So, so weird that this isn’t football related.
Have we got the Miller boys out of our system yet, or is this going to be an ongoing thing?
I don’t know that there is much to say after yesterday’s 15 minute flurry. Neither Sean or Archie were ever going to be interested. Sean is at a basketball school, in a major conference, with tons of resources, easier access to talent, makes big money, etc. Yes, he’s a Pitt alum and local, but he wasn’t coming back.
Archie is waiting for his spot. He had offers/interest from Alabama and others and passed last year. I don’t even know for certain that he would go back to his alma mater of NC State when they get tired of Mark Gottfried (related note, good luck to Cat Barber in the NBA Draft and good riddance).
Okay, now what?
I’m not trying to be contrarian, but can I ask why so many seem to have an almost religious zeal in their faith that AD Scott Barnes will hit an absolute home run with the hire? I like Barnes. (He’s not Steve Pederson.) He gets a lot of the things that you want to see in an AD. He’s absolutely said all the right things. (He’s not Steve Pederson.) I like the odds he will hire a good coach. (He’s not Steve Pederson.)
But why the absolute faith? (HE IS NOT STEVE PEDERSON!!!) He hired Gary Anderson for Utah State’s football job. Great hire. He promoted Tim Duryea to replace the retiring Stew Morrill for Utah State’s basketball. Not a hard decision.
Even Louisville AD, Tom Jurich — considered the gold standard for ADs — hits a clunker. Remember Steve Kragthorpe? The time it can take an AD to go from god to clown is very short.
Barnes has said the stuff about a national search, executive search firm will be used to provide deniability and backd00r access vet candidates and help, and a sop to the fans with use of the phrase “up-tempo style”
Barnes told 93.7 FM, the Pitt radio affiliate, Tuesday that he is looking for a coach who would implement “a fun style” that is “more free flowing,” although he said he is “not married to one system.”
“We want a little more uptempo style … that style of play that connects and you can recruit to and you can win with,” he said. “We need to broaden our perspective on how we recruit. … There are a lot of really good basketball players in the ACC footprint.”
Sorry. Coaching searches — for Pitt and watching everywhere else — is fascinating to me, but also brings out my most cynical side.
Okay, so there are lists out there of candidates. Everyone has a list.
Before I list a few, let me just dismiss Greg Marshall from Wichita State up front. Not happening. He’s not leaving. Alabama couldn’t dump enough money for him. He’s making north of $3 million thanks to the Koch Brothers. He isn’t leaving for anything short of a blue blood job — maybe not even then.
From Gary Parrish at CBS Sports.
Let’s cross Fred Willard off the list, shall we? One good year at Seton Hall does not cover everything else. Not going back to a Willard. Mick Cronin (Cinci). No. Herb Sendek (unemployed, former NC St. and ASU coach, went to Carnegie-Mellon). No. No. No. Greg Kampe (Oakland). He’s 60 years-old. No.
Andy Enfield at USC is mentioned. Would probably be a great hire, but USC can pay him. He just got them up and running. And I don’t think simply being from Shippensburg, PA is much of a lure.
Mike Longeran, George Washington. Knocked Pitt out of NIT in opening round last year. Respected, good X-O coach. Recruiting is a question mark. He climbed from D-III to Vermont to GW. Success all along the way. Not exactly considered a rising star, but a safe pick.
Bryce Drew, Vaplo. The question everyone seems to have about him is if he’s interested in moving to a power conference job. He’s turned down others. Otherwise a very good choice.
Ed Cooley. He’s recruited talent to Providence. Providence! Definitely an excellent recruiting coach. He plays up-tempo. Little concerned about the coaching part of the job.
Dan Hurley, Rhode Island. I like this one a bit, so I’m going to quote directly.
Yes, Hurley just passed on Rutgers to remain at Rhode Island. But the Pittsburgh job is way better than the Rutgers job, and Hurley is smart enough to know that. He has a nice team returning; it would be difficult to walk away from URI right now. But the Pitt job is the type of job that would make Hurley at least look, and he’s a sensible option worth consideration.
Colin Dunlap had his list. He mentions Larry Krystkowiak from Utah. That would absolutely be a home run hire. But his contract with Utah has 7 years on it and he gets $2.4 million/year. I’m having trouble seeing him leaving for Pitt.
Ben Jacobson at Northern Iowa. He’s been there 10 years as head coach but is only 45. Can he recruit? No idea. Is he up-tempo? Not in the least. This UNI team was 5th slowest out of 351 teams this past year. Right behind Wisconsin.
Kevin Keatts, UNC-Wilmington. His name is getting a lot of traction among fans. He checks a lot of boxes, with recruiting and style of play. Two concerns. Only been a head coach for two years. He is from the Rick Pitino coaching tree. Admittedly not as bad as being from the John Calipari coaching tree, but outside of Billy Donovan its mediocre at best. The other is the stripper scandal at Louisville. Keatts was on staff then. His name has not been mentioned — and I want to stress that there is no indication he had any involvement. Yet the investigations are ongoing. So, there is risk there.
