In the future — no I don’t know when, exactly — when Pitt basketball is better. When this year has receded a bit into history. Pitt will have a bad game. They will lose by double digits. It won’t be pretty. A flat out bad loss.
Somewhere, whether on Twitter, a message board, a blog, or some other social media outlet not yet in existence. Someone will go off on a hyperbolic rant on the team, player and coaches. Insisting that that game was the worst ever. That that team just gave up and that no Pitt team has ever quit like that before.
And that person will be wrong. Oh, so wrong. Because last night. On January 24, 2017. At the Pete. Against Louisville. This Pitt team set the standard of quitting by which all other Pitt basketball teams will be judged.
It’s an accomplishment. Something we can tell future generations. We were alive for it. We saw it. Whether on our TV, our computer — though, judging by pictures of the attendance, very few can claim this — or even live.
Dixon had a system…but could not recruit the great players.
Stallings clearly does not have the system, of any kind, and it remains to be seen if he can really recruit ACC talent.
But lets not kid ourselves and think Stallings can take Pitt to new heights because at best he has only one of the two key elements. That much seems clear from this season so far.
Like I said yesterday. Laughingstock.
That is Mr. Barnes’ legacy.
I will educate you on the money TCU has since you apparently have no idea. As a Spiteful Asshole that wanted the full buyout for Dixon, verse lowering it and paying a buyout for a old turd in Stallings I have more business aptitude than Barnes ever will have. TCU has more money than they need and money is never an issue. The Carter family would of happily paid that and more.
It was time for Jamie to go but only if you upgrade not hire a Geritol Neverbeen Perenial Loser from SEC where basketball was neglected for 30 years.
Dixon earned his buyout and the ability to leave amicably. Pitt did the right thing. Both needed a change of scenery and that was the best way to cut ties with your most successful coach in program history.
That said, I will be utterly stunned if Stallings pans out (wouldn’t be the first time I was wrong though), and if I’m an alumni ‘of influence’, I’d be all over the administration about the need to cut ties now with KS and start clean when a new AD is brought in. This is the only way to to make a change, and if anyone doesn’t believe a change is necessary now, then take a look at attendance on Saturday and beyond, watch what happens…
Past – Stallings sucked at Vandy
Current – He is a Dumpster fire at Pitt.
Future – Odds are he will suck in the future.
So burn it down and start over. Young passionate coach and rebuild or hire a proven winner and pay the money not be cheap like they were to get Stallings.
“It’s only going to get worse for Pitt”
link to fanragsports.com
Granted, he does make some salient points and might very well be right about Pitt possibly heading further into the abyss.
But Nardone COMPLETELY loses credibility in his comment that Stallings was handed a “full cupboard.”
Doesn’t take a Basketball Genius to figure out that was not the case… not even close.
Certainly, with his decision to ABANDON his Team in the middle of an HISTORIC loss, Stallings has earned his place on THIN ICE.
But let’s deal in the facts.
The article you sent was very interesting and made some good points, but there’s also a lot flawed logic in it. I think the guy was trying to be genuine but apparently didn’t do a lot of research. Dixon’s problem was recruiting, and the program was already in a long term downward slide, as measured in both recruiting and wins, for years. Sure, if you look at total wins, it is a very commendable record, but again, that’s terribly flawed logic. Also, nobody would argue that Dixon is not a good coach, and most Pitt fans wanted him to stay if he could right the ship, but for some reason he just wouldn’t address the recruiting problem, maybe he didn’t really care anymore and had his eyes set on leaving, who knows? But the fact that he recruited better his first year at TCU is only evidence that the solution was to surround him with staff that addressed his weakness. The idea that we were ‘lucky to have him’, or lucky to have Howland, is really pathetic.
And the articles stats are wildly misleading. If you take almost any school and remove their 1 or 2 winningest coaches from the records books, they would have a pretty poor history. Duh, its basketball. And in hoops its just as easy to turn things around with the right guy.
Pitt is in a great city, a great basketball conference, a really nice arena, and a great fanbase when we are competitive in hoops, there’s no reason we should just be happy with a coach unable to recruit (past), or a coach unable to coach (present). I agree with Upitt, and think we should look for a young, passionate coach that can recruit, and take a shot.
