‘Tis the season. The coaching carousel is in motion and it is time for speculation, wishlists and rumors. In a sign of both the job Jamie Dixon has done at Pitt and the increased reputation of the program, there are only a couple places where Dixon’s name is being bandied about.
West Coast roots issue seem to be the driving thing for any Cal rumors.
Pitt coach Jamie Dixon, who’s from Southern California and might feel like he has taken the Panthers as far as they can go (which is the Sweet 16 — that’s be OK with Old Blues).
Telling is that there is not even a hint that the whole West Coast thing would be enough to even pretend that would be enough to get him to look at Oregon State. Really, the Cal thing seems very unlikely since it wouldn’t even be a lateral move. I don’t take that one very seriously. And really, Randy Bennett at St. Mary’s seems like the best choice there.
The one that has to be watched, though, is Indiana.
But the best job available is still Indiana, where the names most regularly mentioned as potential replacements are Washington State’s Tony Bennett, Xavier’s Sean Miller and Tennessee’s Bruce Pearl.
Two other names making the rounds here at the East Regional: Pitt’s Jamie Dixon and Texas’ Rick Barnes.
Tony Bennett seems like the best fit, but I could also see Miller being their guy. Rick Barnes has no incentive to leave Texas. Fertile recruiting, lots of money and not as much pressure. I don’t see Dixon as their pick, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they sought him out to talk.
Understand, though, that while Indiana fans are more polite and not nearly as outwardly insane, they have similar delusions like Kentucky. IU fans are setting their fantasies on getting Billy Donovan from Florida.
This will be going on for a while — unfortunately.
UPDATE (3:15): For what it’s worth, Andy Katz at ESPN.com (Insider subs) doubts Dixon would leave.
Pitt’s Jamie Dixon will be mentioned for jobs at Cal and Indiana, but all indications are that Dixon enjoys living in Pittsburgh and has a strong fondness for the school and all that it has done for him. I don’t expect him to leave.
So, there’s that.
I don’t see the immediate allure of Indiana. The Hoosiers are losing Gordon and White. They’ll get quality players, but those are big pieces of the puzzle.
I would consider Indiana a step down from Pitt at the moment, but with some serious history and a rabid fan base. The Hoosier program is a sleeping giant.
Yeah, he could totally leave tonight anyway, but I think the AD situation helps Pitt quite a bit in this instance.
If Dixon did leave would you want Sean Miller?
If he came down to having a choice btw Pitt and Indiana do you think he would have some hometown bias?
How is he as a recruiter? Would he be better than Dixon (which IMO is his only subpar quality)
Just curious cause IMHO I think he would be great if Dixon did bolt…but that doesn’t mean I want Dixon to leave.
DaveD