As we pour over training camp practice reports, tweets, and any other nugget of info that might grant us further insight into Pitt football and the season that awaits, Pitt basketball has been something akin to an oasis of positive goodness.

Coach Dixon comes in for some more love and answers why he keeps turning down Pac-10 jobs despite being from California.

“I don’t want to downplay loyalty because loyalty is a great thing, and I don’t think there’s any better thing to be called than loyal. But I’m not staying at Pitt out of loyalty,” Dixon told me during a poolside reception this weekend at Dana and David Pump’s annual Collegiate Business Conference. “I’m staying at Pitt because we have everything, and because the administration is second to none. I’m staying because of the fans and the players we have. I’ve got everything I need.”

Translation: Pitt is a great basketball job.

Imagine that.

Or better yet, don’t imagine.

Just keep reading.

“We’ve sold out every game [at the 12,500-seat Peterson Events Center], and we have a waiting list of 5,000 [for season tickets even though] … we’ve raised ticket prices like 600 percent in the past five years,” Dixon said. “It’s a great sports town, and we’ve given them something to get behind.”

That’s the result of eight consecutive NCAA tournaments.

Ben Howland is responsible for the first two.

Jamie Dixon got the next six.

Which is why the 43-year-old married father of two has emerged as one of the nation’s most sought after coaches. He has never not won at least 20 games in a season, never not won at least 10 Big East games in a year, never not made the Field of 65. Career record: 163-45. Career Big East record: 70-30. But a funny thing happened while Dixon was compiling a body of work good enough to produce opportunities to move closer to home; the Pitt administration designated the resources necessary to allow its program to grow with its coach, and suddenly Dixon didn’t have as many reasons to leave as he did reasons to stay.

An excellent point. It isn’t just that Pitt has maintained a comptetive salary for Dixon — though that is important — it is that the athletic department and Pitt administration made the commitment to the basketball program. It can be debated whether the commitment came first and then the right coach, but I think it was a fortuitous timing of both coming at the same time.

Plenty of programs have made the commitment, but hired the wrong coach. Result: failure and nothing changes. Start over, again.

Others have had the right coach but lacked the commitment. Result: coach moves on to another job, program retreats back to obscurity/mediocrity.

Few are the programs that make the commitment and get the right coach. Arizona got that lucky with Lute Olson. Pitt to made the commitment with the right coach and were lucky enough to hire the right guy to follow and truly grow the program. Don’t kid yourself. There is an element of luck and timing involved in all of this.

Dixon could have been hired by Wright State the year before. Would the school have taken a chance on him with only one year of head coaching experience, and no longer the assistant at Pitt after Prosser turned Pitt down?

I also like the article for the candor from Dixon. He has professed his love for Pitt and Pittsburgh, but does not deny there is a natural pull to home and family. After all, so many “Pitt guys” and Pittsburgh natives speak of such, why wouldn’t there be pulls for others.

“There is a natural pull,” Dixon acknowledged. “Anybody who would say differently wouldn’t be telling the truth.”

For Dixon, that pull revolves around the fact that he’s from the Los Angeles area, and that his parents still live in the Los Angeles area. Meantime, his wife is from Hawaii, and her parents still live there. So it would’ve made sense on a lot of levels for Dixon to jump at the chance to coach at California, Arizona or USC. But when he weighed the pros of moving to the Pacific time zone against the cons of leaving Pitt, he simply concluded that it wasn’t a wise career choice to abandon a nationally relevant program to rebuild closer to home.

Thus, he’s still far from home.

Or is he?

“Does home have to be one place?” Dixon asked with a smile. “I don’t know where that was written.”

Hopefully his home will remain in Pittsburgh for a long time.

It may be a good thing that Pitt is in a bit of a rebuilding year. Judging by some of what players that were on the U-19 team are saying, they are going to be better for their college teams after the time.

Whether it was Terrico White at Ole Miss.

White said his main focus on the trip was defense. The USA’s coach was Pittsburgh’s Jamie Dixon, who’s known for his defensive knowledge.

“That’s his main focus, so we really worked on good team defense,” White said.

Or Kansas’ Tyshawn Taylor who came out as the team’s leading scorer and was an all-FIBA selection.

At one point, a frustrated coach Jamie Dixon even challenged Taylor to play harder.

“We had some words because I wasn’t playing good and he was yelling at me and I was getting frustrated,” Taylor said.

Ashton Gibbs reports that Dixon worked all of the players hard.

On the court, Gibbs said many of his teammates appeared to be in awe of Dixon’s work ethic, much in the same way Gibbs appeared to be when he first came to Pitt for the 2008-09 season.

“The guys were in the dorm after practice saying, ‘No more coach Dixon,’ ” Gibbs said, with a laugh. “I absolutely knew what they were talking about. He’s a tough and competitive guy because it leads to winning. That’s what he’s all about.”

Sean Ford, the men’s national team director of USA Basketball, said he was impressed with Dixon’s coaching approach.

“Jamie said after the first practice that they were going for nothing less than a gold medal,” Ford said. “And after every practice and every timeout, for 29 days, he had them say one simple phrase: ‘Gold medal.’ “

So now Pitt has a coach getting more accolades and even a senior editor at (NBC) Universal Sports (you know, the people with the Olympic broadcast rights) is starting to talk of Coach Dixon as a future USA Olympic basketball coach.

USA Basketball should look to secure the long-term services of another coach, Jamie Dixon, after he led the U.S. U19 team to a world title earlier this week.

By beating Greece 88-80 Sunday in Auckland, New Zealand, the Americans claimed the crown for the first time since 1991. They have won the quadrennial tournament four times since it was first played in 1979 and have won medals in seven of the nine tournaments.

The team finished the 2009 tournament with a 9-0 record and a 22.2 points margin of victory average.

