I watched Dixon's TCU Team on TV

[Chescat]

They beat St. Bonaventure in a Florida tournament championship game last week.
St. Bonaventure beat Maryland, in the first round while TCU beat New Mexico State.
Beating Maryland tells you that the Bonnies are good this year, so the TCU win had
some merit to it.
Anyway, I was amazed at the talent Jamie has recruited there. He has three bigs who
ALL can play, a very good pg, and other effective role players. Even with Blair, LeVance,
and Young, this TCU team has more overall talent. As far as how these players actually
perform...it's typical Dixon; tough defense, rugged rebounding, and working the ball for
a good shot. They're not Kentucky or Duke, but IMO they're damn good, and Jamie from my observation, hasn't lost a thing as far his coaching is concerned.
Not to open an old can of worms, but watching this I couldn't help but wonder why this
didn't occur at Pitt the last few years.

 

[BFo8]

Because Pitt didn’t have Ryan Miller as an assistant recruiting these type players the way Dixon does now.

 

[rockypanther]

Dixon actually got some good assistants that can recruit this time.

 

[Deer Head]

Its like watching a Dixon team. I can't wait to see them in Morgantown on Feb. 12.

 

[Chescat]

Because Pitt didn’t have Ryan Miller as an assistant recruiting these type players the way Dixon does now.

Yup, totally agree. My question was more rhetorical than anything. Normally I
wouldn't have even brought up the recruiting difference, but watching TCU
play, and play with that talent...I couldn't resist. LOL

 

[HailToPitt1985]

Its like watching a Dixon team. I can't wait to see them in Morgantown on Feb. 12.

Neither can I. I suspect that he'll give Huggins more than he can handle.

 

[HailToPitt1985]

Because Pitt didn’t have Ryan Miller as an assistant recruiting these type players the way Dixon does now.

AND....those recruits have coaching that gives them the best chance to be successful and win.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

They beat St. Bonaventure in a Florida tournament championship game last week.
St. Bonaventure beat Maryland, in the first round while TCU beat New Mexico State.
Beating Maryland tells you that the Bonnies are good this year, so the TCU win had
some merit to it.
Anyway, I was amazed at the talent Jamie has recruited there. He has three bigs who
ALL can play, a very good pg, and other effective role players. Even with Blair, LeVance,
and Young, this TCU team has more overall talent. As far as how these players actually
perform...it's typical Dixon; tough defense, rugged rebounding, and working the ball for
a good shot. They're not Kentucky or Duke, but IMO they're damn good, and Jamie from my observation, hasn't lost a thing as far his coaching is concerned.
Not to open an old can of worms, but watching this I couldn't help but wonder why this
didn't occur at Pitt the last few years.

Dixon is an excellent coach. He doesn't need great players. If he can just get good or above average players, he'll win at a high rate. Unfortunately, he wasn't getting those players anymore at Pitt. Bad recruiting assistants plus a bad reputation on the NE corridor AAU circuit had an effect. The change of scenery was great for him. He can reinvent himself and he has much better assistants and is in a talent-rich area.

 

[Fk_Pitt]

I'm almost tempted to go to Morganhole to see his team play. I hold nothing against him. He provided lots of great memories here. His time just expired here a few years ago.

 

[Deer Head]

Two knuckleheads on the team who happened to be the best players. Would happen to anyone eventually if they were in the same place for 15 years. Go TCU.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

I'm almost tempted to go to Morganhole to see his team play. I hold nothing against him. He provided lots of great memories here. His time just expired here a few years ago.

I will be forever grateful for what Jamie did for us. I would give him a standing ovation if he ever returned for a game at the Pete but its hard not to hold against him that he whiffed on 3 complete recruiting classes and only left 2 ACC level underclassmen in the program. Jamie is a legend here but he decimated the program with those classes.

 

[freddietee511]

I’ve noticed they push the ball more than we ever did and seem to utilize more dribble drive too

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

Dixon actually got some good assistants that can recruit this time.

