Is Pitt not recruiting this kid? Come on... he is a legit shooter, 2nd All BE team.
Not sure why Dixon is not recruiting this kid. Hello?!!!
Not sure why Dixon is not recruiting this kid. Hello?!!!
Sterling Gibbs...
- Thread starter blueGold77
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Until Sterling Gibbs puts in his transfer papers... no interaction with the player is allowed.
But, around the time Matt said he had something important that he could not say... there was a surprising appearance of Ashton Gibbs in the stands and..... hmmmm.... things started looking that way but... you never know.
I sure hope Dixon is recruiting Sterling Gibbs and we see a commitment from him soon. Yeah, would be really nice if this is already a done deal.
Would be nice to have a rotation at guard of Robinson, Gibbs and Smith.. with Newkirk and/or Wilson (if he qualifies) as the 4th guard.
Yeah, Lechak is actually in the equation here as Newkirk was so bad at times late in the season Dixon sat his butt down and replaced him with Lechak.
But, around the time Matt said he had something important that he could not say... there was a surprising appearance of Ashton Gibbs in the stands and..... hmmmm.... things started looking that way but... you never know.
I sure hope Dixon is recruiting Sterling Gibbs and we see a commitment from him soon. Yeah, would be really nice if this is already a done deal.
Would be nice to have a rotation at guard of Robinson, Gibbs and Smith.. with Newkirk and/or Wilson (if he qualifies) as the 4th guard.
Yeah, Lechak is actually in the equation here as Newkirk was so bad at times late in the season Dixon sat his butt down and replaced him with Lechak.
Hmmm.... I just did a search out on the web and the programs that are initially mentioned as possible destinations were UConn, Ohio State and ND.... we were not mentioned.
So, yeah, maybe Dixon isn't recruiting him at all which.... would not be good.
So, yeah, maybe Dixon isn't recruiting him at all which.... would not be good.
Or perhaps the kid told JD "no, thanks"?? If so, why waste time on him?? It's not a fit for everybody. All 3 of the supposed leaders are losing their best guard...Russell, Grant & Wainwright.
Why do we have 2 Sterling Gibbs Topics going on this board?? Looks like another poster started one as well.... If he wants to come by all means go after him...
Could be, but it is also possible that, like NTOP said, they contacted Gibbs and he has no interest in coming here.
Or, it could be that Dixon promised a starting slot to Smith and does not want to bring in another high profile player... we just don't know.
We only get to see what happens in cases like this.
Still... would be nice to have a 3 man rotation at guard of Robinson, Gibbs and Smith.
Zara....I doubt that Dixon would value Smith over Gibbs. I'd bet that Jamie knew Sterling wasn't coming here LONG before he knew about Smith. I just hope he doesn't choose ND. He'd replace a decent chunk of Grant's production. Wish we had him.
I would just interject this one thing here.
I think JD is in a really bad spot and he owns it.
But, this Gibbs stuff ...
Let's not forget, Ashton wasn't Mr. Positive his senior year. That team, in fact, started the downward slide for the program, and it had some pretty bad chemistry.
NOW ... Maybe Ashton has grown up a bit.
But, with two fairly young and modestly experienced guys in BK and Smoke as his primary assistants, maybe not best to bring in another guy who will at best be even more young and inexperienced.
Also, given how his career ended, and how they really didn't recruit Sterling with great enthusiasm ... maybe there isn't super great vibes with the Gibbs clan and the program.
NOW, add in ... This team going completely off the rails at the end of this past season.
If things aren't pretty good with the Gibbs, do you want to mix in what ever negativity there might be with them with a crew that has shaky dynamics already?
Just saying ...
I think JD is in a really bad spot and he owns it.
But, this Gibbs stuff ...
Let's not forget, Ashton wasn't Mr. Positive his senior year. That team, in fact, started the downward slide for the program, and it had some pretty bad chemistry.
NOW ... Maybe Ashton has grown up a bit.
