Easy to forget, this week with the coach search in football. Not to mention the fact that Pitt has had the week off (finals?). With no games, no real news, so this week it’s been time to look at individual players.

A good piece on Chevy Troutman, can you picture him being one of THuggins Bearcats?

It was on his way back from a recruiting trip at Cincinnati that Troutman discovered Pittsburgh almost by accident. Troutman, a cousin and aunt were driving back from an unofficial visit with Bearcats coach Bob Huggins. They drove through Pittsburgh on the way back to Williamsport.

“We came through the tunnels,” Troutman remembered. “When we got to the other side, it was all lit up. I was like, ‘Damn, that’s hot.’ It was pretty sweet.”

[Personal aside. Everyone always talks about the view of Pittsburgh from Mt. Washington, but that image coming in from the 279/579 is very underrated. I spent all of college it seemed on the other side going out 376 and to the Turnpike to go back to see family. Never a great view of the city coming back. Then when I ended up West of Pittsburgh (Chicago then Cleveland), I came back into Pittsburgh to see friends and when you come up and around that bend into the city — it’s just a great view.]

Aaron Gray gets another piece as his game has vastly improved along with his minutes. He has become a more than capable back-up for Taft. I mean, sure he’s no Darren Morningstar, but who is.

Keith Benjamin, the other heralded freshman recruit hasn’t gotten much playing time yet. Mainly because of Graves’ stunning leap this year in development. It was a surprise to Benjamin who believed he was going to be able to step in and start in place of the departed Julius Page. He is definitely frustrated with not getting to play, still he seems to be doing his best to understand. Troutman and Krauser have helped by pointing out how little they got to play their first year or so.

Chris Taft has not been as dominating as expected early on. Hard to judge so early in the season, and against such poor competition. I expect his game will pick up vastly once the Big East schedule kicks in. The downside for Taft — as far as being an NBA lottery pick — is that it will suggest to scouts that he doesn’t want to work hard every game.

Ray Fittipaldo, the Pitt basketball beat writer for the Post-Gazette has his weekly Q&A posted. Hard to question or complain much about the team to date, but there was some questioning regarding Pitt starting and playing Demetrius.

Q: Am I the only one who thinks the Panthers could do significantly better than Yuri Demetris at the swing position? I finally got to see a game on Tuesday, and it didn’t seem like Demetris was much of a factor at all. Why not see what Mark McCarroll or John DeGroat can do as a starter? Also, is there a chance we’ll see a power lineup this season with Gray at center, Taft at power forward and Troutman at small forward?

FITTIPALDO: I’ve had more e-mails about the small forward position this season than anything else. It’s quite the topic among Pitt fans these days. Demetris is a senior who has bided his time in the program. He is smart, a good passer and a decent outside shooter. John DeGroat is in his first season in the program. Compared to Demetris he is a freshman in terms of knowledge of the offense and defense. He is more skilled, is a better rebounder and certainly a better scorer. At this point, Dixon seems enamored of Demetris and what he can provide for the team. There could come a time in the future when DeGroat plays more. But it doesn’t seem like that’s going to happen any time soon. Dixon has barely used him the last few games. As for the power lineup, Dixon has indicated that having Gray and Taft on the floor on the same time would not be an ideal situation because teams would go small and look to beat those guys off the dribble.

DeGroat is okay on the offensive end, but has looked lost on defense. Pitt is still defense first.

Final item comes from an ESPN chat with Andy Katz on Wednesday, December 15 (subscription req’d).:

Joe ((scarsdale)): hey andy- who do you think is the early favorite to cut down the nets? I dont think there have ever been this many contenders early- do you have to give GT the early respect because they went all the way to the championships or does GT or perhaps even Duke get any consideration?

Andy Katz: I’ve got five teams that have separated themselves: Illinois, Oklahoma State, Georgia Tech, North Carolina and Kansas. The second tier is close with Syracuse, Wake Forest, Kentucky, Duke and maybe Pittsburgh and Louisville. But it’s still so early.

People are not sleeping on Pitt this year.

I mentioned before that I was doing some guest-blogging over at College Basketball Blog. My latest, Part 1 on the Big East and where it is headed is there. I will probably post it here in a week or so.

The good part about Dave Wannstedt pulling his name yesterday from consideration as head coach, he did it early in the process. As much interest as his name and profile automatically seemed to make him the frontrunner in the search, imagine how worse and ND-esque it would have been if he had waited until next week or even after the formal interview to change his mind. The downside, I had finally gotten to the point where I could type Wanny’s name without double checking the spelling.