The days of Pitt getting 20 wins and playing in the tourney are gone for a long time.
Pitt had a good coach..a very smart coach..so smart he knew it was the best time to leave since wasn’t worth the headaches of rebuilding.
This notion he can’t recruit is bull…look at what he has coming into TCU…a place that probably 3 quarters of their fans wouldn’t know where the basketball arena is located.
Stallings was on radio this morning, basically saying he’s not backing down to his players…his way only…he made it sound like Dixon gave them a lot more freedom as students then Stallings likes and the players are pushing back as Stallings has been clamping down on them.
The completely wrong answer when Jamie left was the under achieving, retread of a non coach we have now. I think Stallings replacement at Vanderbilt, Bryce Drew, would have been a better hire for us than him.
I also do not think this team is devoid of talent. The roster needed augmented at a few spots by a couple of JUCOs or even better a grad transfer or two. For some reason unknown to anyone not named Kevin Stallings that didn’t happen in the off season and so we are stuck with what we have. A bunch of forwards, a two guard, and a Point that is raw and can’t shoot.
For those that say we need to give KS time, that time will simply be wasted digging a deeper and larger hole for the inevitable next coach to have to dig out of before getting the program above ground again.
People say when you have a cancer in the locker room you need to excise it immediately. Unfortunately for us the cancer is to one at wheel of the ship doing nothing to steer it away from the cliff that everyone else sees coming.
Barnes screwed us hard with this hire and the fans are going to have to deal with it for years to come unless the AD says this dumpster fire and decides to put it out immediately.
Going back to his first Starts under Chryst, I’ve been extremely critical of Adam Bisnowaty. Gone so far as to call him OVER-rated as an Offensive Tackle.
Seems the NFL agrees. Bisnowaty has been moved to Guard at the Senior Bowl.
Now there he has a chance.
Then UNC, Duke and BC on road as we fight for the ACC basement.
Just received an email from the coach touting how important Saturdays game is and how much they need our attendance. Makes sense right? Show a little love. Let the boosters know all is OK and under control.
Email was from Narduzzi.
You can’t make this shit up.
@Upitt I don’t think you’d have been all that happy with Pastner either. Other than being far younger than Rockports he had a fair to poor history and was thought by some to be on his way out. It’s a shame Brian Gregory had such a poor record overall at GT since he recruited much of the current roster. Gregory had some good years at UD, but couldn’t seem to pull it together at GT.
Stallings isn’t and never will be the answer. The new AD needs to be given the authority to write-off the absolute failure of a hire by the 1 year wonder of an AD who should be sued by Pitt for dereliction of duties and stealing paychecks.
Dixon also needs to be taken to task. There isn’t a single player on that bench with any potential. Nix makes Pitt look like a laughing stock when he’s on the court. Jamie left this team totally bereft of talent, other than 2 seniors apparently with attitude issues. Wilson can’t defend or shoot, Manigault is limited in almost every aspect of the game, and the freshman PG is too small (height and weight) to play D1.
I have two more games to suffer through and that will likely be it for me and Pitt BB until they do something to warrant my support.
Similar to you, I’ve been a GUARDED Stallings Supporter.
But walking out on YOUR Team while it’s being beaten by HISTORIC margins. That’s like a Field General sounding the Alarm for RETREAT and he’s the only One on the Battlefield in a position to do it.
No, this was pretty much DIFFERENT than anything witnessed prior (see Chas).
He was the one who signed off on paying 100K PLUS to the Search Firm owned by Barnes’ friend Todd Turner who had Stallings on Speed Dial in his Phone.
Our coach is limited with this crap of a roster
I would love to hear some coaches that you guess THINK would want to come to our awesome situation?!
Please enlighten me!!!
A new AD would never let that info out. Maybe all we could get is a washed up old coach to come here. I mean, the Athletic Dept. at Pitt is always known to be among the worst in the nation. They have been cheap with Dixon as far as assistants and the distance they could recruit.
I’ll tell you what though. If Hoiberg is fired in Chicago, Pitt should pay whatever he wants to come here. That’s the HR hire Pitt needs.
