Former Pitt Assistant, now the Robert Morris Head Coach Mike Rice, Jr. did a bit of a media blitz with the Beaver County Times. Some interesting little bits.
He indicates no problem really with Pitt not playing Robert Morris for a year or two, given the situation.
New Robert Morris coach Mike Rice said Wednesday that the continuation of the rivalry between the cross-town schools to take a layoff of a year or two. Rice spent last season as Pitt coach Jamie Dixon’s top assistant, and Rice doesn’t think it would be fair to play the Panthers this coming season.
“It’s tough for Jamie, and I don’t have anything to lose,” Rice said. “I know his system.”
Robert Morris has played at Pitt every season since 1999-00. The Panthers are 26-0 all-time against Robert Morris.
“Would I like to play Pitt? Yes,” Rice said. “Maybe after a year or two, we’ll resume this series.”
It makes too much sense for the teams not to play each other. It’s not like RMU demands (or would get) a home game. Pitt gets a home patsy that it doesn’t even have to pay as high for the going rate on guarantee games, because it’s local. That means RMU practically spends nothing from its travel budget — hence part of the reason for a bit of a discount on the price.
He also doesn’t think Coach Dixon will be going anywhere else.
“Jamie’s not going anywhere,” Rice said.
Dixon alarmed some Pitt fans when he used offers from Missouri and Arizona State a few seasons ago as leverage to get a new contract from the Panthers. Even rumors this off-season had Dixon entertaining offers from Kentucky and other schools.
But now that Dixon’s deal runs through the 2012-13 season, Rice thinks he will make Pitt a lifetime position.
“He’s had a ton more top schools that contacted him that he just automatically says he’s not interested,” Rice said “He has one of the top three jobs in the Big East right now.
“You don’t leave (Pitt). It’s a once-in-a-lifetime job.”
No one even took any rumors this past season seriously. Most of the time his name was out there because lists need to be compiled by sportswriters when there’s a job opening. The rule’s are to list some of the hotter names, throw in coaches who are at places that don’t have the reputation. Any sort of geographical/historical ties are a big plus.
