If I was Gallagher/Lyke, this is what I do

[Sean Miller Fan]

Gallagher made an enormous mistake with the Barnes hire and a bigger mistake in allowing Barnes to let him walk away with a reduced buyout. Gallagher is culpable here. You can say Pitt's BOT does not care about athletics but games at The Pete were "a thing." Pitt basketball mattered in this city and mattered nationally. While, Dixon II was bubblish, it did not warrant a self-imposed death penalty we essentially put on ourselves by letting him go an hiring a long-time mediocre coach who was going to be fired. It was a disaster from the start and Gallagher is as much at fault as anyone.

Heather Lyke knows this and needs to understand she has a lot of leverage here. Gallagher's job may not be in immediate danger because Pitt doesn't take sports that seriously but this mistake sucked the life and spirit out of a campus gem, out of something Pitt alums could be proud of. Gallagher has personal incentive to over-correct here, or at least he should. Lyke needs to beg for as much money as possible to go after a coach who will cause Pitt fans to rejoice. For the purposes of this post, lets just say Danny Hurley (while I'd love him to be the guy, there are a handful of semi-realistic others who would have the same effect on Pitt fans).

I'd beg Gallagher to allow me to dangle $4 million (the amount I think it would take for Hurley to come here) per year. Assuming he says yes, I have the press conference on a Saturday at The Pete and invite every fan to it. At the same press conference, I announce a new, cheaper ticketing plan and allow anyone in attendance to buy season tickets that day, maybe with a 10% early bird discount or something. At this, what amounts to a pep rally, if I'm Hurley, I say that he remembers seeing what this building was and while it may take a couple years to field those kinds of teams, he wants the place filled NOW, every night and to go get your tickets. Heather caps it off saying what a proud day it is for Pitt, great things are to come but we have to all support this coach and give him a great homecourt advantage. After you purchase your tickets, Danny will meet you to shake hands and take a photo op.

Pitt has stolen my ideas from this board before, hopefully they like this one. I really believe that if Pitt truly had the will, it could get a Hurley-type coach and The Pete could get rocking again sooner than later. What I am afraid of is that if we hire an uninspiring mid-major, while they may end up being a good coach, Pitt fans will have the attitude of "ok, better than Stallings, let me know if they get good in a few years and I'll come back."

 

[pittjas]

Gallagher made an enormous mistake with the Barnes hire and a bigger mistake in allowing Barnes to let him walk away with a reduced buyout. Gallagher is culpable here. You can say Pitt's BOT does not care about athletics but games at The Pete were "a thing." Pitt basketball mattered in this city and mattered nationally. While, Dixon II was bubblish, it did not warrant a self-imposed death penalty we essentially put on ourselves by letting him go an hiring a long-time mediocre coach who was going to be fired. It was a disaster from the start and Gallagher is as much at fault as anyone.

Heather Lyke knows this and needs to understand she has a lot of leverage here. Gallagher's job may not be in immediate danger because Pitt doesn't take sports that seriously but this mistake sucked the life and spirit out of a campus gem, out of something Pitt alums could be proud of. Gallagher has personal incentive to over-correct here, or at least he should. Lyke needs to beg for as much money as possible to go after a coach who will cause Pitt fans to rejoice. For the purposes of this post, lets just say Danny Hurley (while I'd love him to be the guy, there are a handful of semi-realistic others who would have the same effect on Pitt fans).

I'd beg Gallagher to allow me to dangle $4 million (the amount I think it would take for Hurley to come here) per year. Assuming he says yes, I have the press conference on a Saturday at The Pete and invite every fan to it. At the same press conference, I announce a new, cheaper ticketing plan and allow anyone in attendance to buy season tickets that day, maybe with a 10% early bird discount or something. At this, what amounts to a pep rally, if I'm Hurley, I say that he remembers seeing what this building was and while it may take a couple years to field those kinds of teams, he wants the place filled NOW, every night and to go get your tickets. Heather caps it off saying what a proud day it is for Pitt, great things are to come but we have to all support this coach and give him a great homecourt advantage. After you purchase your tickets, Danny will meet you to shake hands and take a photo op.

