Everything seemed to indicate the issue was dead. Plenty of reports said Dixon had quietly rejected the overtures. Reggie Theus was apparently lined up for the USC interview. The page had turned.

Then it hadn’t.

Pittsburgh basketball coach Jamie Dixon remains USC’s top choice to replace Tim Floyd and has not declined overtures from the university, according to sources close to Dixon.

Despite some media reports Dixon is not interested in the job, the Southern California native and USC were in contact during the past 10 days and discussions could continue, according to sources.

Dixon, who grew up in the San Fernando Valley and attended Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, is 162-45 at Pitt, the most victories in NCAA history for a Division I coach in his first six seasons.

“Why wouldn’t they want Jamie?” a source close to the 43-year-old Dixon said. “And why wouldn’t he want to listen?”
…
Sources said USC is not put off that Dixon would probably command a salary of at least $2 million per year or that his Pitt contract includes a $1 million buyout.

“The timing is not perfect but it’s not impossible,” the source said.

Just for the record, the timing is just about impossible. Can you imagine the distraction that would be to preparing for the U-19 games? You think USA Basketball would be happy about that? If the squad loses, the blame goes straight on Dixon because he was coaching and put himself in a position where it appeared he lost focus because of a new gig.

We are now in a world of dueling sources. Per Gary Parrish at CBSSports.

Obviously, I was surprised by this report because it contradicts everything that’s been written.

But just to be safe, I reached out to a source close to Dixon and asked about it.

I was hit with the following response:

“He is not going there,” the source said. “Not happening.”

When you start to get these mixed signals — claimed to be from “sources close” to the coach — it is an easy step for the present fanbase to be come agitated. To blame the coach for not ending the rumors at once.

I have had no problem with Coach Jamie Dixon not commenting on the USC job. I understand the business aspect of having his name floating out there, especially when it just won’t happen. Now, though, it is starting to get annoying. Whether it was Dixon’s fault or the “source” close to Dixon and the USC sources for the LA Daily News story.

So, Coach Dixon and the Pitt athletic department might want to think hard about putting something out there to end this stuff.

UPDATE (1:08): Parrish also has a full article explaining to USC why they need to forget the pipedream of Dixon.

The other thing worth noting is that there has been absolutely no other story backing up the LA one since this morning. None of the national college b-ball writers are offering any corroboration.

UPDATE (1:53): Thank you Andy Katz.

USC made another run at Pittburgh’s Jamie Dixon, but continued to be rebuffed, a source said Friday.

The Trojans targeted Dixon to replace Tim Floyd, who resigned last week. Dixon was in Colorado Springs coaching the FIBA U-19 USA basketball team this week and turned down another overture.

Dixon leaves with the Americans next Thursday for the World Championships in New Zealand. The competition runs July 2-11.

That Dixon’s name led the speculation is not surprising, as he is from Southern California and his wife, who is from Hawaii, went to USC. But a source said there is no family pressure to go to USC. The Dixons have been extremely happy living in Pittsburgh, the source said.

So USC apparently upped the starting point of money and possibly years to see if Dixon would bite. And again, not even a nibble. Please let this be the end. Hire Theus or someone else and just prepare for the NCAA sanctions.

Doing an interview with a coach that centers around recruiting losses is not easy. Per NCAA regs, the coach can’t actually comment on recruits. He can speak vaguely, but that doesn’t do much when people are looking for answers.

So, the effort by Coach Wannstedt to talk a little about the football program as fans try to understand all the misses by the program for local players that seemed like locks for Pitt probably did not accomplish much. For all intents and purposes it was a Rorschach test for where you stand on Wannstedt and the program at this point.

Those in the concerned to panic mode over the recruiting probably found themselves pissed and frustrated because he did not give much clarity in how things will be better. He just tossed out numbers that hold little context.

Wannstedt said he’s confident the Panthers will have a great recruiting class by February. This week, the Panthers will hold two more prospect camps and he expects the total number of players to come through to be about 650, which is far more than they have had in the past.

“If you think about, we had about 50 or 60 kids at our prospect camps,” Wannstedt said.

“So we’re making a lot of progress in that area. And at this point, we are way ahead in recruiting than we have been — at this point the last few years there were probably 40 kids I was comfortable offering a scholarship to — right now, I’d say we are at about 75.

“We are further ahead with quality names at every position and more players come through here than at any point since I have been here. We’re banging heads with the top programs for kids and there will be some wins and losses. We believe we have the best program in the country, but it may not be for everyone.

“But we’re going to get our share of guys, and they are going to be great players who are going to be excited about winning and being a part of Pitt football.”

Those that are being patient to having blind faith in Wannstedt will read the same bit with optimism and the expectations that things will work themselves out by February.

As for recruiting, Wannstedt withstood the backlash of losing seven WPIAL prospects to either Penn State or Michigan, most notably after offensive linemen Miles Dieffenbach of Fox Chapel and Tom Ricketts Jr. of North Allegheny picked Penn State on consecutive days earlier this month. Their losses were prominent because Dieffenbach’s father, George, is a long-time Pitt tennis coach and Ricketts’ father played for the Panthers in the 1980s.

While NCAA rules prevent Wannstedt from speaking publicly about prospects, he was adamant that the Panthers will remain major players for the top recruits in Western Pennsylvania and beyond. Pitt has received three verbal commitments from the Class of 2010 and could add more after it hosts an individual skills camp this weekend on the South Side. He also is planning to host an additional Blue Chip Day in August.

“Nothing has changed,” Wannstedt said, repeating it for emphasis. “I will just say the last three years, at this time of the year, I’ve felt good about 40 players. Today, I’m at 75. We are further ahead with this year’s recruiting class with quality names at every position than we’ve been since I’ve been here. … We’re going to end up with not a good class, a great class.”

I maintain a fierce ambivalence about it all. It’s hard not to be at least a little edgy about recruiting to this point. The misses are a bit glaring and jarring.

At the same time, it is still a long way until February. Recruitments reopen. Decisions change. There seems little to be gained by getting too worked up over things in June.

And as I have said, I believe part of this is tied directly to Pitt’s underachievement the first 3 years of Wannstedt. A mostly good last year hardly balances the scales. There has to be more improvement even without McCoy, Kinder, McKillop and Davis to show the top recruits that progress and promise is happening.