Dixon, the head coach at the University of Pittsburgh, was named the team’s head coach on May 12. The team did not hold tryouts until mid-June and none of the players on the team that played in the regional qualifying tournament last summer were members of the world championship team.

Dixon was named the 2009 Naismith Men’s College Basketball Coach of the Year after leading the University of Pittsburgh to a 31-5 overall record and the school’s first No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, where they advanced to the East Region final.

Krzyzewski was an assistant to Chuck Daly with the 1992 USA Dream Team that won gold at the Barcelona Olympics. As a head coach in 1990 he led the Americans to a bronze medal at the 1990 world Championships and a silver medal at 1987 World University Games

He’s not done what Dixon did last week—lead a U.S. team do a world title as a head coach.

Perhaps Dixon is destined to win an Olympic gold medal as a head coach as well.

Of course, as soon as the FIBA U-19 Championships were over, Dixon was on the recruiting trail for the last couple days of the open period.

“What else would I be doing?” Dixon asked when it was suggested to him that it seems a little extreme to fly Monday from New Zealand to Atlanta and then to Pittsburgh late this afternoon to watch more games tonight in the Pittsburgh Basketball Club Pro-Am Summer League.

Really, what else?

And you wonder why Dixon is one of the top coaches in America?

Correct that.

One of the top coaches in the world?

Albeit, in demand for interviews.

9:40 AM (Jeff): Gold-medal winning head coach of the USA U-19 team Jamie Dixon (Pittsburgh) has strolled in with phone to his ear and grabbed a bunch of score sheets. This is Dixon’s first appearance on the recruiting trail since arriving back in the US from New Zealand.

No, the U-19 gold isn’t getting a lot of publicity, but there has been a steady trickle of stories relating to it. Couple it with Pitt’s success on the court and it just adds to kids being very interested in having Pitt show interest in them.

Pitt’s accomplishments were enough to woo Cincinnati Moeller, one of the top programs in Ohio. The Crusaders have won three state championships over the past decade in the state’s largest-enrollment classification, and by coach Carl Kremer’s estimate, have produced 15 to 20 Division I players in that span.

Kremer’s squad camped at Pitt five years ago, and have attended camps at schools such as Illinois, Clemson and North Carolina State in recent years. Kremer said a return trip to Pitt was a no-brainer.

“For our kids, I think they’re always excited to go to a big-time school. And you have Pitt, who was No. 1 in the country, and they were excited about that name and the great program that [Coach] Jamie [Dixon] has here,” said Kremer, who brought four teams of players.

Getting seen by college coaches is another advantage of the team camp environment. The Pitt camp took place within what the NCAA deems a “quiet period,” meaning coaches from any other Division I school were prohibited from attending games. Although Dixon was in Colorado Springs coaching the USA men’s under-19 basketball team for the FIBA World Championships, Regan and the rest of the Pitt staff were allowed to evaluate players throughout, a fact that wasn’t lost on some of the attendees.

“We really want the Pitt coaches to look at us,” said Scott, who already owns a scholarship offer from Duquesne.

Harris quickly interjected: “We’re trying to get into college.”

At the Pitt camp, players got a kick out of mingling and playing in front of college players, some of whom they’ve only seen on television. Much like they did at an AAU tournament in April, Pitt players sat at the scorers table, keeping score and watching the newest wave of talent.

“People want to get a little more close and personal with the team,” Regan said. “I think the high school kids get a charge out of Levance Fields, for example, running the scorers table”

Anything else will probably be a trickle that will end up in a general clearance post down the road. There are a few stories to get out there.

Good god, but the Kiwi sportswriters have some major man-crushes going on Coach Jamie Dixon. There was the piece earlier, now for the departure.

He’d masterminded a long-overdue gold medal for the USA at the Fiba world under-19 men’s basketball championships in Auckland – and he’d done it in the country that had set him down the pathway to his position now as one of the preeminent coaches in American hoops.

It was little wonder you could not wipe the smile off the likeable American’s face at the North Shore Events Centre on Sunday night.

Dixon, after all, had first realised his ambition and aptitude for coaching during his two years as a star import for Hawke’s Bay in the New Zealand NBL back in 1989-90.

To return 20 years later, having grown into one of the highest-rated coaches in American college basketball, and claim a world title his country hadn’t taken home in nearly two decades was almost a dream come true for this Pat Riley-in-his-heyday lookalike.

…

Now ensconced as the head coach of the powerhouse University of Pittsburgh programme, his success in bringing the sought-after world under-19 title back to the home of hoops would have further enhanced his status in the American game.

It probably helped that Dixon had no shortage of praise for New Zealand as  a place and the people. Always the gracious guest.

Not that Andy Katz was too far behind in the praise-heaping. It just got spread more among the players and coaches.

The Americans won all nine games in New Zealand. They outscored their opponents by an average of 22.2 points, holding teams to 66 points a game, 38.2 percent on shooting overall, 30.7 percent on 3-pointers. They also outrebounded their opponents by eight a game.

If this sounds familiar then it should. This is exactly how Dixon’s, Painter’s and Lowery’s teams win at Pitt, Purdue and Southern Illinois, respectively.

“They’ve had two years together and we had one month,” Painter said by phone about the difference in preparation. “They all accepted their roles.”

This squad won it without the best available players committing, and a head coach who was put on the spot late.

Pitt’s Dixon, who replaced Davidson’s Bob McKillop to make his coaching debut for USA Basketball, confirmed that 22 players from around the country had declined invitations to play in New Zealand. That number included Connecticut’s Kemba Walker, who was the MVP of the McKillop-led American team that won the silver medal at the qualifying event last summer in Argentina. In fact, not a single player from last summer’s qualifying team in Argentina was in New Zealand this summer. Walker declined to play for the team again this year to attend summer school.

Wake Forest’s Al-Farouq Aminu, a projected lottery pick in 2010, was invited but declined to play for personal reasons.