Pitt has stolen my ideas from this board before, hopefully they like this one. I really believe that if Pitt truly had the will, it could get a Hurley-type coach and The Pete could get rocking again sooner than later. What I am afraid of is that if we hire an uninspiring mid-major, while they may end up being a good coach, Pitt fans will have the attitude of "ok, better than Stallings, let me know if they get good in a few years and I'll come back."

What ideas has Pitt stolen from you before? Serious question

 

[ThePanthers]

What ideas has Pitt stolen from you before? Serious question

None.

 

[cupkafan]

Yes lets pay a new hoops coach more than Duzz and his staff combined. SMF what a riot.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Gallagher made an enormous mistake with the Barnes hire and a bigger mistake in allowing Barnes to let him walk away with a reduced buyout. Gallagher is culpable here. You can say Pitt's BOT does not care about athletics but games at The Pete were "a thing." Pitt basketball mattered in this city and mattered nationally. While, Dixon II was bubblish, it did not warrant a self-imposed death penalty we essentially put on ourselves by letting him go an hiring a long-time mediocre coach who was going to be fired. It was a disaster from the start and Gallagher is as much at fault as anyone.

Heather Lyke knows this and needs to understand she has a lot of leverage here. Gallagher's job may not be in immediate danger because Pitt doesn't take sports that seriously but this mistake sucked the life and spirit out of a campus gem, out of something Pitt alums could be proud of. Gallagher has personal incentive to over-correct here, or at least he should. Lyke needs to beg for as much money as possible to go after a coach who will cause Pitt fans to rejoice. For the purposes of this post, lets just say Danny Hurley (while I'd love him to be the guy, there are a handful of semi-realistic others who would have the same effect on Pitt fans).

I'd beg Gallagher to allow me to dangle $4 million (the amount I think it would take for Hurley to come here) per year. Assuming he says yes, I have the press conference on a Saturday at The Pete and invite every fan to it. At the same press conference, I announce a new, cheaper ticketing plan and allow anyone in attendance to buy season tickets that day, maybe with a 10% early bird discount or something. At this, what amounts to a pep rally, if I'm Hurley, I say that he remembers seeing what this building was and while it may take a couple years to field those kinds of teams, he wants the place filled NOW, every night and to go get your tickets. Heather caps it off saying what a proud day it is for Pitt, great things are to come but we have to all support this coach and give him a great homecourt advantage. After you purchase your tickets, Danny will meet you to shake hands and take a photo op.

Pitt has stolen my ideas from this board before, hopefully they like this one. I really believe that if Pitt truly had the will, it could get a Hurley-type coach and The Pete could get rocking again sooner than later. What I am afraid of is that if we hire an uninspiring mid-major, while they may end up being a good coach, Pitt fans will have the attitude of "ok, better than Stallings, let me know if they get good in a few years and I'll come back."

What ideas has Pitt stolen from you before? Serious question

Incorporating Wiz Khalifa into the program. I am only half serious, though I half believe they actually got that idea from this board. They didn't take it as far as I suggested though. I said they should pay him an annual fee to sit courtside for X amount of games.

- other stuff I'm really just joking about like when I said Stallings should start 5 freshmen for marketing/PR purposes or saying we need to play at least 1 high level OOC home/home series, having fans shoot on the court after the games (kids can do this for certain games). There's lots of others that I cant remember but I'm not really serious, just kind of a running joke. Wiz, though, I think they got that from here.

 

[pittjas]

Yes lets pay a new hoops coach more than Duzz and his staff combined. SMF what a riot.

What Pitt pays for its next bball coach should have NOTHING to do with what Narduzzi makes.

Hurley is a head coach in demand, you pay what's necessary if you want him. Narduzzi was a DC and it didn't take $4 million to get him. The second Narduzzi wins the ACC Championship in the next few years and has Pitt's brand soaring, they'll be glad to pay him that.

Lastly, having Pitt basketball be relevant and the Pete packed is only a positive for Narduzzi and co. You think Izzo and Dantonio constantly are worried about who makes more?

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Yes lets pay a new hoops coach more than Duzz and his staff combined. SMF what a riot.

