Pitt basketball is relevant again

[Saboteur]

Whether you liked, disliked or were ambivalent toward Dixon over his last 4 or 5 years, the reality was that Pitt was a 500 in conference team. I liked Dixon but thought he coasted when given a large contract.
Then came Stallings. The rancor, whether justified or not and the taint of cronyism from Barnes lead to the complete collapse of the program.
It took the Titanic longer to find the bottom of the ocean than did Pitt basketball.

Along comes Capel. A guy with a great pedigree. Son of a coach, Duke alumnus, former head coach punished for getting out over his skis in the southern heartland.
He is a straight talker and I think a wise man with a scar or two.

I bristle when I read some posts on recruiting and how we missed that guy or some other guy. Capel got us back in the game. We were out of the recruiting game years before Dixon left...for whatever reason.

This Pitt team isn't the most talented nor is it the most athletic. But it has talent and it has athletes. And recruiting is starting to reflect that.

Any and every conference win is a good one. Hey,. UNC caught us in down years too. Are they apologizing for their wins against us? Hell no!

We beat UNC twice and those highlights go across the nation.

I see Capel growing slowly but surely. Soon, he will be the wise owl coach of the ACC.

H2P!

 

[Blair_45]

This team is so far ahead of where it was when Stallings was here it’s not even funny. The recruits are starting to come in and I definitely think in another year or two Pitt will be back in the NCCA Tournament consistently and making sweet 16 appearances as well. Hard to believe it’s been over 10 years now since Pitt has made the sweet 16. I’m looking forward to those days here very soon.

 

[CapelsCranberryz]

This team is so far ahead of where it was when Stallings was here it’s not even funny. The recruits are starting to come in and I definitely think in another year or two Pitt will be back in the NCCA Tournament consistently and making sweet 16 appearances as well. Hard to believe it’s been over 10 years now since Pitt has made the sweet 16. I’m looking forward to those days here very soon.

I honestly might shed a few happy tears once I see us on that NCAA Tourney floor again for the first time in what feels like forever.....gonna be amazing! In Capel We Trust

 

[JD1976]

Whether you liked, disliked or were ambivalent toward Dixon over his last 4 or 5 years, the reality was that Pitt was a 500 in conference team. I liked Dixon but thought he coasted when given a large contract.
Then came Stallings. The rancor, whether justified or not and the taint of cronyism from Barnes lead to the complete collapse of the program.
It took the Titanic longer to find the bottom of the ocean than did Pitt basketball.

Along comes Capel. A guy with a great pedigree. Son of a coach, Duke alumnus, former head coach punished for getting out over his skis in the southern heartland.
He is a straight talker and I think a wise man with a scar or two.

I bristle when I read some posts on recruiting and how we missed that guy or some other guy. Capel got us back in the game. We were out of the recruiting game years before Dixon left...for whatever reason.

This Pitt team isn't the most talented nor is it the most athletic. But it has talent and it has athletes. And recruiting is starting to reflect that.

Any and every conference win is a good one. Hey,. UNC caught us in down years too. Are they apologizing for their wins against us? Hell no!

We beat UNC twice and those highlights go across the nation.

I see Capel growing slowly but surely. Soon, he will be the wise owl coach of the ACC.

H2P!

Great post!

 

[SoufOaklin4Life]

Whether you liked, disliked or were ambivalent toward Dixon over his last 4 or 5 years, the reality was that Pitt was a 500 in conference team. I liked Dixon but thought he coasted when given a large contract.
Then came Stallings. The rancor, whether justified or not and the taint of cronyism from Barnes lead to the complete collapse of the program.
It took the Titanic longer to find the bottom of the ocean than did Pitt basketball.

Along comes Capel. A guy with a great pedigree. Son of a coach, Duke alumnus, former head coach punished for getting out over his skis in the southern heartland.
He is a straight talker and I think a wise man with a scar or two.

I bristle when I read some posts on recruiting and how we missed that guy or some other guy. Capel got us back in the game. We were out of the recruiting game years before Dixon left...for whatever reason.

This Pitt team isn't the most talented nor is it the most athletic. But it has talent and it has athletes. And recruiting is starting to reflect that.

