0-ACC looks more likely every game.
Sorry about the lack of open threads. Big family visit this past week into the weekend. Upside is that I didn’t get a chance to watch either game. More then a little bit of an indictment of the state of Pitt basketball when they guy running a blog devoted to Pitt football and basketball had no urge or desire to carve out time to watch two Pitt basketball games. Didn’t DVR it. Not even checking the phone for updates.
Two weeks ago I would have (and even might have) said that Pitt can’t/won’t fire Kevin Stallings after two years.
The buyout is too high. It has a higher potential of making the program worse. It would make it harder to attract a quality coach, when you pull the trigger that quickly. The arguments that are still valid and looming.
Yet…
The fan apathy is below the sub-basement at this point. There’s no feeling of hope. No energy. The anger that was there after the first few ACC losses, is no longer present. It’s gallows humor and/or resignation.
You watch the kids play and see the effort, but no steady improvement. There are some nice players. Some potentially good players. But no real team. No cohesiveness.
The latter falls on the head coach and his staff.
Stallings has been far worse then anything that could have been predicted. Honestly, the mediocrity I expected from is completely out of reach.
The youth and single injury are not enough to explain the complete inability of this Pitt team to even compete in the majority of ACC games is simply not acceptable for any Power 5 conference program. This is Jerry Wainwright/Oliver Purnell DePaul basketball bad. Or since we are now in the ACC, Sidney Lowe’s NC State basketball bad. Or maybe Jeff Bzdelik at Wake Forest. Nope, those would be really bad, but that doesn’t even do it. Has to be Boston College under Steve Donahue.
And even any of those didn’t see the complete and utter cliff-dive that has been Pitt basketball. They were rapid descents but not a 1929 stock market crash.
I’m not sure Pitt can afford the buyout to fire him. But at this point, that is the only reason left.
I guess the question is what is the price of alienating an entire fan base – right now it seems to be less than $10 million until we hear otherwise.
If there isn’t at least one win in that mix, Lyke may need to pull the trigger. H2P !
At this point I think it might need to be situational: Will there be some coaches you REALLY want to go after this year? Then do it. If not, then wait. As much I would hate to wait.
Pitt hired Dave Borbely as the O-line coach…
Even if you assume that KS is 100% responsible, i.e., this group of players (and next year’s 2 recruits and grad transfer) can and will win under someone else, you need to get that coaching candidate to buy into that logic as well. How likely is that scenario ?
Sure, these guys all have egos and probably feel they could do better … but that doesn’t guarantee results. How much time does a new guy get .. 2 seasons, same as KS ?
Who’s the next coach? That’s a great question. If it’s someone we’ve heard of, it’s going to cost more money than Pitt’s willing to spend – I guarantee it. I’m not talking about famous well known candidates either – I’m talking about any shmoe you can google that has had even a sniff of D1 ball. Even the revered “up-and-commer” that we all like to fantasize about is going to have serious reservations considering he can “up-and-come” almost anywhere else with significantly less risk.
Face it – Although it was a wonderful HOF speech that he gave, Pitt could be one #MeToo victim at Michigan State implicating that Narduzzi “knew” about something improper from becoming a liability to the ACC. Don’t believe me:
#MoreBizarreThingsHaveHappenedAtPitt
Strange days. Strange days indeed….
Not sure what the Narduzzi bs is above, message board gossip?
Pitt BB say no more. On top of that the woman’s team is a healthy 10-15 and Suzie cannot even beat her old team. What is going on there. Should be 2 new hires.
Wrestling hired a new coach and the team is terrible. Baseball cannot compete in the ACC need I continue.
I am resigned to the fact that Pitt Sports will be mediocre and all we can hope for is a miracle for something to happen. Not holding my breath!
What happened at Michigan St. should be an example for every athletic department, not just Pitt’s. Let that situation play out, independent of Pitt. This isn’t a situation like Sandusky, where allegations were swept under a rug. Everything at MSU, with regards to football and basketball, is documented and had police reports. The lack of internal and student discipline or expulsion is the root issue, not secrets.
Please don’t drag Pitt into another school’s problems. Pitt has enough of their own.
But…I’m sure they all have Pitt’s best interest at heart….
It was not a cover-up (fotball wise), it was the lack of punitive action
“What happened to Pitt basketball?”
Also, Filliponi thinks KS should stay … so if there was ever a no-brainer decision, it is that KS must go