Seems that Wannstedt’s withdrawal wasn’t the only change. Houston Texans DB coach and life-long friend of AD Jeff Long, John Hoke, appears to already be off the list of possible candidates. The guy has a good resume, but he would have been an awkward choice considering his long friendship with Long. It just would have come off as some classic cronyism.

On the other hand, a familiar name is back on the list –Matt Cavanaugh. Guess the fact that the Ravens are showing an offense again, is restoring some of his luster. Actually, I missed it the first time I read the article, but this is troubling

Wannstedt suggested that he went back and forth on the Pitt job. He has a close relationship with chancellor Mark Nordenberg and entertained the idea of coming home. He even researched the current Pitt roster and some of the incoming recruits, just to stay on top of things.

He reportedly would have required higher salaries for his assistants, though that was not seen as a deal-breaker.

[Emphasis added.] Going hand-in-hand with finding the right guy to be head coach is getting the right assistants. You can’t skimp on them either. That was an underlying issue when Harris was running things. The pay of Pitt assistants was on the lower end.

In an almost passing comment regarding who LSU would get to replace Nick Saban, Tim Brando mentions Wannstedt:

I’ve spoken with Wannstedt and while he said no to his alma mater, Pitt, understand that school lacks the commitment to excellence in football that LSU already has.

Sal Sunseri, the former Pitt player and assistant, does not appear to be on the list despite his interest. I know he is also popular with some alumni and boosters, but he does not seem to be high on Pitt’s list. Other former Pitt players are letting everyone know that they would be interested in becoming part of the next Pitt coaching staff. Alex Van Pelt is volunteering to be a QB coach (no comment); and Teryl Austin (who? name not ringing any bells), presently the Seattle Seahawks DB coach, wouldn’t mind being a defensive coordinator.

AD Long did actually conduct an interview yesterday. Paul Rhoads got his interview, and got an endorsement from ESPN recruiting guy, Tom Lemming. Of course, Lemming isn’t exactly ripping any possibilities. From his online chat at ESPN on Tuesday, December 14 (subscription only):

Jerry: Tom. Do you have any word on recruiting at Pittsburgh now that Harris is leaving?

Tom Lemming: I’ve been hearing Matt Cavanaugh, Bob Davie, Dave Wannstedt and Tom Clemons as the four candidates. Pitt’s recruiting has been on hold and will suffer for the time lost. I think all four are great candidates. They can’t go wrong with any of them.

The less said about Paul Rhoads as Pitt head coach, the better.

In other football related notes, Bill “the original offensive genius” Walsh explains and apologizes for his 2 1/2 star crack on Pitt.

Walsh reportedly made the comments moments after former Pitt coach Harris was introduced as the coach at Stanford. He said he cringed when he saw the words in print.

“I was promoting Walt to some local writers, and what I was saying was, ‘He took a program that was probably two-and-a-half stars and made it a four-star program.’ When he got there, he had to deal with some lower-level athletes, but he built it up.”

Walsh claimed some of his words were in the wrong places, blaming himself for not being clear enough.

“It sounds awful, and I feel awful,” said Walsh, 73, who led the San Francisco 49ers to four Super Bowl victories. “I have all kinds of friends in Pittsburgh, and this is embarrassing as hell for me. We were on the Stanford campus, and I was talking about how beautiful this campus is and how Pitt’s campus was in a tougher part of town from what I remembered. But that was from 20 years ago. I understand it is beautiful there. Dan Rooney (Steelers owner) told me that. I feel stupid for any of this happening. I just don’t know if an apology is enough.”

If that’s the way he wants to spin it. Fine. I’m willing to let the thing drop.

Mike Prisuta defends AD Jeff Long and Walt Harris for allowing Harris to coach the Fiesta Bowl. He makes the same point I made a few days ago when Ron Cook was complaining about this. You let an interim coach, coach the game and you risk getting trapped into hiring that guy if the team wins. Specifically, Paul Rhoads. That just isn’t a route that should be followed.

On AD Jeff Long (thanks, B.B.):

Dave Wannstedt withdrew his name Thursday from the search for a new coach at the University of Pittsburgh, he told ESPN’s Chris Mortensen.

Wannstedt, who resigned earlier this year as coach of the Miami Dolphins, was considered Pittsburgh’s leading candidate.

Wannstedt told Mortensen that he’s not yet ready to jump back into a full-time load as a coach. However, he said that he would keep his NFL options open depending on what jobs are available at the end of the season.

