Let’s say for arguments sake that Pitt does not use that scholarship before the end of the summer. That means Pitt still has only one to offer for 2010. While Tom Herrion and Brandin Knight are out recruiting and being a presence on the circuit, Coach Jamie Dixon has some other things to do.
Davidson coach Bob McKillop said he has turned down the head coaching job of the World Championship for Young Men’s team this summer in New Zealand. McKillop coached the team during the qualifying event last summer. Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim, who serves as the chair of the junior national teams, said that a replacement for McKillop hasn’t been determined yet. The assistants on the team are still slated to be Pitt’s Jamie Dixon and Southern Illinois’ Chris Lowery, and Dixon could end up being the choice as the head coach. UCLA’s Ben Howland was queried about his interest, but he declined because he didn’t want to miss the first seven days of the July evaluation period.
The name that may be more familiar is as the FIBA Under-21 (U-21) World Championship.
Nothing like more events that raise Coach Dixon’s and Pitt’s profile nationally. That only helps with recruiting — and hopefully that will get Coach Dixon more involved in the U-17 USA team.