Stallings Comments On Pitt Job and Life
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He was taken out of mis-context, as Hines Ward would say.
Seriously, NCanton is correct, the article in full in no way places KS in a bad light.
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Does anyone have a video of that "coming clean" presser? I'd love to see it again.
Your obsession with Arizona State is more of a head scratcher than your Kithcart man love. Hurley comes from legendary coaching pedigree and ASU is one of the five easiest schools in America to recruit to. The fact that they’ve stunk for years is completely due to incompetence. Their meteoric rise is the exception and not the rule. This could not be easily replicated at Pitt or most other schools as you seem to think. His brother will end up with a job far superior to Pitt whenever he wants it. Rather than getting hot and bothered about ASU you should think about the possibility of Carr leading Pitt to glory in his junior and senior years. It might seem far fetched at this point but at least it makes some degree of sense. He’s everything you daydreamed, fantasized and convinced yourself that Kithcart would be.
Pitt was 4 games away from the NCAAT last year and had at least that many last second losses.
For most of the year, we were around the bubble. Remember we had the crazy hard SOS with road win at Md and a win over Uva and FSU. We weren't that far away
Well... think about it. His salary grade... probably lives in a Nashville neighborhood where all the pretty people of the country music world live and his wife probably hangs out w/ those losers. Leave hanging with Loretta Lynn and Johnny Paycheck to live in Yinzerville??
Steel is entertaining but he fixates on some random stuff: Kevin Keatts, MacVittie, Kithcart, and now Hurley.
-Its not an obsession. I find their turnaround fascinating.
-And I dont agree with people that Pitt is so difficult to recruit at. We dont have a coach that seems to be able to recruit well, and Dixon couldnt recruit that well either. Programs like Gonzaga and ASU are digging for players outside of the box.
-I said before this whole mess started we should of nailed down on Kevin Keatts from the getgo. And I said go after a midmajor coach that is young, hungry, and can win. Ill give Stallings this year to close on some recruits that can make an impact, and develop the current players we currently have. Like I said, I think Pitt has 2 future pieces. We need 5 more, and need at least 1 impact player to come in next year, and I dont give a rats ass where that player is from, ink him.
I agree with you on recruiting. Very little matters nowadays other than style of play and sales ability of the coach. Kids nowadays dont care about conferences, arenas, location, TV deals, winning, etc. They want to play fast and play for a cool coach. I said this a million times. Its not 1990 or 2000 anymore. Kids are different. And this is also a reason I don't think our recruiting is affected at all if we go 0-18.
We have 2 ACC starters, 2 roster guys, and hopefully 1 of Brown/Peace can at least be a legit roster guy, if not a starter
What's Arizona State's outside the box recruiting? More European players? Gonzaga has Seattle in its back yard and California a hop away and went to a national title game last year. Hard to replicate that. For the Euros, you need a coach with those connections like Rashon Burno. I imagine the Hurley name and James Harden name helps in Europe too. Its against NCAA regulations to visit non-American players during their recruitment so its not like you can just go outwork other coaches overseas, you need connections. Unfortunately for us, Jamie played his pro ball in New Zealand instead of Australia, so we only got one guy out of it, unlike St Mary's. I'm not sure how we replicate any of that either.
Not a defense of KS, but he can be brutally direct to a fault. Sometimes his confronting things as they are - for himself, for a player - rubs people the wrong way.
And you have to have built up the credibility with the fans and players to get away with that blunt confrontational style. He is not there yet.
It's like listening to Belechik without the gruff charm at points.
Stallings is a bit of a coach from another era - Kind of Bobby Knight like (with less of a temper) - Coaches of that era had strong ideas of how coaches, players (and people) should behave - You hear a lot of that if you listen to Stallings interviews where he talks about coaches that influenced him and the lessons he learned from them. He often includes episodes concerning his own experiences as a player where he learned much about the way players (people) should behave.
Belichek is more sarcastic and dismissive. Stallings is much more confrontational.
So you'd rather he be fake until he builds up credibility?
Confrontational, highly critical, hot tempered can work if you have players who want to be coached that way either because they know it'll help them win (Belichick) or because they basically love their coach (Higgins.) Popovich probably under both categories. Stallings probably not under either...
You also need a player-leader who is willing to be coached toughly so the other players see that everyone will be traded equally and fairly, even the star (Brady, Duncan, Steve Alford.) This sort of player leadership is key otherwise it becomes coach vs. players.
You also need a player-leader who is willing to be coached toughly so the other players see that everyone will be traded equally and fairly, even the star (Brady, Duncan, Steve Alford.) This sort of player leadership is key otherwise it becomes coach vs. players.