Roughly translated: “I don’t want to have to suck up to high school kids. I can earn a good living as a defensive coordinator, especially if Norv Turner still has a job with Oakland next year. He owes me for giving him one in Miami.”

Wannstedt would have been a popular, sexy pick for Pitt head coach. It would have shown that the school was willing to spend money for a coach and while there was risk, it would have been acceptable.

Now Pitt and AD Jeff Long have to reset. All the named and rumored candidates are coordinators. None have any real head coaching experience. That can be easily be considered Pitt looking to stay cheap. I have to wonder, because there have not been any rumors concerning some of the MAC head coaches we have mentioned on this blog. Novak, Amstutz or Hoeppner, though would likely cost close to what Harris made by the time he departed. A former coordinator, wouldn’t.

Eric Gill’s rumble down the sideline to set up the game winning field goal against Notre Dame has made it to the ESPN/Pontiac Game Changing Performance Finals. You can vote here.

Now, I’m told that if you delete the voting cookie, you can go back and vote each time. This information is supplied purely as knowledge, not instruction. We here, at PSB do not condone such activity. There is a sacred trust when it comes to internet polling, that we would never violate, nor encourage others to do. If you can’t trust internet voting, then what hope is there?

Other media stories regarding Pitt’s coaching search.

Penn State fans must really be spooked about the possibility of Tom Bradley being considered for the Pitt job. An article declaring that Bradley is not a candidate for the Pitt job — because the PSU athletic department hasn’t been contacted (yet).

A couple of NJ recruits still want to go to Pitt, but are worried the school will change its mind. AD Long has already said the school will honor all commits.

Don’t expect anything official from Pitt’s athletic department until a contract is signed:

“I will not comment on the search while the search is going on,” Long said. “The next time you will hear from me on the search is when we introduce the next football coach here at Pitt.”

For Pat, a column from his hometown paper questioning letting Harris go.

Good God, even people in WV are hoping Pitt finds a good coach. That’s been the truly bad part of the Big East problems, you have to hope your rival doesn’t screw up for your own good.

I know the interviews haven’t even started yet, but I think it should be clear that Dave Wannstedt is (and perhaps should be) Pitt’s primary target. This isn’t because he represents Pitt’s most “serious” choice. The other guys contacted so far — Pelini and Hoke — and mentioned for consideration — Rhoads, Sunseri and Bradley — are all assistants. They are lower profile and cheaper possibilities.

I’m not saying that they may not be better choices, but with all of Pitt’s talk about believing that Harris lacked the vision to take Pitt higher, they shifted the pressure to themselves to back it up. Wannstedt would be a high profile hire. He is friendly with lots of national media types — Pardon the Interruption yesterday (12/15) even brought the topic up in their “big finish” segment and both Kornheiser and Wilbon seemed to like the idea. Wannstedt would also be the most expensive hire. Something Pitt has said it would be willing to do, but has never actually done. Not just the money needed for Wannstedt, but what it would cost for the top-flight assistants a coach who hasn’t been in the college game since 1987 would need.

Wannstedt is not saying that he would take the job or what he wants to do:

Wannstedt said he is debating among pursuing the Pittsburgh job or another NFL coaching position for 2005 or working as a television announcer. Wannstedt did well enough as an analyst during last Sunday’s San Francisco-Arizona game that Fox Sports is bringing him back for a Jan. 2 game between Detroit and Tennessee.

“I totally enjoyed the TV last week,” said Wannstedt, who hasn’t officially met with Pittsburgh officials to discuss the vacancy created when Walt Harris left for Stanford. “I am still open and undecided on coaching possibilities, whether in college or the pros.”

I honestly don’t see how they can actually consider hiring Rhoads. They’ll interview him, but hiring him would not be widely supported by alumni and fans. By hiring any holdover from Harris’ staff, it would be seen as Pitt just going cheaper, and not being serious about making the program better. This is not a Ben Howland-Jamie Dixon situation.

Meanwhile the first of what can be expected to be at least a few of Pitt’s verbals has changed his mind. I find this to be expected. So it is hard to work up much of a lather right now.

A puff piece on former Pitt back-up running back Nick Goings breaking out in the NFL with the Carolina Panthers.

Well, now the Pitt beat reporters find out how good their sources really are. Names are starting to leak over who appears to be on the interview list, who has forwarded their resume, and other potential names.

Dave Wannstedt and Bo Pelini have both been contacted and had interviews arranged. Another name expected to be interviewed is John Hoke, the secondary coach with the Houston Texans. Hoke was also the defensive coordinator and assistant head coach for Steve Spurrier in Florida and is an old friend of AD Jeff Long.