Any and every conference win is a good one. Hey,. UNC caught us in down years too. Are they apologizing for their wins against us? Hell no!

We beat UNC twice and those highlights go across the nation.

I see Capel growing slowly but surely. Soon, he will be the wise owl coach of the ACC.

H2P!

I agree -
Though would quibble that Dixon coasted . Made the dance 3 of his final 4 years and the nit the other .

as we’ve learned the hard way since - Pitt isn’t a program where success is easy to achieve

 

[pitt2010]

I think Capel has them back to about the level of Dixon’s last couple years. Dixon just had a few senior leaders and juniors that helped those years push them from a decent team to a tourney team.

Also, when pointing out Dixon’s last 4-5 years, lets not forget about that elusive CBI championship!

 

[Gunner Panther]

Whether you liked, disliked or were ambivalent toward Dixon over his last 4 or 5 years, the reality was that Pitt was a 500 in conference team. I liked Dixon but thought he coasted when given a large contract.
Then came Stallings. The rancor, whether justified or not and the taint of cronyism from Barnes lead to the complete collapse of the program.
It took the Titanic longer to find the bottom of the ocean than did Pitt basketball.

Along comes Capel. A guy with a great pedigree. Son of a coach, Duke alumnus, former head coach punished for getting out over his skis in the southern heartland.
He is a straight talker and I think a wise man with a scar or two.

I bristle when I read some posts on recruiting and how we missed that guy or some other guy. Capel got us back in the game. We were out of the recruiting game years before Dixon left...for whatever reason.

This Pitt team isn't the most talented nor is it the most athletic. But it has talent and it has athletes. And recruiting is starting to reflect that.

Any and every conference win is a good one. Hey,. UNC caught us in down years too. Are they apologizing for their wins against us? Hell no!

We beat UNC twice and those highlights go across the nation.

I see Capel growing slowly but surely. Soon, he will be the wise owl coach of the ACC.

H2P!

Great post! Agree with all of the above except that Dixon "coasted". I think his biggest issue was more about making bad decisions relative to staff, and then not recognizing/addressing those mistakes.

Jamie is an excellent coach, but a poor recruiter. He relies on his staff to bring in the talent, and when you hire an AAU guy from Michigan to recruit in the ACC??? Then stubbornly refuse to acknowledge/address those mistakes?

Add in a couple of players (your best 2, btw) that didnt want to be coached the way that he coaches, and the stage is set.

It was definitely time for a change, but not due to his not putting forth 100% effort of what he felt was right.

 

[DT_PITT]

I agree -
Though would quibble that Dixon coasted . Made the dance 3 of his final 4 years and the nit the other .

as we’ve learned the hard way since - Pitt isn’t a program where success is easy to achieve

Agree ... with the last line especially.

 

[hoclaw]

The original post was very well stated; the reality is, when "slice" left for the Manhattan job; BB recruiting steadily went downhill. Pitt BB is indeed rising; and all arrows are pointing up ! H2P!

 

[Tiger Paul Lives]

I read people saying Jamie wasn't good recruiter, but wasn't he touted as a good one when he and Ben arrived at Pitt? I believe he was given credit for many of the classes hey brought in under Ben and his early classes as the head coach.

 

[DT_PITT]

I think Capel has them back to about the level of Dixon’s last couple years. Dixon just had a few senior leaders and juniors that helped those years push them from a decent team to a tourney team.

Also, when pointing out Dixon’s last 4-5 years, lets not forget about that elusive CBI championship!

Capel has done wonderful things but we are not yet close to the level of Dixon’s last couple of years. You will be able to say that when we make the tournament 3 of 4 years.

I think we can and I like were Capel is heading but respectfully, it’s a completely inaccurate assertion to say we are about at the level and I believe Jeff Capel himself would agree with me.

 

[gary2]

Capel has done wonderful things but we are not yet close to the level of Dixon’s last couple of years. You will be able to say that when we make the tournament 3 of 4 years.

I think we can and I like were Capel is heading but respectfully, it’s completely inaccurate assertion to say we are about at the level and I believe Jeff Capel himself would agree with me.

