I’ve tried to ignore it since midseason, because it is rather silly. Still, the storyline is getting a little more play so I guess it’s time to write a bit about the idea that Coach Jamie Dixon would take the USC job.
Is it possible?
Well, sure, most things are possible. But it isn’t very probable.
Last week. Last week — mind you — Jeff Goodman at CBS Sports wrote about USC talking to Syracuse’s coach-in-waiting Mike Hopkins. In writing up the potential of Hopkins, Goodman noted who the guy USC AD Pat Haden had at the top of his list.
The hip pick is Pittsburgh’s Jamie Dixon returning to the West Coast (that’s where he’s from). The 47-year-old Dixon is set to go to his ninth NCAA tournament in 10 seasons since taking over for Howland. It could happen, but Dixon has had other opportunities to leave — including one before Kevin O’Neill took the USC job three years ago — and has spurned them all. The USC program is in a better place now, and Pittsburgh is headed into a stacked ACC, so it makes more sense for him to head west now than it did a few years back. However, the question becomes his buyout and whether he’d actually pull the trigger when the time comes to make a decision.
Dixon, from what I’m told, sits atop Haden’s list.
The themes are all hit. Heading to a new conference. The ACC is stacked. He’s from the west coast. USC isn’t quite the dumpster fire it was three years ago. The one thing it doesn’t try to claim: that Dixon wants to take the USC job.
On the flip side, it is not like the Big East was a small-time basketball conference with little competition. If anything with Pitt, Syracuse and ND heading to the ACC it is about the same. Sub out UConn for Duke. UNC for Georgetown. Miami for Marquette… You get the picture. While USC isn’t as bad as it was, it still isn’t a good job with a football fanbase. Yes, he’s from the West Coast, but he’s now lived in Pittsburgh for 14 years and has turned down opportunities going back to 2006 to go west.
The piece as it relates to Dixon really only notes that USC wants Dixon. Again, not a surprise just more confirmation.
But Monday, The Big Lead tweeted out the rumor, with a little extra.
An Austin columnist floated Larry Eustachy-to-USC but I’m told the search firm has targeted Jamie Dixon. Feeling is mutual…but it’s early
— Jason McIntyre (@TheBigLead) March 11, 2013
Apparently he got an earful from Pitt fans telling him it was crap so he put out a full post.
At this juncture, I’m hearing Dixon is the primary target of the search firm advising USC AD Pat Haden on the hire. Although it hasn’t been confirmed anywhere (I tried the USC athletic department, no dice), Korn/Ferry is supposedly working with Haden on the hire, and leading the charge is Jed Hughes.
If the name sounds familiar, it’s because Hughes recently did the Jets’ GM search, and he’s a former NFL assistant coach for, among other teams, the Pittsburgh Steelers. Hughes lives in Pittsburgh, and apparently knows Dixon well. The word on the street is that Dixon wants to get back to the West Coast, and even Mike DeCourcy of the Sporting News speculated that there’s some trepidation on Dixon’s part about joining the loaded ACC next year.
It’s a bit of connecting dots, and I’ve yet to read anyone other than the Big Lead say Dixon wants to go back west.
As for the Mike DeCourcy piece he cites, that was written in September 2011 — right after news broke that Pitt was heading to the ACC. So, for starters he’s citing a piece that is 18 months, and a full coaching carousel cycle old. To say nothing of the fact that the DeCourcy piece was part of a string of “sky is falling” pieces from basketball writers on expansiopocolypse when the Big East got hit.
As I said back then, it was a reactionary piece. It wasn’t well thought out or researched. Purely hypothetical. And now it is being used as support 18 months later to say that Dixon wants to take the USC job.
Now keep in mind, nearly three years ago the Big Lead pushed that Jamie Dixon was going to take the Oregon job. Dixon will listen to offers. He always listens. I have no problem with that.
He’ll probably get a raise and extension. Ray Fittipaldo of the P-G has hinted this season that Dixon has not liked requirements that he play a certain number of home games in the non-con to ensure profitability at the Pete. That, however, has hindered his efforts to schedule better opponents. Perhaps that gets revisited. I have no problem with that. That’s the way the game is played.
I also look forward to Mark Madden’s big scoop from his inside sources next week on how Dixon is heading to USC.
If Dixon somehow does decide to leave, then you will know his real feelings about the move to the ACC. Boeheim has very openly opposed it, and allegedly Pitino is not a big fan also and would have preferred to stay in BE
Would you trust anyone who would be close to Madden?