Why didn't he have better assistants here? I was all over him the last 5 years for the quality of assistants.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

If you think about it, again Jamie made a brilliant and the right move. He going to TCU is about the same career and program arc as when He and Ben came to Pitt. Absolute bottom P5 level basketball. Any improvement is good. Alot of energy and momentum. Any success is appreciated and a building block because there were zero expectations and past success. Now 8 years from now, and Jamie has gotten some ranked TCU teams and bottoming out in the Sweet 16, the TCU fans and administration will start to get frustrated and criticize. It is the natural evolution of fandom.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

If you think about it, again Jamie made a brilliant and the right move. He going to TCU is about the same career and program arc as when He and Ben came to Pitt. Absolute bottom P5 level basketball. Any improvement is good. Alot of energy and momentum. Any success is appreciated and a building block because there were zero expectations and past success. Now 8 years from now, and Jamie has gotten some ranked TCU teams and bottoming out in the Sweet 16, the TCU fans and administration will start to get frustrated and criticize. It is the natural evolution of fandom.

He absolutely made the right choice to leave. I hold no grudges for him leaving. I think he needed the scenery change. I was just upset at the program he left.

 

[Pittx9]

I'd have to watch them throughout the entire season to make a judgement on my own but just asking, OP do you really think TCU is more talented than blair, fields, young '09 team? That just seems crazy to me. I mean I'm guessing you're saying bench, role players, etc. they're a better team and I know they are good, but wow if he can really in year 2 field a better team at TCU than the best team in pitt history that is something.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

I'd have to watch them throughout the entire season to make a judgement on my own but just asking, OP do you really think TCU is more talented than blair, fields, young '09 team? That just seems crazy to me. I mean I'm guessing you're saying bench, role players, etc. they're a better team and I know they are good, but wow if he can really in year 2 field a better team at TCU than the best team in pitt history that is something.

That 2009 team was one of the top 4-5 teams in the nation. Should have been a Final 4 team and real threat to win it all. I don't know what the OP is smoking.

 

[cupkafan]

Jamie hired Smoke. Enough said. the guy was a complete useless tub of goo.

 

[Chescat]

I'd have to watch them throughout the entire season to make a judgement on my own but just asking, OP do you really think TCU is more talented than blair, fields, young '09 team? That just seems crazy to me. I mean I'm guessing you're saying bench, role players, etc. they're a better team and I know they are good, but wow if he can really in year 2 field a better team at TCU than the best team in pitt history that is something.

They have three bigs who can ALL play. A very good pg, and other players. Basically
I'm referring to the top 7 players. Blair was a monster, but their bigs would be a
challenge for him. I give Young the nod over their others, and the pg is a wash
between LaVance and their pg. The other two positions...definitely TCU. Off the bench, definitely TCU. BTW, they're presently ranked and undefeated. They haven't gotten
into the meat of their schedule and their tougher games yet, but it would have been
a hell of a game if it coulda been played.
The other thing I noticed, this TCU team is as well coached by Dixon, and yet it
does things unlike what I was used to when he was here. For instance, much
more up tempo, yet the same hard nosed Defense, and the same strong rebounding.
With all that said, I loved that '09 Pitt team...this was just my take as I watched
TCU the other night..

 

[Chescat]

That 2009 team was one of the top 4-5 teams in the nation. Should have been a Final 4 team and real threat to win it all. I don't know what the OP is smoking.

He was smoking reality..... LOL, actually just my opinion after watching TCU last week.

 

[Pitt3Putt]

Dixon inherited most of the bigs, for what it’s worth. They’ve broken out in a big way under him, but they were on the roster when he got there.

Think people are overrating Ryan Miller, too. He brought Jaylen Fisher but other than that you’re seeing Dixon go to the Oceania well quite a bit and then nabbing solid kids from Texas by capitalizing on being the only P5 school located in a large, truly urban area (Austin is a whole different beast).

Basically, doing what you’d expect him to do at a program like that. He’s nabbing DFW area kids at a solid clip and then usually getting a Houston kid in there, too.

 

[Pittfan85]

If you think about it, again Jamie made a brilliant and the right move. He going to TCU is about the same career and program arc as when He and Ben came to Pitt. Absolute bottom P5 level basketball. Any improvement is good. Alot of energy and momentum. Any success is appreciated and a building block because there were zero expectations and past success. Now 8 years from now, and Jamie has gotten some ranked TCU teams and bottoming out in the Sweet 16, the TCU fans and administration will start to get frustrated and criticize. It is the natural evolution of fandom.