Exactly. Glad you get it. Its easier to win big in basketball than football. Pitt is at distinct disadvantage in football on various levels. In basketball, once you get past 4-5 blue bloods, literally anyone can be a Top 5 or 10 team. Heck, for a decade we were. In football, Pitt cant get close to that let alone sustain it

 

[cruzer]

I seriously doubt that Pitt is going to pony up either the buyout or the big bucks for a new coach. You need to look at this through the lens of what's happening overall at Pitt. There are discussions going on at the board level concerning State funding for Pitt. The % of contribution from the State is going down every year. Pitt is reluctantly looking at the go-private option. If they do, it's going to blow a $100M+ hole in the overall budget. Funding for sports in general is not likely to be a priority.

Just my 2 cents.

Cruzer

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Yes lets pay a new hoops coach more than Duzz and his staff combined. SMF what a riot.

What Pitt pays for its next bball coach should have NOTHING to do with what Narduzzi makes.

Hurley is a head coach in demand, you pay what's necessary if you want him. Narduzzi was a DC and it didn't take $4 million to get him. The second Narduzzi wins the ACC Championship in the next few years and has Pitt's brand soaring, they'll be glad to pay him that.

Lastly, having Pitt basketball be relevant and the Pete packed is only a positive for Narduzzi and co. You think Izzo and Dantonio constantly are worried about who makes more?

I'd guess Narduzzi wants the best basketball coach possible. Its a bad look for him to bring recruits into a dead Pete.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

I seriously doubt that Pitt is going to pony up either the buyout or the big bucks for a new coach. You need to look at this through the lens of what's happening overall at Pitt. There are discussions going on at the board level concerning State funding for Pitt. The % of contribution from the State is going down every year. Pitt is reluctantly looking at the go-private option. If they do, it's going to blow a $100M+ hole in the overall budget. Funding for sports in general is not likely to be a priority.

Just my 2 cents.

Cruzer

OK but Rhode Island makes like $600,000 per year from the A10 TV contract and also has to fund an FCS football team. They have a smallish arena and dont get much in A10 NCAAT shares. Wouldn't ya think Pitt has the resources to blow URI out of the water? Pitt gets $20 million from ESPN, has potential to sell a lot more seats, and gets $2-$3 million from NCAAT shares.

 

[Ski11585]

Yes lets pay a new hoops coach more than Duzz and his staff combined. SMF what a riot.

if it's a coach with more actual success than Duzz he 100% deserves more compensation.

 

[HailToPitt1985]

I'd be all for letting fans at a rally for a new coach get discounts on season's tickets. As long as none of those seats displace current season ticket holders who have been loyal to this program for so many up and down years, especially now with this abysmal season. If anything, the current season ticket holders should be given the reward of upgrading to better seats at no additional cost whatsoever.

 

[IamHeisenberg]

Gallagher made an enormous mistake with the Barnes hire and a bigger mistake in allowing Barnes to let him walk away with a reduced buyout. Gallagher is culpable here. You can say Pitt's BOT does not care about athletics but games at The Pete were "a thing." Pitt basketball mattered in this city and mattered nationally. While, Dixon II was bubblish, it did not warrant a self-imposed death penalty we essentially put on ourselves by letting him go an hiring a long-time mediocre coach who was going to be fired. It was a disaster from the start and Gallagher is as much at fault as anyone.

Heather Lyke knows this and needs to understand she has a lot of leverage here. Gallagher's job may not be in immediate danger because Pitt doesn't take sports that seriously but this mistake sucked the life and spirit out of a campus gem, out of something Pitt alums could be proud of. Gallagher has personal incentive to over-correct here, or at least he should. Lyke needs to beg for as much money as possible to go after a coach who will cause Pitt fans to rejoice. For the purposes of this post, lets just say Danny Hurley (while I'd love him to be the guy, there are a handful of semi-realistic others who would have the same effect on Pitt fans).