Inherently unreliable.
What you’ve done by adding Pitt, ND, Cuse, and the Ville is put a good bit of the big east mentality to conflict with that of the ACC. The ACC will change because of the move, whether it is for better or for worse has yet to be seen. We will all miss the rivalries, but with Calhoun gone, UCONN isn’t the same, nor will it be outside of a major basketball conference. The catholic 7 have the control that they want, making up for their ‘bad’ decision over 20 years ago to let football into the big east. I guess what i am trying to say is, the big east was wonderful, but the big east is dead. We’ll mourn, but eventually we’ll get over it and realize that we’ve landed right where we should be.
I hope Dixon will be in Pittsburgh forever, he’s loved here by the greater community, and the school.
If Dixon leaves then you’ll see me join the Peterson haters…He’s worth whatever he needs to stay.
Not sure if any else posted this article..great recap of memories of the Big East Tourney. I can’t go this year but went many years in the past and it’s hard to describe how great it is until you experience it. Hard to believe it will no longer be.
http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/9002900/last-call-garden-party
And the whole not happy with the ACC seems like a stupid point at this time. In the DeCourcy article from 2011, he uses a quote from Dixon 18 months before that when he said he wasn’t thrilled about going to the Big 10, when those rumors were around. So basically the entire evidence that Dixon want’s to leave is an article that uses a quote from over 3 years ago. Also, that DeCourcy article says things like how Pitt relies on players from NJ and NYC. Pitt has been moving away from that recruiting model for a while now. Look at the big freshman coming in next year he is from ACC country and said he probably wouldn’t be going to Pitt if they weren’t in the ACC. Basically a lot has changed since then, I’m pretty sure Dixon is really happy being in the ACC instead of the American 12 or whatever it is going to be.
By the way, the USC basketball job is a step down from Pitt. Let’s get that straight. They are in a lesser conference and aren’t even the top program in their area.
If Dixon happens to leave, then it would suck. But there will be candidates lining up the door for the job because Pitt basketball coach is a pretty damn good job to have.
I’m hoping he stays but as Chas says, all things are possible.
So a “stacked” ACC rings hollow to me. If I was in his position, that would be something I’d be pumped up for.
Also, BE and ACC went back and forth for the last 10 years on top conference, with more times than not, most people considering the BE the top conference.
So, intimidation of a “stacked” ACC would be a non-issue. Don’t think he’d have any fear what so ever.
Also, why go the West coast where college hoops gets buried for the rest of the country, hardly on tv at all, at least at decent times??
Who knows, maybe he will, but going up against a “stacked” ACC makes me laugh.
1) refereeing – how physical can Pitt play?
2) recruiting – will the NYC/NJ/Phila be as interested in playing in the ACC?
Basically the trepidation thing is that Dixon said he didn’t want to go to the Big 10, so that means he doesn’t want to go to the ACC either. It’s really a lazy assumption to make. Moving to the Big 10 would have made recruiting a lot harder for Dixon. I’m not sure where he would have been able to get players from since all his ties are on the east coast(I guess this is a problem WVU basketball will be having). He certainly wouldn’t have been able to get a guy like James Robinson if Pitt was in the Big 10. But ACC country like DC, Virginia and Maryland is prime recruiting territory for Pitt.
than playing in the BE. If you are a disbeliever
watch the ACC tournament this week. Pitt
will have to fail down their aggressive defense
as the ACC is not as physically oriented as the
BE. Pitt would be remiss to let Jamie
get away. He is the best. Please don’t
let the BB program turn into the FB
program’s coaching carousel!
And I didn’t know if we had a 18 or 21 home game schedule, and really didn’t give a damn. I know we were going to play 8 or 9 BE games, but could care less if we played 8 or 10 preseason games. I just hoped that we had maybe 3 or 4 attractive non-conference games.
The total amount of home non-cong games doesn’t matter
(46)Cincinnati (-3) over (82)Providence
(288)Bethune-Cookman (+6.5) over (168)Norfolk State
(51)Villanova (-5) over (79)St. John’s
It may help if Rutgers won too. If they get their RPI <100, Pitt would have no losses outside the RPI 100.
Other than that, if Adams comes back, he has a top 10 team and a chance to do some real damage next year. The team will be absolutely loaded with experience and size, an awesome point guard, great defenders and some good shooters. An amazing schedule, exciting road trips, a chance to beat Carolina and Duke. Talk about marquis tv games and a chance to be part of something really special.