So stop crying and lameting the terrible state of basketball. It’s time for Pitt to open the books for all to see. You say you want a championship program. But what kind of program are you paying for??
How does a guy at Dayton turn down a job at a Power 5 school for more money in the ACC unless that school is toxic?
7 SEC, ND, Baylor, Clemson and Louisville gave their assistants $1m or more. Michigan joined the club just recently. Pitt would have been in a select group. The school is invested in the football program.
Dixon’s salary was 7th in the country. Not cheap either. Stallings is most likely in that area as well and has a 6 year contract.
Barnes f’d up the basketball hire. No one is arguing that. Barnes is also now leaving. Pitt has a chance to correct the mistake or live with it for a few years.
Dixon is very popular in coaching circles and the way he left (gently pushed) did did not help Pitt’s candidate pool. By not giving B-Knight a real shot, he alienated former players … the link to Pitt’s heyday. The next AD is going to have his work cut out for him to get the basketball program humming again. Holberg would be a great start …
We can tolerate a lot…but quitting is not allowed at all.
Pittsburgh fans will suffer through losing seasons…but only if they think the players and coaches show they are working hard and doing the best they can regardless of the circumstances. (See Roosevelt Nix as to how one should act – he is the antithesis of HCKS.)
Getting kicked out the way he did, instead of suffering with the players on the bench, goes against the grain of the hard working Western PA sports character and mythology.
He lost his job then and there, whether it is next week, this spring or in a year or two.
He violated one of the prime tenets of the Western PA culture – he gave up in the face of adversity.
The ref got nasty and that was it….
The players don’t get what he’s saying, we are not deep or talented, they don’t communicate. He has told this team that they suck 15 different way (some of you are buying this line of BS) because it can’t possible be anything he’s done wrong.
Someone else is always at fault for his problems.
He’s just being honest…..
I have an old friend who could never hold onto a job more than a weeks because the 100’s of places who employed him ALL had tons of issues and things wrong with how THEY wanted things done. Fortunately for them they didn’t sign him to a 6 year contract.
Jack – Archie honestly felt it is a step
Down from UD. We are all
Friends. He will be in ACC
Or at OSU in 2 years.
Archie or Sean are not walking throughout that door!
We’ve become average to quickly becoming below average program fast
Can we recover? Who knows, I know this, I wouldn’t want to coach here with all the fair weather fans who don’t support the university they “supposovly” love!
Pittsburgh will only support a winner
Pitt had 1,000’s of “fans” on the waiting list to get to see a game at the PETE……they gone!
Pathetic
Guy mid 40’s and wants to settle down.
The word on the street it Pitt doesnt support coaches for salaries etc. plus big league it. Jamie is getting all that at TCU and private jets.
Pittsburghers are not rich and there are a lot of options for recreational dollars…I do not blame anyone for dropping their season tickets.
We will not be renewing men’s bball for 2017/18 unless the price drops substantially. I am pissed they offer specials and better seats for ACC games after the fall ticket window closed. Not once has the ticket office called us or emailed us to offer us those better seats; or at least give us a free seat or two in one of the high profile games to make up for it. Our club number is high – no one called us pre season to tell us that we couldl have gotten better seats because the Pete was not sold out.
H2P
Any word on anything ? Inquiring Pitt minds want to know.
New Prez is redesigning the whole country in less than a week.
Pitt not so much 🙁
Thanks. Just love bball – was raised on Tobacco Road.
But I will not support a coach who disrespects the game. HCKS disrespected the game, the fans, the players, the university and the region Tuesday night.
By the way, what Stallings is doing in the press is a common coaching tactic and just a change of ideology from Dixon. Huggins calls his players out in the press all the time. Coach K has done it too. Just depends on who is coach and what their philosophy on player motivation is. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with holding a player accountable. Even if it is publicly.
Where I think Stalling may have crossed a line is the airing of dirty laundry by hinting at factions developing among the team. On the court is open game. Locker room issues are family stuff. I’m sure he’s playing mind games for a reason but that seems to be dangerous territory.
Currently we have 4 new guys coming in and I think he’s recruiting a 5th. I wouldn’t be surprised at this point if it’s 7 or 8 now. Blow the whole thing up.