While it wasn’t done with the cold, telegraphed cruelty of Jim Calhoun taking out deadwood scholarships, I don’t doubt that Coach Jamie Dixon made it very clear to Cassin Diggs that it might be best to move on from Pitt.
Pitt junior center Cassin Diggs quit the team last week, a move that opened up a scholarship for another junior-college transfer to take his place.
The choice of words “quit the team” is interesting. Nothing about transferring to a D-II program or anything like that. I’ll be interested if there are more details about this. This brief does call it a transfer, so we’ll see.
I’m just glad Pitt didn’t pursue Tyree Evans. When Huggins can’t touch you, there are problems.
With the scholarship freed, Jermaine Dixon officially signed his LOI. Pitt got out the press release on Dixon, but nothing on Diggs leaving.
“We are extremely excited about Jermaine joining our Pitt basketball family,” Dixon said. “He is a terrific person and a very talented basketball player. Jermaine played for an excellent coach in Eddie Barnes at Tallahassee Community College and gained valuable experience competing in the Panhandle Conference, one of the best junior college conferences in the nation. We anticipate Jermaine having the opportunity to make an immediate impact on our team.”
Dixon is ranked among the nation’s top junior college guards in the Class of 2008. He is ranked the nation’s No. 8 junior college player by JucoJunction.com and the nation’s No. 4 JUCO off guard by Hoopmasters.com.
[Links added.]
Still no word as to whether Sam Young will go to the draft camps.
Call me naïve, but I don’t like the sounds of this at all..
Tuesday, April 22, 2008; By Ray Fittipaldo, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Florida JC guard fills void for Pitt men; Diggs’ departure opened scholarship
link to postgazette.com
….Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said Diggs was fine with the decision to transfer and that it was an amicable parting of the ways… Diggs said the split from Pitt was not amicable…
“They basically wanted me to leave because they wanted to sign someone else… [then] went on to say the Pitt coaches were “manipulators” …Scholarships are only guaranteed for one year and are renewed at the school’s discretion. ____________________ yukkk