I am highly bemused by the fact that all the stuff over Tim Floyld leaving USC for Arizona and Jamie Dixon being pursued by USC came to naught. Floyd decided to remain with the Trojans — and in the process apparently rejected Memphis as well.
It was very educational. If you needed any further evidence about how little USC fans care about basketball, this incident proved it. The reaction from the USC blog, Conquest Chronicles — which I find to be a highly rational and intelligent blog on USC — essentially was, “Ehhh, whatever.”
At USC the Galen Center is always half full and a good portion of the fan base uses basketball as hobby between football seasons. There are some die hard basketball fans at USC but they are out numbered 3-1 in comparison to football.
There was some talk about the idea of getting Jamie Dixon, but not much. Not so oddly, Bruins Nation seeemed more concerned about all of this because they have viewed Coach Dixon as their coach in waiting when Ben Howland calls it a career or heads to the NBA. He’s an LA suburb native with family there, and a close friend/protege of Howland. I never really thought about it before, but it makes some sense
Now, before anyone flies off-the-handle in righteous indignation over this, it is absolutely no different from the way most Pitt fans look at Xavier Coach Sean Miller. No one is in any hurry for this to happen, but there is a perception/belief that Pitt would get Miller if the time came. Apparently UCLA fans feel the same way about Dixon.
It’s always that way. It doesn’t necessarily happen, though. Kentucky has failed twice in the presumption that they could get Billy Donovan from Florida when they came calling. Donovan has become entrenched and at home in Florida.
That is, in my opinion, where things are heading with Coach Dixon. He is building his legacy at Pitt. He has become increasingly entrenched and sees a chance to establish his own legacy at Pitt in the long-term.
Dixon has done more than build the program at Pitt. He has worked to make it an integral part of the campus and the community. So that the basketball program is an important thing, and not an afterthought. His assistance in making the summer league in Pittsburgh, strongly encouraging the participation by Pitt players and giving what support he is able to offer (without running afoul of NCAA issues) from the inception of it. Those are the little things that will give Pitt basketball the long term growth. In the process, so has Dixon become part of the community and the university.
The support of the athletic department and chancellor has only fostered that growth. To say nothing of being proactive in rewarding Dixon with extensions and raises that keep him from feeling underappreciated. Coach Dixon may be the highest paid employee at Pitt, but he is middle-of-the-road in coaches salary in the Big East and overall in the major conferences. Thankfully, Coach Dixon does not have his ego directly tied to his salary, so he does not seek or demand to be among the top pay of coaches.
Oh, and this from Andy Katz at ESPN.com:
Dixon had already received preliminary calls from reps of USC in case Floyd had left, according to multiple sources. Dixon may not have bit on a potential offer, but the good news for Pitt fans is he doesn’t have to even think twice anymore. He’s staying put.
Not an issue.
