A coach to keep an eye on

[Sean Miller Fan]

If we are looking for a coach after 2018, I wouldn't rule out Jeff Capel. He was in the Elite 8 the last time Dixon was and successfully recruited Blake Griffin, beating out everybody for him.

His tenure at OU was a little strange. After Sampson got fired, 3 players decommitted (Scottie Reynolds and Damion James from Texas) so he lost a whole class basically.

His first year wasn't too good. His next 2 were including that Elite 8. Then, the last 2 sucked which got him fired but part of that was because of the lost recruiting class.

Since then he's been back on Coach K's staff recruiting the best players in the nation.

I know that the "great defenders" of the program don't think anybody would want to coach here and we can't afford to pay anybody but this is a guy that we could get relatively cheap. He isn't a coaching wizard but he has shown to be a very strong recruiter in a difficult place to recruit to and has the Coach K pedigree to sell.

By the way, I also like Kelvin Sampson if he can turn Houston around. He paid his price and I don't think he's going to make the tragic, terrible mistake of making too many phone calls to recruits again. And, nowadays, worst-case scenario, is you self-impose a year and then you're good. The NCAA doesn't penalize anymore. Penn State made sure of that.

Other guys I would consider:

Archie Miller
Sean Miller (would have to pay $5 million per year)
Buzz Williams (if we outbid VT, I think he'd make the move)

 

[Piranha]

I would add Andy Enfield, Bobby Hurley, Gregg Marshall, Chris Mack, and Eric Musselman to the list.

 

[meadvillecoach]

Both Miller's are not coming back.Sean is big time and Arch is not far behind him.Archie left Pittsburgh 20 years ago so the I am coming back to rescue my hometown team out the depths of despair does not play with him.I agree with Capel however he might be in the mix at Duke, Coach K can't go forever and the lineup behind him is all old duke point guards take your pick from that list.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Both Miller's are not coming back.Sean is big time and Arch is not far behind him.Archie left Pittsburgh 20 years ago so the I am coming back to rescue my hometown team out the depths of despair does not play with him.I agree with Capel however he might be in the mix at Duke, Coach K can't go forever and the lineup behind him is all old duke point guards take your pick from that list.

Both Millers would come for the right price. Sean is making around 4 at AZ. 5 should do the trick. I dont know what Archie is making but I'd guess for 3, he'd walk here.

 

[NTOP]

Both Millers would come for the right price. Sean is making around 4 at AZ. 5 should do the trick. I dont know what Archie is making but I'd guess for 3, he'd walk here.

Says who??? You're just guessing. Sean is a traitor to his school. Don't want him at any price. Archie was committed to Pitt until his older brother betrayed Willard. And his father & Stright sabotaged Pitt as much as they could. Poison in that well.

 

[Piranha]

Says who??? You're just guessing. Sean is a traitor to his school. Don't want him at any price. Archie was committed to Pitt until his older brother betrayed Willard. And his father & Stright sabotaged Pitt as much as they could. Poison in that well.

If I were recruited by my brother, and he left then I would leave as well. Not sure why that is so bad.

 

[whirlybird optio]

I think Archie would come back, I think enough time has passed and there are enough new faces around that I don't see Archie as being a complete longshot.

I think Greg Marshall would be the "big" get, but I don't think he'd come here. I could see him going to a Big 10 school, maybe Illinois. I'd also include Chris Mack as a guy I'd love but I doubt we'd get

Other names I'd consider:

Wojo would make more sense than Capel if we are going with former Duke assistants. Or Chris Collins, who seems be doing good things at Northwestern.
Kelvin Sampson would be the ultimate anti-Dixon hire, but I don't see it.


There's also this coach at Mississippi St with some ties here....

 

[NTOP]

If I were recruited by my brother, and he left then I would leave as well. Not sure why that is so bad.

Agreed.....that's why I have no animosity towards Archie. He wasn't the big loss, though he was OK at NCSt.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Says who??? You're just guessing. Sean is a traitor to his school. Don't want him at any price. Archie was committed to Pitt until his older brother betrayed Willard. And his father & Stright sabotaged Pitt as much as they could. Poison in that well.