Other names expressing interest: Frank Solich, who was interviewing for the Ohio University job (Ohio U? Really? That’s a bit of a drop-off from Nebraska.), but is also a Johnstown native. Jerry Glanville is also interested. Of course he seems to be interested in any head coaching job at this point. Really, if Pitt wants a clown coach they can stay in the family and contact Ditka.

Tom Bradley, the Penn State defensive coordinator, seems to be picking up steam as a legitimate candidate. His performance in putting together the Penn State defense — their only bright spot — coupled with his very good track record in recruiting in Western PA has his name starting to get a lot of traction.

In an AP story from Alan Robinson, he is still asking why Pitt was so eager to get rid of Harris.

Three consecutive seasons of eight or more victories. Six bowl trips in eight seasons, including the Fiesta Bowl this season. Greatly improved attendance and recruiting at a school that won only 12 games in four seasons before he arrived.

Many college coaches would get a decade-long contract for such a turnaround, one all the more remarkable because it was performed at Pitt under the giant shadow of the Steelers – who, to many Pittsburghers, are the only football game in town.

Restoring a program that once was western Pennsylvania’s answer to Temple but now has regained much of its former prominence got Walt Harris nothing more than a one-way ticket back home to San Francisco.

Pitt has begun searching for the Stanford-bound Harris’ successor, the first major challenge confronting athletic director Jeff Long since his hiring 18 months ago. What Pitt and Long still haven’t fully explained is why they’re seeking a new coach when their old coach seemingly was performing at a high level.

Sadly, I don’t think we’ll ever get a definitive explanation. I’ve never heard a full reason for why Pitt fired Mike Gottfried mid-season in ’89. I’ve heard salacious stories and rumors, but never a clear explanation.

Worth noting, even though it no longer really matters, but is curious. Harris fired his agent. No explanation, and it will be argued that it came 2 months too late. Who knows. Some feel Stanford really did get a coach who could be too good for them.

And of course, there is the fodder for sports talk radio in Pittsburgh. At least, I’m guessing it is. Bill Walsh calling Pitt a 2 1/2 star program and “hopeless.” For the opposing view in the story, you get Beano Cook. I’m not going to get too bent of shape over this stuff from Walsh. He was a hall of fame pro coach. At the college level, he failed with Stanford, and he is a friend of Harris. Stanford hasn’t been relevant since the band was on the field. He’s backing his guy. Did he need to attack Pitt? Probably not. The only way to prove him wrong, though, is on the field.

Seeing as how the blather about football, coaching, and searches shall no doubt march on for at least this next week, I though it would be nice to take a break from all of that fear & loathing and take a look a what Pitt’s been doing right in its sporting endeavors.

While we’ve come to take Chevy Troutman as fixture ’round these parts, some Penn Staters view him as the one that got away. Or, rather, one of many that got away.

Specifically, David Jones of the Patriot-News sees Chevy’s recruiting trip during Coach Dunn’s tenure as emblematic of a program that has been less than adequate in its recruiting. To wit:

Hardly a warm welcome for a hot prospect, no?

Essentially, Jones points to this as a way of defending current coach Ed DeChellis from the slings and arrows of criticism launched at him after another slow start (Penn State Men’s BB is currently 5-4.). He asserts that his predecessor’s incompetence is a thing of the past.

“DeChellis and assistants Kurt Kanaskie, James Johnson and Hilliary Scott might fail to lure to PSU the players necessary to win at the major-conference level. After all, it’s yet to be proven that anyone can consistently do it. But it won’t be for lack of effort and organization.

Talk to recruitniks around the Northeast and Midwest as much as I do and you hear stories. You no longer hear stories like the Troutman debacle in connection with PSU.”

Jones then wraps up his point by reminding everyone that PSU still has four scholarships left to give. He then finishes the column by naming two recruits that they Nits are chasing. (Do you really need me to read between the lines for you at this point?)

Spin, you say? Certainly. But Pitt fans should read this article for more than some (immensely gratifying) schadenfreude. It should also serve as a reminder of how lucky we are, especially after a disastrously handled coaching search, to be in such a strong position when it comes to hoops recruiting. Thanksgiving may be past, but a little gratitude is still in order, I think.

