Ok, let me throw in my two cents. As someone who has been a Pitt fan for 15 years and lived in Nashville for the last decade, I've followed both programs very closely. This hire is not at all what I expected. But I'm an optimist by nature and have no choice but to spin this positively.
First, let me put an end to the criticism of Stallings b/c of the incident with Baldwin last year. Keep in mind that Baldwin had just taunted the opponent and acted like a punk. Stallings was just calling him out and getting after him for unacceptable behavior. That whole thing was overblown. The guy runs a clean program and recruits good kids who generally stay out of trouble and graduate.
Stallings is a good basketball coach--especially offensively and in special situations. Between 2003-2011 he averaged 22 wins and went to six NCAA tournaments. The last four years have been a disappointment, but he did make the NCAA tournament this year with a young team. Keep in mind that Vandy is a difficult job. I realize the SEC is nowhere near the ACC as a basketball conference, but he battled against some good coaches in the East for years- Calipari, Donovan, Pearl. Most importantly, recruiting at Vandy is a different animal with its academic requirements. When you purely look at the recruiting rankings, you aren't comparing apples to apples. Like Pitt, Nashville is not a hotbed for high school basketball. He's had to recruit guys nationally. Stallings has recruited well and developed guys--including a handful of NBA talent.
In terms of X's and O's and game planning, Pitt will be on par with the best coaches in the ACC. I imagine that he'll put together a good staff. His top assistant, Tom Richardson, has a tremendous reputation as a skill development guru and for his scouting. I really hope that he keeps Brandon Knight b/c I do worry about kids transferring and losing our current recruiting class. I think they need that link to the past tradition of Pitt--that blue-collar culture of hard work, great defense and being physical.
I realize this hire is being met with a lot of criticism, but we have hired a good basketball coach. Ok, that's my best attempt to spin things positively. Judging a guy before he's made any impact on the program is not productive.
First, let me put an end to the criticism of Stallings b/c of the incident with Baldwin last year. Keep in mind that Baldwin had just taunted the opponent and acted like a punk. Stallings was just calling him out and getting after him for unacceptable behavior. That whole thing was overblown. The guy runs a clean program and recruits good kids who generally stay out of trouble and graduate.
Stallings is a good basketball coach--especially offensively and in special situations. Between 2003-2011 he averaged 22 wins and went to six NCAA tournaments. The last four years have been a disappointment, but he did make the NCAA tournament this year with a young team. Keep in mind that Vandy is a difficult job. I realize the SEC is nowhere near the ACC as a basketball conference, but he battled against some good coaches in the East for years- Calipari, Donovan, Pearl. Most importantly, recruiting at Vandy is a different animal with its academic requirements. When you purely look at the recruiting rankings, you aren't comparing apples to apples. Like Pitt, Nashville is not a hotbed for high school basketball. He's had to recruit guys nationally. Stallings has recruited well and developed guys--including a handful of NBA talent.
In terms of X's and O's and game planning, Pitt will be on par with the best coaches in the ACC. I imagine that he'll put together a good staff. His top assistant, Tom Richardson, has a tremendous reputation as a skill development guru and for his scouting. I really hope that he keeps Brandon Knight b/c I do worry about kids transferring and losing our current recruiting class. I think they need that link to the past tradition of Pitt--that blue-collar culture of hard work, great defense and being physical.
I realize this hire is being met with a lot of criticism, but we have hired a good basketball coach. Ok, that's my best attempt to spin things positively. Judging a guy before he's made any impact on the program is not productive.
