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October 2, 2013

In the end, Kevin Stallings and Vanderbilt’s vindictiveness will cost Sheldon Jeter around $8000 and a delay to his education by a year. That’s my rough estimation of the costs Jeter and his family are probably incurring for this year. The travel costs to and from Florida, living expenses and tuition down at Polk Junior College. That may not sound like much in the big picture. But keep in mind this is because of the vindictiveness of a coach that makes nearly $2 million per year and a university that has an endowment of over $3 billion.

At the same time, it changed nothing with the broader outcome. Sheldon Jeter will still be wearing a Pitt uniform next year and part of the team. Just as he would, if Stallings and Vandy had simply released him from his scholarship without blocking Pitt.

Still Stallings got his pound of flesh. Sheldon Jeter and his family acted with dignity by keeping quiet about everything. Trying to work within the system rather than make it a media thing. They did not play the victim. Unfortunately, reality  turns that virtue into a personal cost.

Stallings actions — though initially decried — will quickly be forgotten simply because he won’t answer any questions about the matter. At worst, for Stallings, the incident is a symptom of his own larger problem of losing a lot of players and his program starting to slip.

This sort of thing is why for all the talk of reforming/changing/destroying the NCAA is a load of crap. Coaches. Individual schools. Conferences. They like to talk about it. They will use the NCAA as their whipping boy. But at the end of the day, they want that NCAA shield. Not simply to take the abuse and be the entity to take the brunt of the anger. Pretending that the NCAA is some separate behemoth keeping them down.

The member institutions — including Pitt — are the NCAA. They put the rules in place. They place the responsibility with the NCAA and complain when it doesn’t work their way to deflect their own responsibility and ownership.

Stallings and Vandy can hide behind NCAA rules to control what happens to Sheldon Jeter. Pitt fans and the media that notice can complain, and bitch about how this is another case where the NCAA is not really working for the “student-athlete,” but the member organizations interests. And the game goes on.

UPDATE: And to prove my point about how Sheldon Jeter and his family have taken the high road the entire time with Vanderbilt and Kevin Stallings, this interview he did about his commitment to Pitt. With no ill words.

Jeter averaged 5.5 points and 3.4 rebounds while playing 18 minutes a game as a freshman at Vanderbilt. When he decided to transfer to be “closer to home,” Commodores coach Kevin Stallings denied both his request and an appeal to accept a scholarship from Pitt, which hadn’t offered Jeter out of high school.

Jeter picked Vanderbilt over Penn State, Kansas State, South Carolina and Wisconsin. When he decided to transfer, Jeter said he was in contact with Cincinnati, Georgetown, Florida State, Ohio State, Purdue and VCU. While he waited, those schools filled their scholarships.

“It’s just been difficult,” Jeter said. “To leave a great institution like Vanderbilt and then go through what I went through this summer, it’s been humbling. But the end result is worth everything I went through. I felt like I fit in at Pitt. How I feel now is worth all the anger, frustration and stress that was put on me.”





@@@@@@
Selfish vindictive coach won’t let a kid
transfer to a school which he does not
play. NCAA will eventually become
irrelevant.

Comment by JR 10.02.13 @ 7:45 am

It’s a sad sad tale, but it sounds like it will have a happy ending for Jeter, and hopefully for Pitt. I’m sure this has been written about before, but what does Jeter mean for Pitt?

Comment by Atlanta Panther 10.02.13 @ 8:04 am

I know this isn’t the place for this type of post but I have to post any way. I am a health care provider at Fort Sill in Oklahoma. So far 2300 good hard working people have been furloughed here. While the politcians fight to save face people are losing their income. Do me a favor when people say this shut down doesn’t matter, tell them it does.

Comment by oklahomeboy 10.02.13 @ 8:10 am

Let he who is without sin cast the first stone (or something like that)

Shell was blocked from ASU and AU … there was probably just as much speculation Pitt had dealings with Jeter than that Shell had with these 2 schools

Comment by wbb 10.02.13 @ 8:39 am

oklahomeboy, You are right this is the wrong place. We have a hard enough time being civil discussing sports.

Comment by spiritofsection 22 10.02.13 @ 8:59 am

+1 wbb

Comment by alcofan 10.02.13 @ 9:06 am

As Chas pointed out, the member schools are the NCAA … and many have profited greatly.