If you review the USA team’s roster, the only player on that list that was a highly sought recruits were Howard Thompkins, Georgia, Darius Miller from Kentucky and  Tyshawn Taylor from Kansas. None of these guys were even considering going pro after one year — and probably not after two.

But no one may have gained more out of this trip than Pitt’s Ashton Gibbs. He has to replace Levance Fields at the point for Dixon. In nine games, he had 20 assists and just six turnovers to go along with seven steals.

“It’s a credit to Jamie that there was no ego with this team,” said Lowery, who along with Painter (whom Lowery was an assistant under at SIU) handled the substitutions. “He kept telling them how good we could be.”

Dixon said he stressed to the players how the Americans hadn’t won this event since 1991. The pride in the achievement of claiming gold didn’t take long for them to appreciate.

Whether Gibbs is the starter to replace Fields or is just filling all roles in the guard spot, he has more confidence and experience.

This team, by the way, won without a true PG on the team. Some of that may be the international game, but it is also a pretty good testement to the coaching job that the team was able to win the whole thing despite that.

Brief aside since inevitably the comments will once more turn to Pitt’s PG situation for 2009. We are a little spoiled. It has been a long time — Brandin Knight’s freshman year (1999-00) — since Pitt has been without an experienced, true PG. It really has been a remarkable run at that position. Knight, Krauser, Fields. All stayed four years. All unquestioned team leaders. Each transitioned to the next. There are few squads — regardless of their pedigree — these days that can point to that kind of run at the point guard position.

Back to the story, I do love that Coach Dixon had no problem emphasizing to the team that no USA U-19 had won it in 19 years. He didn’t try to hide the pressure from them. He didn’t try to downplay the expectations. He got them to use it as further motivation. Nothing upsets me more than a coach that tries too hard to downplay the big games or the goals. It just never works well with that approach.

Mike DeCourcy at the Sporting News also praises Dixon.

His heart was broken in March by a coast-to-coast Scottie Reynolds drive that allowed Villanova to walk over Dixon’s Panthers and into the Final Four.

But Dixon was smiling at the end of this one. Unlike the Olympics, they give the head coach a gold medal, and he certainly earned it (with considerable help from assistants Chris Lowery of Southern Illinois and Matt Painter of Purdue).

With no international experience and late notification he’d be needed, Dixon took a near-starless team to New Zealand.

Which is part of why the performance by Dixon and the assistant coaches is considered so outstanding. Not only did they snap a long drought in the U-19, but they did it with a very unheralded group.

It’s no wonder Duke Coach Mike Kryzewski chose to show up at the Peach Jam in Georgia wearing his Team USA shirt rather than a Duke shirt. Makesure to remind the recruits about the bigger goals.

A perfect 9-0 run through the FIBA U-19 World Championships capped by a 88-80 win over the Greek team to give the USA team the Gold. The first time the USA team has won it in 18 years.

The teams were tied 19-19 after the first quarter but the United States gained a crucial break with an outstanding defensive performance in the second period, outscoring Greece 27-11 to lead 46-30 at halftime.

Greece made a concerted comeback in the third quarter, outscoring the Americans 21-14 to cut their lead to 60-51 at three-quarter time. Taylor kept his team’s hopes alive during that period, breaking a brief scoring drought, and was prominent as the United States drew away again in a 29-28 last quarter.

The United States opened a 10-point lead early in the final period and shut down any threat of a Greek comeback with two critical outside shots from Klay Thompson and Ashton Gibbs. Thompson’s long three-pointer gave the United States a 13-point lead and Gibbs’ had them ahead by 12 points with 5:10 remaining.

The United States was still ahead 78-63 with two minutes left and though Greece finished strongly the gap was too great to bridge.

Gibbs finished with 13 points, Thompson 10 while Arnett Moultrie had 10 points and nine rebounds. The depth of the United States’ scoring was reflected in the fact Gordon Hayward, their top scorer throughout the tournament, failed to score Sunday but others in the strong winning lineup took up the slack.

Gibbs also led the attack to bust the game open in that second quarter.

The USA opened some breathing room after running off a 16-1 offensive onslaught over the course of the second quarter’s first five minutes.  Ashton Gibbs (Pittsburgh / Scotch Plains, N.J.) started the run and accounted for six of the team’s first eight points in the spurt, then Terrico White (Mississippi / Memphis, Tenn.) finished it off with a fastbreak basket and a 3-pointer that left the USA holding a 35-20 lead with 5:07 to play before half.

Gibbs didn’t shoot a great percentage (PDF Box Score), only 4-12, but he led the team in crucial points and what was interesting about the tournament for Gibbs was how much he seemed to be attacking and driving to the basket rather than always spotting up for shots. Obviously with him handling a lot of point guard duties, he would not get that chance as much.

In this game, the US team only attempted a total of 15 3s. Their lowest number in the whole tournament. Prior to the Championship game, the US team averaged nearly 28 attempts per game.

And so, with a perfect run while every other team finished with at least 2 losses, the USA team was clearly the best.

The Americans ended an 18-year drought at the age group tournament by tipping over the European champions 88-80.

It maintained their unbeaten record after nine matches in the 16-nation tournament, meaning there can be no questions about their dominance.

The USA team celebrated on the court.

And as the clock finally wound down at a packed NSEC, with a fabulous crowd of over 4000 enjoying the finale, it was finally time for some celebrating. Finally these Americans on a mission could let their emotions out of the bag as they realised the only colour medal they’d come here to collect.

And while New Zealand did not make the U-19, they could at least take pride in the USA team’s coach.

It should be noted, too, that they were coached by a guy – Jamie Dixon – who cut his coaching teeth in New Zealand way back in 1989 when he was an import with Hawke’s Bay in the NBL. That stint coaching juniors in the region, he said, set him on the coaching pathway. For that the USA is now no doubt eternally grateful.