But, with two fairly young and modestly experienced guys in BK and Smoke as his primary assistants, maybe not best to bring in another guy who will at best be even more young and inexperienced.
Also, given how his career ended, and how they really didn't recruit Sterling with great enthusiasm ... maybe there isn't super great vibes with the Gibbs clan and the program.
NOW, add in ... This team going completely off the rails at the end of this past season.
If things aren't pretty good with the Gibbs, do you want to mix in what ever negativity there might be with them with a crew that has shaky dynamics already?
Just saying ...
How about:
Ashton now really wants to be at Pitt - and - the Gibbs family is comparing Ashton's career at Pitt with Sterling's travels
I think Pitt should have and now can have the whole Gibbs family.
So, you think Ashton gets an asst. coach spot.....replacing??? And Sterling says no to UCONN, G-town & ND, and TJ commits to pitt???? When NONE of this looks even remotely possible?? Or are you just hoping to blame Dixon?
I think Ashton replaces Barton (who is worthless anyway). Knight becomes the clear first chair. Somebody else picks up Barton's administrative duties.
With Ashton in place, Sterling turns down UCONN and G-town (no big deal - equal programs, lesser leagues). I am worried about ND.
With Ashton and Sterling in place, why would it be remote for Pitt to get Temple?
Why would you say I want to blame Dixon? I have no desire for Jamie to leave.
I have stated from the day he was hired that I did not want Barton here and I have criticized our last two years of recruiting and have long criticized the position distribution on our roster. I have said I would liked to have seen Jamie be a little bit more of a game day coach rather than a system coach. These have been my complaints, but in no way do I want Dixon gone.
With Ashton in place, Sterling turns down UCONN and G-town (no big deal - equal programs, lesser leagues). I am worried about ND.
With Ashton and Sterling in place, why would it be remote for Pitt to get Temple?
Why would you say I want to blame Dixon? I have no desire for Jamie to leave.
I have stated from the day he was hired that I did not want Barton here and I have criticized our last two years of recruiting and have long criticized the position distribution on our roster. I have said I would liked to have seen Jamie be a little bit more of a game day coach rather than a system coach. These have been my complaints, but in no way do I want Dixon gone.
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As much as I question Barton, cannot see him being replaced.
I don't know how serious Pitt was the first time recruiting Gibbs in 2011 (Pitt ended up with Durand and Joe Johnson for crying out loud). That being said, if he was disappointed in any way after the first time around, I would not be surprised if he turned Pitt down a second time or Pitt did not reach out to gauge his interest. While I think Gibbs is an upgrade of quality to the roster at the guard position, Pitt still has need at the 5 as well (though whoever they might get at this point will be of lesser quality). I will be surprised if Gibbs even gets an offer, and shocked if he ends up here.
And I believe Pitt has a winning record vs. UCONN in that period. It certainly validates the importance of having a transcendentant guard/scorer in the tourney. Ollie's done a good job so far. I miss those tilts...great hoops, great intensity.
UCONN was 20-15 last season - Their roster was not at a UCONN level - Calhoun is gone - They are in a declining league - Their demise is near
They won a national title under Kevin Ollie.
This site has them having the #19 recruiting class this season, with both incoming players being 4-star recruits (Jalen Adams, #23 overall; Steve Enoch, #58 overall). They already have landed a good transfer (Shonn Miller, all-Ivy League player, chose UConn over Michigan, Illinois, and BC) and have a good chance at getting Gibbs.
Not sure if you follow college hoops or not, but every few years, UConn goes to the NIT - even under Calhoun - and then reloads for a deep run in the NCAA Tourney. I really don't know what to tell you, if you think Pitt is equal to UConn as a program.
It's funny, everyone here thinks Pitt's former rivals demise is near, whether its the old Big East teams or UConn, because of the conference they are in... yet Pitt in stuck in no-man's land in the ACC.
If you had to pick Pitt or UConn to win at least 1 NCAA tournament game next year, who would you pick? I don't think it would be even close if you asked people around the country...