Yet, when they beak their own rules and are sanctioned, they blame the NCAA instead of looking in the mirror.

Fact is … whether college sports or just about every else including POLITICS …. MONEY DISTORTS!!!

Comment by wbb 10.02.13 @ 9:43 am

Shell to ASU..I at least understand the relation.. (AU.. i have no idea why we blocked there)

Graham was the coach at pitt, and now pulls the “star” running back… right or wrong there is connection.

What the heck was Vanderbilt’s connection with Pitt ?

Comment by Snala The Panther 10.02.13 @ 9:50 am

I certainly am not without sin, but I’ll still cast the first stone.

Along with ASU, UA, and the ACC, I thought Shell should have been blocked from going to PSU, WVU, and Ohio State also.

I certainly don’t have a problem now, because it happened to Pitt.

Are the NCAA, the universities and the coaches full of crap, of course they are. We’ve been beatin’ that dead monkey for years.

I don’t know all the information, but I would imagine Mr. Jeter was blocked from Pitt and probably the other 13 SEC schools???

There are 351 Div 1 schools that participate in college basketball. That would have left him
337 Div 1 schools to choose from, tons of them right around here that most gladly would have offered him a scholarship.

If this is the road he chose, then obviously he could “do” this road.

Can’t wait to see him in a Panther uniform, he’ll be just fine.

Please don’t tell me the NCAA, universities and the coaches are crap. I already said I agree with that comment.

I’m not gonna be a hypocrite though.

Comment by Dan 10.02.13 @ 9:59 am

We need to get Vandy on the schedule next year — either directly or via a tournament — and hopefully embarrass them on the court. Of course, then JD would be forced to shake Stallings scummy little hand after the game.

Comment by Hank the Tank 10.02.13 @ 10:35 am

Coaches get a bug on when they feel their player is being tampered with. A programs lone tool of retribution when a student athlete renegs is limiting where they can go. They do ,we do and that is how it is. I am glad to hear Jeter will eventually land here and hope it proves a great result for all involved. Heck the worship director at my church got stolen by the congregation in the next town. I thought the faithful were going to get the guns out. You can’t expect coaches to turn the other cheek without trying to cause some pain, it’s not in their nature or ours for that matter.

Comment by spiritofsection 22 10.02.13 @ 10:36 am

Snala
Pitt blocked Arizona because of Calvin MaGee. He was the co-OC/RB coach at Pitt under Graham & holds the same position at Arizona under RichRod. I believe their may also be another coach or 2 from Graham’s staff there as well.

Comment by Nick 10.02.13 @ 11:52 am

OK, am I the only one in the Pitt Faithful Clan that is excited about the news that I just heard, that Tyler Boyd has been named to the Bilenitkoff(sp?) Award Candidate watch list?

I just Googled if there are any other Freshman on the watch list and out of 75 candidates, only Corey Davis of Western Michigan is the other true Freshman on the list. Why in the world Chas/Reed/Justin hasn’t begun a thread about this news, I have no idea, because this is big time good news for Pitt football!

You guys have heard all the comments before, “Pitt football has been irrelevant for decades”, “Pitt Football continues to be a joke”, “many college football fans outside of Western PA don’t even know Pitt has a football team”, “what quality recruit in their right mind would want to play for the Panthers”, etc.

Well, all of a sudden, Pitt has a tandem of WRs that are BOTH on the Bilenitkoff Award watch list! And we wonder why Savage has a tendency to lock onto his deep receivers??? Kind of hard not to go to that well too often when the water seems to taste so sweet, often times!

Also, this kind of recognition for a true Freshman can do nothing but good things for Pitt’s recruiting fortunes. There are still four or five highly coveted quality recruits out there in Pitt’s backyard that are still seriously considering their Pitt offers. With Pitt playing so many RS and true Freshman already, and now Tyler getting some major love from the national media in this form has to be impressive to these guys. Lets hope that is helps land some of thos Bookser, Henry types that Pitt could so dearly use next year.

In light of guys like Robert Foster who, by comparision, is buried on the Alabama depth chart, while Boyd is basking in the national limelight, and at the same time is helping his team WIN, no downside there!

