy in the first place was thinking, but you can’t tell me that Diggs would not be better off going to a smaller, DII school, getting some playing time and, hopefully, getting a good education.
A Pitt education is a good one, but there are lots of smaller schools where you can get a good education that will prepare you for life in the real world. Let’s not act like his life is devastated because, assuming would have even finished school, he won’t have a Pitt degree.
Second, there is more to a players value on the court than how many points they scored. McGhee may not have scored a lot, but each game he played you could see more confidence in him and you could tell he was getting better. At the beginning of the season I believed McGhee was an awful recruit who would never amount to anything. By the end of it, I believe that he will eventually at least be a solid backup center that can provide relief to the starter. In the nine games that Diggs got in, did he ever look like he was learning or catching up to the game? Just because he didn’t get a lot of game time doesn’t mean he wasn’t given a chance. The coaches will use their best players. They don’t recruit guys just to hate them for no reason. If Diggs was capable of contributing at a quality level, the coaches WOULD have used him.
Third, we don’t know how things went in practice for him. But somehow Dave, you try to make that out to mean that we can’t say he was bad in practice any more than you can say he was good, because we just don’t know. But the fact that he didn’t get to play, and that Pitt REALLY needed bodies in the middle of the season, but that Diggs still didn’t play (he claims he wasn’t injured and could have) tells us that it is safe to assume that he wasn’t showing much promise in practice. It is a logical assumption because, as I said above, the coaches WANT to put good players on the floor. They WANT their recruits to do well. If Diggs wasn’t being used, it wasn’t because of same clandestine arrangement to force him out. It was because between practice and game time he showed that he couldn’t hack it.
All this is too bad because it is true that we could use another big man. But preferably we want a big man who knows how to play basketball.
I really do hope he can find a DII school where he can be a solid contributor. As I said in an earlier post, any true ball player in any sport would rather contribute to an inferior team than ride pine on a superior one, because playing is what they want to do more than anything else.
An academic scholarship is an invitation to join the University community, take classes, participate in activities, and contribute to the department. It can often be given for a prowess shown in a particular subject, or an ability to enhance the school’s debate team, or whatever. It is not free however, it is instead a bargain. We’ll give you this cheap/free education and you continute to show you’re worthy and achieve great things. If you fall below a 3.0 at Pitt, you go on probation. Do it in a second term, you lose the scholarship. That’s because the performance FOR WHICH YOU GOT THE SCHOLARSHIP is no longer up to the standards required. This may be the fault of you the student, it may be that you took hard classes, or that you were just not smart enough. The administrators may have made a mistake in awarding the scholarship. No matter, you lose it.
An athletic scholarship is an invitation to join the University community, take classes, participate in activities and contribute to the University’s athletic department in a meaningful way. It is not free however, it is instead also a bargain (by which I mean a deal made between two parties, not a cheap find in the sale rack). We’ll give you this cheap/free education and you continute to show you’re worthy and achieve great things. If you fail to live up to the standards of the team, play poorly, don’t pass enough credits to remain a student in good standing, or whatever, you lose it. However, if you have straight As and quit the basketball team, YOU LOSE YOUR SCHOLARSHIP. That’s because the performance FOR WHICH YOU GOT THE SCHOLARSHIP is no longer up to the standards required. This may be the fault of you the athlete, it may be that you focused on classes instead of sports, or that you were just not good enough. The administrators may have made a mistake in awarding the scholarship. No matter, you lose it.
That is why it is an apt analogy. You people that argue that it is not correct because in one case academic achievement is controlling and in the other athletic achievement is controlling are not paying attention. No one said “The standards are identical, and the performances required are identical.” The standards are ANALOGOUS. The performance for an academic scholarship is strong academic achievement. If you get a 2.0 GPA but happen to win the intramural hoops title or the national championship in the 100 M dash, you still won’t keep your ACADEMIC scholarship. (You may get put on athletic scholarship in the second example, but no matter.) Likewise, if you do not meet the standards required by the team, your grades have nothing to do with keeping your athletic scholarship. We recruit student-athletes. But we don’t say “And if you’re a good student, then we’ll give you a hug and let you quit the team or sit at the end of the bench and sulk.” Whether you think that is fair or not, that is a fact of college athletics. And it is absolutely how scholarships work. Just the same as we don’t let you suck at academics and keep your academic scholarship. Its merit-based. The merit in an athletic scholarship is analogous to the merit in an academic one.
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The preceeding does not mean to advocate the retention or removal of any particular athlete or student in specific.
My point all along was not to argue that Diggs was the answer at center for us. Just that he disputed every claim Dixon made about situation and now he’s gone — making way for another JUCO recruit who doesn’t necessarily fill any current need for the Panthers.