UCONN will be Seton Hall in 5 years, they are running on fumes - Kevin Ollie is not Calhoun and never will be (even though he was able to win with Calhoun's players) - Who knows if their hodgepodge of a league will even continue to exist or they will drop football to enter the Big East?
If you asked people around the country would you rather be in Pitt's position or UCONN's in basketball, what do you think the answer would be?
If you asked people around the country would you rather be in Pitt's position or UCONN's in basketball, what do you think the answer would be?
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Yeah, being in a lesser league has really held back teams like Gonzaga, Wichita State, San Diego State, VCU, etc. And UConn is a much much bigger player than those programs are.
I'm curious as to why you think Pitt is in such a great position in basketball. They have moved to a conference that doesn't have teams and big coverage in their main recruiting areas (NY/NJ/Philly/Balt/DC), and they are looking at being a middle of the pack team there for the immediate future. The move to the ACC has not helped their recruiting one bit... they have whiffed on every top level recruit they have been interested in since the move announced (Noah Vonleh, Beejay Anya, Kenton Facey, Detrick Mostella, Rysheed Jordan, Alex Robinson, Isaiah Whitehead, Robert Johnson, Goodluck Okonoboh, Terry Larrier, Bonzie Colson, Kobie Eubanks, Chieck Diallo, Caleb Swanigan, Noah Dickerson, Carlton Bragg, Jesse Govan, Maverick Rowan, Mustapha Heron). They've lost out to NC State (Trevor Lacey), Iowa State (DeAndre Kane), Gonzaga (Byron Wesley), and Illinois (Mike Thorne) amongst others on transfers. The only big time targets they have hit on are Mike Young (#102 2013 Rivals) and Damon Wilson (#100 2015 Rivals).
In the meantime, Ollie has brought in Rodney Purvis (transfer, former top 20 recruit), Kenton Facey (#66 2013 Rivals), Daniel Hamilton (#14 2014 Rivals), Jalen Adams (#23 2015 Rivals), Steve Enoch (#58 2015 Rivals), and stands a much better chance at getting Sterling Gibbs than Pitt does.
Which program looks like it is trending towards "Seton Hall" status. Mind you, Seton Hall beat Pitt out for Isaiah Whitehead and Khadeen Carrington just last year, and have 2 other rising sophomores (Angel Delgado & Desi Rodriguez) that put any of Pitt's young players to shame.
ACC teams have always recruited extremely successfully in the large metropolitan areas listed in your post , This is the 21st century with, you know, cable and satellite TV. Kids are very mobile and don 't consider it a big deal to go to a school across the country. Pitt's entry into the ACC , in of itself, has had no negative effect, zippo, nada on recruiting. You're barking up the wrong tree. Focus elsewhere.
Recruiting is not the be all end all. Jordan Whitehead will be responsible for getting Williard fired.
Pitt has beaten UCONN over the years with less recruited players. UCONN like all schools has had highly rated flops. UCONN last year with some of the players you mentioned lost at home to Yale and only scored 44 points.
UCONN's 2014 season is in the past, never to be repeated again. They no longer will have the TV exposure or revenue and coach to maintain their previous status. It is only a question of when recruiting will begin to decline.
UCONN was better than Pitt last season? Did you look at who they played? We beat UNC, ND and SYR twice. Who did they beat?
UCONN would love to be where Pitt is .
Pitt has beaten UCONN over the years with less recruited players. UCONN like all schools has had highly rated flops. UCONN last year with some of the players you mentioned lost at home to Yale and only scored 44 points.
UCONN's 2014 season is in the past, never to be repeated again. They no longer will have the TV exposure or revenue and coach to maintain their previous status. It is only a question of when recruiting will begin to decline.
UCONN was better than Pitt last season? Did you look at who they played? We beat UNC, ND and SYR twice. Who did they beat?
UCONN would love to be where Pitt is .
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What is hysterical is that you fault Pitt for playing in a conference outside of their normal recruiting areas, while at the same time talking up UConn, who is playing teams like Memphis, SMU, and Houston.