I'd beg Gallagher to allow me to dangle $4 million (the amount I think it would take for Hurley to come here) per year. Assuming he says yes, I have the press conference on a Saturday at The Pete and invite every fan to it. At the same press conference, I announce a new, cheaper ticketing plan and allow anyone in attendance to buy season tickets that day, maybe with a 10% early bird discount or something. At this, what amounts to a pep rally, if I'm Hurley, I say that he remembers seeing what this building was and while it may take a couple years to field those kinds of teams, he wants the place filled NOW, every night and to go get your tickets. Heather caps it off saying what a proud day it is for Pitt, great things are to come but we have to all support this coach and give him a great homecourt advantage. After you purchase your tickets, Danny will meet you to shake hands and take a photo op.

Pitt has stolen my ideas from this board before, hopefully they like this one. I really believe that if Pitt truly had the will, it could get a Hurley-type coach and The Pete could get rocking again sooner than later. What I am afraid of is that if we hire an uninspiring mid-major, while they may end up being a good coach, Pitt fans will have the attitude of "ok, better than Stallings, let me know if they get good in a few years and I'll come back."

Pitt still has the 26th largest endowment amongst U.S. and Canadian colleges at $3.52 BILLION and you think Gallagher's job is in any kind of danger!!! Oh lord, that is laughable.

 

[Gunga_Galunga]

if it's a coach with more actual success than Duzz he 100% deserves more compensation.

No he doesn't. Football coaches should make more because they make more for the schools. P5 BB coaches make much less on average than what P5 FB coaches do.

If they bring Danny Hurley at $4m, Duzz would be in Lyke's office the next day.

 

[yourhired]

SMF School Presidents are not hired to worry about athletic programs they are to raise funds, academic prestige, and grants that's it. In turn a good school President let's the AD handle the search for coaching hires if the President wants to meddle they will but for most part they will not. Honestly do you think Gallagher was in the interviews for the soccer coach or wrestling coach no he may have met them for lunch. Heather has a budget and a person in mind when the time comes while I don't think it will be Hurley he has turned Pitt down before Pitt will find a coach who will be the polar opposite of Stallings.

 

[Jpripper88]

SMF School Presidents are not hired to worry about athletic programs they are to raise funds, academic prestige, and grants that's it. In turn a good school President let's the AD handle the search for coaching hires if the President wants to meddle they will but for most part they will not. Honestly do you think Gallagher was in the interviews for the soccer coach or wrestling coach no he may have met them for lunch. Heather has a budget and a person in mind when the time comes while I don't think it will be Hurley he has turned Pitt down before Pitt will find a coach who will be the polar opposite of Stallings.

1. The President and BoT approves the contracts.
2. The President doesn't (shouldn't) be sitting in on any coach interviews.
3. Comparing soccer/wrestling to men's basketball is silly.

 

[NTOP]

Incorporating Wiz Khalifa into the program. I am only half serious, though I half believe they actually got that idea from this board. They didn't take it as far as I suggested though. I said they should pay him an annual fee to sit courtside for X amount of games.

- other stuff I'm really just joking about like when I said Stallings should start 5 freshmen for marketing/PR purposes or saying we need to play at least 1 high level OOC home/home series, having fans shoot on the court after the games (kids can do this for certain games). There's lots of others that I cant remember but I'm not really serious, just kind of a running joke. Wiz, though, I think they got that from here.

Keep that bum a thousand miles away from Pitt.

 

[NTOP]

Pitt still has the 26th largest endowment amongst U.S. and Canadian colleges at $3.52 BILLION and you think Gallagher's job is in any kind of danger!!! Oh lord, that is laughable.

Yep...even though Nordy was the boss during the big jump in size. Gallagher's job will be OK as long as research $$ keeps flowing.

 

[NTOP]

No he doesn't. Football coaches should make more because they make more for the schools. P5 BB coaches make much less on average than what P5 FB coaches do.

If they bring Danny Hurley at $4m, Duzz would be in Lyke's office the next day.

Dixon's teams NETTED more than FB for quite a while. Should Duzz tell Heather that he didn't make a bowl this pat year....or maybe she knows that. Duzz didn't make nearly Dixon's salary, and I doubt he complained. That said, Hurley isn't worth $4 million...yet.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

if it's a coach with more actual success than Duzz he 100% deserves more compensation.