Well, all fans have to do is look at pitt and see why you need to appreciate what you have. Look at BC too.

 

[Pitt3Putt]

If you think about it, again Jamie made a brilliant and the right move. He going to TCU is about the same career and program arc as when He and Ben came to Pitt. Absolute bottom P5 level basketball. Any improvement is good. Alot of energy and momentum. Any success is appreciated and a building block because there were zero expectations and past success. Now 8 years from now, and Jamie has gotten some ranked TCU teams and bottoming out in the Sweet 16, the TCU fans and administration will start to get frustrated and criticize. It is the natural evolution of fandom.

Well, all fans have to do is look at pitt and see why you need to appreciate what you have. Look at BC too.

Yeah what happened at Pitt wasn’t a “natural evolution of fandom”, it was delusion and a complete loss of perspective.

Gary Parrish had a good tweet about the Tennessee situation the other day, which I am pretty sure he would also apply to Pitt basketball given how hard he ripped them and what he relayed about what coaches were saying:

When you see a situation a certain way and everybody else sees it differently, it’s not because you “get it” and nobody else does, it’s because you’re blinded by fandom.

 

[Pittfan85]

Yeah what happened at Pitt wasn’t a “natural evolution of fandom”, it was delusion and a complete loss of perspective.

Gary Parrish had a good tweet about the Tennessee situation the other day, which I am pretty sure he would also apply to Pitt basketball given how hard he ripped them and what he relayed about what coaches were saying:

When you see a situation a certain way and everybody else sees it differently, it’s not because you “get it” and nobody else does, it’s because you’re blinded by fandom.

Not the same thing, but your last paragraph definitely applies to PSU fans and paterno.

You are also 100% correct.

Also, here is the other thing...there is a ton of revisionist history when people say “I only complained about dixon’s Last 5 years.” I wish I could go back and find posts from 2007, and 09 and 11 after the tournament losses. There were always a lot of people that wanted Dixon gone or didn’t like him. People were gleefully calling for him to be fired during the CBI year one year after winning the big east.

 

[Pitt3Putt]

Yeah what happened at Pitt wasn’t a “natural evolution of fandom”, it was delusion and a complete loss of perspective.

Gary Parrish had a good tweet about the Tennessee situation the other day, which I am pretty sure he would also apply to Pitt basketball given how hard he ripped them and what he relayed about what coaches were saying:

When you see a situation a certain way and everybody else sees it differently, it’s not because you “get it” and nobody else does, it’s because you’re blinded by fandom.

Not the same thing, but your last paragraph definitely applies to PSU fans and paterno.

You are also 100% correct.

Also, here is the other thing...there is a ton of revisionist history when people say “I only complained about dixon’s Last 5 years.” I wish I could go back and find posts from 2007, and 09 and 11 after the tournament losses. There were always a lot of people that wanted Dixon gone or didn’t like him. People were gleefully calling for him to be fired during the CBI year one year after winning the big east.

Right, there was always an undercurrent of pining for Sean Miller, a demand for uptempo basketball and an exciting guy who could win a press conference (ironically, that’s not Sean Miller), and the whole “last 5 years” is a pretty clear cherrypick.

Final 4 years and final 6 years were fine. Before posters were mad about the final 5 years, they were mad about the most recent 4 years. There was a pretty clear agenda by the end.

People saw Pitt at its best, decided that was the norm and that Pitt was now a brand that would recruit itself to that level with any old joker at the helm, and then reality slapped us in the face — just like everybody outside of the Pitt bubble said it would.

 

[Pittfan85]

Right, there was always an undercurrent of pining for Sean Miller, a demand for uptempo basketball and an exciting guy who could win a press conference (ironically, that’s not Sean Miller), and the whole “last 5 years” is a pretty clear cherrypick.

Final 4 years and final 6 years were fine. Before posters were mad about the final 5 years, they were mad about the most recent 4 years. There was a pretty clear agenda by the end.

People saw Pitt at its best, decided that was the norm and that Pitt was now a brand that would recruit itself to that level with any old joker at the helm, and then reality slapped us in the face — just like everybody outside of the Pitt bubble said it would.

Duke is good because they are duke. When K leaves, yeah they may not be AS good, but they will always be at worst a top 15 program.