Would agree with performance level.

I think the most important reason Capel was hired was talent acquisition. Pitt was stuck in a rut. Pitt had become unable to recruit.

Capel has gotten us out of that rut. Some may not be totally happy with recruiting, I am ecstatic.

There is no doubt the roster has been improved and there is reason to believe it will continue to be improved.

The biggest problem is out of the way. Soon we will see if Capel can successfully coach a talented roster.

 

[DT_PITT]

Would agree with performance level.

I think the most important reason Capel was hired was talent acquisition. Pitt was stuck in a rut. Pitt had become unable to recruit.

Capel has gotten us out of that rut. Some my not be totally happy with recruiting, I am ecstatic.

There is no doubt the roster has been improved and there is reason to believe it will continue to be improved.

The biggest problem is out of the way. Soon we will see if Capel can successfully coach a talented roster.

I agree Gary but when it comes down to it, all that matters is winning games (not recruiting battles).

Therefore I would call it “the biggest problem.”

To me “winning” is the biggest problem and recruiting, coaching, culture and everything else is a part of it. (Although recruiting is a big part of course).

 

[Pittisit4me]

I don't know or care if Dixon coasted or not. I just don't understand how anyone could defend how he finished out here. I do think Capel has us back to where we were under Dixon. Would you rather have the tournament appearances that were engineered by him gaming the RPI? I know many would say yes. However, the talent was not there and we were headed downhill fast. He was losing every recruiting battle for any player that had a pulse.

By next season, Capel will have a more complete roster than Dixon had when he left. He will actually have a 5 and a 4 on the roster. He has two solid guards who will be juniors. Jamie had Mike and Jamel. He had no point, he had no fives. He had players that very few teams were interested in. Even Capel's grad transfer Hamilton has more ability than Maia or Nelson-Ododa.

Most importantly the direction of the program is up. I see the NIT this year and NCAA after that. Capel has us in the running for real P5 talent and the direction of the program has turned, it is no longer pointing nose down.

 

[gary2]

I agree Gary but when it comes down to it, all that matters is winning games (not recruiting battles).

Therefore I would call it “the biggest problem.”

To me “winning” is the biggest problem and recruiting, coaching, culture and everything else is a part of it. (Although recruiting is a big part of course).

I remember you posting and suggesting there was a greater problem in recruiting at Pitt. That it was more than any coach. You seemed to wonder if we could ever overcome it.

It seems to me, we have overcome it. I see that as monumental

Yes, winning is what it is all about. Now, at least, we have a chance at winning.

 

[DT_PITT]

I remember you posting and suggesting there was a greater problem in recruiting at Pitt. That it was more than any coach. You seemed to wonder if we could ever overcome it.

It seems to me, we have overcome it. I see that as monumental

Yes, winning is what it is all about. Now, at least, we have a chance at winning.

I don't think we've "crushed" that problem just yet but it's getting better. I was told something to the affect that even Capel has found it harder than he expected.

The class we have coming in next fall, is good, but still not very good. If we had a commitment from Davis, I would have considered it very good. Classes like Young-Fields-Biggs (three players 50-100) followed up by Blair-Wanamaker-McGhee are the kinds that can get you to #1 seeds if the coach puts it altogether.

But let's see what Capel can do in the fall. Based on what Capel did in his first six weeks, I now have completely different expectations about what can be accomplished during this time frame.

 

[joeydavid]

Great post! Agree with all of the above except that Dixon "coasted". I think his biggest issue was more about making bad decisions relative to staff, and then not recognizing/addressing those mistakes.

Jamie is an excellent coach, but a poor recruiter. He relies on his staff to bring in the talent, and when you hire an AAU guy from Michigan to recruit in the ACC??? Then stubbornly refuse to acknowledge/address those mistakes?

Add in a couple of players (your best 2, btw) that didnt want to be coached the way that he coaches, and the stage is set.

It was definitely time for a change, but not due to his not putting forth 100% effort of what he felt was right.

Coasted probably isn't the right word but Dixon publicly pouted about the move from the Big East and made too many staffing errors. Maybe even more so than Slick, losing Joe Lombardi was a bigger deal than we expected. He was perfect bench guy for Dixon, imo.