No he doesn't. Football coaches should make more because they make more for the schools. P5 BB coaches make much less on average than what P5 FB coaches do.

If they bring Danny Hurley at $4m, Duzz would be in Lyke's office the next day.

And I'd tell Duzz, we'd love you to stay but there are 10 other Duzz's out there who could win between 5-8 games. Differentiate yourself

 

[Gunga_Galunga]

Dixon's teams NETTED more than FB for quite a while. Should Duzz tell Heather that he didn't make a bowl this pat year....or maybe she knows that. Duzz didn't make nearly Dixon's salary, and I doubt he complained. That said, Hurley isn't worth $4 million...yet.

Yes, for a few years. Only because of the BB heavy TV contract, and terrible FB TV contract, in a BB conference. And Dixon did make more than the FB coach when BB made more.

It hasn't been close since Pitt joined a real conference, and the delta will be north of $10m this year.

 

[Gunga_Galunga]

And I'd tell Duzz, we'd love you to stay but there are 10 other Duzz's out there who could win between 5-8 games. Differentiate yourself

WTF has Dan Hurley done to differentiate himself? He's the equivalent of an above average MAC football coach. He's an average hire for a P5 BB school.

 

[HailToPitt1985]

And I'd tell Duzz, we'd love you to stay but there are 10 other Duzz's out there who could win between 5-8 games. Differentiate yourself

I actually agree with you on this one. Narduzzi hasn't proven one thing yet. Winning between 5 and 7 games a year is something hundreds of coaches can do. Now if Narduzzi can win 8+ games every year for the next 3 years, that's the start of something that MAY justify his current salary.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

And I'd tell Duzz, we'd love you to stay but there are 10 other Duzz's out there who could win between 5-8 games. Differentiate yourself

WTF has Dan Hurley done to differentiate himself? He's the equivalent of an above average MAC football coach. He's an average hire for a P5 BB school.

Built a program from scratch and turned them into a Sweet 16ish contendor despite only having the A10 to sell. Narduzzi was just a DC and has done some nice things here but we've been average. It costs more to get a guy like Hurley than a top DC like Narduzzi.

 

[HailtoPitt]

Let's be real for a minute. Pitt is going to go cheap, and have even more years of not making the Tournament.

All Lyke needs to do is hire a warm body and she can say that she improved the program when she interviews for a Big Ten job. And it would be true.

 

[Gunga_Galunga]

Built a program from scratch and turned them into a Sweet 16ish contendor despite only having the A10 to sell. Narduzzi was just a DC and has done some nice things here but we've been average. It costs more to get a guy like Hurley than a top DC like Narduzzi.

Built from scratch? Really. Rhode Island won 20 or more games in 4 of the 5 years before he got there. He's been there 6 years playing a bunch of mediocre teams and his win percentage is .576 (.546 in conference). You're going to compare Hurley at RI to Duzz and football in the ACC.

He's not commanding any big dollars from any top programs, unless you're enamored by his last name.

 

[MarshallGoldberg]

WTF has Dan Hurley done to differentiate himself? He's the equivalent of an above average MAC football coach. He's an average hire for a P5 BB school.

Took Wagner from from 5-26 the year before he came to 25-6 by his second year.
Took Rhode Island from 7-24 the year before he came to 22-4 this year.
First conference regular season champs since 1981.
Second conference tournament champs in school history. May repeat this year.
First NCAA tournament appearance since 1999. Will be back again this year for sure.
First NCAA tournament game won since 1998.
Has recruited some very competitive high schools' players -- Imhotep Philly, St. Patrick in Elizabeth, John Carroll in Maryland, St Johns in DC. Already has a 4 star/top 100 recruit lined for next year, which is probably hard to do in the A10 these days.

It's a very nice resume. Not many coaches have done two turnaround jobs. Not sure exactly the right pay level but because it's a market with a lot of potential buyers, he will make some big money. Pitt is a pretty good job but he might hold out for a very good to great one. One state over in Uconn would be an obvious spot if Ollie is gone.