Dixon said it had been extra special to win this title in New Zealand, and he was full of praise for the way in which his team of collegiate talents brought into the collective goal.

“This is so unique for us, but it really is a rewarding experience now. The whole thing has just been a great experience. We really set as a goal to win the gold medal and we also made it clear we hadn’t won since 1991. We used that as motivation throughout the month we’ve been going.”

Taylor said coach Dixon had never let his players forget the responsibility they had to end the gold medal drought at this event.

“He kept telling us, you know we haven’t won this tournament for a long time. We knew with the guys we brought, we didn’t have any superstars, we just had really good players who liked being around each other, so we knew it would be fun.”

Now that the Tournament is over, Coach Dixon has ended an apparent Twitter embargo. Praising the team and coaches and specifically Ashton Gibbs.

It’s not like Coach Dixon will have much time to relax after his flight. He’s heading straight to Augusta, Georgia to attend the Nike Peach Jam tournament.

Would it be in poor taste to head into that gym, wearing the requisite Pitt gear and a gold medal around his neck? Maybe with the trophy under an arm?

UPDATE: They just added the video highlights. Maybe it’s the lighting in the gym, but Coach Dixon looks to be graying overnight. Could we have a Grecian Formula shortage?

Coach Dixon’s USA U-19 team will play for the Gold late tonight/early this morning.  USA knocked off Croatia, 81-77 (PDF Box Score).

According to the story, the US team jumped all over Croatia in the second quarter to go up 46-33 by the half. In the third quarter the Croats came back big with a 26-11 scoring edge to take a two point lead. The USA team, though, did not wilt, retook the lead and made their free throws in the end.

American Gordon Hayward, who top scored with 15 points, went to the free-throw line twice in the last minute for four crucial points while Ashton Gibbs made two from two to seal the four-point advantage.

“They just stormed back on us and got in front but coach Dixon was great,” Hayward said. “He helped keep us calm and focused and didn’t let us get too unsettled by what they were doing.

“We knew it was loser go home and so we toughed it out. Now it’s Greece and the gold medal. We beat them earlier in the tournament but we realize we have to be better than that to win tomorrow.”

The game was won for the US at the free throw line. The Croatian team sent USA to the line 23 times, and the USA team made 18. Including those late clutch free throws.

Ashton Gibbs finished with 11 points (a perfect 4-4 on FTs, 1-3 on 3FGs and 2-4 from inside the line). He had 2 assists, a rebound and 0 turnovers. His 11 points was second most on the team.

Now the USA team gets a rematch with Greece. The Greeks stunned previously unbeaten Australia, 84-69.

The USA team had previously beaten Greece 85-69 at the start of the second round.

UPDATE: Here’s a link to the video highlights of the USA-Croatia game including a Gibbs 3 and him making the final free throw to keep the game a two possession game in the final 15 seconds.

You can watch the game live and online if you are up at 2:30 am (EST) and want to spring for the $8 (or maybe $5).

Well, the Aussies are feeling a bit cocky about their chances at winning the FIBA U-19 Championship.

And though everybody around the event is talking up the United States as a cast-iron prospect to end their 18-year drought at the tournament and finally take home the gold medals, the awesome Aussies are bristling over that.

Ellis, the team’s most polished all-round player with a nice mix of grunt and guile, reckons his team is thriving on its unheralded status and feels like they can give the confident Americans more than they can handle at the business end.

The two sides won’t meet until Sunday’s final, should they both get that far, but Ellis has sent a clear message to Jamie Dixon’s side should that eventuality play out.

“Mate, we can beat ’em – we can beat those guys” said the 2.04m forward who had 14 points and four boards in the Australians’ hard-fought 79-74 win over Croatia on Wednesday night to close out qualifying.

“We can beat anyone on our day, and we’re going for it,” added the impressive 19-year-old who hit three of his five three-pointers against the Croats.

The Australian U-19 team has been playing together year round so they do have the better teamwork, chemistry and such going for them. Like the US, they are 6-0 after the first couple of rounds.

Some interesting things from the Washington State blog, Coug Center on the U-19 team.

• This team is playing at an insanely fast pace. That 78.6 figure would have been second in the nation in college basketball last season — they play 40-minute games in international competition, too. This isn’t real surprising, given all the athletic bodies (and depth) Jamie Dixon has to work with.

• Their shooting has been excellent, as has their offensive rebounding and ability to take care of the basketball. The encouraging thing about this is that it shows this team isn’t getting by on mere athletic ability — they’re actually excelling at different facets of the game.

The latter point is not surprising. We know Coach Dixon does emphasize the rebounding and not turning the ball over. He has always coached the fundamentals well.

The point about the pace being so fast is interesting, since it seems to run contrary to what Coach Dixon likes at Pitt. As Nuss points out, though, this team is very athletic and should be running. That Coach Dixon is letting them play that way is the eyecatcher to me.

That indicates a lot more flexibility from Coach Dixon regarding how a team should play on the court.

We’ve heard recruits and occasionally even Coach Dixon indicate that he is willing to run at times. I’ve been a doubter of that, as it would seem to go outside his comfort zone. This suggests that there is some truth to it. Dixon will let a team play faster if they can still do the basic things that he demands.

Obviously, if you haven’t read Chris Dokish’s latest Q&A regarding the basketball team, you are missing a lot. Too much to excerpt.

I don’t disagree that Gibbs is intended to be the shooting guard and Woodall is hoped to be the starting point. I think the plan with Gibbs — especially with the way he seems to be being used in the U-19 is to make him much more comfortable as super-sub guard and another reliable ball handler

If you assume Jermaine Dixon starts at the shooting guard, Woodall at point and Gil Brown is the small forward  then Gibbs will see almost as many minutes as all three in the rotation but in both guard spots.

Gibbs will spell Woodall at point. He will spell Dixon at SG plus Dixon and Wanamaker at times could slide over to the SF/wing spot when Brown is out. Giving Pitt a 3-guard look.

