The same day the P-G reported that Rohrssen was staying, Joe Starkey of the Trib. had a column calling Rohrssen’s departure “imminent.” Reading the column, you could see that Starkey was getting a lot of info from Rohrssen or people close to him, but then Rohrssen and Pitt announced he was staying. Starkey was probably a little annoyed to look so wrong.
A last-ditch attempt by St. John’s University to lure Pitt assistant Barry Rohrssen wasn’t enough in the end. The New York City native turned down his hometown university and a lucrative offer early Saturday morning to extend his flourishing career with coach Jamie Dixon and the Panthers.
Rohrssen met with Pitt vice chancellor Jerry Cochran and Dixon on Friday evening, and the trio ultimately came to a verbal agreement.
However, St. John’s officials made one final appeal just past the midnight hour. The university offered close to $50,000 in incentives in addition to a $200,000 contract offer.
Rohrssen says he decided to stay because of Jamie Dixon. He will make around $175,000 and is now the “associate head coach.” Rohrssen is now the highest paid assistant associate head coach in the Big East.
Starkey penned a new column for today about Rohrssen staying. Saying Rohrssen made “the right call.”
As of Friday afternoon, however, Rohrssen was ready to bolt to become the associate head coach on Norm Roberts’ new staff at St. John’s.
Rohrssen said Pitt had not acted quickly enough or boldly enough to keep him, even though it was offering to make him the highest-paid assistant coach in the Big East.
St. John’s was offering an annual salary of approximately $200,000. Pitt’s offer fell between $170,000 and $180,000.
What made Rohrssen change his mind later that night?
“Jamie Dixon,” Rohrssen said Saturday. “He just convinced me.”
Rohrssen will leave someday. Maybe as soon as next year for either his own head coaching gig, or for an even higher paying, higher profile assistant/associate coaching job. Pitt is lucky, though, to at least get another year of coaching continuity for the basketball program. It is a definite positive.