1) UConn would kill to be in the ACC.
2) Pitt played UConn head to head while we were in the same conference.
3) UConn has accomplished a heck of a lot more in regards to the titles, so their program is better than ours.
4) A good recruiter would be able to recruit well at Pitt playing in the ACC.
2) Pitt played UConn head to head while we were in the same conference.
3) UConn has accomplished a heck of a lot more in regards to the titles, so their program is better than ours.
4) A good recruiter would be able to recruit well at Pitt playing in the ACC.
And Pitt lost to Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, & Hawaii.
UConn beat Dayton, SMU, Cincy a few times, Tulsa a few times... not quite ND but on par with UNC & better than Syracuse.
Thinking UConn is going to fall off simply because of their conference, ignoring what programs like VCU, Gonzaga, Wichita St, etc have done is foolish. It honestly reinforces my thoughts that many here don't even follow college hoops outside of Pitt. Anyone who thinks Pitt is on par with UConn simply because they were competitive head to head for ten years or so, really has no concept of what college basketball success is nationally.
But yeah, go ACC rah rah sis boom bah! Pitt's the best because they are a mid-level program in that conference! And have one top 100 recruit in past three classes ('15, '14, '13). Go ACC!
Pitt recruited just fine in the Big East. One top 100 player in last three classes, including 2015, though. And there are some rumors that he might not qualify.
Pitt recruits NY/NJ/Philly/DC... UConn recruits nationally. If you don't realize that then I don't know what to tell you.
This is all true. However, UConn will still be able to recruit just fine. Keep in mind they've had fewer than 10 McD's AAs in their history, so it's not like UConn was ever Duke or Kentucky when it came to attracting blue chips. Right now it's every D1 team against those two and Kansas.
I miss the UConn/Pitt games. Always pretty physical without devolving into a rock fight (like say, Cincy). We never did have an answer for Blair.
But at the end of the day, any coach or player will tell you it's all about March, not the regular season.
Fwiw, there was a tweet earlier today that Gibbs was headed to UConn, but it was later retracted.
Knight becomes the clear first chair? I don't get it. Just because Dixon get along with Knight etc... but the fact that what did really Knight have contributed in coaching, recruiting at Pitt??? I think it's about time for this coach to move elsewhere.
I prayed that Dixon will get better assistant coaches who can recruit and build and improve the players.
Pitt's move to the ACC was a win for football and a wash at best for basketball. Read between the lines in Jamie's public comments. He knows it.
Piranha said a good recruiter would be able to recruit well in the ACC. A good recruiter is a good recruiter anywhere. Even in Pittsburgh... but I suppose that's wishful thinking.
AND... anybody who thinks UConn is in decline is thinking very, very wishfully.
Piranha said a good recruiter would be able to recruit well in the ACC. A good recruiter is a good recruiter anywhere. Even in Pittsburgh... but I suppose that's wishful thinking.
AND... anybody who thinks UConn is in decline is thinking very, very wishfully.
Do you deny that UCONN has lost TV exposure and revenue? Do you think they are better off without Calhoun? They have suffered loss already and they are in line to suffer more.
This is the league they play in:
SMU 27-7
Tulsa 23-11
Temple 26-11
Cin 23-11
UCONN 20-15
Memp 18-14
E.Caro 14-19
Tulane 15-16
UCF 12-18
Hous 13-19
USF 9-23
UCONN is relevant today only because of their past, but how long can they stay relevant playing in this league?
This is the league they play in:
SMU 27-7
Tulsa 23-11
Temple 26-11
Cin 23-11
UCONN 20-15
Memp 18-14
E.Caro 14-19
Tulane 15-16
UCF 12-18
Hous 13-19
USF 9-23
UCONN is relevant today only because of their past, but how long can they stay relevant playing in this league?
Do you assert that UConn has lost TV exposure and revenue? Show me some numbers. I'm honestly curious.
