You know, in my relief over Shawn Watson’s dismissal, I forgot to mention one other aspect of the firing. The timing.

In prior years, when staff has turned over, it hasn’t been filled quickly and/or the change happened later.

Obviously with the early signing period, these days that alleviates some of that. Yet, that didn’t seem to matter last year when changes were made to the coaching staff. They came later in the cycle and took a while to fill.

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I’m not saying this is Nostradamus level stuff, but let me have a little fun.

I guess I am hoping for a little symmetry. Ten years ago, Pitt went to the Sun Bowl. The QB had a bomb of a game and Pitt couldn’t generate enough offense against a Pac-12 (10 at the time) that was missing their top running back and had other injuries. The complete offensive ineptitude forced the defensive-minded coach to make a change at OC. Let’s find out if history repeats.

And in one of Pitt’s briefest press releases that doesn’t announce a player being dismissed from the team…

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Pitt has hired it’s new Women’s Basketball Coach.

University of Pittsburgh Director of Athletics Heather Lyke announced Wednesday afternoon the hiring of Lance White as head women’s basketball coach.

“When I first met Coach White, his genuine personality, energy and excitement about being at Pitt was evident and contagious,” Lyke said. “He has a tremendous pedigree in coaching and has been an instrumental part of several successful women’s basketball programs that have sustained success at the highest levels. I am confident he is more than prepared to build a program that brings great pride to our University.  We are thrilled to welcome Lance and his wife, Melanie, and their children to Pittsburgh and the Pitt family.”

White comes to Pitt after spending the past 15 years at Florida State, where he helped the Seminoles to a 350-145 (.707) record, including 12 seasons with 20 wins or more. Since White’s arrival at FSU, 10 players were selected in the WNBA Draft, eight Seminoles earned ACC All-Defensive team honors and 37 earned all-conference awards. He helped Florida State reach the NCAA Tournament in 13 of the past 14 years, while the team won at least one NCAA Tournament game in its past 15 appearances. For his standout coaching efforts during the 2016-17 season, White was named the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association National Assistant (WBCA) Coach of the Year.

White was also an assistant coach at Texas Tech before FSU. Texas Tech is also his alma mater.

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Pitt men’s basketball coach, Jeff Capel, completed his staff last night with the hiring of Milan Brown. Brown had been an assistant at College of Charleston. But before that, he had been the head coach at Holy Cross and Mt. Saint Mary’s for a total of 12 years.

All three of his assistant coaches have head coaching experience. Especially the two lead assistants — O’Toole and Brown.

There is a logic to it. As much as the assumption was that Capel would hire a name, stud recruiter, Capel himself is the name, stud recruiter.

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After waiting for something, anything regarding Jeff Capel’s coaching staff; two assistants named at last. Jason Capel and Tim O’Toole.

O’Toole joins Pitt after spending the last two seasons as an associate head coach at University of California, Berkeley. He has also worked as an assistant coach at eight different programs over the last 30 years. Before California, O’Toole was an assistant at Stanford from 2014 to 2016 and spent the 2013-14 season in the same position at Syracuse under Jim Boeheim.

In his only head coaching stint at Fairfield from 1998 to 2006, O’Toole amassed a 112-120 record and made one appearance in the NIT tournament in 2003.

Capel’s brother, Jason, first came to prominence during his college career playing at North Carolina. In his time at Chapel Hill, Capel averaged at least nine points per game in each of his four seasons. He starred for the Tar Heels in his senior season averaging 15.6 points and 8.6 rebounds per game.

After spending time playing professionally overseas, Capel spent time as an assistant coach at Appalachian State during the 2009-2010 season, then as head coach of the program from 2010-2014. He hasn’t held a coaching position since Appalachian State decided not to renew his contract in 2014.

I’m sure the hiring of his younger brother will raise some eyebrows.

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The page listing Pitt Men’s Basketball Coaching Staff is still rather sparse. Former player, Chris Jones, is still listed as a Graduate Assistant. Jason Richards remains as Director of Basketball Operations. Garry Christopher remains as the Strength and Conditioning Coach. And that is it.

We know Pitt took it’s time before hiring Jeff Capel as head coach, but that doesn’t mean the hiring of assistants has to remain up in the air this long.

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What was it? A couple weeks ago, when there were questions about AD Lyke and Chancellor Gallagher, regarding their commitment to Pitt Athletics. Simpler times.

University of Pittsburgh Director of Athletics Heather Lyke announced today that Suzie McConnell-Serio will not return as the Panthers’ head women’s basketball coach.

McConnell-Serio recently completed her fifth season with the Panthers, compiling a 67-87 overall record and 22-58 ACC mark during that span.

McConnell-Serio was a surprising disaster as the women’s basketball coach. In that respect her firing wasn’t a shock.