Just a quick look to see how Stanford is seeing their new man. He was the guy Stanford wanted — experienced, affordable, scandal free, and blessed by St. Bill Walsh. The other aspect is discussion of just how good Cal is, not to mention other coaches in the PAC-10. You have Carroll at USC, Tedford at Cal, Willingham taking over at Washington, Belotti in Oregon and the other Stoops down in the desert. A bit of a higher rent district as far as coaching names. Then, there is playing up the local angle. Even finding a local high school coach who Harris once recruited to play QB at OSU.

Meanwhile in Akron, J.D. Brookhart claims not to be interested in the Pitt job.

“Naw,” he said when asked if he was interested in returning to Pitt. “I’m thrilled to be here (in Akron). We did some good things this year and I think we have a great thing going.”

Roughly translated to, “I know I don’t have a shot at the job.”

Meanwhile, in the Nittany Nation, they have noticed what happened at ND with some feeling it could someday be their turn. Not to mention making their blood run cold at another thought:

And that brings us to why Penn State fans should care.

In essence, they are conditioned to cackle at Notre Dame’s woes. But this nightmare soon could be coming to a university north of you.

When Paterno retires, Penn State administrators are going to face a similar situation.

They are Penn State, after all. So they’ll expect candidates to line up for the privilege of coaching the Nittany Lions. They’ll expect to conduct the interview process on their terms and at their pace.

But that’s not how it works anymore. Very few schools have full control over hiring. There are too many outside factors, too many competitors, too many recruits waiting for information.

It may be painful to admit, but Penn State — like Notre Dame — is no longer one of those go-at-any-cost programs.

Yet Paterno is still going to pick when he retires, that much became crystal clear this season.
…
Defensive coordinator Tom Bradley is likely the heir apparent to Paterno. At one time, though, so was Jerry Sandusky and Fran Ganter. Now, one is retired and the other has been pushed out of the public eye.

Bradley, who has been with the program since he played for the Lions in 1975-79, has proven his mettle as a coordinator and top recruiter. But he probably won’t stick around forever.

Don’t be surprised if his name gets thrown around as the next head coach or the No.1 assistant at the University of Pittsburgh now that Walt Harris has moved on. Maybe Bradley is the right guy to lead Penn State post-Paterno. Maybe he’s not. Maybe there’s an Urban Meyer type who is waiting in the wings and will be primed and ready by the time Paterno lets go.

That thought made another blogger start to worry. Of course, even another PSU blogger believes there is another plan for Paterno’s succession: Rick Neuheisal. The reasoning is amusing enough. I can only hope it to be true.

I forgot to mention it yesterday, but Pitt moved up to #10 in both the coaches and writers polls in basketball. I didn’t think Pitt would, but UConn’s unexplected and shocking loss to UMass allowed Pitt entry.

Pitt not missing a beat so far this season, has caught the eye of at least on reporter up in Connecticut.

Through the first seven games of the season, nothing much has changed. Pitt improved to 7-0 for the third consecutive season with an 84-71 victory over Penn State Saturday. The Panthers, ranked No. 10, might not win their first 18 games as they did last season, but there’s no doubt the NCAA Tournament is in their future again.

The steady influence of coach Jamie Dixon, in his second season of replacing Ben Howland, is a major reason.

“We really look at every game as the same,” Dixon said before the Penn State game, which was built up by the Nittany Lions as a big rivalry game. “We prepare every game the same, and I think that’s why we’ve been so consistent last year and this year. We look at every game as the most important on our schedule.”
…
Pitt’s offense doesn’t get much praise, but the Panthers are shooting 50 percent from the field.

“Last year we led the Big East in field goal percentage offense [46.9] and we were near the top in [fewest] turnovers,” Dixon said. “Those generally are the things that indicate offense efficiency. We were very good on the offensive end last year.

“I think the way we play defense, make it tough for teams to run their stuff, and force teams to use a lot of clock before they do take up a shot … that has a lot to do with the score of our games. We’ve executed pretty well in the offensive end. We’re trying to get better. I hope we continue to improve like we did last year.”
…
UConn was the first team to beat Pitt last season, snapping that 18-0 start on Jan. 19 at the Civic Center with a 68-65 victory. The Panthers might not go that long without a loss this season, but they are headed in the right direction.

The writer is the regular on UConn’s b-ball beat. Looks like he is already taking Pitt seriously again as a rival for the Big East.

We’ll start in Pittsburgh where AD Jeff Long had the first statements. Joe Bendel helps explain AD Long’s reason for claiming not to have finished an evaluation on Harris after this season. They were waiting until after the Fiesta Bowl. Right. One of Long’s main point during the press conference, is that Pitt needs a head coach that can recruit. Especially in Western PA. An issue, Shelly Anderson also noted in her article.