Oh, NTOP, you are so simple-minded, its kinda cute.

Anybody would leave any job if the price was right. Doesnt matter if you're a coach, accountant, lawyer, or ditch digger. If we pay the right amount, Pitt can get anybody. The question then becomes how much can we afford to pay?

Pitt can easily pay a lot more than Dayton and Archie isnt a charity. Archie isnt going to pay $1 million per year for the honor of coaching Dayton. His bro will take a lot more but if this admin was serious about being big-time, they would make it work somehow. It doesn't matter in the slightest that he ran from a terrible HC and terrible administration 20 years ago. If anything, it showed how smart he was.

 

[vinniep33]

Says who??? You're just guessing. Sean is a traitor to his school. Don't want him at any price. Archie was committed to Pitt until his older brother betrayed Willard. And his father & Stright sabotaged Pitt as much as they could. Poison in that well.

Sean's "treason", as you call it, was nearly 20 years ago. Can you enlighten us about the circumstances surrounding and the facts supporting that claim?

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Sean's "treason", as you call it, was nearly 20 years ago. Can you enlighten us about the circumstances surrounding and the facts supporting that claim?

Just typical old stogie thinking. Miller left for more money and a better opportunity 20 years ago so he is dead to NTOP.

 

[KiwiJeff]

Oh, NTOP, you are so simple-minded, its kinda cute.

Anybody would leave any job if the price was right. Doesnt matter if you're a coach, accountant, lawyer, or ditch digger. If we pay the right amount, Pitt can get anybody. The question then becomes how much can we afford to pay?

Pitt can easily pay a lot more than Dayton and Archie isnt a charity. Archie isnt going to pay $1 million per year for the honor of coaching Dayton. His bro will take a lot more but if this admin was serious about being big-time, they would make it work somehow. It doesn't matter in the slightest that he ran from a terrible HC and terrible administration 20 years ago. If anything, it showed how smart he was.

Not always. If I got a job offer in Los Angeles for a lot more money, and likely meaning a lot more hours, and I would have a horrible commute and have to be very far from family, I would not take it. regardless of the money.

I had an offer to go to Philip Morris and I declined it, for other reasons.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Not always. If I got a job offer in Los Angeles for a lot more money, and likely meaning a lot more hours, and I would have a horrible commute and have to be very far from family, I would not take it. regardless of the money.

I had an offer to go to Philip Morris and I declined it, for other reasons.

If the LA job was the right price, you'd go. Everything has a price.

 

[KiwiJeff]

If the LA job was the right price, you'd go. Everything has a price.

I wouldn't. I really wouldn't. I would not want to raise my daughter there. I want her grandparents in her life. I make decent money. I am not rich, but I can do what I want for the most part. That's why I never play the lottery either. Waste of money. Anyway, how do you presume to know what I would do versus not do? Philip Morris could have offered me $200,000 and I would have said no. But they didn't. Nonetheless, I said no.

 

[NTOP]

Just typical old stogie thinking. Miller left for more money and a better opportunity 20 years ago so he is dead to NTOP.

So now you're just lying?? Where the hell were you 20 years ago?? Kindergarten?? 3rd year in first grade??
It's not just that you leave for a different job...it's HOW you do it.
Keep braying, jackass. And I didn't realize that cigars thought. If they did, they'd beat you on Jeopardy.

 

[pittizit]

Ed Cooley at Providence...if you can recruit there...u can recruit anywhere..just go there some time and see what I mean...

 

[Cap pitt]

If we are looking for a coach after 2018, I wouldn't rule out Jeff Capel. He was in the Elite 8 the last time Dixon was and successfully recruited Blake Griffin, beating out everybody for him.

His tenure at OU was a little strange. After Sampson got fired, 3 players decommitted (Scottie Reynolds and Damion James from Texas) so he lost a whole class basically.