Especially when Wanamaker is on the court, Pitt will need to make sure that there is another sure-handed guard. Wanamaker keeps improving and progressing, but the glaring weakness in his game is that he gets a little loose with the ball.

Back to the U-19, the US had no problem with Canada. Rolling to a 93-73 win (PDF). While the offense was excellent for the US team (especially draining 3s), their defense was probably better. Holding the Canucks to under 40% and getting 8 steals and 7 blocks.

Gibbs was only 1-5 in 23 minutes with 2 assists, 2 boards and 0 turnovers. Gibbs has not shot particularly well in the last 3 or 4 games.

As Croatia handled Puerto Rico, the US will have its toughest game next. I fear the Croats more than I do a meeting with the Aussies potentially in the gold medal game.

As it stands, the US team is now 7-0.

Slam Online has a nice recruiting recap for the entire Big East. It’s not a ranking, but it is a good way to look over the conference to get an idea about which teams loaded up and the expected impact players in the conference.

The toughest game to date. Lithuania was in do-or-die with regards to a chance to get into the medal contention. The USA team prevailed 76-69 in a different kind of game for them.

The USA was outrebounded by 11, and shot poorer from the field than Lithuania. The 3-point shooting struggled with a sub-par 7-22 (31%), but it was better than the Lithuanians that could only manage 3-13.

What did it for the US team? Not turning the ball over. Only 8 turnovers compared to a whopping 23 from Lithuania. The USA squad had 13 steals.

This one was taut and tight throughout. Tied at the half, and the only game so far where the USA squad actually trailed in the second half.

Lithuania outscored the U.S. 10-5 over the first five minutes of the third and led 46-41. But Terrico White (Georgia / Lithonia, Ga.) nailed a much needed three, and John Shurna (Northwestern / Glen Ellyn, Ill.) then added a 3-pointer and a turn-around jumper that put the Americans back up 49-46. Lithuania regained the lead 50-49 and the USA five closed out the third stanza with six straight points from three different players to carry a 55-50 advantage into the fourth quarter.

Darius Miller (Kentucky / Lexington, Ky.) provided the U.S. with a much need spark early in the fourth quarter. With the USA clinging to a 59-56 lead and 9:18 left, Miller pumped in six straight points and blocked a shot at the other end as the U.S. moved out to a 65-56 lead with 6:26 to be played.

Lithuania refused to fold and over the next 3:20 outgunned the U.S. 11-2 to tie the game 67-67 with 3:06 left in the game.

Klay Thompson (Washington State / Ladera Ranch, Calif.) came up with a loose ball in a scramble and scored to break the tie and put the U.S. ahead for good 69-67.

Next it was Taylor’s turn to take charge. The Kansas guard hit a jumper just inside the 3-point line and on the following possession scored on a hook off a drive that put the USA up 73-67 with 1:40 remaining.

The desperate Lithuanians cut the gap to 73-69, but from the there the USA made the stops and secured the rebounds to walk away with the win.

Ashton Gibbs started for the USA team and finished with 8 points, but it was not a good performance by the numbers. Only 2-9 from the field and only 1 assist.

Still a win and the US goes to the quarters as the #1 seed from Group E. They take on #4 from Group F — Canada — Thursday morning/Friday night. The Canadians ended up edging out Spain for the 4th seed. The #1 seed in Group F is Australia.

If the US wins against Canada, their next game will be against the winner of  Croatia (#2 Group F)/Puerto Rico (#3 Group E). I’m guessing it will be the Croats.

Now the defense of the USA U-19 is beginning to come to the forefront. A second straight game where the shots — especially from the perimeter — were not falling, but defense and rebounding continue to be there. The USA team took control late in the first quarter and took the game 82-61.

The U.S. blew the game wide open with a 24-2 run that covered the last 2:41 of the first quarter and the first 5:12 of the second quarter. During the games deciding run Ashton Gibbs (Pittsburgh / Scotch Plains, N.J.) and Seth Curry (Duke / Charlotte, N.C.) each tallied six points, Terrico White (Mississippi / Memphis, Tenn.) contributed five points, and Howard Thompkins (Georgia / Lithonia, Ga.) added four more in the massive run.

Outscoring Puerto Rico 9-2 over the final 2:31 of the opening quarter to grab control 20-13, the Americans opened the second quarter by scoring 15 straight points to take full control 35-13. Of Puerto Rico’s six points in the second period, four came on free throws as the islanders made just 1of-16 shots from the field.

Leading comfortably at halftime 43-19, the USA lead hovered around 20 points for the remainder of the game as Puerto Rico offensively was continually harassed by the USA defense.

Puerto Rico’s star player, Rutgers Sophomore Mike Rosario, had 54 points against France and averaged something like 32/game coming in. He was held to 11 points on only 4-15 shooting and was forced into 4 turnovers.

The win moves the USA U-19 to 5-0 and clinches the #1 seed in Group E regardless of what happens tonight/this morning (7:30 pm NZ, 2:30 am EST) against Lithuania. That means the USA team will face the #4 seed of Group F on Thursday night/morning. Right now, it looks like the possibilities for the #4 seed are Spain, Canada or Argentina.

Australia and Croatia are going to be the #1 and #2 seeds — order determined after their game tonight.

Ashton Gibb, like the rest of the team — aside from Howard Thompkins who has been thriving — struggled with his shooting. Only 3-10 and 1-5 on 3s. Despite this, Gibbs has shot better than 45% overall in the 5 games and has ended up taking the most shots of any USA player. He seems to be doing very well in the group and is playing around 22 minutes a game — the most on the team.

It’s hard not to think that Coach Dixon is getting him lots of work in preparation to lead Pitt in the upcoming season. So far, Gibbs seems to be handling it.