 

[PittMiamiRivalry]

Gallagher made an enormous mistake with the Barnes hire and a bigger mistake in allowing Barnes to let him walk away with a reduced buyout. Gallagher is culpable here. You can say Pitt's BOT does not care about athletics but games at The Pete were "a thing." Pitt basketball mattered in this city and mattered nationally. While, Dixon II was bubblish, it did not warrant a self-imposed death penalty we essentially put on ourselves by letting him go an hiring a long-time mediocre coach who was going to be fired. It was a disaster from the start and Gallagher is as much at fault as anyone.

Heather Lyke knows this and needs to understand she has a lot of leverage here. Gallagher's job may not be in immediate danger because Pitt doesn't take sports that seriously but this mistake sucked the life and spirit out of a campus gem, out of something Pitt alums could be proud of. Gallagher has personal incentive to over-correct here, or at least he should. Lyke needs to beg for as much money as possible to go after a coach who will cause Pitt fans to rejoice. For the purposes of this post, lets just say Danny Hurley (while I'd love him to be the guy, there are a handful of semi-realistic others who would have the same effect on Pitt fans).

I'd beg Gallagher to allow me to dangle $4 million (the amount I think it would take for Hurley to come here) per year. Assuming he says yes, I have the press conference on a Saturday at The Pete and invite every fan to it. At the same press conference, I announce a new, cheaper ticketing plan and allow anyone in attendance to buy season tickets that day, maybe with a 10% early bird discount or something. At this, what amounts to a pep rally, if I'm Hurley, I say that he remembers seeing what this building was and while it may take a couple years to field those kinds of teams, he wants the place filled NOW, every night and to go get your tickets. Heather caps it off saying what a proud day it is for Pitt, great things are to come but we have to all support this coach and give him a great homecourt advantage. After you purchase your tickets, Danny will meet you to shake hands and take a photo op.

Pitt has stolen my ideas from this board before, hopefully they like this one. I really believe that if Pitt truly had the will, it could get a Hurley-type coach and The Pete could get rocking again sooner than later. What I am afraid of is that if we hire an uninspiring mid-major, while they may end up being a good coach, Pitt fans will have the attitude of "ok, better than Stallings, let me know if they get good in a few years and I'll come back."

Very well stated. I have said Gallagher was totally asleep, and still appears to be, in this deal. He allowed Barnes to commit millions to a shady, questionable hire. Gallagher never cared that fans hated this hire from the get-go. We don't know about private conversations he had with Barnes, but there is no indication he voiced any concerns at all.

 

[PittMiamiRivalry]

What Pitt pays for its next bball coach should have NOTHING to do with what Narduzzi makes.

Hurley is a head coach in demand, you pay what's necessary if you want him. Narduzzi was a DC and it didn't take $4 million to get him. The second Narduzzi wins the ACC Championship in the next few years and has Pitt's brand soaring, they'll be glad to pay him that.

Lastly, having Pitt basketball be relevant and the Pete packed is only a positive for Narduzzi and co. You think Izzo and Dantonio constantly are worried about who makes more?

I agree. Focus on Pitt basketball and make it great again.

 

[PittMiamiRivalry]

Built a program from scratch and turned them into a Sweet 16ish contendor despite only having the A10 to sell. Narduzzi was just a DC and has done some nice things here but we've been average. It costs more to get a guy like Hurley than a top DC like Narduzzi.

Yes Narduzzi hasn't had a team ranked in the Top 25 at the end of the season and hasn't won a bowl game. He's still got a lot to prove.

 

[pittizit]

No he doesn't. Football coaches should make more because they make more for the schools. P5 BB coaches make much less on average than what P5 FB coaches do.

If they bring Danny Hurley at $4m, Duzz would be in Lyke's office the next day.

Coach K makes more than Cutliffe

 

[Jpripper88]

Coach K makes more than Cutliffe

Same at UNC, UK, KU, WVU, UL, Purdue, and several others. It depends on the commitment to the sports, the achievement, and the tenure.

 

[Gunga_Galunga]

Coach K makes more than Cutliffe

Duke BB makes more than Duke football, also more than Pitt football.