His first year wasn't too good. His next 2 were including that Elite 8. Then, the last 2 sucked which got him fired but part of that was because of the lost recruiting class.

Since then he's been back on Coach K's staff recruiting the best players in the nation.

I know that the "great defenders" of the program don't think anybody would want to coach here and we can't afford to pay anybody but this is a guy that we could get relatively cheap. He isn't a coaching wizard but he has shown to be a very strong recruiter in a difficult place to recruit to and has the Coach K pedigree to sell.

By the way, I also like Kelvin Sampson if he can turn Houston around. He paid his price and I don't think he's going to make the tragic, terrible mistake of making too many phone calls to recruits again. And, nowadays, worst-case scenario, is you self-impose a year and then you're good. The NCAA doesn't penalize anymore. Penn State made sure of that.

Other guys I would consider:

Archie Miller
Sean Miller (would have to pay $5 million per year)
Buzz Williams (if we outbid VT, I think he'd make the move)

2018? I hope we don't have to wait that long, and what all this about Archie Miller? Is he setting the basketball coaching world on fire? I watch a lot of NCAA basketball and rarely hear his name mentioned, there are plenty of really good young coaches out there who would love to coach Pitt and in the ACC, but we will never know until the job is open. And there are many fans who would like to see that happen after this year. Don't hear of any other schools beating down the Pitt doors coming after JD, I wonder why?

 

[vinniep33]

So now you're just lying?? Where the hell were you 20 years ago?? Kindergarten?? 3rd year in first grade??
It's not just that you leave for a different job...it's HOW you do it.
Keep braying, jackass. And I didn't realize that cigars thought. If they did, they'd beat you on Jeopardy.

Please stop calling people names, and answer my question, if you would be so kind. It was a serious question and you were around back then.

 

[whirlybird optio]

Ed Cooley at Providence...if you can recruit there...u can recruit anywhere..just go there some time and see what I mean...

I thought about his name too. He's a Providence alum though, right? So not sure how eager he is to leave. Also, I don't know if he a good coach. Clearly a good recruiter, but as an actual coach I don't know.

If you are Pitt, your next coach is probably going to come from the Big East/American, that's why I mentioned Wojo.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

I wouldn't. I really wouldn't. I would not want to raise my daughter there. I want her grandparents in her life. I make decent money. I am not rich, but I can do what I want for the most part. That's why I never play the lottery either. Waste of money. Anyway, how do you presume to know what I would do versus not do? Philip Morris could have offered me $200,000 and I would have said no. But they didn't. Nonetheless, I said no.

The Phillip Morris thing I get. Jobs that go against moral beliefs are different. If your company offered to transfer you to their LA office for 500K per year, you would go.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Ed Cooley at Providence...if you can recruit there...u can recruit anywhere..just go there some time and see what I mean...

Cooley is from Providence and has things rolling. Providence would match anything we offer.

Another name is Tom Crean. A lot of people at Indiana dont like him. Last year, he was coaching for his job. If he bows out early this year, he may listen.

 

[Piranha]

How about bringing his 2 assistants? Andre LaFleur and Jeff Battle. I suggested them the last couple years.

 

[BigZeke]

I thought about his name too. He's a Providence alum though, right? So not sure how eager he is to leave. Also, I don't know if he a good coach. Clearly a good recruiter, but as an actual coach I don't know.

If you are Pitt, your next coach is probably going to come from the Big East/American, that's why I mentioned Wojo.

If you want Pitt on probation in about 5 seconds Cooley is your man. PS Sean Miller is a lot more interested in the Pitt job than is alluded to on this site and trust me I would know. PS That's all I'm going to say on the matter too so please don't deluge me with posts. H2P!

 

[KiwiJeff]

The Phillip Morris thing I get. Jobs that go against moral beliefs are different. If your company offered to transfer you to their LA office for 500K per year, you would go.