As for Coach Dixon, well he gets the puff pieces now that he’s visiting New Zealand — the place where he played for 2 years (hattip to Asst. AD Greg Hotchkiss’ Twitter). It’s a full-blown puffer.

The Hawks’ US import from the 1989-90 seasons smiles as he greets SportToday at the Westshore Inn in Napier.

The 43-year-old Californian has made a whirlwind trip to catch up with his former Bay teammates and acquaintances after almost two decades.

Dressed smartly in a blue long-sleeved shirt and black pleated slacks, Dixon plants himself in the lounge seat of a self-contained unit at the inn as a heater tries to beat the chill in the room.

But Dixon has an aura that emits warmth of its own. If all the publicity has the potential to corrupt the best there’s no signs that Dixon is tainted.

It’s almost Tebow-esque.

In the interview he admits that he was asked to coach the World USA Team of 23 year-olds, but wanted the U-19 so he could come back to New Zealand for a visit.

Once you get past the fawning, it’s a good piece with Dixon talking a bit about how being in New Zealand gave him his first chance to coach some kids and started him down the path to coaching. And being asked about his future.

He’s quite content with continuing at the highest level in college basketball.

“I have a great interest in NBA as a game and it really does cross over to a lot of people in many ways but I want to keep Pittsburgh at the highest level of college basketball.”

Plus no story on Coach Dixon can be complete without a side piece relating to his sister, Maggie.

It’s not something Jamie Dixon often talks about but it doesn’t mean it’s not there.

Huh? It is the automatic subject of at least 2-5 stories every year. It may not be something Coach Dixon brings up, but he gets asked about it and is willing to talk about it whenever asked.

The late Maggie Dixon’s story became an international story.

“It’s opened me up to better express my feelings because I saw people express their sympathies so it’s done a lot in that regard.”

Hmm. That’s something of a new tidbit that I hadn’t thought about before. I’ve mostly ascribed Dixon’s growing comfort with the public media as a part of his growth and learning to be a head coach and do the things needed. Plus the maturity of getting older and more comfortable in your own skin.  But, the loss of his sister and having to relate and talk to strangers on a personal, empathic level  would be something that would have a huge impact in changing the way he relates with people and communicates. Less of an arm’s length approach.

Between family things, July 4th things, Wimbeldon finals, and house hunting; I have barely had time to even glance longingly at my laptop.

Plenty has happened, and I’ll try to catch-up and then keep up. In the meantime, the USA U-19 team that includes Ashton Gibbs and is coached by Jamie Dixon easily crushed their opponents in the B pool.

Gibbs has played well so far. He had one game against France where his shots weren’t falling, but he has still has scored 38 points in three games. Surprisingly, he’s doing it inside as much as on the perimeter. In the last game, he shot 8-11 for 18 points. Only 2-4 on 3s, but 6-7 inside the line.

France, which should have been the closest thing to competition in the group went down with ease. Iran and Egypt were jokes. Now it gets tougher with teams from Group A in the fold (for what is now Group E).

USA faces Greece this morning.

After New Zealand unexpectedly missed the cut from 16 to 12 teams, the tournament’s schedule was changed so that Team USA’s next three games all start at 7:30 p.m. in Auckland. That is 3:30 a.m. in Indianapolis. The Americans will play Greece on Monday, Puerto Rico on Tuesday and Lithuania on Wednesday. All three U.S. opponents were 2-1 in Group A.

That’s a significant upgrade in opponents. The USA is the top seed in Group E.

With such easy games so far, and giving everyone minutes the only pattern from the coaching staff is that “everyone plays.”

Another report from my American source:

The officiating reminded me of an elementary school rec league where the referee looks the other way for the huge underdog. Either that or Egyptians get 3.5 steps, I’m not sure which. I’ll have to check the FIBA rule book. The players continue to slip in the lane. Can anyone send a can of “stick-em”?

Coach Jamie Dixon’s starting lineup appears random and his assistants (Matt Painter and Chris Lowery) are using a “platoon” substitution system to keep the team fresh. Everyone plays about half of the 10-minute quarter and then sits, depending on foul trouble.The U.S. played 11, with Kansas guard Tyshawn Taylor out suffering from the flu.

So far, no problems.

As posted a couple weeks ago, Pitt now has the press release confirming playing Indiana at MSG on December 8 in the Jimmy V Classic. The game, of course, will be on ESPN and is the main event at 9pm. The undercard is Georgetown-Butler (which may very well be the game that actually features ranked teams).

No word yet on purchasing tickets through Pitt.

Down in New Zealand, the USA U-19 team had no trouble blowing Iran right out of the place with a 106-55 win. Coach Jamie Dixon made sure everyone played, and all but one player had double digit minutes (PDF).

Ashton Gibbs had a nice game. He played 20 minutes (tied for most on the team). He shot 4-6 (2-2 on 3s) for 10 points. He grabbed 2 rebounds and 2 steals. He had 4 assists (tied for the most) and 1 turnover.

Yes, it was only Iran and the USA should blow them out, but still a good start.

With Coach Jamie Dixon along with Ashton Gibbs down in New Zealand for the U-19 games, the theme is apparently a rerun.

Let’s call them the Junior Redeem Team. The USA Under-19s, much like Kobe Bryant and co at last year’s Olympics, say they’re in New Zealand for the world championships on a mission to restore some honour for the home of hoops.

Somehow, I don’t think it’s quite the same thing, but hey if it works for motivation.

Team USA, coached by former New Zealand NBL star Jamie Dixon, haven’t won the world under-19 title since 1991 – and where they come from that’s simply not good enough. So the gold medal is their singular focus at this Auckland event which tips off on Thursday and runs through until July 12.

“We have a good group,” said Dixon who was a standout guard for Hawkes Bay in the NBL in 1989-90. “All of our guys have played one year of college so far, so they have some experience playing at the college level. I think we’re really coming together.