Great news! Hail to Pitt

Comment by Dr. Tom 10.02.13 @ 1:07 pm

The hope here is that other area top notch recruits (Henry, Nicholsen, Bookser, etc) sees the advantage of getting to the chance to play ASAP.

Not necessarily saying that Foster made the wrong decision, things may work out well for him in the long run … just that there may be obvious advantages in playing here.

Comment by wbb 10.02.13 @ 1:34 pm

@ Dr. Tom – excellent points and, interesting to note that his (and Devin Street’s) coach, Bobby Engram, was the first Biletnikoff award winner.

Comment by Pitt Dad 10.02.13 @ 1:35 pm

Since this is a basketball subject blog … last week, Jamie did something he rarely does (including a year ago to a certain Beaver Falls recruit) .. he made an offer to an area player, Ryan Luther

link to rivals.yahoo.com

Comment by wbb 10.02.13 @ 1:43 pm

@wbb, you always had good recruiting info and have the pulse of it. Maybe you could answer this.

I was hoping Pitt was going to get a local kid, I believe his name was Tom or Tim, Downey.

Did we ever offer him? If not, where did he go, and did he do very well.

He was like a 6’5″ guard.

I know I have the name wrong, hence I can’t Google it.

Comment by Dan 10.02.13 @ 1:57 pm

This was maybe 3 or 4 years back, maybe more, time moves quickly. He may have been from Indiana High School, Franlin Reg., maybe Kiski??

Comment by Dan 10.02.13 @ 1:59 pm

link to rivals.yahoo.com

You can see on the attached that both ND and Pitt offered him before he chose Davidson. If memory serves, Duke was looking at him his junior year also but apparently didn’t offer.

Not sure how hard Jamie pursued him … sometimes, after a school gets commits from others, they quit pursuing people but not pull the offer … but not sure if that was the case here.

Comment by wbb 10.02.13 @ 2:08 pm

Posted this on the football side too, I think we ought stick an eye patch and a big black P on that Duck and park him next to the Clemente Bridge for the game Monday night against the Cards. We could show the world what Pittsburgh styled art is all about.

Comment by spiritofsection 22 10.02.13 @ 2:12 pm

Josh Martin who Pitt was pursuing just committed to Minnesota. He was from the state of Washington so that may have entered into his decision.

Thus far, Jeter is the only commit for ’14 but that doesn’t necessarrily mean anything just yet.

Comment by wbb 10.02.13 @ 2:13 pm

Spirit: Except that idiot who jumped off the bridge last night may just try to take it for a ride next time.

Comment by longsufferingpittfan 10.02.13 @ 2:49 pm

A lot of mothers were happy to learn their kids wouldn’t jump off a bridge if their friend did.

Comment by Nick 10.02.13 @ 3:04 pm

@ Nick – LOL (My parents always said that!)

Comment by CompLit 10.02.13 @ 3:59 pm

I liked the guy that claimed the reason Pitt beat Georgetown last year was because the home crowd couldn’t get to the game because of a suicide threat on a bridge near the game. Flopping is a science in the ACC so it’s important that we hone the skill before hoop season anyway we can, but I admit this might be a little bit of overkill.

Comment by spiritofsection 22 10.02.13 @ 4:51 pm

Pitt did not pursue Droney very hard. They had been after Epps forever and didn’t have any additional scholarships. They were also going after JJ Moore and Cam Wright after Ohio State cooled on him. JJ Richardson and Dwight Miller ended up leaving to make room for them. Despite the offer, there really wasn’t room for Droney.

Based on what I’ve seen of Droney in Greentree, he is a nice player but would not have been a fit for Pitt. He is a good shooter, but too thin and not nearly strong/athletic enough for Dixon.

On a side note, it is absolutely ridiculous that a coach can break a contract and go to another school for any reason and be able to coach right away, but a player has to sit out a year and a coach can block him from going to a specific school.

