Is Pitt basketball coach Kevin Stallings trying to test the conventional wisdom of colleges coaches being reasonably expected to get three years, or is he just that bad that no one could fault Pitt for pulling the plug after two years — crap, still 11 months to go?
That someone who has been (at least by the fringe) called a Stallings apologist — for not demanding his firing within 12 months of his hiring — needs to think aloud if all conventional wisdom and logic needs to be tossed out the window. That Pitt just needs to make the break in the midst of the late signing period and while grad transfers are considering their futures. That’s just not a good sign.
In case you missed the late news on Friday, the best incoming freshman guard in Pitt’s class was released from his National Letter of Intent (NLI) to Pitt.
Now, that list of past Panthers includes his very first recruit.
Guard Aaron Thompson, regarded as one of the top players in Pitt’s 2017 recruiting class, was granted a release from his national letter of intent, the school announced Friday. Thompson committed to the Panthers in May 2016, about five weeks after Stallings was introduced as the program’s new coach.
Rated as a three-star prospect by Rivals, Thompson (6 feet 2) averaged 10.9 points per game for a talented squad at Paul VI Catholic High School in Fairfax, Va. His performance earned him a spot on The Washington Post’s All-Met first team.
Thompson had had a great senior season and had been elevated in recruiting rankings to a 4-star and in some instances a top-150 national recruit.
He was also a high school teammate of Cory Manigault– formerly a freshman at Pitt and now a kid in search of a new school. How much that had an impact is unknown.
On my list of things to do since March is a post on where Pitt basketball stands, overall. Keep having to trash posts because the basic tentpoles of the team keep leaving.
In addition, Pitt just lost out on Longwood University graduate transfer Khris Lane to VCU. This is where you wonder. I mean, wonder with concern and a touch of panic even if you are the guy talking poeple off the ledge.
Jeremy Ballard, who had been a VCU assistant before moving to Illinois St for a year, and then hired at Pitt. But after only one season, jumped (down/back?) to VCU at the same position as he was at Pitt. Now, Pitt loses Thompson from the DC area and a grad transfer Pitt pursued with the ardor of a hop head for an Alchemist Heady Topper… well, there are concerns issues fuck it, panic.
Vandy will have a #1 pick this year. Kornet 7’2″ Third on team in 3 point shooting and an amazing free throw shooter (86%) for a big man.
Cornhole allowed Dixon to be without leash and accountability.
Dixon took advantage of it.
But Pitt did Dixon little favors in budget.
But Dixon failed to adapt to ACC play.
Both sides are to blame.
But where are we now?
A program on an accelerated decline.
A program that has a perception problem.
A program that could be no better that a middle of pack MAC team.
This is the ACC.
You need elite coaches to compete and elite players.
Or why bother being a member???
Please Heather fire this turd nugget and move on.
Pitt will lose $3M each year this shoes salesman is coach and will suffer tremendous brand damage
I ask Gallagher to not be involved in athletics going forward.
How is that front porch coming along???
2017 was always going to be the first rebuild of the 2000’s. And that’s a good thing. The team had become stagnant and it was time for some change. I have no doubt Dixon would have come out of it with flying colors.
Stallings appears clueless with no idea what to do and is PR train wreck.
At the end of the day, it is logical: Candidates will see all of that. And in the meantime as it has been said, the lost revenue from tickets and such is probably in the ballpark of a Stallings buyout so it just makes sense to pull the band-aid asap after the upcoming 30+ loss season.
psu hires a female ad.
Pitt hires KS from vandy.
Pitt hires a female ad.
Wtf, just sayin.
