Jamie Dixon to TCU

[1999.2004.2011]

Interesting. I'd obviously much rather be in a better conference situation than we are now, but not if it meant giving up one of our National Championships.

Can we give up our AAC tournament championship to get out of this conference???

 

[Uconn77Duke74]

Interesting. I'd obviously much rather be in a better conference situation than we are now, but not if it meant giving up one of our National Championships--especially not the 2014 one, which was so important to keep up among the elite in terms of perception once Calhoun retired.

I assume we let Kansas win the other day in exchange for an invite to their conference?

 

[UConnJim]

Pitt is a tough basketball coaching situation. In the Big East, they were an upper echelon program, but they are a middle of the pack program in the ACC now. Think about it, they are definitely behind Duke, UNC, Syracuse, and Louisville, and right now behind ND, UVA, and Miami. They are somewhere between the 6th to 11th best program in the ACC. Plus, they used to get many NY guys, but that pipeline seems to have dried up in recent years. I think it is going to be difficult to attract a top coach to replace Dixon.

 

[auror]

I think it is going to be difficult to attract a top coach to replace Dixon.

I doubt it will be that difficult. ACC is the premiere basketball conference in the country right now and there's a chance it gets to SEC football status at some point. They earned 21 tournament units last year and will earn at least 19 this year.

 

[jibsey]

One thing Dixon did get was some tough players who could mix it up. If he even gets them to the tourney for TCU it's a big deal, he's off the burner.

 

[UConnJim]

I doubt it will be that difficult. ACC is the premiere basketball conference in the country right now and there's a chance it gets to SEC football status at some point. They earned 21 tournament units last year and will earn at least 19 this year.

Pitt will get a decent coach, but a top coach is going to be cautious due to the league pecking order. Top coaches want to go to one of the top programs in a conference. Would any coach choose Pitt over Duke, UNC, Syracuse, Louisville, Notre Dame, Maryland, Ohio St., Michigan, Michigan St., Indiana, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Florida, Texas, Kansas, Arizona, UCLA, UConn, Villanova, Georgetown? Nope. Would a coach choose Pitt over Miami, Florida St., NC St., Virginia, Illinois, Oregon, Utah, Tennessee, Xavier...? Maybe, but not a slam dunk. Would Sean Miller leave Arizona, the top Pac 12 program to go to his alma mater Pitt? Very doubtful.

Plus, the AD has basically stated that making the NCAAs almost every year, winning conference championships every so often, and winning 73% of your games and 64% of your conference (Big East and ACC) games is not good enough. Who can live up to those expectations? Be careful what you wish for.

 

[MattMang23]

Well this is further proof that UConn is going to the Big XII. Right, Conspiracy Kitty? @CL82 Follow me on this: Dixon recruits NYC. Dixon leaves a conference that has access to NYC to go to a league without access to NYC. Why? Because TCU told him that UConn will be joining and therefore he will still get to use the pitch that their parents/family will get to drive to see them play at least once a year.

 

[tzznandrew]

L

O

L

 

[storrsroars]

If Young or Jeter wants to transfer for their last year of eligibility, I hope we go after them. Both would give us a great Shonn Miller replacement.

The new standing joke on the Pitt boards is that when Young bumped James Robinson while the latter was going for the winning shot on Friday, it was the best defense Young played all year.

Jeter will make a lot more stupid mistakes than Shonn did, without all the positives.

 

[intlzncster]

Pitt will get a decent coach, but a top coach is going to be cautious due to the league pecking order. Top coaches want to go to one of the top programs in a conference. Would any coach choose Pitt over Duke, UNC, Syracuse, Louisville, Notre Dame, Maryland, Ohio St., Michigan, Michigan St., Indiana, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Florida, Texas, Kansas, Arizona, UCLA, UConn, Villanova, Georgetown? Nope. Would a coach choose Pitt over Miami, Florida St., NC St., Virginia, Illinois, Oregon, Utah, Tennessee, Xavier...? Maybe, but not a slam dunk. Would Sean Miller leave Arizona, the top Pac 12 program to go to his alma mater Pitt? Very doubtful.

Plus, the AD has basically stated that making the NCAAs almost every year, winning conference championships every so often, and winning 73% of your games and 64% of your conference (Big East and ACC) games is not good enough. Who can live up to those expectations? Be careful what you wish for.

While I get your point, any coach would pick a P5 (Pitt) over a non P5 (eg Xavier).

 

[Dogbreath2U]

He is in a no-win position. The Toads will never be any good in hoops. Too much to overcome.

I would be surprised if he did not improve them a very great deal. Whether that would amount to relevance is another matter.

 

[UConnStats]

The new standing joke on the Pitt boards is that when Young bumped James Robinson while the latter was going for the winning shot on Friday, it was the best defense Young played all year.

Jeter will make a lot more stupid mistakes than Shonn did, without all the positives.

We criticized Hamilton a ton this year too. That doesn't mean the team was better off without him. People also criticized Miller's defense too.

I'm not saying Jeter would totally replace Miller, but he shot 57% inside of the arc and is a better rebounder than Miller. He'd still be the best inside scorer on our team next year barring a huge improvement from Brimah or Enoch.

I understand some people not wanting to take on transfers, but if you're open to the idea, I don't know how you'd say no to either of those guys.

 

[mauconnfan]

Tough job I would expect Pitt being in the ACC will have some good names available to them.

The Toads will be battlers that's for sure.

 

[beasteast]

Dixon got out of town before the crowd with the pitch folks and torches got to his door.

this

 

[jostar1]

Chuck Carlton ‏@ChuckCarltonDMN · 2h2 hours ago
Pittsburgh AD Scott Barnes says the school "softened" Dixon's buyout, helping him move to TCU.

Chuck Carlton ‏@ChuckCarltonDMN · 2h2 hours ago
@theDudeofWV Paraphrasing, said school didn't want to hold Dixon hostage with above market buyout. Said Dixon really wanted to go to TCU.

 

[intlzncster]

Chuck Carlton ‏@ChuckCarltonDMN · 2h2 hours ago
Pittsburgh AD Scott Barnes says the school "softened" Dixon's buyout, helping him move to TCU.

Chuck Carlton ‏@ChuckCarltonDMN · 2h2 hours ago
@theDudeofWV Paraphrasing, said school didn't want to hold Dixon hostage with above market buyout. Said Dixon really wanted to go to TCU.

If they really wanted him, they would not have "softened" the buyout. imo

 

[Penfield]

Pitt is going to be a bottom feeder in the ACC within the next 3 years.

 

[The Funster]

Didn't Dixon lose his NYC recruiter a year or two ago? I think he's bailing out.

 

[willie99]

better to act as if you're leaving on your own terms, I think the pressure was building

DO SOMETHING

 

[Fishy]

I like Jaime Dixon - he's a decent sort.

But he's plateaued at Pitt and moving on now is a good move.

There's a hard ceiling at Pitt.

 

[willie99]

I really wish there was a 'not like' option.

a little empathy is not such a bad thing

at the end of the day, you don't feel bad for good teams y'know

 

[MexicoHusky]

Apparently you are unaware of the events around the BE breakup.

We would of done the same. No hard feelings. They were solid rivals.

 

[storrsroars]

New AD Scott Barnes has indicated Pitt wants proven success, will pay top dollar and is going to "make a splash".

I can only take that to mean they're going after Geno

 

[Mots010]

TCU hiring a P5 coach who pretty much goes to the tourney every year. What is this world coming to?

 

[Jaker]

In his 13 years at Pitt, he made the tourney 11 times, TCU has not made the tourney since like 1998.

Good luck with that.