 

[TheChair]

I would guess that Pitt will be able to recruit solidly better in the fall given more success on the floor, coaching stability and the relationships built over 2+ years. However, they may be a little short on scholarships. William Jeffress looks to be the key at the moment.

 

[DT_PITT]

Coasted probably isn't the right word but Dixon publicly pouted about the move from the Big East and made too many staffing errors. Maybe even more so than Slick, losing Joe Lombardi was a bigger deal than we expected. He was perfect bench guy for Dixon, imo.

I really like Joe Lombardi, and I thought he might be tough to replace. But we didn't miss a beat after he left after that 2005-2006 season.

Maybe the impact of losing Pat Sandle might have been a bigger deal than we thought. He was jettisoned after the 2012-2013 season following Steve Peterson's mandate to Dixon that he bring back Slice on his staff. But Slice was only here for a year.

 

[HailToPitt1985]

Capel has done wonderful things but we are not yet close to the level of Dixon’s last couple of years. You will be able to say that when we make the tournament 3 of 4 years.

I think we can and I like were Capel is heading but respectfully, it’s a completely inaccurate assertion to say we are about at the level and I believe Jeff Capel himself would agree with me.

That's the reality, DT. We're doing very well, considering where this all started immediately prior to Capel's arrival. But we're not yet at the level that Dixon had this program at his final 2 or 3 years. Give Capel a couple more years and we'll start to see that level of performance. I'm just enjoying what we have right now and appreciating it.

 

[Chescat]

Bottom line to me is keep increasing the number of wins from year to year.
I believe we will end up with more total wins and ACC wins this year. That
definitely shows improvement, and just as important.....affects perception.
As we increase the wins, the recruits will get better. OK, we don't get Davis
this year, but we keep improving the wins and a Davis type will come maybe
the next year or two.
I like the recruiting class coming in given how we've improved under Capel.
It's good, but not great. Keep increasing the wins changes the perception
of the program and the recruits will get better. It's a rebuild under a coach like
Capel.
I like what I see happening. Capel is getting it done IMO at a moderate
pace. He's not Coach K or Bobby Knight, so it takes a little longer, but it
is getting done.

 

[Gunner Panther]

Coasted probably isn't the right word but Dixon publicly pouted about the move from the Big East and made too many staffing errors. Maybe even more so than Slick, losing Joe Lombardi was a bigger deal than we expected. He was perfect bench guy for Dixon, imo.

Agree - the important thing is we are now headed in the right direction (at least as much as this program could hope/expect, given its limitations).

Btw joeydavid, miss the saturday morning hoops in pitcairn... Crazy that Ron's son is now starting OT at ND....

 

[pittjas]

I don't think we've "crushed" that problem just yet but it's getting better. I was told something to the affect that even Capel has found it harder than he expected.

The class we have coming in next fall, is good, but still not very good. If we had a commitment from Davis, I would have considered it very good. Classes like Young-Fields-Biggs (three players 50-100) followed up by Blair-Wanamaker-McGhee are the kinds that can get you to #1 seeds if the coach puts it altogether.

But let's see what Capel can do in the fall. Based on what Capel did in his first six weeks, I now have completely different expectations about what can be accomplished during this time frame.

Recruiting at Pitt is harder than expected overall or just harder than expected given where the program was when Capel got here?

 

[MarshallGoldberg]

I agree -
Though would quibble that Dixon coasted . Made the dance 3 of his final 4 years and the nit the other .

as we’ve learned the hard way since - Pitt isn’t a program where success is easy to achieve

I agree with your adjustment to the original post. And Pitt is far from a blue blood.

But I do think if you look at the basketball history of Pitt from 1970 to the present, it's clearly a place where Stallings or the worst of Willard is an exception and the average is closer to some of the Ridl, Chipman, Evans, Howland, and weaker Dixon years. The ceiling of the best Dixon years is a high one as well.