 

[HailtoPitt]

Took Wagner from from 5-26 the year before he came to 25-6 by his second year.
Took Rhode Island from 7-24 the year before he came to 22-4 this year.
First conference regular season champs since 1981.
Second conference tournament champs in school history. May repeat this year.
First NCAA tournament appearance since 1999. Will be back again this year for sure.
First NCAA tournament game won since 1998.
Has recruited some very competitive high schools' players -- Imhotep Philly, St. Patrick in Elizabeth, John Carroll in Maryland, St Johns in DC. Already has a 4 star/top 100 recruit lined for next year, which is probably hard to do in the A10 these days.

It's a very nice resume. Not many coaches have done two turnaround jobs. Not sure exactly the right pay level but because it's a market with a lot of potential buyers, he will make some big money. Pitt is a pretty good job but he might hold out for a very good to great one. One state over in Uconn would be an obvious spot if Ollie is gone.

He sounds like a no brainier hire, if they could get him.

 

[Gunga_Galunga]

A no brainer at Stallings salary. You should do a lot better for $4m.

I don't have a problem with Hurley, but I also don't see him as a home run, break the bank kind of hire.

 

[HailToPitt1985]

Hurley would be a good hire. But we can do better than that. Again, thinking that Hurley is our best option is selling Pitt way short.

 

[joeydavid]

This is pretty much nonsense. If Pitt were to go after Hurley the competition will other school's from power conferences- not Rhode Island.

OK but Rhode Island makes like $600,000 per year from the A10 TV contract and also has to fund an FCS football team. They have a smallish arena and dont get much in A10 NCAAT shares. Wouldn't ya think Pitt has the resources to blow URI out of the water? Pitt gets $20 million from ESPN, has potential to sell a lot more seats, and gets $2-$3 million from NCAAT shares.

 

[paulbl99]

Gallagher made an enormous mistake with the Barnes hire and a bigger mistake in allowing Barnes to let him walk away with a reduced buyout. Gallagher is culpable here. You can say Pitt's BOT does not care about athletics but games at The Pete were "a thing." Pitt basketball mattered in this city and mattered nationally. While, Dixon II was bubblish, it did not warrant a self-imposed death penalty we essentially put on ourselves by letting him go an hiring a long-time mediocre coach who was going to be fired. It was a disaster from the start and Gallagher is as much at fault as anyone.

Heather Lyke knows this and needs to understand she has a lot of leverage here. Gallagher's job may not be in immediate danger because Pitt doesn't take sports that seriously but this mistake sucked the life and spirit out of a campus gem, out of something Pitt alums could be proud of. Gallagher has personal incentive to over-correct here, or at least he should. Lyke needs to beg for as much money as possible to go after a coach who will cause Pitt fans to rejoice. For the purposes of this post, lets just say Danny Hurley (while I'd love him to be the guy, there are a handful of semi-realistic others who would have the same effect on Pitt fans).

I'd beg Gallagher to allow me to dangle $4 million (the amount I think it would take for Hurley to come here) per year. Assuming he says yes, I have the press conference on a Saturday at The Pete and invite every fan to it. At the same press conference, I announce a new, cheaper ticketing plan and allow anyone in attendance to buy season tickets that day, maybe with a 10% early bird discount or something. At this, what amounts to a pep rally, if I'm Hurley, I say that he remembers seeing what this building was and while it may take a couple years to field those kinds of teams, he wants the place filled NOW, every night and to go get your tickets. Heather caps it off saying what a proud day it is for Pitt, great things are to come but we have to all support this coach and give him a great homecourt advantage. After you purchase your tickets, Danny will meet you to shake hands and take a photo op.

Pitt has stolen my ideas from this board before, hopefully they like this one. I really believe that if Pitt truly had the will, it could get a Hurley-type coach and The Pete could get rocking again sooner than later. What I am afraid of is that if we hire an uninspiring mid-major, while they may end up being a good coach, Pitt fans will have the attitude of "ok, better than Stallings, let me know if they get good in a few years and I'll come back."

Pitt has stolen my ideas from this board before,


Now that’s believable given the complete FUDGE UPS over the past 5-7 in both FB/BB ....