Anderson’s piece is a little more detailed, I recommend reading all of it. Long admitted that Defensive Coordinator (and popular target for abuse on this blog) Paul Rhoads will be a candidate for the job. Long also admitted his legacy/how people will view his tenure will essentially be defined in the next month:

Long, who became Pitt AD a few months before the 2003 football season, called this the most significant and important hire of his career. He said he would conduct the coaching search himself, although he will consult with [Chancellor] Nordenberg. He said he already had a mental short list of coaches he would be interested in and he has received many inquiries.

Other than that, no pressure.

The players were on hand, to make sure everyone knew they want Paul Rhoads to get the job. That’s great, but I don’t care. Everyone may like him, but if we are going to criticize and complain about the job by Harris in coaching and preparation, then Rhoads is definitely deserving of as much criticism for the defense. Spare me the — the D stopped them when they needed to — line. They didn’t against Syracuse. ND came down to who had the ball last. Furman was just worn out. WVU and BC was as much coaching and player implosion on the other side. No, I’m not a fan. Why do you ask?

Naturally, just about every Pitt recruit who has verballed is back in play. This should be no surprise. Some are sticking with their verbals — for now.

Coach Harris issued a statement through the Pitt Athletic Department. Everyone noted that he thanked the Chancellor and especially the players, but not AD Long (or even Pederson). Why should he? He didn’t insult them either.

Then there was the Stanford press conference to introduce Walt Harris as their new coach. The original “offensive genius,” Bill Walsh was there to welcome Walt. While Harris used the word “excited,” to describe his feelings, Paul Zeise was at the press conference and didn’t see it.

But his body language told a different story. He barely cracked a smile throughout the entire news conference, he lacked a certain enthusiasm that is usually a part of these events and he politely, but firmly declined to answer questions about a very sore subject — Pitt, and the circumstances surrounding his exit.

“I’m not going to talk about Pitt,” Harris said several times when asked about his relationship with his former employer. “I’m here to talk about Stanford. What’s in the past is in the past, let’s focus on this great university and what we’re going to do in the future. This is about what’s in front, not what’s in back.”

Harris would not discuss Pitt because he’s still very hurt because of the lack of respect and appreciation he feels he has received. He refused to discuss his strained relationship with Pitt athletic director Jeff Long or that members of the administration did not support him — for a number of reasons beyond football — or the fact that despite taking the Panthers to a Bowl Championship Series game, he was not offered a contract extension.

This story really suggests that Zeise believes Harris really wanted to stay at Pitt, but was boxed in to a corner by AD Long either lowballing or saying no to an extension. Time for me to give the Post-Gazette some credit. They have done a great job in covering this story. I’m surprised and impressed they flew Zeise out the California for the press conference rather than simply have him report on it after watching it on video.

Now we have the columns. Joe Starkey of the Trib. decides to back AD Long and the view that Harris couldn’t take Pitt any higher and that Harris didn’t believe Pitt could go higher.

All that matters is that Pitt’s highest-level administrators did not believe in Harris enough to try to retain him, although Long would not admit that.

Instead, Long tried to leave the impression that Harris spurned Pitt, which is why he was asked if he was “disappointed” in Harris’ departure.

“Oh, I don’t know if disappointed would be a term I would use,” Long said.

OK, how about elated?

This couldn’t have worked out better for Pitt, which does not have to pay the final two years of Harris’ contract and can now conduct a search with clean hands.
…
Clearly, Pitt needs a man with more tact, vivacity and vision. School administrators decided months ago they would seek one.

Can you blame them?

Even the people who support losing Harris, admit that this was not Harris bailing on the school. At best it was a sad divorce.

Well, most do. Ron Cook doesn’t believe Harris wanted to stay at Pitt, despite all reports and what reporters at his own paper were saying.

I’m convinced, despite published reports, that he had no interest in staying at Pitt beyond this season. That was clear in June when he was publicly critical of his own football camps, which have become an important recruiting tool for all major-college programs. It sounded a lot like an excuse. If the camps aren’t attracting enough of the blue-chip kids, whose fault is that?

I just have to ask again. Where were all the stories about Harris complaining about the camps in the papers back in June? Were they video and media stories only? Could someone tell me when the newspapers actually treated it as news, not as reasons why Harris would be fired? And it was my understanding about the criticisms, that it was the lack of support/money from the athletic department/administration that was the crux of his complaint. A common thread, really considering the complaints about the way the school didn’t like to pay much for Harris’ coaching staff.

