Scott Barnes to the Selection Committee

[TD_6082]

It was a bit of both. Jamie was growing frustrated with the fanbase's turn towards him, he didnt like the ACC, and he didnt like Barnes so it was a mutual parting of ways but if you are Barnes, you dont let him walk without a buyout unless you are sure you will upgrade.

There is never a sure upgrade or a guarantee about how things will turn out with the next coach.

But if big money boosters, (or booster if there's one that weilds enough power and influence) want the AD to make the coach disappear, then that's what happens.


 

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

There is never a sure upgrade or a guarantee about how things will turn out with the next coach.

But if big money boosters, (or booster if there's one that weilds enough power and influence) want the AD to make the coach disappear, then that's what happens.


 

Which is why you dont let Dixon walk, especially without a buyout. To do that, you better have an wink and nod agreement already with a better coach.

 

[Parkview57]

you better have an wink and nod agreement already with a better coach.

He had a wink and a nod agreement for sure, but it was as shady as could be. Which is why it is beyond the pale that anyone would defend the guy.

 

[Gep Dawg]

It's one thing to push Dixon out. It's another altogether to completely bungle the next hire to enrich his buddy at a search firm. And then leave while the programing. Yeah he's still responsible for that.

 

[TD_6082]

It's one thing to push Dixon out. It's another altogether to completely bungle the next hire to enrich his buddy at a search firm. And then leave while the programing. Yeah he's still responsible for that.

The thing that strikes me as odd is the people that were so vocal about absolutely hating the Stallings hire from day one, are the same people that act like Jamie Dixon's last 5 years at Pitt was acceptable. Some even shill for the results he's produced at TCU.

Stallings went to the NCAA tournament 4 out of his last 7 years at Vanderbilt. He left Bryce Drew a better roster than Jamie left behind at Pitt. Stallings was barely around long enough to purge the roster at Pitt.

So sure, Stallings is responsible for Pitt tanking.

But moving on from Stallings, Pitt replaced him with a coach that tanked and was fired at OU after 5 years and spent next 7 years as an assistant at his alma mater. He is still at Pitt and that has everything to do with where Pitt is at today as a program. Pitt is 6 to 7 years removed from Barnes/Stallings. It's 100% on the current leadership that they have failed to build s top 25 type program.

 

[Gep Dawg]

The thing that strikes me as odd is the people that were so vocal about absolutely hating the Stallings hire from day one, are the same people that act like Jamie Dixon's last 5 years at Pitt was acceptable. Some even shill for the results he's produced at TCU.

Stallings went to the NCAA tournament 4 out of his last 7 years at Vanderbilt. He left Bryce Drew a better roster than Jamie left behind at Pitt. Stallings was barely around long enough to purge the roster at Pitt.

So sure, Stallings is responsible for Pitt tanking.

But moving on from Stallings, Pitt replaced him with a coach that tanked and was fired at OU after 5 years and spent next 7 years as an assistant at his alma mater. He is still at Pitt and that has everything to do with where Pitt is at today as a program. Pitt is 6 to 7 years removed from Barnes/Stallings. It's 100% on the current leadership that they have failed to build s top 25 type program.

This is ridiculous. Jamie’s worst 5 year stretch was about equal to Stallings best 5 year stretch. Vandy was literally about to fire him when Barnes and his recruiting firm (ran by Vandys ex president) swooped in and saved them from having to do it. Let’s not rewrite or sugar coast history we were all there and remember what happened. It wasn’t that long ago. And it was a complete disaster and a huge example of cronyism gone bad. The fact Barmes left not that long after he did this for easier pastures made it even worse.

 

[TD_6082]

This is ridiculous. Jamie’s worst 5 year stretch was about equal to Stallings best 5 year stretch. Vandy was literally about to fire him when Barnes and his recruiting firm (ran by Vandys ex president) swooped in and saved them from having to do it. Let’s not rewrite or sugar coast history we were all there and remember what happened. It wasn’t that long ago. And it was a complete disaster and a huge example of cronyism gone bad. The fact Barmes left not that long after he did this for easier pastures made it even worse.

There is a big difference between coaching at a school like Vanderbilt & a school like Pitt.

I'm not rewriting history at all. Stallings went to the NCAA tourney 4 of his last 7 years. The team he left behind also went to the NCAA. Those are facts.