Yes scholarships are guaranteed for only one year. Yes, the release of Diggs is no ground-breaking event in the world NCAA basketball. What should concern us is the way his release was handled.
The staff should have admitted that they made a mistake in recruiting Diggs and that he wasn’t qualified to play at this level. Instead, they beat around the bush and forced Diggs into making the decision by marginalizing him. This isn’t an inference. It’s Diggs recorded account of what transpired.
I’d prefer Calhoun’s tactless, yet direct, approach to the situation than the apparent manipulation that went on behind the scenes and is now out in the public for all future recruits to see.
Furthermore, you can’t say that Diggs wasn’t any good yet give the staff a free pass for recruiting him to a power program like Pitt. JUCO recruiting has been abysmal under Dixon. The irony is, Dixon and his staff traded one JUCO recruit for another - who may very well help the program, but doesn’t fill any immediate need.
We do not yet have the language to adequately explain why schools should be offering athletic scholarships, let alone whether or not those who have accepted them should have to earn the right to keep them. Division I athletics, as we know it, is a relatively new phenomenon; discussing precedents is foolish because there isn’t enough of a history to establish what is protocol. But, if you’re going to do so, as we have chosen to do here, you can’t try and pick out what is alike and what is different between an academic scholarship and an athletic scholarship.
Levon Kendall didn’t have great averages in points or rebounds; however, as we were reminded again and again, he was a great glue guy who did all the little things. Well, let’s say I go to every class and participate while I’m there, and I attend my professor’s office hours, but I don’t finish the semester with a 3.0. I’ve done all the “little things,” but my scholarship is going to get pulled. Obviously, Kendall’s was not. This is an extreme example, but I’m using it to make the point that there is no way to really know whether or not a player is performing at a high level. If a coach whiffs on a recruit, he’s got to stick with him unless there is a finite standard he has violated (grades, discipline, not giving effort on the court in practice or games), because there is no way to make an argument that he is not performing at a high level.
Chevy was asked to play on the wing. If his scholarship would have been pulled when that happened, whose fault would that have been? It would have been Coach Howland’s for not recognizing how gifted Troutman was in the low post. Dixon could be incapable of judging Diggs’ talent one way or another, and Diggs shouldn’t be punished for that.
However, Jamie has had several really lousy JCs come in, and this has never happened before where one was suggested to leave. As a matter of fact, it was killing me at times how much he stuck with DeGroat, when he easily could have benched him.
For all we know, the player in question was coming to practice drunk (just one example…or he could have always been late, loafed in practice, forgotten his sneakers three times a week, only Jamie and the team would know). What benefit would there be for Jamie to air that publicly? None. It would only humiliate Diggs and the program. Jamie is a classy guy as far as I can tell. He never commented much on the Fields situation. All I am saying, is that Jamie has a history of being a stand up guy. To suddenly assume he underwent a personality trait change is somewhat specious. However, we know very little about Diggs, other than someone posted above that he went to HS with him and he was a slacker. Assuming that person isn’t lying, I will tend to believe, based on the precedents before us, that there must have been good reason why Diggs didn’t play, and why he was asked to leave. Like Prowler said, I’m sure they didn’t bring him in for the express purpose of messing with his mind and ruining his life, as some of you are putting forth as what happened.
All of that is different not being good enough to warrant stepping on the floor.
There is no doubt that the recruiter is to blame for recruiting Diggs in the first place. I don’t know if they saw something that didn’t pan out or if it was just an absolute mistake. But we have the language to define whether or not someone warrants their scholarship. If someone absolutely sucks and is incapable of contributing, he doesn’t warrant his scholarship.
It is worth noting that he in fact did get the scholarship that he didn’t deserve. Even if Pitt should have never recruited him, which seems to be the consensus, they did give him a scholarship. Now they are righting the mistake by not giving him one for next year. But he isn’t being asked to pay back the money he didn’t earn this year. He just isn’t going to be given any more.
Dixon’s class is being brought into question because Diggs made the classy move of going to the press with his grievance. We will likely never hear what kind of player/contributor he was to the team for the very reason that Dixon has too much class to go to the media and say, “Look, this kid was…..x…y…z…” Diggs may have been the best guy in the world and been completely mistreated. It is equally possible that he was a cancer on the team and was asked to move on for that reason. Dixon will never tell us either way. But I am not going to assume that Diggs has no axe to grind in what he says to the media about being asked to move on.
If Jermaine Dixon’s signing had not coincided the news of Diggs transfer, would this have caused such an uproar?
If Diggs wanted to stay at Pitt, content to be the fourth string center, then I would agree this is a black eye for Dixon.
