Season has ended with just 3 conference wins. The wins have been declining for the last 4 years. Stallings was fired in 2 years. How much longer for SMS? She should have been out.
How long before Suzie McConnell-Serio get call out?
- Thread starter Fanfromadistance
- Start date
Worth mentioning, especially considering she’s the 3rd highest paid athletics coach I believe? Or up there at least. But then it’s like, who else can you get? And you have to pay them too. Seems like a tough situation, real shame it hasn’t been working out with her especially considering some of the excitement there was in the beginning.
I just think that with three years on her contract that they are going to (or probably already have) decide that they aren't going to eat that much money. Especially with the Stallings disaster. If he had done a good job and things look OK with the men then I think SM-S may very well have been fired after this season. But now I think they are going to ride with her for one more year and see what happens.
I wouldn’t be surprised if their plan is to put all their resources into the men’s program this offseason (in terms of finding a new coach) and focus on the women’s program next year. You don’t want it to be overlooked because of another major hire.
She probably gets 2 more years because there is no reason to buy out a women's coach.
That's a valid point and probably would be true in most cases, but there's been some talk that there's some internal issues going on. Rumor mill is SMS is not kind.
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No one cares make her stay and see if she can improve on 3 conference wins, if she gets to 0 wins in conference warn her that 4 or less wins in two years is the standard.
I think we are seeing why the nitters passed on her when they had their opening several years ago. Gerry Faust syndrome, excellent high school coach not ready for the big time.
It takes too much time and effort to get Men's in order. Suzie bought a year when Stallings got canned.
Pitt has a priority in men's hoops. No distractions needed.
IMO all good posts in this thread. With that said, once again so much of it comes down to recruiting. Exactly like the men's program, we simply do not have ACC level players.
Also. it's hard to build, when two years in a row your best player transfers. A lot of
posters seem to know about internal problems, McConnell's demeanor, etc. etc. I
live too far away to know about those issues, but it doesn't take too many game
watches to see the talent differences between our women and most of the other
ACC teams. She has the resume and the experience as a player along with
international and some professional league coaching, but something is amiss
with her...and IMO it starts with recruiting.
Also. it's hard to build, when two years in a row your best player transfers. A lot of
posters seem to know about internal problems, McConnell's demeanor, etc. etc. I
live too far away to know about those issues, but it doesn't take too many game
watches to see the talent differences between our women and most of the other
ACC teams. She has the resume and the experience as a player along with
international and some professional league coaching, but something is amiss
with her...and IMO it starts with recruiting.
Yes, she has history of being a great player, but does that equates to a good leader or better yet great coach.
Suzie is going to get all the time she needs to turn it around.. Firing her would be a little trickier for a lot of reasons:
- Unlike Stallings, she is one of us (Western PA native).
- She was a very popular hire.
- Her resume is thick with achievements as a player (Two time Olympian medalist, All-American at PSU)
- As a coach she was named 2004 WNBA Coach of the Year. She also did wonders in turning around Duquesne's program.
- She is well liked by the locals (The McConnell's have a lot of fans), by the administration (Gallagher), and is respected among her coaching peers.
I understand that winning is the only important thing, but if Pitt fired her tomorrow, she wouldn't be out of work very long. As someone mentioned earlier, the biggest problem she has encountered is getting better players.
If anyone thinks we can do better than her, please give Gallagher a call...
- Unlike Stallings, she is one of us (Western PA native).
- She was a very popular hire.
- Her resume is thick with achievements as a player (Two time Olympian medalist, All-American at PSU)
- As a coach she was named 2004 WNBA Coach of the Year. She also did wonders in turning around Duquesne's program.
- She is well liked by the locals (The McConnell's have a lot of fans), by the administration (Gallagher), and is respected among her coaching peers.
I understand that winning is the only important thing, but if Pitt fired her tomorrow, she wouldn't be out of work very long. As someone mentioned earlier, the biggest problem she has encountered is getting better players.
If anyone thinks we can do better than her, please give Gallagher a call...
She has historically (WNBA, USA Basketball) coached well (good Xs and Os) when she has had talented players to coach. Unfortunately, her Pitt recruiting has been poor by ACC standards.
We absolutely can do better, because Susie's not done a remotely adequate or satisfactory job with the women's program. If it wasn't for Stallings, she'd likely be done. We're going to sink a lot of money into trying to fix the men's disaster first, so serendipity has likely bought her more time.
Nothing you mentioned above matters one iota, and she stagnated and underachieved at Duquesne. All that matters is that her winning % 0.435 (.275) after 5 years at Pitt downright stinks. Her tenure has been a failure.
The McConnell being well like doesn't constitute her staying with Lyke. If there is any grain of substances behind the internal confusion and her not being kind then that could be enough "cause" of her release.
Even Golaith has his day of defeat.
I care, and see no reason to dump her before her contract is up, indeed poor choice of words on my part,.
Isn't that basically what I posted when I said something's "amiss" with her. I listed her
resume, but in no way suggested she's done a good job here at Pitt.
No need to pay a buyout for a sport that generates no revenue at this point.
