It is free candy week with ESPN’s Full Court package. Lots of extra games to watch without paying. Most importantly for those who don’t live in the Pittsburgh area for WTAE or the cable channels: SNY and MASN. Well, the game is on the Full Court package for everyone else to watch.
So no excuses not to be able to watch on Sunday at noon.
Speaking of video to watch, here’s Coach Jamie Dixon’s interview with Jim Rome.
I still marvel at how far Dixon has come at being comfortable in his own skin in these interviews. He started out so stiff and uncomfortable. I mean, he’s never going to be confused with a John Calipari or Bruce Pearl in personality and energy to an interview, but now he isn’t stumbling over words and doesn’t look like he’d rather be getting a discount vasectomy rather than do the interview.
While on the subject of Dixon, congrats, I guess on a mid-year coach of the year award. Really? There is a mid-year coach of the year award?
First, I gotta say Thank you for creating this site. As a Panther Alumni stuck here in ACC hell it is great to be able to turn to news and updates on my team and not have to hear or read all about the freakin Tar Heels or Puke Blue Devils.
As for Dixon, well what can I say but he is a class act. I had the opportunity to shake his hand and meet him a few years ago after Howland left Pitt and I told him “Thank you for not leaving us.” And I remember his response very vividly was, “Thank you for having me”. It was at that minute that I knew we had landed a truly special individual. Because of that interaction, I have also never really worried that he would leave Pitt. The only thing I wish for his sake would be that he could really shed the whole Ben Howland shadow thing. Lets face it, Howland did start the rebuilding, but it was Dixon who really has put on the final touches and is building a more powerful program than Howland probably could have. We are fortunate to have him; hopefully Pitt will keep those contracts coming his way.
Also, I can’t tell you how great it was to go to work at UNC on Monday and raise my finger in the air and say that Pitt is number one! Luckily my tires weren’t slashed when I got out to my car.
Hail to Pitt! And Hail to you, Jamie Dixon!
Dixon has established a style of basketball play here that could very well take us to a national championship. And I think he has a chance to to make the name Pitt synonymous with the type of tough, team effort ball we talk about and in doing so cement a reputation for himself and this school.
This is going to sound silly but I can imagine years from now, long after Jamie Dixon has retired, that announcers wishing to compliment a team that is playing the kind of tough game we do will say, “you know, they play a lot like Pitt.” That people will refer to Pitt not only as a school but also as a certain kind of basketball philosophy. Coach Dixon could be remembered as the master and pioneer of this philosophy.
Ultimately, I believe Jamie Dixon will be remembered as Pitt’s coach and not another mercenary who followed the $$$.
Where in Chapel Hill do you live/work?
I used to live there back in the day. Really nice place! It kind of reminds me of what Oakland would be like if it weren’t attached to Pittsburgh.
The last time I was up there this past summer, I was in that bar/resturaunt on Franklin Street that has all of the charicatures of UNC alumni on the walls (I forget the name of the place) and kept bothering them to put Willie Parker and Jeff Reed on the wall.
Jamie is a class act regardles of whether he can “act” or “perform” in front of a camara. As an example, he was at the Iowa football game with his players receiving their honor of the big east champions. After the game was over, we made our way back to the car to tailgate a little more and here comes Jamie Dixon walking through the parking lot all by himself. No one seemed to notice him, but I shot him a glance and started to clap. Simultanously, everyone around started clapping also and he went out of his way to come over to me and shake my hand. He proceded to walk through the rest of the parking lot to a heros welcome. It was well deserved! A great example of a grounded coach and a great person!
I’m just so proud of this team regardless what they accomplish the rest of the year. They have broke through into the national spotlight. They now are on the same map as the elite programs. A final four visit this year will solidify that!
Hail to PITT!
PDH
Actually live in Durham, but work at UNC. I have been to lots of places on Franklin Street to eat, but nothing compares to a good Primanti’s sandwich or some O fries. Not sure I see the similarities of Oakland though. I’ve been to both UNC and Duke’s campus and I think I would have been bored to tears at those places, too houty touty for me. NC State is much similar to Pitt and has some great eating places.
The greatest thing is that Frank Dascenzo has retired from the Herald Sun-he actually is from Pittsburgh but has turned his back and got sucked into the acc vortex.
I actually worked at UNC Hospital because they helped pay some of my tuition there, but I didn’t stay long at UNCCH and NEVER became a Heels fan!
I think that the first step in being that type of a Head Coach, especially in the college ranks, is understanding exactly what type of impact your actions will have on the kids who choose to play for you.
The University’s first step in hiring needs to be
the act of considering what type of a role model their employee will present to the kids also.
Second has to be that the Head Coach appreciates both the school itself and the area that school represents. Dixon has embraced both in a way that few ‘hired gun’ coaches ever would.
When that matches up – as it apparently has in this case – good things happen.
I had a chance to go to the PITT v Georgetown game in DC last week – first PITT BB game I’ve been to in 30+ years. I was not only impressed with the way PITT physically dominated the Hoyas, but also, and mostly, but how disciplined the team was out on the court.
It was a real testament to how much the players bought into the coach and his system of playing the game. That’s not an easy thing when you have kids with very apparent high levels of athletic talent as PITT has.