Of course the world has changed drastically too in that period; Pitt could recruit locally in the 70s even for hoops and the conference situation has changed several times, the rise of AAU, southern basketball academies, the change in TV, etc etc. But I think our lack of a modern final four has soured fans on seeing a fairly impressive winning percentage over the last 50 years. "Average" Pitt can be a tournament bubble team, which is cool. We just all want more than that.

 

[gary2]

I don't think we've "crushed" that problem just yet but it's getting better. I was told something to the affect that even Capel has found it harder than he expected.

The class we have coming in next fall, is good, but still not very good. If we had a commitment from Davis, I would have considered it very good. Classes like Young-Fields-Biggs (three players 50-100) followed up by Blair-Wanamaker-McGhee are the kinds that can get you to #1 seeds if the coach puts it altogether.

But let's see what Capel can do in the fall. Based on what Capel did in his first six weeks, I now have completely different expectations about what can be accomplished during this time frame.

I think the 3 big recruits were very important. That gives us Hughley, Coulibaly, Amadasun and Collier as bigs. Toney and Champanie are excellent rebounders for their size.

This is as stocked as Pitt has been with non reach bigs in any time I can remember. We have people to play inside that want to play inside.

I am very encouraged and optimistic. I believe we are moving from very little inside game to a very strong inside game.

Looking forward to the day we get 3 offensive rebounds in back to back possessions like Carolina did against us.

 

[DT_PITT]

Recruiting at Pitt is harder than expected overall or just harder than expected given where the program was when Capel got here?

Probably much more the latter.

 

[Drew1208]

Im now expecting the Tournament in year 3.
And that, if attained, is quite the impressive rebuild.

I don't think Heather Lyke can be praised enough.
She's great and that new facility she secured is great news.
Jeff said facilities have become an important recruiting tool.

 

[TheChair]

Dixon was not coasting; he had a run of players that just were not as good. It happens. Jay Wright had a similar run at Nova and then turned the program into a monster. Many coaches have had it too and recovered. Some do not though, which has to be admitted. Given what Dixon has done at TCU, which has been a graveyard for a really long time, I think he would have continued to be fine at Pitt.

I think Capel's biggest recruiting issue at Pitt really was the Stallings era. It was that bad. Second, he was used to being at Duke and it appears that he thought that he could take his existing relationships with the kids that Duke recruited and make some waves. It did not work. I honestly figured that he would at least land one or two, but it just did not happen.

Fortunately, he is an excellent recruiter and worked multiple levels. And, he received some solid commitments after that initial McGowens, Johnson and Toney run. Champagnie clearly is a player and Murphy is solid. I think the jury is still out on Drumgoole and Coulibaly but they have tools. The guys for next year have some things as well. Hugley should help them on offense immediately in the minutes that he receives.

I do not think he will have a Ben Howland at Pitt style build where it took 3 years and the program was running hard. I think he will be more of that Buzz Williams at VT/Tony Bennett at UVA where if he is going to hit it big, it will take around 5 years. Pitt was in that bad of a place when he signed up and the kids that he has recruited are more 4 year kids in terms of development.

 

[gary2]

Dixon was not coasting; he had a run of players that just were not as good. It happens. Jay Wright had a similar run at Nova and then turned the program into a monster. Many coaches have had it too and recovered. Some do not though, which has to be admitted. Given what Dixon has done at TCU, which has been a graveyard for a really long time, I think he would have continued to be fine at Pitt.

I think Capel's biggest recruiting issue at Pitt really was the Stallings era. It was that bad. Second, he was used to being at Duke and it appears that he thought that he could take his existing relationships with the kids that Duke recruited and make some waves. It did not work. I honestly figured that he would at least land one or two, but it just did not happen.

Fortunately, he is an excellent recruiter and worked multiple levels. And, he received some solid commitments after that initial McGowens, Johnson and Toney run. Champagnie clearly is a player and Murphy is solid. I think the jury is still out on Drumgoole and Coulibaly but they have tools. The guys for next year have some things as well. Hugley should help them on offense immediately in the minutes that he receives.

I do not think he will have a Ben Howland at Pitt style build where it took 3 years and the program was running hard. I think he will be more of that Buzz Williams at VT/Tony Bennett at UVA where if he is going to hit it big, it will take around 5 years. Pitt was in that bad of a place when he signed up and the kids that he has recruited are more 4 year kids in terms of development.