“It’s a very unselfish group, we shoot the ball well, and again, I think they’re taking pride in it. We know we haven’t won this tournament since 1991 and so we’ve made that a goal for us. We understand what we’re up against.”

Dixon said the fact that the USA had been denied for so long at these championships made this a “special” tournament for his players.

“When you haven’t won something in 20 years or so, then that means it’s special. Our guys understand that this is something we haven’t done in a while, so we have a goal set.

“This is a tough tournament,” added Dixon, who is now head coach of the University of Pittsburgh. “You’ve got the best teams in the world, the best players. This is important to other teams, and they’ve been together longer than we have.”

New Zealand is not exactly hopeful for their team called — and (with all apologies to Dave Barry) I swear I am not making this up — the Junior Tall Blacks. The name is apparently rugby related.

Not sure on what airline the team flew to get there, but if they did take Air New Zealand I hope they did not get this crew.

A few things to get out of the browser tabs.

Tom Herrion is definitely in the mix for the Holy Cross job. He is interested, but so is his brother,  Bill, the head coach at New Hampshire. That just seems awkward.

Jamie Dixon speaks. Just in relative fluff. He is the first guest on ESPNU’s college basketball podcast with Andy Katz so there’s no wading through the other coaches being interviewed. He talks about Blair and Young, along with the U-19 tryouts. Nothing too earthshattering. Plenty of coach speak. He does admit that Dante Taylor is already penciled in as the starting power forward. And of course, not even a question about the USC job.

Andy Katz doesn’t get specific but he liked what he saw from Taylor at the tryouts.

Pitt should be pleased with the size and strength of incoming freshman Dante Taylor. The 6-9, 235-pound Taylor will be a load for the Panthers once he’s in shape.

While on the U-19 games, the Gibbs brothers are both involved in USA Basketball. Ashton is on the U-19 team, while his younger brother Sterling is on the U-16.

Draft Express was at the tryouts, and based on the talent of the U-19 team does not like the US’ chances. They did like the way things were run, though.

While it may sound cliché, the emphasis here is clearly on “playing the right away.” The coaches are for the most part all from programs known for being extremely organized and disciplined in their approach to the game, and much of the instructions they give the players from the sidelines revolve around concepts such as playing strong defense, moving the ball around unselfishly, correct spacing and not settling for bad shots. While there are referees on the court, they are forcing the players to adjust to the physicality of international basketball by calling the games very loosely, which makes things far more educational in our eyes.

With that in mind, it should be said that the USA Basketball people have not had the easiest time filling out the rosters with the best talent available to them. While they would never publicly state as much, word trickled down from the NBA-types that as many as 19 players declined their invites to attend these tryouts, just from the Under-19 group. There are many reasons for that, mostly revolving around the fact that the schools and college coaches want their players on campus in the summer to attend summer school and get a head start on staying eligible, and thus maintaining their APR (Academic Progress Rate), which is essential for not losing future scholarships. As Jerry Colangelo told us in a wide-ranging interview that will be published in the next day or two, “they have their own agendas.”

Some players, such as Kemba Walker, decided they would rather attend Nike’s Lebron Camp instead of representing their country in international competition, which is a real shame. Ignoring the patriotic element for a moment—which is a much stronger pull in seemingly every other country in the world outside of the US– it’s tough not to feel like these players are missing out on a wonderful experience. Colangelo vowed to pay special attention to this issue and stressed the success they’ve had getting the younger and older NBA players to make sacrifices and commit to USA Basketball. He feels like it’s only a matter of time until the U-19 group is the same way.

To be fair to Kemba Walker, he was on the U-18 team last year. The LeBron Camp is an important camp especially for those players eying an NBA future possibly as early as next year.

Big East Basketball blog takes a look at the recruiting targets for Pitt and WVU. Isiah Epps is either heading to Hargrave or National Christian for a year of prep.

Chris Dokish takes a shot at picking the Big East. He puts Pitt at #7. Key quote.

Bottom line- With such an inexperienced team, it’s unlikely that even Jamie Dixon’s wizardry could make the Panthers a major contender. But anybody completely dismissing a Jamie Dixon team, though, would be foolish.

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.

One more basketball post because all of these stories seem to be coming together.

It appears as expected that Coach Dixon has quietly told USC to shove off.

USC’s search to replace Tim Floyd has moved on beyond Pitt’s Jamie Dixon and is now, for the time being, focused on coaches who have professional ties, multiple sources with knowledge of the situation told ESPN.com.

Multiple sources confirmed that the Trojans made an attempt to woo Dixon, a native of Los Angeles, but the discussion was only on the surface in nature because Dixon wasn’t going to move from Pitt. The Trojans were willing to make Dixon a strong offer to come West, but Dixon’s comfort at Pitt made it a moot point.

Dixon has been at Pitt since 1999, the last six as a head coach, winning 163 games with the Panthers during that stretch and taking the Panthers to six NCAAs, one Elite Eight, three Sweet 16s and one Big East regular-season title and one Big East tournament championship.

This is what was presumed. There is just no way a coach in Dixon’s spot was going to take the job. I would still prefer to get some better confirmation than “sources” but it will do for now.

As for Tom Herrion and Holy Cross. The Massachusetts native is clearly on the short list.

1) Notre Dame assistant Sean Kearney – However, some have said that the Cross favors a guy with head coaching experience.

2) Pittsburgh assistant Tom Herrion – He was a successful head coach at the College of Charleston, grew up a town over from Holy Cross and has really toned down since joining Jamie Dixon’s program (that was the knock on him at Charleston).

3) Cornell coach Steve Donahue – Not really sure about the level of interest on either end, but Donahue would have scholarships to play with at Holy Cross, would receive more money and would have a job in which he could battle for the league crown every year.

4) Kansas assistant Joe Dooley – If the Crusaders do go the assistant route, it appears that Kearney and Dooley will be in the mix.

