Orlando Antigua is moving up within the Pitt coaching hierarchy, so he doesn’t get a lot of attention in the stories today. Mike Rice, Jr. is the main guy discussed.
Rice has known Dixon for the past five years. They got to know each other when Rice worked for Hoop Group and they casually stayed in touch. Dixon and Rice first talked about the job more than a month ago at the Pittsburgh Jamfest, the AAU event held at the Petersen Events Center in April.
Rice said the reason he has ascended quickly through the coaching ranks the past few years is because of his association with the Hoop Group and the connections he made in the time he was there.
“It’s the reason I’m here,” Rice said. “If you look at my resume, I was at Chicago State and then four summers later, Phil Martelli asked me to be on his staff. The relationships you build there are invaluable. Coaches are always asking you about players. I made a lot of connections when I was there.”
Dixon liked Rice’s experiences at lower level Division I schools as well as his experience with the Hoop Group. “Every experience for a coach is a good one. That was a great way for him to develop relationships with people.
“Some people tend to underestimate the importance of evaluating players, getting guys who weren’t that highly rated has been the key to our program. Mike has an eye for those types of players as well. He’s been around a lot of coaches and has had great experience.”
Of course, getting highly rated players does help a lot. Rice is expected in Pittsburgh today, while Dixon is down in Orlando with Aaron Gray.
“I plan to hit the ground running,” Rice said. “I’m excited. It’s a challenge for me. The reason I came was to compete in the Big East and to compete for a national championship. I believe that can happen in the next couple of years at Pitt.”
Of course, St. Joe’s Head Coach Phil Martelli is disappointed to lose his assistant but happy for him.
“I desperately wanted Mike to stay,” the St. Joseph’s basketball coach said Wednesday, “but the opportunity to go to a place like Pitt, with all it has done — the Big East is a whole different world. That’s just the way it is.”
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While Martelli was dismayed by the thought of losing Rice, whom he called “a basketball lifer,” he managed to look past a situation that is similar to that of Dixon’s. St. Joseph’s has two spots to fill after the departure of Rice and Monte Ross, who took over as coach of Delaware.“I have high regard for Jamie Dixon as a man,” Martelli said. “He’s getting a guy, in Mike, who is relentless in the pursuit of basketball knowledge in a lot of ways. Not just recruiting information, but getting comfortable with X’s and O’s and scouting. He’s really ready, and I’m delighted for him and his family.”
Rice is expected to use his recruiting connections to work Philly (obviously), but also most of the Northeast down to Virginia.
Orlando Antigua, obviously being a NYC native and his brother being a high school coach in the Bronx, is going to be recruiting the NYC metro area.
About Antigua, Dixon said: “Orlando has played a key role since he joined our staff. He understands what type of players we look for and what type of student-athletes we want to represent the university.”
Antigua, who compiled career totals of 930 points and 409 rebounds during a four-year playing career at Pitt, was elated the opportunity to remain with the program.
“It’s great to be able to learn under coach Dixon,” he said. “It’s going to be an exciting staff.”
That gives the staff about a month to really figure out who the targeted recruits are and where for the July recruiting period. Pitt will have at least 3 scholarships to offer for the class of 2007. 4 if Aaron Gray stays in the draft.