No, I really wouldn't. Money does not motivate everyone the same. People making $500,000 in my company work nonstop and have a ton of responsibility. I already work 50/hrs a week in my job, and am well paid. I don't need $500,000, not if it was at the expense of spending any time with my daughter. There is no price tag on that time. I would never regret turning it down. But I would regret if I took it and then looked back and saw I never spent time with my daughter, who today wrote her name for the first time by herself!!!! (Yay). She's 27, so it's about time. (Just kidding, only 3).

 

[pelfrey]

Ed Cooley at Providence...if you can recruit there...u can recruit anywhere..just go there some time and see what I mean...

Say what? Providence is a really good town, great quality of life. Like Pittsburgh, often gets ranked pretty high in "livable" city lists. And then you have the RI beaches, great restaurants...anyway, don't think Cooley is the guy. And the Friars are struggling now as well...

 

[NTOP]

Please stop calling people names, and answer my question, if you would be so kind. It was a serious question and you were around back then.

This is about the 40th time I've related this. Willard was recruiting 2 5* bigs...Magloire & Evtimov. Miller was the lead...things looked VERY good for both to come to Pitt. Miller quit a couple days before spring LOI day, taking Archie with him to Raleigh. Willard was left to scramble, lost both. He never recovered from that. I watched him at a golf outing on LOI day...never sat down, on his phone the whole time, pacing like a maniac. After that, he just recruited fringe guys. Since only Archie of the 3 recruits went to Raleigh, he could have waited until after LOI day.
From that point, the Millers, + J.O. Stright, constantly badmouthed Pitt on the AAU trail.

 

[levance2]

No, I really wouldn't. Money does not motivate everyone the same. People making $500,000 in my company work nonstop and have a ton of responsibility. I already work 50/hrs a week in my job, and am well paid.

It can also be high risk, high reward to coach to big money somewhere. Look at Howland. He probably could've coached here 20 years at the level we're at today. He chose the big opportunity and as soon as he wasn't racking up Final Fours anymore, they cut him loose. Some guys prefer not to be on the hot seat every year of their career.

You also get stigmatized as a coach for job hopping (e.g., Todd Graham). Lots of guys turn down better jobs, anticipating even better ones soon after. That's a gamble (e.g., Andy Toole), but sometimes it works out (e.g., Brad Stevens or Shaka Smart).

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

If you want Pitt on probation in about 5 seconds Cooley is your man. PS Sean Miller is a lot more interested in the Pitt job than is alluded to on this site and trust me I would know. PS That's all I'm going to say on the matter too so please don't deluge me with posts. H2P!

Who cares if Pitt goes on probation? You only get 1 year now.......and that is assuming you get caught. We are basically on probation now.

 

[vinniep33]

This is about the 40th time I've related this. Willard was recruiting 2 5* bigs...Magloire & Evtimov. Miller was the lead...things looked VERY good for both to come to Pitt. Miller quit a couple days before spring LOI day, taking Archie with him to Raleigh. Willard was left to scramble, lost both. He never recovered from that. I watched him at a golf outing on LOI day...never sat down, on his phone the whole time, pacing like a maniac. After that, he just recruited fringe guys. Since only Archie of the 3 recruits went to Raleigh, he could have waited until after LOI day.
From that point, the Millers, + J.O. Stright, constantly badmouthed Pitt on the AAU trail.

Willard was a dumpster fire at the time. It's just business. Where's willard and where's sean now? Willard had success at Holy Cross until other teams in his conference began to offer scholarships like he did. He was a bad coach.

Sean was a 28 year old. PITT was not big time in any way. It was a dumpster fire. He was correct in that assessment. He did what he thought was best, I guess, for him and his family.

Time to move on.

 

[thebadby2]

So now you're just lying?? Where the hell were you 20 years ago?? Kindergarten?? 3rd year in first grade??
It's not just that you leave for a different job...it's HOW you do it.
Keep braying, jackass. And I didn't realize that cigars thought. If they did, they'd beat you on Jeopardy.

LMAO. Old stogie:

 

[bobfree]

If you want Pitt on probation in about 5 seconds Cooley is your man. PS Sean Miller is a lot more interested in the Pitt job than is alluded to on this site and trust me I would know. PS That's all I'm going to say on the matter too so please don't deluge me with posts. H2P!