Pitt as good because of howland and Dixon, and all the calls for everyone from Sean miller to and enfield failed to see that point.

 

[NTOP]

I'd have to watch them throughout the entire season to make a judgement on my own but just asking, OP do you really think TCU is more talented than blair, fields, young '09 team? That just seems crazy to me. I mean I'm guessing you're saying bench, role players, etc. they're a better team and I know they are good, but wow if he can really in year 2 field a better team at TCU than the best team in pitt history that is something.

That wasn't the best team in Pitt history. 74 & 87 were better. The 2009 team came closest to the F4. I was lucky enough to see them all.....the 74 team had the best player, the 87 the best talent, the 09 the best coach and attitude.

 

[Ski11585]

I shouldn't post this, but I can't help it.

Yes. Pitt was declining under Dixon. We all more or less agree that recruiting was poor and the team wasn't playing well and Dixon seemed off.

That being said - was Pitt in a worse situation for Stallings' first year than TCU was for Dixon? Because TCU is currently ranked in the AP poll and should, barring some catastrophe, be a tournament team. So I'm just wondering why I see so many calls for patience on Stallings' rebuild when Dixon went into a crappy situation as well and turned it around in one year.

 

[Pittfan85]

I shouldn't post this, but I can't help it.

Yes. Pitt was declining under Dixon. We all more or less agree that recruiting was poor and the team wasn't playing well and Dixon seemed off.

That being said - was Pitt in a worse situation for Stallings' first year than TCU was for Dixon? Because TCU is currently ranked in the AP poll and should, barring some catastrophe, be a tournament team. So I'm just wondering why I see so many calls for patience on Stallings' rebuild when Dixon went into a crappy situation as well and turned it around in one year.

Believe it or not, we had people saying that strictly for last year, the TCU team that Dixon inherited was more talented than the team stallings inherited. Pitt was coming off a tournament season and returned almost everyone...TCU was coming off a last place big 12 finish.

The people with an agenda against Dixon, that don’t want to admit they were wrong, have made every excuse for stallings by trying to blame Dixon. I won’t post their names, but we know who they are.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

I shouldn't post this, but I can't help it.

Yes. Pitt was declining under Dixon. We all more or less agree that recruiting was poor and the team wasn't playing well and Dixon seemed off.

That being said - was Pitt in a worse situation for Stallings' first year than TCU was for Dixon? Because TCU is currently ranked in the AP poll and should, barring some catastrophe, be a tournament team. So I'm just wondering why I see so many calls for patience on Stallings' rebuild when Dixon went into a crappy situation as well and turned it around in one year.

The teams they walked into were much different, but pretty close in talent. Pitt probably had the 3 most talented players in Young, Artis, and Cam but TCU was pretty solid across the board and had a true PG and a true center.

So its hard to say but without question Jamie inherited better underclassmen than Stallings did

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

Not the same thing, but your last paragraph definitely applies to PSU fans and paterno.

You are also 100% correct.

Also, here is the other thing...there is a ton of revisionist history when people say “I only complained about dixon’s Last 5 years.” I wish I could go back and find posts from 2007, and 09 and 11 after the tournament losses. There were always a lot of people that wanted Dixon gone or didn’t like him. People were gleefully calling for him to be fired during the CBI year one year after winning the big east.

That's true. But not most fans, and certainly not knowledgeable fans. Just ones who stay quiet until they "fill out their brackets". I always thought you guys gave these guys too much attention and should have ignored them.

That being said, we really were in a downward spiral. I am not sure why it was so bad, alot of speculation, but I felt it was right of the Administration to go to Jamie and demand some assistant changes, provided they were willing to pony up the cash. Varying reports on what was happening. But I think both entities needed a fresh start. Jamie is certainly OK. Pitt, well we really made a poor choice.

 

[Ski11585]

The teams they walked into were much different, but pretty close in talent. Pitt probably had the 3 most talented players in Young, Artis, and Cam but TCU was pretty solid across the board and had a true PG and a true center.

So its hard to say but without question Jamie inherited better underclassmen than Stallings did

And Jamie recruited harder before the start of his first season than Stallings did. And his second...

 

[jaygeekray]

I’ve noticed they push the ball more than we ever did and seem to utilize more dribble drive too

Levance pushed the ball when we had Sam & Gilbert running and finishing at the rim.