4 year kids can be a good thing.

 

[MajorMajors]

What I find encouraging right now is that without great shooting, without an offensive threat in the post, and without much depth on the bench, Pitt has played tough against their better opponents and even beaten a couple of them.

So as Coach Capel slowly but surely addresses these limitations, good times for Pitt BB are on the way.

Go Pitt.

 

[TheChair]

4 year kids are a great thing but they often take a little longer to develop. So, sudden improvement is more difficult.

 

[AlFromDadeville]

Took a friend of mine whose been a fan even longer than I have to the UL game. We discussed when we were in school during the 08-09 season we honestly thought one day we’d be calling it Jamie Dixon court.

It may sound strange considering all he accomplished but I do think he’d be looked at differently had they been able to close out Nova and compete for a birth in the title game. We could have hung with that Carolina team.

It’s no secret that Dixon was struggling to recruit when he left but all in all he’s still a great coach and I think the fan base has a dear appreciation for him and is thankful for what he accomplished here. I agree with others in that coasting was probably not the right word choice; he was struggling but it was not from lack of effort. I think he was putting as much time into recruiting as he ever did they just werent planning out.

Capel is not at the level Dixon was even when he left quite yet. That doesn’t mean he’s doing a bad job, and honestly I haven’t felt this good about the direction of the program on probably 6 or 7 years. But from 0-19 to around .500 in year 2 is a tremendous improvement and I think it will only get better.

One last thought is for what it’s worth I have tended to find the Dixon debates on the lair quite unbearable at times but this thread was one of the most reasonable I had ever read and I appreciate everyone’s input. Very good discussion.

 

[Jeffburgh]

Whether you liked, disliked or were ambivalent toward Dixon over his last 4 or 5 years, the reality was that Pitt was a 500 in conference team. I liked Dixon but thought he coasted when given a large contract.
Then came Stallings. The rancor, whether justified or not and the taint of cronyism from Barnes lead to the complete collapse of the program.
It took the Titanic longer to find the bottom of the ocean than did Pitt basketball.

Along comes Capel. A guy with a great pedigree. Son of a coach, Duke alumnus, former head coach punished for getting out over his skis in the southern heartland.
He is a straight talker and I think a wise man with a scar or two.

I bristle when I read some posts on recruiting and how we missed that guy or some other guy. Capel got us back in the game. We were out of the recruiting game years before Dixon left...for whatever reason.

This Pitt team isn't the most talented nor is it the most athletic. But it has talent and it has athletes. And recruiting is starting to reflect that.

Any and every conference win is a good one. Hey,. UNC caught us in down years too. Are they apologizing for their wins against us? Hell no!

We beat UNC twice and those highlights go across the nation.

I see Capel growing slowly but surely. Soon, he will be the wise owl coach of the ACC.

H2P!

Great post and assessment.
I don't think "coasted" is the best way to term the last portion if his tenure at Pitt. He still coached his backside off.
But, he lost something in regard to recruiting, just kind of made half hearted runs at some kids he liked then went to fallbacks or run of the mill grad transfers. Really didnt get a viable big man his last few classes.

 

[gary2]

Great post and assessment.
I don't think "coasted" is the best way to term the last portion if his tenure at Pitt. He still coached his backside off.
But, he lost something in regard to recruiting, just kind of made half hearted runs at some kids he liked then went to fallbacks or run of the mill grad transfers. Really didnt get a viable big man his last few classes.

Think he became disgruntled a bit. Pat Sandle was mentioned. I think the loss of Sandle was bigger because it made Dixon disgruntled. Much more so than for what Sandle actually contributed.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Whether you liked, disliked or were ambivalent toward Dixon over his last 4 or 5 years, the reality was that Pitt was a 500 in conference team. I liked Dixon but thought he coasted when given a large contract.
Then came Stallings. The rancor, whether justified or not and the taint of cronyism from Barnes lead to the complete collapse of the program.
It took the Titanic longer to find the bottom of the ocean than did Pitt basketball.

