Pitt looking at Vermont coach according to harry
- Thread starter ratking17
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I do like him. Disappointing loss on Saturday. Not on top of my list but I would be okay with him.
Yup not at the top of the list but would be a decent hire. I'd prefer Musselman
They should be casting a net that is as wide as practically possible. They have to get this one right.
Here's a concept that will be challenging for some.
A guy can be a great coach and bad choice for Pitt right now.
Becker is a case in point.
"Who???"
Absolutely no evidence he can recruit at the level needed.
It's so tricky because, as Pitt fans, you can't slam the guy. And I would support him, because he wouldnt have been hired fraudulently.
But I'm telling you he's wrong for Pitt at this moment.
A guy can be a great coach and bad choice for Pitt right now.
Becker is a case in point.
"Who???"
Absolutely no evidence he can recruit at the level needed.
It's so tricky because, as Pitt fans, you can't slam the guy. And I would support him, because he wouldnt have been hired fraudulently.
But I'm telling you he's wrong for Pitt at this moment.
Why because he wasn’t pulling in ACC level guys to Vermont? His recruiting was in the upper echelon of his conference, not sure what more you can expect.
Becker reminds me of a Bob McKillop, or Jim Larranega. I'd take him in a NY minute. He's such a good coach, that while the question of whether he can make Pitt a powerhouse is up in the air, I can't see him being a disaster. In other words, while his ceiling is unknown, I see him as a guy with a high floor.
I’d put him at the low end of palatable hires.
Not a horrible choice, but you’d hope they were able to get someone a little better.
Not a horrible choice, but you’d hope they were able to get someone a little better.
Don't strawman my point. Nobody expects ACC guys at Vermont. That's not what I said.
First, show me evidence he had "upper echelon" classes at Vermont.
Next, let's decide by how much we'll need to discount that evidence. Different geography, different competition, etc. In my opinion, a top recruiter in the American East is nowhere nearly as attractive as a good recruiter in the A10... better comp, more relevant territory.
We don't need a "coach 'em up" guy nearly as badly as we need a 'crooter.
That really can't be overstated.
At the top of college basketball, every coach is good.
The pecking order at the top of college basketball is determined largley by where the top 150 players (or so) decide to play.
The ACC is a graveyard of good coaches who other coaches say nice things about. There's a reason Roy and K have staying power... they get players!
Matt Daugherty anybody??
Edit: MD recruited the 05 champ team. Bad example.
The pecking order at the top of college basketball is determined largley by where the top 150 players (or so) decide to play.
The ACC is a graveyard of good coaches who other coaches say nice things about. There's a reason Roy and K have staying power... they get players!
Matt Daugherty anybody??
Edit: MD recruited the 05 champ team. Bad example.
I've checked Becker out and he seems to be a good candidate. There's more out there than Matta and Hurley.
How do you know?
Was Howland the right fit for Pitt? Was John Beilein the right fit for WVU?
My problem with him is Vermont is by far the best program in that conference. Its a conference only a tad better than the NEC and he has historically the best program.....and he wins games in it, so what. Do you know whos in the AE?
Maine
New Hampshire
Hartford
UMass-Lowell
Binghamton
The only 2 non-horrendous programs are Albany and Stony Brook
I don't "know" anything. I try to view the world as probabilistic.
It's not very probable that Pitt will duplicate the Howland feat in hiring.
"Howland ergo Becker" is faulty logic.
Exactly. Not clear whether it's Vermont or Becker that's added more value there over the past several years.
Now, in contrast, if he did that same thing at UMass-Lowell or Hartford, I'd be all for him but winning at Vermont does not impress me one bit. People have to understand college basketball. Its really easy to win there.
Vermont had an RPI of 60. They played some very good teams in the non-conference, including Kentucky who they barely lost to. He would be in my Top 10 of realistic possibilities and much better than Knight, Jent, Schmidt, etc.
Well most of the thoughts on this guy over on the pay site think it would be a terrible choice. I'm not really sure what to think. Consistent 20+ win seasons, even in a lower tiered conference is pretty impressive. I'm honestly not sure what all the disdain for the guy is.
If he played a bunch of cupcakes in the non-conference, then that would be one thing. But the guy played a bunch of good teams and won a lot of games. If he surrounds himself with a good staff like Howland did, then he would do well here.
He should be on our list. Not at the top, maybe the disdain is that he is the first name linked to us, so it could stand to reason he could be our top candidate, which would be a mistake.
Schmidt? Are you kidding? He wins at probably the most remote location in the NE, a place where it has to be the hardest to recruit to.
Vermont is the best program, historically in the AE. SBU is one of the worst programs, historically, in the A10. I'm not saying I like Schmidt but what he has done at SBU is much more impressive that maintaining UVM's winning program.
He is a 55 year old HC that has coached 17 seasons with a total of 2 NCAA appearances. St. Bonaventure used to be a good program if u want to go back historically, and the A-10 as a whole isn’t very impressive.
I think he's a solid candidate but yeah they've been a good program in that conference for at least 15 years now.
So we will eliminate him because he wins too much. All things are relative. While the competition may be lesser, so is the talent he can attract.
No thanks on coaches in the mid to late 50’s. Hoping Pitt learned its lesson hiring Stallings In that age range.
If we don’t get proven guys like Matta, Hurley, Cronin. Pitt should go young. Like the guy on the Celtics. Which scares me because he hasn’t been around the college recruiting scene for a long time. I mean what type of connections will these assistants NBA coaches have in recruiting circles
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People wanted to kill Kevin Stallings but they want this guy.
This is all just too much
This is all just too much
It’s really simple , under current circumstances Pitt cannot sign a head coach whose successfully recruited players the quality Pitt needs unless there’s an asterisk beside his name . Fired , illness , NCAA issues whatever . To hire an experienced successful head coach in play without flaws Pitt would need to mortgage the Cathedral of Learning and guarantee it , something they haven’t been to good at lately ! Maybe they go off script and realize another bad hire will kill this program for years and pony up the big bucks to lure the leader they need .
Making another uninspired hire of a reasonably successful coach at a much lower level of ball is a hugh risk .
I’d vote for a guy like Virginia’s top assitant it worked once before when a school hire an untested assistant named Jamie Dixon . It worked out ok wouldn’t you say !
Either go big or find the best assistant at a highly successful program who knows what it takes to win at this level , those are your two best choices IMO .
Making another uninspired hire of a reasonably successful coach at a much lower level of ball is a hugh risk .
I’d vote for a guy like Virginia’s top assitant it worked once before when a school hire an untested assistant named Jamie Dixon . It worked out ok wouldn’t you say !
Either go big or find the best assistant at a highly successful program who knows what it takes to win at this level , those are your two best choices IMO .
The Rat-Face, known to most as coach K, went to Dook from Army. His Army experience certainly meant he had never signed an ACC caliber player before taking over Dook.
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