You want to slow down a Dixon team? Throw a full court press at them. Dixon reacts as if teams only press to increase the tempo of the game and not to get turnovers. I was taught at a very young age to make teams pay for trying to press you - go to the hole and score. Dixon does not prescribe to that same school of thought.

 

[Pittfan85]

That's true. But not most fans, and certainly not knowledgeable fans. Just ones who stay quiet until they "fill out their brackets". I always thought you guys gave these guys too much attention and should have ignored them.

That being said, we really were in a downward spiral. I am not sure why it was so bad, alot of speculation, but I felt it was right of the Administration to go to Jamie and demand some assistant changes, provided they were willing to pony up the cash. Varying reports on what was happening. But I think both entities needed a fresh start. Jamie is certainly OK. Pitt, well we really made a poor choice.

I take exception to anyone that says pitt was in a downward spiral. That is purely false.

 

[Cap pitt]

They beat St. Bonaventure in a Florida tournament championship game last week.
St. Bonaventure beat Maryland, in the first round while TCU beat New Mexico State.
Beating Maryland tells you that the Bonnies are good this year, so the TCU win had
some merit to it.
Anyway, I was amazed at the talent Jamie has recruited there. He has three bigs who
ALL can play, a very good pg, and other effective role players. Even with Blair, LeVance,
and Young, this TCU team has more overall talent. As far as how these players actually
perform...it's typical Dixon; tough defense, rugged rebounding, and working the ball for
a good shot. They're not Kentucky or Duke, but IMO they're damn good, and Jamie from my observation, hasn't lost a thing as far his coaching is concerned.
Not to open an old can of worms, but watching this I couldn't help but wonder why this
didn't occur at Pitt the last few years.

Please, let go

 

[oldharry]

Dixon is an excellent coach. He doesn't need great players. If he can just get good or above average players, he'll win at a high rate. Unfortunately, he wasn't getting those players anymore at Pitt. Bad recruiting assistants plus a bad reputation on the NE corridor AAU circuit had an effect. The change of scenery was great for him. He can reinvent himself and he has much better assistants and is in a talent-rich area.

Go away. You wrote hundreds of posts crapping all over him. Trash talking no nothings like you and and your ilk of pedo lovers drove him to a new place. Guys like you who wanted Bradley the pedo watcher and now Schiano prove your are nothing more than the number one pdu troll Go visit uncle jerry

 

[FourPanthers]

They beat St. Bonaventure in a Florida tournament championship game last week.
St. Bonaventure beat Maryland, in the first round while TCU beat New Mexico State.
Beating Maryland tells you that the Bonnies are good this year, so the TCU win had
some merit to it.
Anyway, I was amazed at the talent Jamie has recruited there. He has three bigs who
ALL can play, a very good pg, and other effective role players. Even with Blair, LeVance,
and Young, this TCU team has more overall talent. As far as how these players actually
perform...it's typical Dixon; tough defense, rugged rebounding, and working the ball for
a good shot. They're not Kentucky or Duke, but IMO they're damn good, and Jamie from my observation, hasn't lost a thing as far his coaching is concerned.
Not to open an old can of worms, but watching this I couldn't help but wonder why this
didn't occur at Pitt the last few years.

All players look more talented when they are coached by a good coach.

 

[FourPanthers]

I'm almost tempted to go to Morganhole to see his team play. I hold nothing against him. He provided lots of great memories here. His time just expired here a few years ago.

Why do good coaches expire at Pitt??? Why do we have to toss great people aside? We are not better off now so I'm not sure why Pitt fans always assume we will upgrade when we want to run someone out of town. He didn't forget how to coach, and he's showing it.

 

[Fk_Pitt]

He forgot how to coach at Pitt unfortunately and was showing no signs of an uptick. I fought people here for a couple years in his defense. I didn't want another Wanny situation. But it was probably time for him to go. They problem is--you better hit a home run if you let him leave. And they didn't.

 

[4Mark_Marty]

Go away. You wrote hundreds of posts crapping all over him. Trash talking no nothings like you and and your ilk of pedo lovers drove him to a new place. Guys like you who wanted Bradley the pedo watcher and now Schiano prove your are nothing more than the number one pdu troll Go visit uncle jerry

Go root for TCU