Don't look at basketball conferences the way you look at football conferences. The non-conf means so much more in basketball, and UConn will have no trouble filling its with as many marquee games as it wants or thinks it needs. And remember, a conference tourney win, no matter how unimpressive, guarantees you a spot in the NCAAT. In football, you can win the Big 12 and still not get the chance to play for a championship.
Are they better off without Calhoun? I don't know. I think losing Dean Smith was a bigger deficit to overcome, but UNC has managed a couple championships and lots of Final 4's since then. Maybe UConn will be alright. As mvk points out, Ollie already has one championship and a growing roster of top level kids.
Don't look at basketball conferences the way you look at football conferences. The non-conf means so much more in basketball, and UConn will have no trouble filling its with as many marquee games as it wants or thinks it needs. And remember, a conference tourney win, no matter how unimpressive, guarantees you a spot in the NCAAT. In football, you can win the Big 12 and still not get the chance to play for a championship.
Are they better off without Calhoun? I don't know. I think losing Dean Smith was a bigger deficit to overcome, but UNC has managed a couple championships and lots of Final 4's since then. Maybe UConn will be alright. As mvk points out, Ollie already has one championship and a growing roster of top level kids.
UConn has definitely lost both TV exposure and especially revenue. Their TV contract is 7 years, 126 million dollars. Split 11 ways, that's less than $2MM per team per year The old Big East paid about 12 million per team per year. The ACC and College Football Playoff TV deals pay the P5 schools over $20MM/year, more than 10 times the AAC payment.
Almost all of their games are nationally televised somewheret, but nowhere near the marquee appearances like Big Monday, etc.
The AAC is trying desperately to maintain "major" conference status. I liked the UConn rivalry and would love to play them regularly. But, with the stipend and ucoming O'Bannon NIL trust charges, it will be difficult for them to maintain the status they had. Memphis and Louisville thrived in the old CUSA, but it was never mistaken for P5 league.,
Thanks for the numbers, Harve. I think UConn will end up in a P5 league when it's all said and done anyway. Left outside, I can see why some would think they could slip. Until then, I think the brand has more than enough strength to hold them over.
In any case, I think the revenue analysis is not one you'll hear many recruits mention when they're asked to name top schools and reasons for.
Tubby won a national championship with Pitino's recruits. Fisher won a national championship with Frieder's recruits. Ollie wins a national championship with Calhoun's recruits. Do you see a pattern?
Tubby couldn't couldn't get back to the final four & wears out his welcome. Fisher with the help of a friend of the program got Michigan back to the final four twice, but ends up leaving due to the NCAA violations.
Ollie could break the cycle, but he couldn't get his team to the NCAA tournament in a weaker conference than the big east.
Tubby couldn't couldn't get back to the final four & wears out his welcome. Fisher with the help of a friend of the program got Michigan back to the final four twice, but ends up leaving due to the NCAA violations.
Ollie could break the cycle, but he couldn't get his team to the NCAA tournament in a weaker conference than the big east.
Ed Martin's involvement dated back to the beginning of Frieder's time at Michigan. That's why Michigan was so good. The fallout from that is why they faded. Even then, they have a recent national championship game appearance. All in all, not a good comparison.
As for Kentucky, well you got me there. That program has done absolutely nothing since Tubby...
[/SARCASM]
The people who are arguing about conference and revenue... I state yet again.... Gonzaga, Wichita State, VCU, San Diego State.... if you can recruit & coach, and obviously Ollie can, you will be successful.
It's just wishful thinking and being spiteful regarding past conference foes that people think UConn is going to fall apart.
Ollie has brought in a top 25 player the past two years, & has a top 20 class this year, already has 1 good senior transfer coming it, and has a decent shot at Gibbs as well.
It's just wishful thinking and being spiteful regarding past conference foes that people think UConn is going to fall apart.
Ollie has brought in a top 25 player the past two years, & has a top 20 class this year, already has 1 good senior transfer coming it, and has a decent shot at Gibbs as well.
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