One more basketball post because all of these stories seem to be coming together.

It appears as expected that Coach Dixon has quietly told USC to shove off.

USC’s search to replace Tim Floyd has moved on beyond Pitt’s Jamie Dixon and is now, for the time being, focused on coaches who have professional ties, multiple sources with knowledge of the situation told ESPN.com.

Multiple sources confirmed that the Trojans made an attempt to woo Dixon, a native of Los Angeles, but the discussion was only on the surface in nature because Dixon wasn’t going to move from Pitt. The Trojans were willing to make Dixon a strong offer to come West, but Dixon’s comfort at Pitt made it a moot point.

Dixon has been at Pitt since 1999, the last six as a head coach, winning 163 games with the Panthers during that stretch and taking the Panthers to six NCAAs, one Elite Eight, three Sweet 16s and one Big East regular-season title and one Big East tournament championship.

This is what was presumed. There is just no way a coach in Dixon’s spot was going to take the job. I would still prefer to get some better confirmation than “sources” but it will do for now.

As for Tom Herrion and Holy Cross. The Massachusetts native is clearly on the short list.

1) Notre Dame assistant Sean Kearney – However, some have said that the Cross favors a guy with head coaching experience.

2) Pittsburgh assistant Tom Herrion – He was a successful head coach at the College of Charleston, grew up a town over from Holy Cross and has really toned down since joining Jamie Dixon’s program (that was the knock on him at Charleston).

3) Cornell coach Steve Donahue – Not really sure about the level of interest on either end, but Donahue would have scholarships to play with at Holy Cross, would receive more money and would have a job in which he could battle for the league crown every year.

4) Kansas assistant Joe Dooley – If the Crusaders do go the assistant route, it appears that Kearney and Dooley will be in the mix.

Assuming the list is accurate, it is intersting that Holy Cross is leaning towards hiring a coach looking to use them as a stepping stone. Three of the four candidates are top assistants at major D-1 programs that will hope to move up the coaching ladder.

Obviously, the concern for Pitt fans is Tom Herrion. He seems like a great fit for the program. He has head coaching experience. He’s from the state.

I would question whether Holy Cross is a good fit for him. He’s a recruiter of talent. He would have to modify his targets to get kids to Holy Cross with the program stature and academic restrictions.

For Pitt, the timing stinks. The next recruiting contact period comes in early July. Coach Dixon will be limited with his own work for the U-19 games. That means if Herrion leaves, Dixon will have to make a very quick hire — somehow shoehorned into prep for the games. Or have Brandin Knight out there recruiting alone and shorthanded.