But YES - Vanderbilt had grown tired of Stallings, just as Pitt had grown tired of Jamie Dixon. The reason is simple... bubble basketball and continuously getting bounced the first weekend flat out sucks. You need to give your fan base hope. And just hoping to make the tourney doesn't cut it.

BTW, how has Vandy fared since Stallings left?

 

[CrazyPaco]

Not painful but puzzling to me.

There is no discussion to be had with such level of stupid.

 

[TD_6082]

You are ignorant. And even after all this time, defending the indefensible, you reveal yourself as a giant moron.

Don't be mad at me. I didn't do it.

I'm not the reason for the dwindling attendance at the Pete from 2011-2016. I'm not the reason Pitt failed to make it past the first weekend of the NCAA tourney since 2009. I'm not the reason a big booster was disgusted with the product Jamie put on the floor and wanted a change. That's all on Jamie Dixon.

 

[Parkview57]

The reason is simple... bubble basketball and continuously getting bounced the first weekend flat out sucks.

Yet Barnes signed off on hiring Stallings and you are defending that which you say sucks, all puzzling.

 

[TD_6082]

Yet Barnes signed off on hiring Stallings and you are defending that which you say sucks, all puzzling.

I'm not defending or condemning it. I wasn't in favor of getting rid of Jamie.

I'm just saying that it's hypocritical to trash the Stallings hire based on his last few years at Vanderbilt & prop up Jamie's results over his last 5 seasons. I don't remember who the realistic candidates were at the time, but I doubt there was a candidate out there that was going to make Pitt relevant again very soon, given the transfer restrictions at the time. The vibe around the program wasn't good at that time, it was clear Jamie didn't like the move to the ACC, and he had way too many underclassman recruits that just couldn't play.

I'm of the belief that Pitt basketball was headed for a downturn regardless, (Dixon, Stallings, or any other realistic hire) unless they brought in a coach that could sign an elite blue-blood level recruiting class in one year. The talent was drying up and there was just nothing there in the pipeline.

And just to be clear on what we have missed: Jamie hasn't made it past the first weekend of the tourney since 2008-09. It's been TEN YEARS since he had a season where he finished with a conference record above .500.

So to summarize all this nonsense up, I'm just pushing back at this idea that Scott Barnes is solely responsible for pushing Pitt basketball into some prolonged period of irrelevancy. I'm 100% convinced that if Pitt kept Jamie, or kept Stallings up until now, or hired Capel back in 2016, or whatever other realistic route they could have chosen to take, the overall results would pretty much mirror exactly what they actually are/have been.

And for the record, I like both Dixon and Stallings. There are a shit-ton of other coaches I like better, but I really like both of them.

 

[CrazyPaco]

Yet Barnes signed off on hiring Stallings and you are defending that which you say sucks, all puzzling.

Barnes had no chance of getting an upgrade in coach, of which there were very few, to take that job after pushing Jamie out. No one of remotely comparative credibility in the coaching fraternity, where Dixon was highly respected, was going to come to work in an environment where the type of accomplishments that Pitt had were not valued and where they had to work for the guy who pushed someone as respected as Dixon out, even if given unlimited budgets. I said that well before Stallings was hired and we got exactly the type of person I feared. Only the dumbest of ADs would have thought they could upgrade the staff in such a situation. Only the dumbest and most egotistic and/or spinless would have allowed themselves to be steamrolled by Mr. PGT into such a situation.

 

[Parkview57]

I'm just pushing back at this idea that Scott Barnes is solely responsible for pushing Pitt basketball into some prolonged period of irrelevancy.

Point taken.

 

[TD_6082]

Barnes had no chance of getting any upgrade in coach, of which there were very few, to take that job after pushing Jamie out. No one of remotely comparative credibility in the coaching fraternity, where Dixon was highly respected, was going to come to work in an environment where Jamie's accomplishments were clearly not being valued and where they had to work for the guy who pushed out someone as respected as him out. I said that well before Stallings was hired and we got exactly the type of person I feared. Only the dumbest of ADs would have thought they could upgrade the staff in such a situation.

Lmaooo. No coach gives a shit about some other coaches perceived accomplishments when you dangle millions of dollars in front of them.

Besides, Jamie's best accomplishments were 5 years in the rear view mirror, which is an eternity in college basketball. And that was the year he choked a #1 seed away in the second round.