What trouble has he gotten into at providence?

 

[NTOP]

Willard was a dumpster fire at the time. It's just business. Where's willard and where's sean now? Willard had success at Holy Cross until other teams in his conference began to offer scholarships like he did. He was a bad coach.

Sean was a 28 year old. PITT was not big time in any way. He was correct in that assessment. He did what he thought was best

I'll repeat....there are lots of ways to conduct yourself. Miller chose to screw his boss & employer. I had no problem with him leaving, just the way he did it....and the follow-on badmouthing of Pitt was despicable. He bolted from Sendek's staff for Xavier shortly thereafter, so that wasn't exactly a roaring success.
Who knows if Ralph might have succeeded or not?? He was very well thought of when Pitt hired him from WKU.
I'm not sure he could handle the job of running a program...but he could coach.

 

[bobfree]

Pitt basketball was in shambles when Sean left I don't know how anyone could blame him.

Some of the comments on this board are so silly.

 

[HailToPitt1985]

I don't exactly recall who was saying that anyone would leave their job for the right price. I think it was SMF. But that is patently wrong. Money isn't the only motivating factor with jobs, especially when you are in the higher paying jobs to begin with. I'm not in that stratosphere of jobs that pay 7 figures. But I do make decent money and there is no amount of money that would make me leave Pittsburgh at this point for any position. My family is here, it's a great place to live, and I value my family and lifestyle more than anything in the world.

I understand that coaching is a different profession. Those guys expect to change landscape every couple of years, so they have no real roots. I understand that coaching is a sleazy, gutter profession that happens to pay well in some cases, but demands that you work 80+ hours a week, 52 weeks a year. Sorry, no amount of money could ever convince me to do that.

 

[rockypanther]

I am not sure about any of these names. Gregg Marshall won't come. Maybe Sean Miller. I don't feel very confident that any of the other names could make Pitt more successful without landing us on probation than Dixon.

I would like another coach but really don't know who would come. I think I could be excited about Buzz. He recruits, coaches and his players seem to respond like the old Pitt teams.

 

[HailToPitt1985]

Please quit with the talk about Buzz Williams! Even if Dixon were gone and we wanted Williams, he couldn't come to another ACC school. Unless they've changed the rule recently.

 

[Piranha]

This is about the 40th time I've related this. Willard was recruiting 2 5* bigs...Magloire & Evtimov. Miller was the lead...things looked VERY good for both to come to Pitt. Miller quit a couple days before spring LOI day, taking Archie with him to Raleigh. Willard was left to scramble, lost both. He never recovered from that. I watched him at a golf outing on LOI day...never sat down, on his phone the whole time, pacing like a maniac. After that, he just recruited fringe guys. Since only Archie of the 3 recruits went to Raleigh, he could have waited until after LOI day.
From that point, the Millers, + J.O. Stright, constantly badmouthed Pitt on the AAU trail.

Magliore went to Kentucky and Evtimov to UNC. They were long shots here. Sean was looking to get out of the dumpster fire. Don't blame him.

 

[Delpanther]

Says who??? You're just guessing. Sean is a traitor to his school. Don't want him at any price. Archie was committed to Pitt until his older brother betrayed Willard. And his father & Stright sabotaged Pitt as much as they could. Poison in that well.

Willard was on thin ice.i would have bailed on him for a better, more secure job at that juncture in my career too. Your assessment strikes me as harsh particularly given Miller's age at the time.

 

[whirlybird optio]

Willard was on thin ice.i would have bailed on him for a better, more secure job at that juncture in my career too. Your assessment strikes me as harsh particularly given Miller's age at the time.

Miller left after the 1995-1996 season. Willard wasn't even close to being on thin ice at that point, he had only been here two season, the first of which we won more games than expected with the McCullough injury, the second season brought the great recruiting class.

 

[SoufOaklin4Life]

If the LA job was the right price, you'd go. Everything has a price.

I can tell you've never had to make that decision.