Actually, the thrust of Cook’s column is to complain about letting Harris (and Urban Meyer of Utah) stay on to coach in the bowl game. I have mixed feelings on the issue, but I’m supporting it here because otherwise, it would likely be Paul Rhoads doing the interim job — and while I want Pitt to win — I don’t want to give the Rhoads camp anything else to point to for why he should become head coach.

The Cook column is truly bizarre for another reason. He invokes Michigan’s basketball team in the late ’80s early ’90s. On getting rid of a coach taking another job but wanting to finish out the season. Yeah, Michigan won the National Championship in ’89,but considering the rest of Steve Fisher’s tenure at Michigan, is not something anyone cares to talk about (and to the NCAA and Michigan mostly doesn’t exist any longer); you might not want to make that kind of comparison.

I’ve got a couple AP wire stories at this point. Harris was introduced as Stanford’s new coach, but no actual comments from him in the brief article.

Alan Robinson, the AP’s Pittsburgh sports writer filed his on Pitt AD Long’s comments at the press conference. Seems he was the only official speaking.

Walt Harris was not guaranteed of returning as Pitt’s coach next season before he was hired by Stanford, Pittsburgh athletic director Jeff Long said Monday as he began searching for Harris’ successor.

Harris’ status has been in doubt since Pitt chose earlier this year not to extend his contract, which runs through 2006. Many top Division I-A coaches work under five-year rollover contracts that automatically renew each year.

A late-season surge of six victories in seven games that unexpectedly earned the No. 19 Panthers (8-3) a Fiesta Bowl bid didn’t push Pitt into changing its stance, and the school allowed the Big East coach of the year to leave without making a counteroffer.

“You know what? That’s hard to say,” Long said when asked if Harris would have returned in 2005. “We were in an (evaluation) process and had not completed the process so saying any more than that would not be fair. … Coach Harris made his decision in his best interest and now he’s moved on, and we look to move on as well.”

Okay, which is more reassuring. To think that Long was lying when he said that they had not completed the evaluation process before this past weekend; that he was lying when he said that there was an evaluation process; or that he was actually telling the truth?

The least reassuring would be if he was being honest. If Pitt hadn’t completed its evaluations at that point, or weren’t even to a point where the administration had a sense of whether he should be retained or not; then what hope is there that Pitt could actually make a reasonably competent and speedy evaluation and interview of candidates for the position?

Who do they think they were kidding? Everyone knew that the administration had decided that Harris was going after this season. The writing had been on the wall from the start of the season. The whispers, the rumors, the leaks. Never anyone taking direct shots at each other (except for Harris’ agent having an outburst in October).

I’ve gone back and forth on this all season. I’ve passionately wanted Harris’ tenure ended, I’ve defended him and felt he earned a new extension, I’ve sadly concluded it to be best he leave, I’ve reluctantly announced he wasn’t taking Pitt in the right direction long term. That was all in this season.

Long wants the search to end quickly, but said it would take “weeks, not days,” though it could end before the Jan. 1 Fiesta Bowl against No. 5 Utah – Pitt’s first New Year’s Day or later bowl game in 21 years. Harris will coach the bowl game before officially leaving, as will Florida-bound Utah coach Urban Meyer.

Long wouldn’t identify any candidates, but said he has already heard from coaches currently working in college and the NFL.

I guess the issue of whether Harris should have stayed or been released, for me, came down to, “do I trust the administration to hire someone better?” That’s probably why I decided to hope Pitt retained Harris.

Pitt is off until Saturday when it plays Coppin State. This means a slow news week for basketball — which is okay for providing plenty of time to speculate rampantly on the football side.

Troutman and Krauser led the way for Pitt in beating Penn State. Troutman had a lot of fun at the game, even getting into it a little with the PSU students.

Troutman traded barbs with the Penn State student section during pregame warmups. Then he went out and backed it up by getting 18 points, five assists, two steals and a half-dozen rebounds.
…
Troutman grew up in Williamsport, surrounded by Nittany Lions fans. Penn State recruited him, but Troutman never wanted to play there. And on Saturday, he had no qualms about performing in Happy Valley.

“This felt like a home game to me,” he said, smiling. “I always like to come up to Penn State and beat ’em. I told my teammates, this is home.”

Krauser had a really good week. Even when he only scored from the free throw line against Memphis and then went off for a career high against Penn St. Lots of scoring. More of it coming in the crunch times at the end.

Krauser earned Big East Player of the Week Honors. According to the BE weekly report (PDF), this is his second PoW. Troutman was co-Player of the Week last week.

