in decades? Capel has failed in every respect, and in spectacular fashion.
Does Lyke get any heat for the worst college basketball hire
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I admit that I thought it was a good hire initially. But it is time to move on.
She should. She's lucky Covid saved Narduzzi since it got Pickett the extra year. Football is back to 6-6 next year and we'll be hiring a new football coach in a couple years. Narduzzi, Capel, Volleyball arena. 3 horrific decisions
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It seemed to be a great hire so I wouldn't hold her to the hire but how long this goes on is on her!
I get it but does she fire him tonight? I would say this is his last season.
No......The Stallings hire still holds the title as worst hire.
15 Milllion ????? Man , this basketball stuff is draining the University.
He has 5 years left so that would be about right. How bout we only spend $285 million on volleyball instead of $300 million, there you go.
Heather, its not hard to win in college basketball. You need 3-4 good players and a decent guy who can coach them. Stop worrying about volleyball and effing fix basketball!!!!!
If Lyke gave Capel a contract with that large of a buyout, SHE should be fired for being a moron.
Capel for another year beyond this year is giving our program the death penalty.
I was praying she would get the Michigan State job. She has done nothing at Pitt other than putting that bridge on top of the scoreboard.
This will be it. The Pete will be empty all season. She won’t have a choice. He’s gonzo
I am sure Heather and her top notch legal people can find a reason to fire for "cause".
Maybe they had one in hand before the season started?
Really? I think that depends on the criteria you're using. Win-Loss records aren't the only criteria.
She cant dig to fire 2 coaches for cause. No one will ever want to work for here. The Stallings thing was a 1 time thing.
It can be her last duty, before she is fired. Then we can say to prospective coaches, that idiot is gone. you are now working for someone else.
That someone else would never act in such a despicable manner even as "a 1 time thing".
That work for you?
Yes. If she does fire for him for cause, I don't think she can hire a new coach here.
Young black players don't care what color the skin of their head coach is. They care about winning and feeling like they are a part of a winning tradition and can get to a post season tournament to get noticed. That is never happening with Capel.
After this year no way. 4 years of bad seasons, late season collapses, poor recruiting and add to that the locker room turmoil and player transfers in the middle of the season and it adds up to Capel being the worst hire.
It was a bad hire that was somehow praised. Capel did a poor job at Oklahoma, and then years later he was viewed as a solid to great hire for Pitt. Why?
We have a worse version of Steve Sakarsian leading the basketball program.
We have a worse version of Steve Sakarsian leading the basketball program.
While the end results may back up the validity of your assertion (and it's moving in that direction), let's be fair and remember that it really looked like a tremendous selection when it was announced.
That makes it feel even worse. At least when Stallings was hired, most Pitt fans knew what it was and didn't expect any miracles. Low expectations then. That's not what we expected with Capel.
This Capel team couldn't beat either of Stalling's teams. Just having this discussion is a strong indication that Capel should be fired. If Pitt can't afford the buyout, fire Lyke and have someone competent lead the work of getting rid of Capel. Scaling back Victory Heights would help,
Calling this the worst hire in basketball is an overreaction. It was a “high ceiling, low floor” hire that was worth a shot after we missed on our top choice. Unfortunately we’ve only gotten brief glimpses of the ceiling and look to be stuck on the floor of what this staff could do.
The crowd that made it seem as if Capel was a better hire than Hurley at the time and in proceeding years has hopefully given up on that crusade. Missing that hire was and still is so disappointing.
What I hope is apparent to the admin is that we need a program builder in here rather than a recruiter that could potentially patch the holes quickly. Capel was one of the most highly regarded recruiters in the country and he has not been able to get the type of talent in here that is needed to turn it around. We need someone who is going to come in with a long term plan to build a program and has experience doing so. Culture and player development need to take precedence over the sex appeal of recruiting.
The crowd that made it seem as if Capel was a better hire than Hurley at the time and in proceeding years has hopefully given up on that crusade. Missing that hire was and still is so disappointing.
What I hope is apparent to the admin is that we need a program builder in here rather than a recruiter that could potentially patch the holes quickly. Capel was one of the most highly regarded recruiters in the country and he has not been able to get the type of talent in here that is needed to turn it around. We need someone who is going to come in with a long term plan to build a program and has experience doing so. Culture and player development need to take precedence over the sex appeal of recruiting.
Or at lest have a balance, the culture created by this staff.....how can you recruit...I have no idea who would want to come here, but the desperate
Good luck with that. This fanbase doesn't have that patience. Look at the football side of things. Even with this season you still have people unhappy.
Btw, I agree with your long term vision.
Disagree a million percent. Its so easy to win in college basketball. You just need a few good players and a competent supporting cast. There is no guarantee the mid-major coach you hire will be a "program builder." He may be worse than Stallings and Capel. This program needs to get the best recruiter out there. I realize Capel was thought to be a strong recruiter but he was selling Coach K and got a little lucky Blake Griffin grew up down the street.
I think she…like a lot of us hoped…thought that he would be sought after in a few years, and the timing might align with Coach K retiring.
Obviously that’s a joke now - but think of the mindset in 2018.
Moral of the story might be avoid the big buyout for an unproven coach. If people come knocking, that’s a good problem to have and one that can be addressed with more money actually paid to a guy winning.
No one thought it was a bad hire at the time. Stallings, everyone knew. But Capel was so well received that most of us were surprised she landed him. Just hasn't worked out.
Serious question - what do you think is so bad about the culture?
Im not talking about decisions guys made or guys not getting a long. Im talking about what this coach is doing or not doing. I can’t put my finger on anything tangible, but there must be.
I don't think he understands today's TikTok/Instagram generation. He spent 7-8 years at a pre-NBA program (Duke). Those kids are different. They are there to learn and go to the NBA. Its not just that they're more talented, they know they are very close to being millionaires so they are inherently more focused. At Pitt, he gets kids more similar to normal college kids and I think he's completely out of touch, not realizing these kids sometimes behave like normal college kids.
Honestly, these kids need babysitters. I mean actually a staff of people to watch over them, make sure they don't screw each other's girlfriends, and to make sure their feelings arent hurt if coach yells at them. That's just today's generation.
