masthead.jpg

switchconcepts.com, U3dpdGNo-a25, DIRECT rubiconproject.com, 14766, RESELLER pubmatic.com, 30666, RESELLER, 5d62403b186f2ace appnexus.com, 1117, RESELLER thetradedesk.com, switchconcepts, RESELLER taboola.com, switchconceptopenrtb, RESELLER bidswitch.com, switchconcepts, RESELLER contextweb.com, 560031, RESELLER amazon-adsystem.com, 3160, RESELLER crimtan.com, switch, RESELLER quantcast.com, switchconcepts , RESELLER rhythmone.com, 1934627955, RESELLER ssphwy.com, switchconcepts, RESELLER emxdgt.com, 59, RESELLER appnexus.com, 1356, RESELLER sovrn.com, 96786, RESELLER, fafdf38b16bf6b2b indexexchange.com, 180008, RESELLER nativeads.com, 52853, RESELLER theagency.com, 1058, RESELLER google.com, pub-3515913239267445, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0
January 18, 2010

This Just In: Dixon Can Coach

Filed under: Basketball,Coaches,Dixon — Chas @ 11:54 pm

The meme grows. There was the extended praise from Andy Katz at ESPN.com for Wisconsin’s Bo Ryan and Coach Dixon.

A memo to the Big Ten and the Big East from this point forward: Do not pick a Bo Ryan or Jamie Dixon-coached team ninth again.

Resist the temptation. Forget about what has occurred on the roster. Finishing in the lower level of a conference for these two coaches from two different generations is not an option.

But what you can’t teach is the toughness that both teams play with throughout the season. Pitt showed no issues in going to Syracuse, Cincinnati and Connecticut to win three-straight road games for a 4-0 Big East start heading into a game against Louisville on Saturday.

The Badgers aren’t the most talented team in the Big Ten. Pitt doesn’t have that honor in the Big East. Yet, by mid-January, they are both virtual locks for the NCAA tournament, barring a collapse and serious threats to win their respective conferences.

Coincidentally, both coaches were the head coaches last summer for USA Basketball’s junior national teams. Ryan coached the World University Games team that won bronze in Serbia. Dixon coached the gold-medal winning U.S. team at the Under-19 World Championships in New Zealand — the first time the U.S. won gold in the event since 1991.

Their successes in coaching this summer shouldn’t be tossed aside as a coincidence. Players coached by them are also having significant seasons. Ryan coached Clemson’s Trevor Booker, Mississippi State’s Jarvis Varnado, West Virginia’s Da’Sean Butler and Purdue’s Robbie Hummel on the older squad, while Dixon coached Pitt point guard Ashton Gibbs, Butler’s Matt Howard and Shelvin Mack, Ole Miss’ Terrico White and Kansas’ Tyshawn Taylor. I’m not handing the successful seasons of these players to the coaching staffs. But I’m just simply adding that Ryan and Dixon have been on a good run of late.

Both coaches have shown poise, patience and the ability to tinker with their respective teams to accommodate injuries or attrition. Dixon had to find ways for his team to score without Brown and Jermaine Dixon, and it showed at times in close, agonizing wins over New Hampshire and Duquesne. But the Panthers still won the games as Dixon’s controlled intensity rubbed off on his crew.

Tom Lucci at the New Jersy Star Ledger.

Q. Isn’t it about time that Pitt’s Jamie Dixon was recognized as one of the country’s best coaches?

The Panthers lost four starters who combined for 4,714 points from a team that was a Scottie Reynolds buzzer-beater away from making the Final Four a year ago. Picked ninth in the coaches’ pre-season poll, you can make the case that Pitt — 15-2 overall, 5-0 Big East — is the league’s best team right now. Since guard Jermaine Dixon (foot) and swingman Gilbert Brown (academic suspension) returned, the Panthers are 6-0 — with wins at Syracuse, at Cincinnati and at UConn.

And the Cleveland Plain Dealer:

And how about those Pitt Panthers? Makes you realize why one of the first coaches called every spring for just about any major-conference coaching opening is to Jamie Dixon.

And the meme keeps rolling.





It’ll be fun going against Bo, payback vs. Crean, and giving a whippin’ to the blue and white when we begin playing those teams regularly next year.

Comment by steve 01.19.10 @ 7:47 am

Steve:
#1 Ain’t happening next year…it’s at least 3 years away
#2 Ain’t happening period

Comment by The Turk 01.19.10 @ 8:15 am

but can we ever beat Izzo?

Comment by wbb 01.19.10 @ 8:49 am

Coach Dixon may have his toughest job ever these next couple of weeks. This team is very young, and they are beginning to be noticed nationally. He has to keep them hungry and motivated; this team cannot afford to get complacent. As quickly as they have shot up the rankings, they can find themselves falling out of them even more quickly if they drop a couple games. They have to be ready for GU or they’ll get run out of the gym. But they also can’t slack against the Hall or the Johnnies, as those two teams are as tough as they’ve been since I’ve been at Pitt. We have a long way to go before Selection Sunday. I’m not trying to be pessimistic, just trying to temper my own optimism, as this team should win no fewer than 8 more games if they keep up their current level of play, and that number could stretch to 11 or 12 if they keep improving. But the key is to keep improving and not lose that fire, because a lot of the games left on the schedule are much lower-profile than their latest stretch.

Comment by Jon 01.19.10 @ 8:55 am

Good question, wbb. I think we can this year. When was the last time we fielded 4+ out of 5 who are capable of driving to the hoop?

Comment by steve 01.19.10 @ 11:08 am

Powered by WordPress © PittBlather.com

Site Meter