Predicted stories this week: more on Graves’ improved play; what is wrong with Chis Taft; DeGroat and Benjamin adjusting; and why was Ramon shooting so much better when he got to start as opposed to coming off the bench?

Okay, the last one was one I think might be a good story, but won’t likely occur. A bit unfair, anyways, too small a sample size.

Well, Pitt lowballed Harris to force him to leave:

Harris met last week with Pittsburgh athletic director Jeff Long, but the school didn’t offer him an extension for more than the close to $600,000 he was earning. Pitt sophomore quarterback Tyler Palko campaigned for the school to keep him.

“I have accepted Walt Harris’ resignation from the University of Pittsburgh so that he can accept the same position at Stanford University,” Long said in a statement Sunday. “During his eight years at Pittsburgh, Coach Harris has done an exceptional job revitalizing our program both athletically and academically. We are grateful for those efforts and wish him the very best in his new position at Stanford.”

Hopefully the Pitt won’t try to insult our intelligence too much in the future and claim they wanted him to stay. I’m sure there will be attempts at revision down the road, but attempts to spin it that way now would be foolish. Here’s a timeline of key moments during Harris’ tenure.

Harris very openly admitted he wanted to stay at Pitt. The school chose otherwise. Bendel makes a very good point about Harris having taken the high road all season long.

Pitt coach Walt Harris gathered his players and assistants at the indoor practice facility on the South Side on Sunday and gave them emotion-tugging news:

He had accepted the coaching job at Stanford.

The 15-minute meeting ended with Harris walking out the doors and being greeted with a “congratulations,” from a bystander. Harris shook his head and said, “I don’t want congratulations.”
…
In yesterday’s meeting, Harris told the players and his assistants that he would have preferred to remain at Pitt, but he ran out of options when it became clear that he would not receive an extension of his contract, which runs through the 2006 season.
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Harris also absorbed heavy criticism for some of his play-calling, including his “slide” call in a loss at Connecticut this season. Yet, he never reacted publicly to any of his critics, including talk-show callers, internet posters and columnists. He stayed the course and turned the season around, as Palko emerged as a bona fide star.

The press conference is at 6pm in California. The Pitt spin press conference is at 3pm.

The speculation is who gets the job next. Names are already being bandied about.

Regarding the coach search, read Smizik today. I agree with him. You know that doesn’t happen often. Not just the obvious — Pitt needs to get this right — but this part.

In replacing Harris, Pitt can not be hung up on hiring a coach who will be eager and willing to spend all of his career there. No college likes to think of its head coaching job as a stepping-stone, but, in fact, almost all jobs are just that. Some are stepping-stones to better college jobs, some to NFL jobs.

To hire a coach who wants to spend the rest of his career at Pitt could mean hiring a coach who’s not willing to reach for greatness.

A key to who Pitt hires will be how much it’s willing to pay. Salaries in excess of $1 million are not uncommon in college football. If Pitt wants someone with a proven track record, it will have to commit to such a salary. Finances should not be a concern. You get what you pay for. The right coach will bring in a lot more than he’s paid.

Pitt has had the advantage of knowing for a long time that in almost all certainty it would be seeking a new coach. Some of the exploratory work should have been done. It’s possible, in fact, Pitt already has its man.

I can only hope that the last bit is true. That the school has actually been preparing. Yet, I have serious doubts about that.

Regarding some of the names, I don’t have opinions on all, but I will list a few and what my impulse says:

Paul Rhoads: NO!!!!

Dave Wannstedt: Worth a shot, if Pitt coughs up the cash to pay him and the assistants he will need.

Russ Grimm: He seems to be looking, and considered mainly for the NFL.

Bo Pelini: I could live with it. He’s ambitious and driven.

Sal Sunseri: I just don’t know.

Bob Davie: Mixed feelings. Knows football, and a decent recruiter, but if you are talking about reaching the next level is he really the guy?

Tom Clements: Just because ND showed some interest in him, does not make him a hot commodity.

Tom Bradley: Plenty of irony. Not sure it would happen because of fears he could ultimately leave to take over PSU. Though the idea of it sparking some sort of modern day coaching feud (Woody-Bo; Knight-Krzyzewski) would be appealing.

Rick Neuheisel: Win, but at what price? Not a fan. My feelings can be found here.

Now, if it were me, I would like to take a hard look at some guys in the MAC. Jim Novak at Northern Illinois, Tom Amstutz at Toledo and Terry Hoeppner at Miami (Ohio) all should be considered.

We will be watching closely.