Comment by Boubacar Aw 10.02.13 @ 4:56 pm

Droney went to class A Sewickley Academy

Comment by alcofan 10.02.13 @ 5:31 pm

Boubacar, If there are no transfer restrictions, as your post suggests, it would screw up the whole system and players would be shifting for every whim imaginable. Making matters worse the coaches would be constantly stealing each others players. There is nothing keeping players from going wherever they want they just can’t get a free ride at blocked schools for 1 year. I think the system is reasonable in this respect to players the problem is coaching movement ought to be made more difficult. That won’t happen because the cost of litigation outweighs the benefits of revenge. We are fortunate at Pitt that our hoop program has a semblance of security under Dixon. Some posting here might want to consider that when suggesting Dixon be replaced. The best programs have long tenured coaches. Like it or not that’s how it is.

Comment by spiritofsection 22 10.02.13 @ 5:48 pm

Come on guys, we all know that the NCAA’s transfer rules are in place so that our beloved scholar athletes have a year to adjust to their new academic environment without having the pressure of athletics and performing right away hanging over them. [giggle]

Comment by CNorwoodAZ 10.02.13 @ 5:52 pm

I believe it would be fair if the schools indeed would give a 4 year scholarship to players if they want them instead of 1 year, to be renewed at school’s discretion. Of course, then the player can’t leave early for the pros or elsewhere.

These are contracts just like with coaches .. and if you’re going to fire a coach midway thru a contract, then you must prepare for a coach to also leave midway. The are provisions for both in every contract these way … a buyout either for the school who lets go of a coach, or for the coach who wants to go elsewhere

Comment by wbb 10.02.13 @ 6:19 pm

I graduated from Sewickley Academy many,many years ago (but just a few years ago according to my memory). I believe Droney lead Sewickley Academy to a state championship (class A) his senior year.

I agree with Boubacar, Droney would have been eaten alive in the Big East. I still am proud of him and point him out to my wife when we watch Davidson on TV.

Comment by PITT-cocks fan 10.02.13 @ 7:33 pm

Droney, yes guys, thank you. Think I liked the idea of a 6’5″ shooting guard.

@Boubacar, of course, I hate that too. I think coaches should have to sit out a year.

It’s a mess, then the law gets involved. And lawsuits etc. etc.

There has to be some form of restriction though. You have 351 Div 1 schools. What’s the player rosters, 13 or so.

Quick math, 4500 or so Div 1 hoopsters. Taking it to the extreme, you can’t have 4500 players changing their minds every year and everyone just going willy nilly.

I’ve always believed, if you offer a kid a scholarship, it should be for the 4 years, not the every year roll over thing. Big suprise to me earlier this year, when a fellow blatherite set me straight on that.

Been following college athletics for about 40 years, always thought they got a 4 year scholarship, until I found out this spring, it’s a continuous one year deal. What an ephiphany. Had no idea.

I always thought a coach should have to sit out a year, then lawsuits would come with that too.

You can bring the old, “well make him stick to his contract” when a coach wants to leave.

Emotional answer, and one I would say, immediately following a coach announcing he’s quitting you.

But, after some thought, do you want a guy coaching your team that doesn’t want to be there??

I will agree it’s all a mess. Usually not supposed to opine unless you can give some answers too. I have no answers, so, I think I’ll put Hogan’s Heroes on.

Comment by Dan 10.02.13 @ 7:44 pm

There are 4 year & 1 year scholarships available. It is up to the school which one they offer. Most schools stick with the 1 year variety that must be renewed yearly. A few more schools have begun to use the 4 year. I read an article in the spring about it & Tyler Boyd was asked which one he received & he said he really wasn’t sure, but thought it was the 4 year.

Comment by Nick 10.02.13 @ 8:08 pm

off topic/season – anyone heard any updates on Detrick Mostella’s eligiblity ? Athlon college basketball preview has him as the ” the gem of the recruiting class ” / At the earliest, he’ll be eligible in January. He’s a former slam – dunk champion who sounds like is even better than Deandre Kane !

Comment by daddylonglegs 10.02.13 @ 10:52 pm

Dr. Tom – no one has written about it because we all still believe that Foster would have been a better player for PITT than Boyd.

Comment by Reed 10.03.13 @ 5:23 am

Post Gazette has an enlightening story this morning focusing on how Paul Chryst views the bye week and the opportunity it presents for his football team.

When are some of the most rabid Chryst critics… now in self-imposed quarantine… going to catch on to the fact that behind his small-town Wisconsin, folksy demeanor… Chryst is more brilliant than dumb?

