7pm, ESPNU
I’ve had to do some work overnight for the past two nights. As such, sleep has been completely disrupted. I spent 10 minutes staring blankly at my computer before realizing I hadn’t turned it on.
So, I’ll keep this brief and possibly coherent.
Both Pitt and NC State are 1-4 in ACC play.
Pitt is injured, short-handed and light on talent. In the last three games they have gone through long spells of being completely outplayed. Pitt is yet to win an ACC road game. At this point, expectations keep sinking.
NC State is probably third in the ACC in terms of pure, raw talent. But they are poorly coached, sloppy, and piss off everybody. Not just their own fanbase, but anyone who knows anything about basketball. It is maddening to see a team this talented not have any clue how to play as a team. To play so badly for entire games.
Mark Gottfried is the living embodiment of fantastic recruiter/horrible coach. He has been trying to put on a happy face for all of his team’s struggles. At least until their last loss to Georgia Tech. Then he finally made a big show in his press conference about how upset he was.
So, with the Wolfpack at home. Their coach publicly calling them out. Their talent level. Humiliation suffered in their last couple losses. I fully expect that, like last year, Pitt will get their best effort. Just because of the timing and be beaten fully and thoroughly.
And I’ll likely watch the whole damn thing.
Seriously?
I give Jamie more credit than that.
A VERY nice One. But a Bandit none the less.
Look where he ended up.
Here’s a magic wand pitt fans…..poof!, we have good players, so fuckn stupid!
It’s possible Dixon left because he was tired of fans talking crap on him, tired of Barnes meddling, realized that his alma mater was prepared to make a commitment to him and the building of a program that would be entirely his doing (no Howland), and had a bunch of money thrown at him.
Much more effective in deflecting blame from Stallings, though not as nearly as plausible as motivation, to cast Dixon as a drowning rat looking to jump.
He may have been getting pressure to win in March too.
He left because of NEXT year… and knowing how his ability to RECRUIT to the University of Pittsburgh had run its course.
The job at TCU was the CLINCHER. He probably would have left for nothing but he and his Agent were SMART enough to shake down Pitt for a few MILLION on the way out.
Who could blame him?
It was time for Dixon to go, he could not recruit like he use to here at pitt and players weren’t happy
Now does that mean he won’t have success at tcu? Nope! He’ll probably do well for 10+ years, it’s his alma mater! And they want to win and made it a point to want to win
As for pitt, yeah we’re gonna struggle for a bit, did anyone think we’d be fine?!?!
Perfect timing on his part, to exit Pitt…but of course Pitt made it easier by reducing the huge buyout.
Both parties wanted OUT imo.
Barnes was brought in to facilitate that.
Exit Stage Left…Herman.
We were scammed.
For having the balls to teach them how to play with a lead in practive and make them stop playing street ball so they don’t choke in a game’s last minutes almost every single time.
For drawing up a play with 3 seconds left to go to have one of the 2 best SENIOR players in the conference take the money shot …no wait let’s let a sophomore with little confidence take the last shot and miss as he has several times already…
Bad Coach. Bad results.
No one was hAppy with the hire?!of Barnes or stallings, but man, let’s run the guy out of town cuz he has a bench full of stiffs… it doesn’t make sense to me
I was sadder when they hire a guy who was running out the clock on his career. A was looking for someone cool to run our program and what we got was a guy who makes the program look circa 1960’s.
Well he’s a much better interview than Dixon and a better talking, most people only see his image on the tube. And we’ve talked about how everything these days is based on perception, wrong or right.
And on perception we look like we’re being coached by a vacuum cleaner salesman.
Just not cool…and bball you gotta at least be cool.
And he was brought to Pitt to do that.
Gotta stop drinking while watching Pitt hoops.
Waittttttt! (you have to now)
Now after Stallings that should be different.
Only time will tell.
I find it hard to believe you can’t recruit a couple good players per year to play in the best conference in America, at Pitt which is situated in a better spot than Syracuse….who made it to the Final 4 last year.
Stallings has 5 players right now with no center or PG. But he should be winning every week anyway…..wow.
But I have to admit, tonight he looked like he needed both a Haircut and a Shine.
That was a ‘parting’ gift for Dixon.
And that was naturally followed by just about the worst 1st round performance…since…let’s see.
Pitt getting beat by Bradley or was it Pacific.
Upitt said West Coast Mormon Marty wouldnt make it 2 years.
BOT should pay me because I have called it spot on.
New AD fires this neverbeen oreck salesman before 2019.
Best Hoops Guy we have.
gc and web (?) were/are the BB gurus. Would like to hear what are their feelings.
More importantly, would love to find out what “really” happened to PITT’S recruiting the last few yrs of Dixon. If I remember correctly after Adams there was none. Certainly no big gets.
He is 58. He is going to win all of a sudden. He go
Cheap and rhis is the result.
I can and do blame him for not trying to find some Juco players to fill the holes on this team. Those HOLES were there in the off season.
Dixon would have found SOMEBODY that could play a few minutes. Hell any other coach in America would have looked at this team and thought “I need some help” “we have only 4 forwards and a two guard with any playing time” “My Freshmen Point is 5’6″ tall and can’t shoot” “I don’t have anyone who could be considered a center” and went and found a few productive grad transfers.
NOT Kevin! He says “NOPE this looks good.” “Move Artis to PG and problem solved” “Those that doubted me will surely see my genius now!”
If there’s nothing in your cupboard do you starve to death???
Do you blame your spouse for your hunger pains?
IF you have a clue you GO TO THE STORE and put something in there to eat.
Kevin didn’t know the cupboard was bare. Kevin liked the cupboard just as he found it so he left it as it was.
If the team ain’t hitting their shots, their done! No rebounds, no post-ups, no driving to the hoops.
Pitt in the final 8 minutes of the half: 1 of 11 for 5 points
With a team that lost one contributor from a team that made the NCAA tournament last year.
Really bad…
How’s that looking now?
Was he already looking to leave? Did he get lazy? Was he too easy and or too loyal to the assistant coaches?
When you’re a top 30 team for a decade, it’s not that difficult to recruit. Where did all the talented city kids go?
You don’t go from the success of 11-12 yrs PITT had to shit that quickly.
Pitt, like everyone else in the world gets what they paid for. In this case, crap.
Also moving to ACC meant that we lost the NYC pipeline – not playing in the Garden every year hurt there.
Jamie was unable to spend the $$ to hire decent recruiters for other areas of the country.
I was sad to see him leave but felt it was his time to go – my issue is the crap hireing job that incompetent boob Barnes pulled.
HCKS has a 17 year record we can ppoint too – we know how this book will end. He is at best an average Head Coach. He is not putting butt in the seats.
An up and comer would have lost too – but they would have also helod out promise for a non mediocre future thus fans would have started coming back.
With this guy the Pete is empty for many years to come regardless. I hope the BOTS chew on that for a bit.
H2P