The comparison with Chevy is slightly off base. Chevy played all of the front court positions and was not successful at one position (three). Diggs could only play one position and was passed up by two freshman.
I hope that Diggs finds another school and is successful.
A coach, through watching practice and games, can assign some value to a players input. Certainly, any “GPA equivalent value” is somewhat abritrary, but was only put forth as an example. Certainly, Kendall’s basketball GPA would at least be “passing”, because of all he added to the team (I won’t put forth a number…because if I say 3.0, someone will argue that it should be 2.8). Whatever.
Someone asked, what does a 0.8 GPA have to do with bad performance? THEY ARE BOTH BAD PERFORMANCE!!! Whether it is an exact comparison or not, it is in priciple directionally correct. That’s the point. Sports performace is not always as easily measured. A set up man or utility infielder in baseball has little statistical value perhaps, but may be ciritcal to the team.
For a Junior center, I am sure Jamie and his staff had some idea of what should be brought to the table. It likely was not brung 
.
JeffC’s first two paragraphs summarize why I felt the analogy was flawed. Similarly, the University is more of a public organization with a mission of research and education. Thus, attempts to compare it to a classical “business” model will turn out imperfect and flawed on some level.
That level is open to reasonable disagreement and subjective “line drawing.”
Stay classy and Hail to Pitt!
The point of the analogy is this: If a student goes to every class, office hours, extra help session, etc. and gets a 2.0, he loses his scholarship. If an athlete tries his best, goes to every practice, etc. and fails to perform at a level commensurate with the program’s expectations, he loses his scholarship. Now in both cases, the person tried really hard. But that isn’t the issue. That’s why the analogy was used, to try to point out to the people that said “Oh what a raw deal he got, he tried” that TRYING has very little to do with it. Academics and athletics are BOTH big businesses, and both are meritocracies.
Yes, you are correct, there are not quantitative standards for athletic scholarships. It is not EXACTLY the same as academic scholarships. But both require performance levels that can totally ignore how nice of a guy someone is or how they played/studied their best/hardest. Its an analogy. Not an identical situation, but absolutely an instructive example of a similarly structured system.
I never suggested Kendall didn’t produce. I was using him — as an extreme example, which I noted — to show that in sports there is no way to quantify a player’s value to the team. Here’s a less extreme example: We read in the PG this year that Wallace is a great teammate and gets everyone pumped up. He’s never going to step on the court, but I don’t think his scholarship will be yanked (pending the severity of his injury). Oh wait, here’s a better example: Chevy once said that the toughest player he ever played against was Kendall in practice. This was at a time when Kendall was not playing regular minutes. So, it follows that a player can be of value to a team without putting up numbers — big or small — in statistical categories.
Speaking of Chevy, I did not make this point clearly, and I apologize. What I was trying to say, and I closed my argument with this, was that coach’s can mis-judge a player’s abilities both ways. When Chevy first stepped on the court for Pitt, Coach Howland wanted him to play on the wing. It didn’t work; he is a low-post player, regardless of whether or not he fits the physical model of that type of player. What would have happened, then, if Chevy had quit the team after a few games, transferred, and became a star playing on the block somewhere? Howland would have looked like a fool, and, in fact, he called himself an “idiot” for not letting Chevy play his natural position from day one. Howland initially was wrong when evaluating Chevy. It seems like Jamie was wrong in his evaluation of Diggs. Again, that’s not Diggs’ fault, and I don’t see why he should be punished. Furthermore, perhaps Jamie is still wrong. I’ll admit it’s unlikely, but there is a possibility of Coach Dixon still having a “move Chevy down low” moment with Diggs. I can hear you howling already, but anything is possible.
I never said that there is “too brief a history of athletic scholarships.” I said the environment of Division I athletics is moving at such a rapid pace that we probably won’t really be able to understand it until we look back on the time when Internet recruiting sites blew up, blogs (like this one) became popular and domain names like fireronzook.com became a part of our discussions. These things have a direct impact on the kids because the coaches are under such pressure that — as was noted earlier in an earlier post — they are going to promise the moon to every kid because they need to win. This is not the same as the ’90s, and it’s not the same as the ’80s. We can discuss the history of athletic scholarships, but this chapter is nowhere near complete.
Travon Woodall is the point guard from St. Anthony’s who just killed it at two All-Star games (Team USA and Jordan Regional). He will be coming in this year to back-up Levance and take the reigns in 2009. I watched him play against Tyreke Evans and he held his own despite being a few inches shorter. He is exceptionally quick, has a great jumper and plays great defense. A little undersized, but not much for a point guard. He doesn’t have the ridiculous handle that Levance does, but he has a better jumper and is much, much more athletic. He can really get up and dunk the ball for a 6′0″ kid. I think he will be a good one for Pitt.