But on the heels of getting rid of Kevin Stallings to reboot the men’s basketball program, the impetuous to make a change on the women’s side, would have seemed to have been put aside for the time being. To say nothing of making additional outlays in the budget for the buyout and hiring a new coach.

Apparently the money and the desire to make a change are there.

Lots of changes in the coaches within Pitt Athletics in the last few years. All the attention is on football and men’s basketball, but in the last two years Pitt has hired a new women’s gymnastics coach, men’s and women’s soccer and wrestling. And for the most part the new coaches have made noticeable progress very quickly.

I realize Pitt fans are conditioned to expect the AD to be a bumbling mess. And at the first sign of a problem default to that expectation. But maybe, just maybe, Heather Lyke actually knows what she is doing.

Sorry to have not posted in a few day. Honestly, I just had nothing. As usual with Pitt and a coaching search, everything remains dark. Literally nothing really leaks. That creates this whole different kind of insanity where everyone rushes to fill the void with speculation, crazed sources, and general lunacy.

I couldn’t bring myself to add to the crazy. Plus, the week leading up to Passover and Easter tends to create extra chaos at home and work.  So, my best option was to sit back wait.

And, hey. The wait is over.

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A reporter for the Waterbury Republican-American and blog, A Dime Back, both reported late last night that Dan Hurley has accepted the UConn job after boosters pushed his salary offer up to around $3.1 million. There’s no other confirmation at this point, but the rest of Connecticut media is running with it — and amusingly enough to give it a better veneer of credibility, are calling A Dime Back a “news outlet.”

Whoops. Even as I started typing the big boys are also saying it.

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That’s it? This is technically the third day of the watch for what the top target in the coaching search does. Seems like it’s been much longer.

Dan Hurley (hopefully) is expected to decide today between Pitt, UConn or staying at URI.

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Taking a moment from pissing on the angst of Pitt fans that there is no Pitt men’s basketball head coach in place. That present Rhode Island Coach Dan Hurley may not want Pitt.

To bring you this.

Rhode Island head basketball coach Dan Hurley has received a contract offer from Pitt with an annual salary north of $3 million, multiple sources have informed FanRag Sports. Hurley is currently weighing whether or not to stay with the Rams or accept an offer from either Connecticut or Pitt, the latter of which would serve as the more lucrative option.

Sources have also indicated to FanRag Sports that Hurley is likely to make a decision on his future at some point in the next 24 hours.

Hoo-boy.

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Nothing really to report or pass on. Just a couple articles and thoughts.

Eric Musselman is likely out of the running now. Simply because I doubt Pitt can wait for him now that he got Nevada into the Sweet 16. I mean, unless they KNOW they he is already in the can. Which I find highly improbable. Still, he seems like an amusing maniac.

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And by approaches, I mean in the next 72 hours. Not the next 6.

I’ve been enjoying the hell out of the NCAA Tournament this weekend. The wife and oldest are on a Girl Scout camping trip. Just the boy and I binging on basketball. Well, I’m binging. He’s casually watching every now and again while playing video games or with Legos.

The UMBC upset of Virginia was mind-blowing. And as much as it was presumed, that eventually a 16 would take down a 1. That was not the one anyone expected, and certainly not like that. The close calls over the years.  All the #1 seeds that may have struggled, even late into the second half, put it together to pull it out. Instead, to watch Virginia implode. It’s not just simply the way UVa panicked on offense and started rushing things.

It was their vaunted packline defense being shredded. Yes, UMBC was great on their 3-point shooting, but the way the guards just blew past them to the basket. That just doesn’t happen very often. Plenty of teams have tried, but rarely succeed.

Their head coach, Ryan Odom, once presumed to be the guy targeted by ECU as their next head coach might have other options (probably not Pitt, though).

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“Believe nothing you hear, and only one half that you see.”

–Edgar Allen Poe

Obviously, Poe was familiar with coaching searches.

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Especially when the relationship crash and burns so quickly.

So, maybe Pitt is trying not to pay the full $9.4 million buyout to Kevin Stallings as previously reported.

In a meeting Thursday in which Stallings was terminated, 93.7 The Fan has learned the Pitt administration offered two paths for Stallings’ impending departure. He could:

•  Accept a reduced buyout of $4.8M, which works out to about half the sum of the buyout language in his contract.

OR

• Not accept the $4.8M reduced buyout offer and be met with a “for cause” termination for his actions at Louisville, thus forfeiting the totality of his buyout.

Multiple sources confirmed to 93.7 The Fan that Stallings was unwilling to accept either condition — and a previously reported $7.5M reduced buyout was never formally offered at the meeting to him — so his exact conditions in terms of separation from the University of Pittsburgh remain in flux.

I don’t know.

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