That’s a tough standard to hold a coach to here. If Stallings doesn’t have credibility, nobody they hire instead is going to, either. You’re talking about neutering anybody who comes in here and forcing them to do nothing but coachspeak.
If Stallings doesn’t have the credibility to be blunt and confrontational, a guy like Narduzzi certainly doesn’t, for example.
No. Again this supports why he was a bad fit. He can't/won't adjust. His approach does not build enthusiasm or makes many feel optimistic.
Difference between being honest and not using appropriate tone for the situation. That's communication 101.
Narduzzi had 3 big upsets and recruiting and performed at at least a respectable level. Stallings has not one good upset win, a fading fan base, poor recruiting. Duzzi has much more credibility than Stallings.
Much like Dixon (until Birch)- Dixon recruited players that fit his "path to victory", Stallings needs to do likewise. He needs to recruit players that don't need to be snowed. He needs to recruit players that see the value of honesty and how honesty might be the greatest contributor to their growth as a player.
Sometimes the greatest sales pitch can be the truth (particularly if the person you are trying to sell is capable of recognizing the truth when presented with it)
Stallings doesn't have credibility, and it's been a mess. But he did have good upset wins last year: Maryland, #11 Virginia, #17 FSU. That just didn't lead to any momentum is the problem.
I'd agree with him being a bad fit. But I don't know what the benefit of him being disingenuous would be. It would be far less appetizing to have a guy blowing up the program and being completely full of bs than the uncomfortable nature of a guy that is brutally honest. KS wasn't going to change his stripes. If his style and efforts begin to bear the fruit of success it will be amazing how quickly the fickle fanbase will find enthusiasm from his blunt style.
Stallings is a far more accomplished college coach than Pat Narduzzi and it’s not even close.
Only because Narduzzi hasn't been a head coach for very long. It doesn't take much to be more accomplished than Stallings, especially in his last 15 years. I suspect Narduzzi will be a hell of a lot better coach when it's all said and done.
Here is what ASU has coming in next year
-A 5 Star Shooting Guard Post Grad Guard from Canada
-A 4 Star Shooting Guard from Finland, that scout says is a Top 50 player
-A 17 point 5 rebound All Conference Transfer guard originally from Detroit
-A 9 point 7 rebound All Conference Transfer forward originally from Phoenix
-A 5 Star Mcdonald All American forward Transfer from Kansas, originally from Ohio
-Their stud 3 freshmen this year are from Georgia, California, and Ukraine
-And they have another Top 50 small forward recruit that Pitt recruited from Rhode Island that hasnt even started playing yet
-They are pulling players from all over the dam place.
-As far as Gonzaga, they are cherry picking Elite talent from Europe yearly.
-Talent can be found, as long as you are willing to go out and find it.
-And yea, I think ASU is fun to watch this year. Explosive offense that spreads you out all over.
-Nothing against you, but the excuse train for Pitt needs to stop. And being cheap on athletics needs to stop. Start winning, and butts will fill the seats in football and basketball. Keep overloading the schedule and losing, average or worse is what we will be. And pay out for Elite Assistants that can recruit.
Which brings me back to my initial point. You want to neuter coaches and force them into behaving and interacting a certain way until they’ve proven themselves at Pitt.
That’s going to make this job even more unappealing if that’s where we set the standard.
The come clean was directed to Barnes about the patronage to his buddy , quid pro quo- which shockingly to nobody got him a job less than a year later,
It was not professional but accurate.
I’m hearing his brother is very interested in the Pitt job and he doesn’t believe it’s a stepping stone.
I don't understand how anyone that viewed this in its entirety can have anything but the greatest respect for Stallings as an individual if not a coach.
http://www.pittsburghpanthers.com/n...to-action-saturday-against-mcneese-state.aspx
No one consumes a press conference in it's entirety these days. They rely on the short bites available via social media or even via traditional news. Those things are driven by a need for brevity or the desire to drive traffic.
Some coaches are good at it, but Kevin Stallings isn't able to get any point across effectively in twenty seconds or less. Hell, he can't communicate any point effectively in two minutes or less because all his replies are circuitous. That is always going to hurt him in the "modern" way we communicate.
I’m sorry but that is a horsesh!t criticism. He doesn’t communicate effectively because he lacks brevity in his answers? Come on.
The guy is thoughtful in his responses and I think he genuinely tries to avoid cliches and coachpeak.
Are Mike Tomlin’s answers not “circuitous”? How about Clint Hurdle? A “modern communication” criticism of the guy now? Good Lord, what’s next?
The constant negativity dumped on the guy is making me want to root for him to succeed out of spite toward the masses.
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