Along comes Capel. A guy with a great pedigree. Son of a coach, Duke alumnus, former head coach punished for getting out over his skis in the southern heartland.
He is a straight talker and I think a wise man with a scar or two.

I bristle when I read some posts on recruiting and how we missed that guy or some other guy. Capel got us back in the game. We were out of the recruiting game years before Dixon left...for whatever reason.

This Pitt team isn't the most talented nor is it the most athletic. But it has talent and it has athletes. And recruiting is starting to reflect that.

Any and every conference win is a good one. Hey,. UNC caught us in down years too. Are they apologizing for their wins against us? Hell no!

We beat UNC twice and those highlights go across the nation.

I see Capel growing slowly but surely. Soon, he will be the wise owl coach of the ACC.

H2P!

To be fair, this program is still not back to Dixon II levels. We are getting close but Dixon II had a bubble program and we aren't there yet. Funny thing is Dixon II has essentially become Dixon TCU I. They are the bubble program Jamie had here. Thats great for TCU but you start to wonder if Dixon I was just lightning in a bottle.

 

[TheSpecialSauce]

If Pitt wants to become a Top 15 type program, then we need everyone pulling in the same direction. Administration, Coaches, Players, and Fans. We had that for a period of time, and that is why we had so much success. We can get there again, but need all hands on deck.

 

[NTOP]

I think the 3 big recruits were very important. That gives us Hughley, Coulibaly, Amadasun and Collier as bigs. Toney and Champanie are excellent rebounders for their size.

This is as stocked as Pitt has been with non reach bigs in any time I can remember. We have people to play inside that want to play inside.

I am very encouraged and optimistic. I believe we are moving from very little inside game to a very strong inside game.

Looking forward to the day we get 3 offensive rebounds in back to back possessions like Carolina did against us.

Huh?? We HAVE people who want to play inside???? But are they capable??
The 3 we have now are borderline or worse. Toney & Champagnie are wings who currently are needed inside?
Let's judge the incoming guys after we see them play against ACC teams.

 

[HailToPitt1985]

4 year kids can be a good thing.

We need those 4 year kids. Ones that can learn and grow with the program.

 

[HailToPitt1985]

Took a friend of mine whose been a fan even longer than I have to the UL game. We discussed when we were in school during the 08-09 season we honestly thought one day we’d be calling it Jamie Dixon court.

It may sound strange considering all he accomplished but I do think he’d be looked at differently had they been able to close out Nova and compete for a birth in the title game. We could have hung with that Carolina team.

It’s no secret that Dixon was struggling to recruit when he left but all in all he’s still a great coach and I think the fan base has a dear appreciation for him and is thankful for what he accomplished here. I agree with others in that coasting was probably not the right word choice; he was struggling but it was not from lack of effort. I think he was putting as much time into recruiting as he ever did they just werent planning out.

Capel is not at the level Dixon was even when he left quite yet. That doesn’t mean he’s doing a bad job, and honestly I haven’t felt this good about the direction of the program on probably 6 or 7 years. But from 0-19 to around .500 in year 2 is a tremendous improvement and I think it will only get better.

One last thought is for what it’s worth I have tended to find the Dixon debates on the lair quite unbearable at times but this thread was one of the most reasonable I had ever read and I appreciate everyone’s input. Very good discussion.

Great post. This pretty much describes how I feel and have felt about Pitt hoops for the last 6 years or so.

 

[wbrpanther]

Great post! Agree with all of the above except that Dixon "coasted". I think his biggest issue was more about making bad decisions relative to staff, and then not recognizing/addressing those mistakes.

Jamie is an excellent coach, but a poor recruiter. He relies on his staff to bring in the talent, and when you hire an AAU guy from Michigan to recruit in the ACC??? Then stubbornly refuse to acknowledge/address those mistakes?

Add in a couple of players (your best 2, btw) that didnt want to be coached the way that he coaches, and the stage is set.

It was definitely time for a change, but not due to his not putting forth 100% effort of what he felt was right.

It is no coincidence that Jamie started sliding at the same time Pitt joined the ACC. The kind of players that excelled in the old BE were not ACC type players and it was no secret Jamie didn't like the move.