ADs are hired to do the bidding of monies boosters. I guarantee some wealthy donors wanted Jamie gone. Barnes was just doing his job to accommodate.

 

[CrazyPaco]

Lmaooo. No coach gives a shit about some other coaches perceived accomplishments when you dangle millions of dollars in front of them.

Besides, Jamie's best accomplishments were 5 years in the rear view mirror, which is an eternity in college basketball. And that was the year he choked a #1 seed away in the second round.

ADs are hired to do the bidding of monies boosters. I guarantee some wealthy donors wanted Jamie gone. Barnes was just doing his job to accommodate.

Oh, there was one specific booster. But no, doing the bidding of boosters is not why they are hired. They are hired in part to manage boosters. Especially stupid, meddling ones. It 100% rested on Barnes to make those moves. And coaches talk ALL the time, and coaches that would have been perceived as upgrades at the time were already millionaires and aren't going to Pitt just for bit more money, if it was even there, especially when the prevailing question was "What the hell is going on at Pitt?" The rest is just stupid, and defending any of it to this day is even stupider. If there is a word below stupid, please apply it..and now, back on ignore.

 

[TD_6082]

Oh, there was one specific booster. But no, doing the bidding of boosters is not why they are hired. They are hired in part to manage boosters. Especially stupid, meddling ones. It 100% rested on Barnes to make those moves. And coaches talk ALL the time, and coaches that would have been perceived as upgrades at the time were already millionaires and aren't going to Pitt just for bit more money, if it was even there, especially when the prevailing question was "What the hell is going on at Pitt?" The rest is just stupid, and defending any of it to this day is even stupider. If there is a word below stupid, please apply it..and now, back on ignore.

Yeah, the manage boosters thing sounds nice, but it's not reality. Those boosters are essentially the AD's boss. Athletic Directors are replaceable. Multi-million dollar boosters... not so much.

There is nothing to defend. Pitt's basketball glory days came to an end under Dixon and they weren't coming back. We're there now in football. They can keep Narduzzi, or fire him tomorrow. The future probably isn't very bright for the football program regardless. That's not negativity, just reality.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Barnes had no chance of getting an upgrade in coach, of which there were very few, to take that job after pushing Jamie out. No one of remotely comparative credibility in the coaching fraternity, where Dixon was highly respected, was going to come to work in an environment where the type of accomplishments that Pitt had were not valued and where they had to work for the guy who pushed someone as respected as Dixon out, even if given unlimited budgets. I said that well before Stallings was hired and we got exactly the type of person I feared. Only the dumbest of ADs would have thought they could upgrade the staff in such a situation. Only the dumbest and most egotistic and/or spinless would have allowed themselves to be steamrolled by Mr. PGT into such a situation.

And Scott Barnes is making millions to:

- make the worst basketball coaching decision in college basketball history

- not get his Oregon State program into the Big 12 or ACC

Seriously, why is this guy being paid? I mean this when I say that there are highly intelligent middle school students who could have had his job the last 10 years and also tanked Pitt basketball and Oregon State athletics. You cannot do any worse of a job than he's done

 

[TD_6082]

And Scott Barnes is making millions to:

- make the worst basketball coaching decision in college basketball history

- not get his Oregon State program into the Big 12 or ACC

Seriously, why is this guy being paid? I mean this when I say that there are highly intelligent middle school students who could have had his job the last 10 years and also tanked Pitt basketball and Oregon State athletics. You cannot do any worse of a job than he's done

So stupid.

Why is Pitt paying Heather big money to not her Pitt program in the Big 10 or SEC? Why has she failed at fundraising and promotion, both for the athletic program and especially for the collectives?

That's all just beyond her power and such a stupid argument.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

So stupid.

Why is Pitt paying Heather big money to not her Pitt program in the Big 10 or SEC? Why has she failed at fundraising and promotion, both for the athletic program and especially for the collectives?

That's all just beyond her power and such a stupid argument.

If Pitt ends up in a lower division between B10/SEC and FCS, then the AD needs to go. Similarly, there are many companies who fire CEOs whose companies do poorly due to national market conditions and not necessarily the fault of the CEO. When you are on top, you have to perform or you take the fall. Sometimes its not fair. But if you are the AD at schools like Pitt, you better be spending 25 hours a day doing everything you can to land in thee B10, SEC or some 3rd conference in major college football or else you failed.