Assuming the list is accurate, it is intersting that Holy Cross is leaning towards hiring a coach looking to use them as a stepping stone. Three of the four candidates are top assistants at major D-1 programs that will hope to move up the coaching ladder.

Obviously, the concern for Pitt fans is Tom Herrion. He seems like a great fit for the program. He has head coaching experience. He’s from the state.

I would question whether Holy Cross is a good fit for him. He’s a recruiter of talent. He would have to modify his targets to get kids to Holy Cross with the program stature and academic restrictions.

For Pitt, the timing stinks. The next recruiting contact period comes in early July. Coach Dixon will be limited with his own work for the U-19 games. That means if Herrion leaves, Dixon will have to make a very quick hire — somehow shoehorned into prep for the games. Or have Brandin Knight out there recruiting alone and shorthanded.

I’m not saying the LA Times beat reporter on USC is in the early stages of stalking Coach Dixon, but first he’s parsing his Tweets for deeper meanings (and probably getting it wrong since the reference was to the USA U-19 team). Then he managed to get Coach Dixon’s number.

Pittsburgh basketball Coach Jamie Dixon answered the phone quickly, after one ring. Upon learning it was a newspaper reporter, he responded, just as quickly, “I have a recruit on the other line. Can I get your number and call you back?”

Dixon took down the number, then upon being asked “Are you interested in the USC job,” replied, ‘I’ll have to call you back.”

More than two hours later the call came … from a sports information official, who said, “This is probably not the person you expected.” He then gave the stump speech, saying: “Jamie’s personal practice is not to discuss the coaching searches of other schools, so he will respectfully decline comment.”

When he starts camping out in front of Dixon’s house, don’t say I didn’t warn people about it.

That won’t stop the speculation. USC apparently feels it has to pursue Dixon just to placate people.

The chances of him saying anything other than “No, thanks” are still small, but according to a source with knowledge of the situation, Dixon will be given the first chance to replace Tim Floyd. USC has to go through that process first, likely through back channels and then maybe directly with Dixon, before it can move ahead. Waiting to ask permission to speak with him is just a formality and rarely happens anymore. By the time permission has been granted, the coach has either accepted or told the school he’s not interested.

USC’s move toward Dixon is akin to what Kentucky did two years ago with Florida’s Billy Donovan. Even though all indications were that Donovan would remain with the Gators, the Wildcats had to go through the process of making a run at him. He was the obvious first choice. UK’s approach was a bit more public than anything USC would likely do in the coming days. But the Trojans, according to a source, have to make the effort to look at Dixon.

Multiple sources close to Dixon in and out of Pittsburgh say he won’t leave for Los Angeles. But there is nothing wrong with listening. For example, what if USC were to throw a crazy offer at Dixon, like $2 million a year for eight years? Wouldn’t he have to at least listen? Dixon’s buyout is projected to be at least $1 million, according to sources, although Pitt doesn’t release contract details on its coaches.

Dixon, like any other elite coach in his position, doesn’t have to leave for a rebuilding situation, even one that has as many recruiting advantages as USC, with its proximity to players. Dixon is from the L.A. area, but Pitt athletic director Steve Pederson isn’t fretting over the current situation because of how much Dixon is revered in Pittsburgh and the way the Panthers view him as their version of Mike Krzyzewski, a coach who can leave a legacy for years to come. The timing isn’t great for Dixon, either, with a USC roster that seems to get smaller with every passing day and a commitment to be with USA Basketball for the next month.

Personally, I think Katz is lowballing on the kind of offer USC will need to make to Dixon. 8 years, $16 million is right for length, but it will take at least $2.5 mill per. Especially considering that penalties for USC are at least 6 months to a year away. The NCAA hasn’t even presented anything or officially finished the investigation.

And as I said right away, there just is not any time for Dixon to take the job. The U-19 duties mean not starting a new job until August.

Now if Coach Dixon or his agent wanted to manipulate this out for more money from Pitt or USC — and I am stating from the outset that I don’t believe this since Coach Dixon has not shown any indication that he plays this kind of game, I’m just having a little fun — then this scenario could occur.

A “back-channel” source would make noise to USC’s people that Coach Dixon might listen a lot closer after the 2009-10 season ended. That maybe hiring an interim would be the best way to make it happen.

An interim at USC would allow for extended speculation and create more pressure on Pitt for another extension and raise to keep Dixon. Especially useful when Pitt is likely going to be doing a bit of rebuilding this season.

Of course, that would put USC in a real bind. In their best case dreams they might see how things have worked out far better than expected for Arizona by doing the year long interim route.

The difference is that, that was Arizona. They had a core group come back. They had Lute Olson back for a while and he brought in recruits (a couple of who Sean Miller was able to get back). They also were willing to spend more money than USC would probably like.

USC is in really facing a Cinci scenario for basketball. They are in chaos, a coach departing under a cloud (slightly different), the NCAA looking at the program, talent fleeing (Cinci had transfers) and recruiting lost completely. Cinci has far more tradition and support for the basketball program and they are still trying to get it back together some 4 years later.

If USC is really going to try to get Dixon first, and he makes them wait until after the U-19 games, then USC truly doesn’t care about its basketball — only appearances. They simply don’t have time to wait a month to get a new coach and staff. They need to act now to just begin the rebuilding of the program before it keeps sinking lower.

They have not even pretended to elevate an assitant to interim. Presumably because they don’t want to pay a little more for even an empty figurehead while this is all happening.

Regardless of the fertile recruiting area and spanking new facilities, USC is showing little inclination that the Athletic Department wants to do much to help and support its basketball. It merely wants to get a name to do it all. ‘

That will be another reason why Dixon won’t go. He understands and gets that support and trust of the people in the Athletic Department is vital to help the program grow and improve — and by extension Dixon’s own reputation and bank account. He has that at Pitt.