If he stays at Pitt, they probably change the name of the arena to the Dixon or the Jamie at some point.
The thing that cracks me up is there are a few regulars on this site that would like him to go west. Careful what you wish for.
I’m with others on this board..I would pay more per ticket if it meant one or two less home non conference games and better road nonconference game…there are way too many home games in Nov and Dec and it is almost impossible to make them all anyway.
Lots of bad memories. When are we going to win some games like that??? seems like we’re always on the wrong end… even in football. The curse of being a panther fan…uhhh
1) 3OT loss to ‘Nova when Vonteego scored like 40?
2) UConn double OT desperation bank shot in their first champ meeting?
3) Ben Gordon with 30 seconds left?
4) Kemba Walker?
Pitt (and the Big East’s) days of physical play ended several years ago with the departures of players like Jeff Adrien, DeJuan Blair, Arinze Onuaku, Foye (physical even on the perimeter)…….
The only two almost-physical players I can even think of in the current BE are Gardner and Behanan. And maybe a couple of ND’s big guys bang a bit, but that’s it.
The reason scores are low in the BE isn’t because everybody’s muscling everybody; it’s because the teams aren’t that talented and the coaching is overly cautious.
You can’t play physical anymore with the refereeing the way it is anyhow. They’d stop the game every 5 minutes to review every ‘bow for “malicious intent”. Ridiculous.
That BE vs ACC stereotype stuff is old news. Let it go!
However, an announcer the other nite made a good comment.
“some of these coaches have figured out, that if you get to 70, you pretty much win. You can’t be using these kids like they are chess pieces.”.
When I heard that, I immediately recalled a week or two ago when the players were looking at Coach Dixon for the play to call, he yelled to them..
“just play basketball!”.
I’m in Aussie land vacationing and all people who stop me ( because I’m wearing my Pitt hat) are excited about Steve Adsms and are cheering for Pitt. G’day Mates. H2P!
http://www.firstrow1.eu/sport/basketball.html
As for Dixon….he’s already on record as saying he doesn’t want to play against Howland. They still talk every day on the phone.
Pitt will need all our combined karma to win tomorrow. Why don’t we all get started!
Thanks for the link but I see a different picturewhen I look at the same stats.
I see the barren fruits of his labor.
lmao.
Like the BigEast hasn’t been “stacked” for the last 10 years.\
Actually having followed ACC hoops for over 20 years and then farther then that, but intensely since I moved into ACC country in 1992, the ACC is less stacked right now, in 2013 than it’s ever been. While UNC & Duke have been very good for a long time, only Miami this year is also a very very good team.
There was a time not long ago when besides UNC & Duke being Top 10, Wake Forest with Tim Duncan & Josh Howard and Randolph Childress after them were Top 10 along with Georgia Tech with John Sally, Mark Price, Kenny Anderson teams and Clemson had Top 20 teams as well in that time period. As well as Maryland and occassionally NC State.
That was when the ACC was “stacked”.
It will be again when Pitt, Cuse & L-Ville join.
Which is one of the major reasons the 3 of us were asked to join, along with TV markets.
IMO we matchup better against Cuse than we would have against SH.
man.
why should he leave more money i dont think so.
he makes good money.
and SC will never be good in BB
if he went there he would be fired in 4 years no one wins in BB there.
if he stays here he has a job for 10 more years
and he knows he can win 20 games a year here at pitt.
so why risk it there .
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324391104578225802183417888.html?mod=wsj_valettop_email
Comment by wbb 03.13.13 @ 3:21 pm
That shill John Harris must have missed this piece when he cherry picked his figures for that fluff piece on Stevie Cornhole.
SP has done such a wonderful job for football he has us BELOW(and in most cases WAY BELOW)such juggernaut programs as: (Pitt is valued at $60M)
Colorado
Kentucky
WEst Virginia
Northwestern
Virginia
Purdue
Indiana
NC State
Iowa State
Minnesota
Illinois
Kansas
even UCONN is valued over $100 M
USF has had a D1 team for a decade- $100M
Syracuse $91 M
L-Ville $75 M
Washington State draws about 25-30K/game $73 M
Rutgers who they say is bankrupt $64 M
Duke ACC annual bottom feeder $62 M
Based on this info and on some of these revenue reports, Pitt is not releasing info, one has to assume Pitt football is not creating any profit at the last several years. Or they would have been forth coming with the information.