********
Panthers coach Paul Chryst said he plans to use Pitt’s open date this weekend as a chance to rest some older players, who may be nursing bumps and bruises, and let some younger players — in Savage’s case, redshirt freshman Chad Voytik — get some meaningful snaps with the first team in practice.

Post Gazette

Comment by PittofDreams 10.03.13 @ 5:58 am

Regarding Boyd’s addition to the Biletnikoff Award…

Made mention of it in a post yesterday morning about the need to come up with more ways of getting Mr. Boyd the “DAMN BALL” as one of the pre-requisites for a possible win in Blacksburg.

However, as usual, Dr. Tom was far more eloquent in his effort to draw attention to it.

Comment by PittofDreams 10.03.13 @ 6:09 am

Regarding Boyd versus Foster…

Still believe Foster is a special talent.

Looking at both of them coming out of high school, saw Foster as more the pure receiver… Boyd as a runningback who looks like a receiver.

While it remains to be seen just how special Foster will prove to be… Boyd has already done so.

In exceeding the expectations of even his biggest supportes, Boyd has shown how football is as much a mental game as it is physical.

Would go so far as to say that if Boyd had joined Foster in heading to Alabama… Boyd would be higher on the depth chart than Foster and possibly getting playing time.

More than his obvious physical ability, it’s maturity, coachability and work ethic that has catapulted Boyd to the place he holds at this early point of his college career… a true freshman sitting at the top of the ACC.

Comment by PittofDreams 10.03.13 @ 6:37 am

returning to the topic of this blog:

link to triblive.com

Comment by wbb 10.03.13 @ 6:52 am

Oklahoma boy, those furloughed are getting a paid vacation since congress always votes back pay to those non essential gov workers. I wish I could get another week or two paid vacay

Comment by DocJLK 10.03.13 @ 7:31 am

As talented and fast as Foster may be, I can’t believe he has the hands, the elusiveness, and the other intangibles of Tyler Boyd. Boyd won 4 state championships and scored 5 touchdowns in the Big 33 game. If we can only have one I am glad it was Boyd.

Foster made his decision and has to live with it. I hope the other local superstars are paying attention.

I hope Jeter is a good one, but we need true big men to compete in the ACC. Hope we find one.

Comment by gc 10.03.13 @ 7:45 am

@gc, my point exactly! Reed holds the opinion that Foster is the real deal, even better than Boyd in potential, but unrealized potential ends up sitting on the bench watching the grass grow as the season ticks on by.

Pitt being Pitt, presents the opportunity at this point in their team development to permit true talent to rise to the top immediately and compete on the big stage NOW. Obviously Boyd has grabbed that opportunity tightly with both hands and is making the most of it, while helping Pitt big time put some essential “Ws” in the win column.

Hopefully those upper level recruits who also are interested in seeing the field early will take note and appreciate the opportunity that Chryst and Co. have demonstrated is available to those who have the ability to prove themselves and who have the work ethic to earn it early.

Comment by Dr. Tom 10.03.13 @ 8:27 am

How many years will Jeter have??

Also, anyone recall the name of the team from Florida that pretty much went Dunkenstein over every team in the tourney till the Sweet 16 or Elite 8. Mid Florida Gulf or Florida Sun Coast or something like that??

Comment by Dan 10.03.13 @ 9:07 am

FL Gulf Coast made the Sweet 16. However, when you’re FCG and you go to the S16, you lose your coach to the likes of USC.

Comment by wbb 10.03.13 @ 9:50 am

ty, wbb.

Comment by Dan 10.03.13 @ 10:30 am

Holy Hell you guys are literal minded. I was 100% joking about Foster v Boyd.

I’ll obviously take Boyd in a heartbeat at this point and was very glad when we recruited him. Put it this way – I was more glad about Boyd than I was sad about Foster.

On another point, I’ve been reading that some PITT fans are saying Foster is regretting his AL choice given the success Boyd has had at PITT. I kind of doubt it. He wouldn’t have started over Street and because of the way Boyd blew up right out of the gate in summer camp I doubt Foster would have beaten Boyd out for WR2.

Either way he’d be on the bench more than out on the field.

Comment by Reed 10.03.13 @ 4:38 pm

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