With Pitt basketball in the toilet, who do you think should have the most blame? I think it is a combination of Dixon, Stallings, and Barnes. IMO Dixon carries the most blame (barely) due to his poor recruiting in the end. Love Dixon, but he struggled in the end.
Blame for Pitt Basketball Struggles
- Thread starter PittMan2003
- Start date
Gallagher.
Dixon had 2-3 missed Tournaments in a row before a change should have been anywhere near considered.
Dixon had 2-3 missed Tournaments in a row before a change should have been anywhere near considered.
40% Barnes for allowing Jamie to walk away with a reduced buyout and not having a better coach lined up
40% Jamie for a horrendous recruiting job in his last 3 classes
20% Stallings for not making the NCAAT last year and not finding a decent big guy
How can I vote for "can we please put this subject to rest?"
I hear what you are saying. But I just was reading the article on ESPN.com about Pitt's astonishing collapse and it made me wonder what others think. The collapse is about as bad as it gets.
It’s simple. Barnes bad hire. Bad hire’s “throwing out the baby with the bath water.”
It makes me shake my head that over 50% if the people on here blame Dixon.
I can't wait until we can have a poll on here which asks who is most responsible for the resurrection of the Pitt basketball program to national prominence after the depths of the 2017-2018 season.
You should be so disgusted that you never post here again!
Jeepers, it's hard to believe we've never had a discussion on this hot, fresh topic before.
You should have offered a combo answer of Jamie, Stallings and Barnes and I would have picked that. I voted other cause imo the main culprit is Barnes bringing horrible Stallings here to set back the program at least 5 years.
A lot of really, really dumb people voted Dixon.
They are why we will never again have a decent program.
They are why we will never again have a decent program.
Do you think you have a single person on here fooled into thinking that you're a Pitt fan? I chuckle every time I see you use the word "we".
Calling people really dumb is pretty funny coming from you. You are a complete genetic mutation calling people dumb, who know what they are talking about.
I'm absolutely a Pitt fan. I'm way too much of a Pitt fan. I streamed a game where we almost lost to MSM and once again an unbelievably annoying girl screamed from the zoo for the whole time and made me contemplate what the hell I was thinking still watching, but I kept on.
I certainly didn't choose to be a Pitt fan, but I can't quit it either despite the fact it comes with far more surrender cobras than jubilant "Hail to Pitt"s or Carl Krauser Xs above the head. So "thanks" to the family members who played at Pitt, won for Pitt, taught for Pitt, and donated to Pitt far before I came along, but passed the torch on. I'm sorry you don't hope for as much from Pitt as I do. I'm sorry we have so many fans who care so little they excuse anything and everything.
Anyone who thinks Jamie Dixon is mostly to blame for us being one of the worst P5 programs is a moron. I guess you punched your ticket on that train? I don't have a clue who you are, but thanks for raising your hand.
Dixon is/was a big part of this mess because he left us in a big hurry when things were not going so well. Had he stayed and regrouped the program, we may be in good shape over the next couple years. As often as many on this board say that Dixon was forced out, that is just wrong. Dixon could have stayed if he had wanted to. He wanted out and when TCU came calling, he took off!
What about the last 3 recruiting classes? He whiffed on 3 straight recruiting classes. How does he not get blame for that?
Stallings is really killing it. Of the freshman, I am convinced that one is an ACC level starter, and one could be in Stevenson.
The rest...I doubt any of them will ever be more than rotation guys.
10 spots, and he brings in a total of what looks like 2 ACC starting players....
Man, he is KILLING it.
If we finish the regular season with a 21-10 record would Stallings be the coach of the year
This group shows promise and with the addition of one or two more good players they could achieve this in 2019.
This group shows promise and with the addition of one or two more good players they could achieve this in 2019.
Surprising in a vacuum, or surprising even given the state of Pitt Twitter, the donors, and message board posters over the final couple of years of Dixon?
Because to me this is exactly what I would expect after suffering through the all of the various ways Dixon's shortcomings were exaggerated on Twitter and message boards.
