Think Jay Vidovich

[raleighpanther]

OK, I have no idea who Barnes will hire, and I am completely prepared to be disappointed. But I am not going to be disappointed, or start to get depressed as some of you are, in advance of the hiring.

All this talk about how Pitt is not a high level program and has a low ceiling on who they can hire is drivel.

Pitt has one of the worst D1 soccer programs in the country, with zero history, and Barnes went out and hired the best soccer coach in the land to build the program. I have no idea how he did it. Jay Vidovich built Wake Forest into a national power, won a NC, and was a perennial top 10 team. Left for a USL pro gig, and got talked into coming back to college at an empty program by Barnes. Wow.

This is not to predict some huge splash hire for basketball, I'm just saying that all this ceiling talk should be largely disregarded. Again, I'm 50-50 on the probability of being disappointed when the hire is announced, but the upside possibility is real.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

OK, I have no idea who Barnes will hire, and I am completely prepared to be disappointed. But I am not going to be disappointed, or start to get depressed as some of you are, in advance of the hiring.

All this talk about how Pitt is not a high level program and has a low ceiling on who they can hire is drivel.

Pitt has one of the worst D1 soccer programs in the country, with zero history, and Barnes went out and hired the best soccer coach in the land to build the program. I have no idea how he did it. Jay Vidovich built Wake Forest into a national power, won a NC, and was a perennial top 10 team. Left for a USL pro gig, and got talked into coming back to college at an empty program by Barnes. Wow.

This is not to predict some huge splash hire for basketball, I'm just saying that all this ceiling talk should be largely disregarded. Again, I'm 50-50 on the probability of being disappointed when the hire is announced, but the upside possibility is real.

That's what I was thinking. That was the Buzz Williams to VT of soccer coaching hires but that probably doesnt do it justice. Bill Self to VT would probably be more accurate.

However, playing devil's advocate, listening to an interview, I believe Vidovich wanted back in the college game and may have reached out to Barnes. Pitt offered an ACC job, good money, and the challenge to build a program from scratch.

The no expectations, building from scratch model is attractive to a lot of coaches. In some ways, I feel like if ACC basketball added Towson, that job would be viewed highly by a lot of people for the same reasons.