Cornhole needs to go, immediately if not sooner. 
That shill had to have been promised courtbox seats for 5 years to write that fluff pos trash he wrote in the trib.
hey buddy where u been?
Hey anything thing can happen, Sam Clancy Jr. ended up at USC didn’t he ?
I believe they made the Sweet 16 or Elite 8 one of those years he was there. So whoever the coach was then …..they won.
you know what i mean it is not a BB school in anybodys world.
At one time in Pittsburgh, Duquesne had a far superior basketball program than PITT. So things in fact do change and can change. USC is committed since they just built their first on campus arena… in forever. So they actually have a nicer facility than UCLA’s remodeled Pauley Pavilion. And the PAC 12 is not daunting with any clearly superior programs.
Did a little research, Henry Bibby was the coach then and USC reached the Elite 8 with Sam Clancy Jr in the 2000-2001 season losing to Duke. After Clancy graduated the next year when he was 2nd team All-American, they slid until 2005 season when Tim Floyd became coach.
Floyd had 4 seasons at USC and had a winning record in each one. With one of those years, reaching the Sweet 16 before losing to another powerhouse, UNC. So when they lose at least they lose to notable teams.
So USC while supposedly not a BB school in the same time period of 2000 to present, has reached an Elite 8 and a Sweet 16. Pretty much the same as Pitt. And they did that with having to compete with UCLA right across town and Howland having them in 2 or 3 Final Fours.
They definitely have potential to be a power.
I’ll scream my ass off because, as usual, it will be a heavy ‘Cuse crowd. HTP!
I don’t think Hayden will eventually pick Dixon anyway as his style of play is identical to that of Howlands’ and that style is wearing thin on the fans of UCLA. As they see it as somewhat boring, slow paced half-court basketball (ironic eh). But of course he will have Dixon on his list since he’s told he must have, since Jaime is a native southern Californian and Dixon names circulates all the time when jobs open since he’s done a good job at Pitt.
Of course USC bb fans aren’t quite as discriminating as UCLA fans in terms of drawing fine distinctions.
So they might just want to rack up the wins and skip on the style points for now.
As Hayden’s job is to produce a winner and sell season tickets to USC’s Galen Center.
At one time, Jamie Dixon vowed he’d never even schedule non-conf games against UCLA because he & Ben Howland were such good buddies. Is that vow dead?
Because if JD takes the USC job, not only would be play BH not once but TWICE EVERY YEAR, but they’d become mortal enemies by recruiting against each other as bitter cross-town rivals (with BH having every apparent advantage).
FWIW, Duke’s roster (and to a lesser extent, UNC’s too) usually has 1-2 guys from SEPA & NY/NJ. If anything (plus ‘Nova venturing on to a lesser league), joining the ACC might help Pitt keep some of those guys up north. We’ll see.
That would be quite ironic and quite funny !!!
Also, I think the Oregon job is a better job than USC. You have all the Nike support with that job
So I would keep my eye on openings in the Big East, or on Rutgers. Perhaps Rutgers will fire Mike Rice this year, and will pay big New Jersey money for a replacement. The Big 10/12/14 plays a style a little more like the Big East than the ACC. And Dixon probably knows he can beat Nebraska, Penn State, perhaps Iowa and Northwestern. And Illinois now sucks, also.
I will hold off gnashing of teeth anguishing over the great loss his leaving Pitt may be until after our annual underachievement in the BE tournament, and the NCAA’s. The only terror in that for me is that Stevie the Pete would be in charge of finding his replacement. E.g., I hope Mike Haywood did not coach basketball. I really, really, really would like this to be the year Pitt wins one more game, instead of one less, than it should in the BE tourney and the NCAA’s. But my head tells me differently.
Dixon may leave as the all time winningest coach in the Big East. I will open a can of Stoney’s to celebrate. But little old Buzz Ridl, with a team of WPIAL first teamers (for the most part) still remains the coach that got Pitt the farthest in the modern era of college basketball. And could have been in the final four, but for a hose job in North Carolina. In other words, shove the f’n Big East records. NCAA basketball, unlike football, has a true playoff system. Advancing deep into that process, to the point where you have a chance at winning it, is the measure of success. Anything less is just that – less. We could not get there with DeJuan Blair and others.
