Congrats to former Pitt player and assistant coach Orlando Antigua on his first head coaching job. It’s a suicide mission tough road with USF, but everyone will be watching with interest. Obviously for Pitt fans, there is our own biased angle.
He mentioned the characteristics that made it possible: Hard work. Determination. Focus. Vision. An unrelenting thirst for excellence.
They were qualities he learned at Pitt, where he played from 1991-95, then later served under Jamie Dixon for five seasons (2003-07) as he learned the coaching profession.
Antigua, 40, was born in the Dominican Republic. He grew up in the Bronx section of New York. He’s most associated with Kentucky, where he has helped John Calipari’s Wildcats assemble five consecutive No. 1-ranked recruiting classes, where he finishes his UK run this weekend during the Final Four in Arlington, Texas.
But make no mistake, Antigua considers himself a Pittsburgh guy.
“It’s the foundation of who I am,” said Antigua, who was presented with a five-year USF contract and an annual salary of $900,000, which will escalate by $25,000 each season. “I’m a Pitt man. I’m so grateful for everything I learned there.
“Just the blue-collar mentality, the tenacity, everything that town stands for. It’s still who I am.”
If you want to read one of the better pieces on Antigua, this one from ESPN magazine, November 2013 stands out.