Arizona coach Miller: ‘No Interest’ in Pitt job.
only 6 stories are Top Headline and that was yesterday’s news.
ESPN loves to stick to Pitt. I really despise them and never watch their PC laden programs or games anymore. F em
ESPN loves to stick it to Pitt. Don’t know what that is all about, I know the national sports media gives the short shrift to all teams named Pittsburgh.
But ESPN has a certain dislike for Pitt. Always did. Must be all the Syracuse creeps that work for them. And us owning them in bball and football the last 15 years.
Havahd. Tommy Amaker has it all, a great track record, A Duke Degree. Yeah, I know he is an Afican American.
Amaker has turned down high profile jobs that offer much more than his Ivy League salary.
Amaker would be a dream come true for Pitt/// he can coach, recruit, win and he understands high academic standards.
It would take more than just money to pry him away from Havahd.
I just don’t see Barnes going with someone without some HC experience (a la Enfield).
Also @milobloom, you don’t have to be a basketball genius to be a Pitt alumni/fan and enjoy talking about it. Gheez.
Thx for calling me stupid bro.
Btw I grew up hating Duquesne, maybe you aren’t old to enough to know. So I guess that would make you stupid, right.
At that time Pitt played 2nd fiddle to Duquesne in bball and that continued in the Pgh. sports media all thru the 1970’s.
Pitt’s leaving the BigEast was the final nail in the coffin of the ESPN created BigEast Basketball which was a huge money maker for them and really helped them turn ESPN into ESPN Mulitples(ESPN2, ESPN-Classic, ESPN-News). Now while Pitt and Syracuse left at the same time. ESPN was certainly
not going to hold any grudges against Syracuse since a lot of their on-air and behind the scenes people are Cuse grads.
So Pitt is it ! imo
Stay safe UPitt….and fellow Texas Blatherites.
I think it airs on Fox Sports 2 or something.
Stay safe guys.
I played against many of those guys in HS. And during the summer around Allegheny County.
Stay safe Pitt brothers.
H2P!
Obviously it’s meant to put Pitt in a bad light.
I mean who can’t see that. You’d have to be pretty dense not to see that.
H2P
Of course it’s meant to put Pitt in a bad light. What i should have said is No good reason for that to stay up for so long. None!
H2P
H
2
P
They finally moved it off of Top Headlines.
So who’s the ESPN mole on here. lol
Emel, it’s not that ESPM hates us, it’s just we have become less relevent the last 4-5 years. Syracuse can get away with being average for a period of time. They have a much better background (alot more years of being good) than PITT.
But you got to admit there are far many more sports journalists and broadcasters who went to Syracuse than to Pitt.
I don’t think Pitt even has a broadcasting journalism department. At least we didn’t back when I was there.
Don’t worry we’ll find a good coach, we have the moolah to pay for a first rate one.
Maybe The reason there was no “Broadcasting Department” when you were at Pitt is because electricity hadn’t been invented yet!
We’re mostly old farts on here I think!!!!
Danny Hurley’s name keeps getting tossed around. I think his brother is the better coach and is a fish outta water at ASU. I’ve been wrong before, and will always admit it. Bobby, not Danny is the Hurley we should target. Knows the conference. Buffalo’s basketball history is putrid. He was there 2 yrs and won 2 MAC East titles and a tourney berth. Why Danny instead of Bobby? I actually hated those early 90’s Duke teams. But mark my words Bobby Hurley is going to win anywhere and everywhere he coaches. Danny’s a below .500 coach. Wagner and Rhode Island not easy places to win, but neither is Buffalo.
Bobby Hurley needs a serious look….
-Little diddy about Jack and Diane…
No bull shit I had a 4 cut chicken and broccoli pie delivered. Maybe not so much the dancing…but absolutely went on YouTube and had to hear ” Jack and Diane” Hahahaha.
I’m going to sit back and patiently wait for the “splash” with this BB hiring process. Chancellor Patrick G is a splash kind of guy and AD Barnes seems to fit nicely as well.
Plus, Artie Rowell was a pretty good Center at Pitt and has a good head on his shoulders. So his input should be invaluable in this process – wait, wrong sport – never mind. JK
But I remember not being too enthralled at the time when Howland and then Dixon were hired … but don’t remember being negative about the Willard hiring – so what do I know.
..to think an entire national TV network has it out for Pitt is stupid thinking ..so if it fits. Also very egotistical which maybe fits you better.
Chas should be happy your back since now his post count will now double.
It’s kind of like walking through a cow pasture…
Ziese listed a great list of candidates that Pitt hopes to talk too.
Some really good names on the list that I think everyone would agree would be great hires. Now will Pitt land one. We ll have to wait and see.