Lmao man most fans wanted him out , however little logic was involved with their ideas
I don’t think this is entirely Dixon’s fault but he did have the worst composite recruiting ranking his last 3 years as head coach among ALL power 5 schools. So to act like he bears no responsibility is silly.
Is this really true? We knew it was epically bad. But we didn't know it was historically and record setting bad.
SMF nailed it when he refers to our last 15 years before Stallings as Jamie dixon 1 and Jamie Dixon 2. And based Jamie Dixon 2's recruiting performance at the end, how can we assume he would have turned this around?
Stallings and Dixon both deserve some blame, but Barnes takes the cake.
It's surprising because the anti Stallings people are so vocal. It's all we hear. They think they are helping the program. But they are not.
this probably says it all, should be pinned at the top and this topic should be put to rest forever.
But let’s put that in context-
Among his worse ranked classes was Sheldon jeter, Ryan Luther and cam Johnson. A couple solid big guys and a long shooter who was targeted by every power program as a Grad transfer. Ty haughton was a waste.
Then we had Damon Wilson, a 4 star guard and a couple jucos in Milligan and Nix.
Then artis, young, uchebo, and newkirk.
Two all-ACC starters, a double-double guy in cusa, and a starting guard at Indiana.
But- I’ll assume you’re counting the first class that Stallings signed and rerecruited , because he could bring in nobody else, only to flush- as Dixon’s?
As in any organization the "buck stops at the top."
So you can start with Nordy or Gallagher or SP who wouldn't give Dixon what he needed, narrow it down to Gallagher and Barnes for the same reason, and narrow it down further to Gallagher the only remaining "culprit" from the "Three Amigos" where I started.
Lyke gets a " free pass" unless she compounds the Pitt basketball problem or makes it worse if that's possible!
Lyke has the chance to be the Pitt Wonder Woman/AD if she can bail water fast enough and get the ship floating again.
I recommend alot of buckets!
So you can start with Nordy or Gallagher or SP who wouldn't give Dixon what he needed, narrow it down to Gallagher and Barnes for the same reason, and narrow it down further to Gallagher the only remaining "culprit" from the "Three Amigos" where I started.
Lyke gets a " free pass" unless she compounds the Pitt basketball problem or makes it worse if that's possible!
Lyke has the chance to be the Pitt Wonder Woman/AD if she can bail water fast enough and get the ship floating again.
I recommend alot of buckets!
As stated above....These types of topics should go away as they don't do anyone any good.
Having said that, all 3 deserve some blame. If people can't see that things (recruiting, performance, attendance) started to decline under Dixon, then they really are JIG people and need help. I do not know if people influenced Barnes or if Barnes did not like Jamie or what, nor do I think anyone on this board really knows, but Barnes was in charge of bringing the next coach in. Based on this board, I don't think anyone was happy with KS. I can't blame KS for being here....he just took a job with a 6 year deal. Wouldn't you? While I am not a coach, I think he should have done better last year. He had a couple nice wins, but a lot of disappointing losses in there.
But I think KS would deserve more of the blame if we are asking "why has Pitt been at the bottom for so long" in the next couple of years.
Having said that, all 3 deserve some blame. If people can't see that things (recruiting, performance, attendance) started to decline under Dixon, then they really are JIG people and need help. I do not know if people influenced Barnes or if Barnes did not like Jamie or what, nor do I think anyone on this board really knows, but Barnes was in charge of bringing the next coach in. Based on this board, I don't think anyone was happy with KS. I can't blame KS for being here....he just took a job with a 6 year deal. Wouldn't you? While I am not a coach, I think he should have done better last year. He had a couple nice wins, but a lot of disappointing losses in there.
But I think KS would deserve more of the blame if we are asking "why has Pitt been at the bottom for so long" in the next couple of years.
There isn’t a single person that doesn’t admit things had gone south a deal under Dixon. There is a difference though between saying things had gone south and that he destroyed the program.
Things would NEVER have gotten this bad under him.