As someone above said, she seems to be able to coach talented players, and when she had a few when she first arrived she did well. At this point the question has to be her ability and that of her staff to recruit.
As someone above said, she seems to be able to coach talented players, and when she had a few when she first arrived she did well. At this point the question has to be her ability and that of her staff to recruit.
So your recommendation is to let it tank under this coach? Because it's not generating revenue. Where is the pride and love of competing for the sport, community, school and conference. Perhaps, removing her and replacing with a coach who could recruit and develop talent - just maybe, it will generate more revenue than what's currently being provided.
Suzie lucked out big time with the utter failure of the men's program. It amazingly allowed her to fly under the radar. She better get it together next year, if she has a next year.
Matt mentioned a few days ago that she may be in trouble and implied she may be gone. But there was never a follow up to that unless I missed it.
She is a flat out winner... i know it hasn't gone well so far, but i think she'll eventually figure it out... give her more time.
Yes, all you said Crazy Paco (your posts are always on point!). Not sure why being from Western PA matters one iota when she eats away 2 MILLION dollars a year. Her operating budget is over a mil. She alone makes 650. way too much was paid to her to start and she got anything she wanted form SCP. She is not going anywhere because Pitt can't afford it now. Barnes signed her until 20-21. If Heather is smart, she will reduce her budget considerably for next fiscal year to prove a point. Others win on less. Take a look at next year's recruiting class, does she even have a big coming in?!
She underachieved across town (and blames that on the A10 instead of her ineptness and inability to beat non-conference opponents she should have) and she won at Pitt to start on the coattails of one of Agnus' recruits. As far as the McConnell's - most are liked, but many are not because of the way they have taken over the PEC with no regard for any other fans.
Lastly, while her resume is thick with accolades, many of those are from 35 years ago. Many kids nowadays have no idea who she is outside of PA and Ohio. As Farfromadistance noted, there is also the rumors that SMS has a horrible mean streak. Who wants to play for a coach that is a: not winning b: has a culture to not be 'about' her players.
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She can coach, but absolutely cannot recruit (or retain) good players.
Next year they should be better because Diop will be a senior - she’s an excellent player. And maybe the two freshmen post players, who showed nothing this season, will somehow become at least rebounders. And the stand-still 3-point shooters now have some experience...
Don’t know what happened to the PG - she was something like 0 for 11 in Pitt’s final game. I had high hopes for her.
So now we see who transfers out this year..
Go Pitt.
Next year they should be better because Diop will be a senior - she’s an excellent player. And maybe the two freshmen post players, who showed nothing this season, will somehow become at least rebounders. And the stand-still 3-point shooters now have some experience...
Don’t know what happened to the PG - she was something like 0 for 11 in Pitt’s final game. I had high hopes for her.
So now we see who transfers out this year..
Go Pitt.
Forgot to mention 2 of the 3 guards she have coming in are injured. Both had surgeries and are recovering from them.
Losing Wise was the reddest of red flags. How do you lose a catholic school superstar when you coached at a catholic school in the area? Time to pull the plug on this.
that's why the MAJORITY of us are saying she is destined to make the cut and remain. Let her continue to dig her own hole. As far as potential upside for mbb, time to rebound is needed if indeed the buyout is 9 million but they have more of a chance - yes - to recoup. More so if football has some success.
When you get done blowing your virtuous BS at me - let me remind you that Pitt isn't going to fire both the men's and women's basketball coaches in the same year. That's a giant money and resource issue. I don't love the idea of letting it tank, and I believe after next year goes just like this year she'll also be removed with less money remaining on the buyout.
I won't even respond to the crap about pride. It's a sport that exists at the level it does in all of college athletics because it has to. In this town it's absolutely unrealistic to think it can even draw an audience. Volleyball, soccer and gymnastics should likely all be more of a focus of this athletic department because they have a built in niche fanbase and no competition whatsoever in a pro sports town.
Don't even speak to me about revenue, because you don't have a clue what you're talking about. UCONN's women's team costs their university 2 million dollars per year and they're the best performing, best attended, and most decorated program of all-time in that sport.
Actually UCONN is 4th (2017), South Carolina has the most attendees. I get it that Pittsburgh is a pro sport town, therefore WBB is one of the least attractions. More of a reason Pitt needs a great WBB coach. One that can recruit, develop talent and reach the community. You missed the point that some of us are trying to make. SMS can't win. She can't get recruits in her own back yard. SHE from the community you would think that the stadium should be nearly full with support from the locals. She's a Burgh's girl and a McConnell!
Susie was a very underwhelming hire to begin with. Her coaching records where not good. How in the world does she have three years remaining? Did she get extended? If so why and by whom?
Suzie’s Duquesne teams were pretty good - they played fast. They dominated Pitt and when you watched those games it was obvious that one team was way better prepared and better coached than the other...
Go Pitt.
Go Pitt.
She was head coach at Duq for 6 seasons and their best result was 3rd in the Atlantic 10. That isn't bad, but if not for the local ties there is no way she gets the gig at Pitt.
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