Don’t let facts or relevant statistics get in the way of a good argument.
but if he does it is Miller Time.
Its a real concern – clearly there are places where the talent base is richer than it is for Pitt. But, never forget that the crucible that comes along with a high profile teams and talent is unforgiving. You want the KY job? Better get to the Final Four in a few years. I’m shocked that Howland has lasted as long as he has at UCLA; I have no explanation for it other than coller/saner heads prevailed. Leave this stuff to the boosters/alum and you’ve got a new coach every 2-3 years.
Also, you have to factor in the “commodity” factor: Dixon’s stock is high and will remain so unless he tanks a couple fo seasons. If Pitt would have choked this year, I’m guessing his market value would have taken a hit. As it stands, he looks like a genius. Some of it will come down to what Dixon sees in the future from a recruiting/talent perspective. As long as he has the means to compete at a high level, there’s no penalty for waiting for that “perfect gig”. Spend a few years in purgatory, however, and he’ll have to reconsider his position in a hurry.
In short: I don’t think USC is worth it unless his heart strings are tugging hard for home. It’s just not worth it. USC may not be in the toilet, but they are far from name-brand basketball at this point. A different Big East/American Pie job? Been there, done that. No need to re-establish yourself in the same market. Make some noise in the ACC? Now that might just be worth a street upgrade to “buy”. Roy Williams isn’t getting any younger
Dixon isn’t leaving!!! Everyone is right about the comparisons to USC, we are flat out on a different level! Better conference, better facility, better fan base and I would argue better recruiting since we have the NYC connection but also the ACC now! I will totally blame smiley for this one if it were to happen. But I think we have a better shot of falling in a sinkhole…..too early for that one? Dixon loves Pittsburgh and we love him. The people that call for his head every year are idiots! Look at what he has done for this PROGRAM as Bilas called us! Squash the orange and let’s go Pitt!
Staying at Pitt, and in the ACC, he’s got a program. He can add or subtract single pieces based on his perceived needs-he doesn’t have to hope for a piecemeal re-build, hoping the right players come available. He also knows the routine (will soon know the teams) really well. There’s a lot to like.
Bethune-Cookman (7-9 MEAC) beat Norfolk St. (16-0) in OT.
And Cinci won and Villanova won.
Any little bit to help Pitt’s seeding in the NCAAs.
Just think… the Zoo could wear all black and the lights to everything but the floor could be off at all times. What you end up with is a (not so great for tv) amazing effect where the darkness is literally speaking to you. And the darkness wants Pitt to win.
http://pittnews.com/index.php/sports/70719-pitt-shouldn-t-worry-about-dixon-leaving-any-time-soon
Basically everything we have been saying.
I was looking at coaching salaries and they are all over the place. Dixon at 1.6 million, Miller at 2.6 million, Buzz Williams at almost 3 million and Mark Few at a ridiculously low 1 million.
It’s definitely Miller time if Dixon leaves. I’m sure could find the money to pay a Pitt man, plus a lot more revenue is coming in with the ACC.
But if not Miller, Knight time could work. At first I was going to say Knight graduated when I did so he’s too young to be head coach. But then I realized that my 2nd choice after Miller is Shaka Smart and he’s only in his mid 30s.
With the right replacement losing Dixon could bump Pitt over the hump. Actually Pittsburgh beats Lexington, Tuscon, Storrs, Syracuse, Louisville to live .
For God’s sake not Brandon Knight. High profile coach from the area who might take less money to return home.
Miller has shown he is a much better recruiter than Dixon and a better floor coach. If Pitt could get him I would donate to buy out Dixon not because he is not a good coach but he has hit his ceiling.
Finally to the Adams nay-sayers taht say he did not live up to his expectations. How do you explain going from 17w and 16l to 25w and 7losses.
Woodall, Moore, Zanna, and Patterson improved considerably.
Watching Adams hesitate at the lane rather than immediately taking the shot or driving to the hoop kills me. Dixon has emasculated him and Robinson. Defining their roles not expecting any offense.
Because of Adams personality and lack of playing experience if his coach is always making excuses for his offense he loses his confidence that showed when he humiliated the top college center at the summer addidas and Noels at Prep school.
You can see Adams and Robinson afraid to take over they are doing what the coaching staff wants-fit in.
This is Dixon’s major problem Birch knew it, Taylor suffered through it, and you can forgert any 5 star guards coming to play for Dixon.
Come home Sean.
