News and Notes

Haven't had a news and notes section in a little while - lots of small tidbits out there recently:

ESPN.com's Brian Bennett has a Top 30 Big East list and he's down to his final two.  Pitt will wind up with five players in the list as the top two will be Dion Lewis and Noel Devine.  Even better, Pitt has three of the top four in the list with Greg Romeus, Jonathan Baldwin, and Lewis.

Along those lines, Bennett lists his top triplets in the Big East and to no surprise, Pitt is #1 with Lewis, Baldwin, and Tino Sunseri.

Top triplets?  Yes, things are officially slow.

Here's an interview with former Pitt player and new Seton Hall coach, Kevin Willard.  Judging by the length of some of these answers, it looks like Willard was either not in the mood to talk or standing on a tee box with driver firmly in hand. 

And speaking of Seton Hall, Willard says in another article that Herb Pope is recovering nicely:

“Herb’s doing great, Herb’s doing great,” Willard said Thursday. “Taking classes, working, getting back because he did miss quite a few classes. He’s really working hard to get back academically what he needs to do and get back on track for graduation. Herb’s doing pretty good.”

Former Pitt great and current Pope mentor, Charles Smith, also comments briefly via text in the article.

And Bob Smizik of the PG notes that the negotiations to move Pitt games to the new radio station The Fan may hinge on coverage of women's basketball.  I can't make this stuff up.

News and Notes

Nothing major out there today, but a few things to mention before things pile up:

Tom Herrion gets a nice piece discussing his opportunity at Marshall, some of his past coaching experience, and, of course, the quarter:

Making the quick drive from his old job to his new one, Tom Herrion stopped to grab a bite to eat in Morgantown, W.Va.

While Herrion finished up his meal, a gentleman slid out of his nearby booth and came over to Herrion's table.

"Excuse me, weren't you the assistant at Pitt?" the man said.

And when Herrion admitted that, indeed, he was the assistant coach made famous after getting pegged by a flying coin during a Panthers game at West Virginia, the man took a quarter out of his pocket and set it on the table.

"Not all West Virginia people are bad," he said and walked off.

Former Pitt recruit and Seton Hall standout Herb Pope, meanwhile, is still recovering and is back in Pittsburgh. It's unclear if he will play next season at Seton Hall.

Brian Bennett at ESPN.com wraps up his Big East position rankings. Pitt ranked fourth in the secondary and fifth at Tight End.

Just a quick note on the tight ends. I've mentioned this before, but I really believe this position will be more productive than expected. With the loss of Dorin Dickerson and Nate Byham, I'm sure many fans are looking for a large decrease in production there. But I believe that Offensive Coordinator Frank Cignetti will again find ways to get the tight ends involved. And with a new quarterback and retooled offensive line, you can look for some short, safe passes this year to the tight end 'security blanket.' I think fans will be pleasantly surprised, even though it's almost a guarantee that there will be a decrease in production at that spot.

And Dion Lewis was called college football's most productive runner and a top five Heisman candidate by the Sporting News. The publication also ranked Pitt 19th and named Lewis, Jason Pinkston, Jonathan Baldwin, and Greg Romeus to its All American teams.

Minor Basketball Notes

A few very random basketball pieces out there:

To start, there are a lot of preseason rankings out there. I've followed a few, but there are getting to be too many to keep up with. Chas over at Pitt Blather has a good rundown of the ones out there.

Pat Forde at ESPN.com thinks Pitt is a contender for next season and possibly the best team in the Big East:

4. Pittsburgh: The Panthers overachieved last season, winning 25 games with only a single senior playing a major role. Expect more next season from a program still trying to shatter the Elite Eight ceiling that has hovered above it in recent years. In a Big East that has lost a lot of sizzle, Pitt could be the clear preseason favorite.

Former Pitt standout Charles Smith has been advising Seton Hall's Herb Pope and says he should be able to make a full recovery from his recent health issues that helped force him out of the NBA Draft.

And Jamie Dixon apparently helped, at least somewhat, in Robert Morris' hiring of assistant coach Andrew Toole.

Herb Pope Has Another Setback

The excellent Big East basketball blog, Zagsblog.com, is reporting that former Pitt recruit Herb Pope has landed in the hospital:

Seton Hall forward Herb Pope was taken to St. Barnabas Hospital in New Jersey after collapsing on campus Wednesday afternoon.

A team source who was with Pope at the hospital said he was uncertain what triggered the collapse.

“A student-athlete has been taken to the hospital,” a university spokesman confirmed to ZAGSBLOG.com.

Complete cause is unknown, but Adam has some more information in the story. Just another setback for a tremendous local athlete. Here's hoping he's better soon and it's not serious. It's amazing what this guy's been through and even Pitt fans who weren't happy with his decision to back out of his commitment to the school have to be pulling for him to at least be healthy.

He was planning to test the NBA waters, but not sure if this will cause a setback in that plan.

I Give Up

So today started out normal enough. Dave Wannstedt's contract was extended, which means next to nothing.

Then there was the news that former Pitt recruit Herb Pope is going to the NBA early. Well, at least in the NBA Draft.

And then things got, well, weird. I was listening to The Fan today and heard Jamie Dixon coming on. That's when all hell broke loose. If you've not yet heard the interview, you can check it out here. The weird part came when Dixon was asked if he would even be the coach NEXT YEAR. I'm thinking this was a slam dunk 'yes', but then came the awkward laugh, the dancing around, and certainly anything but a yes. Downright scary. I can see him not committing to the long-term. Given his history, I didn't expect that. But to not be able to commit to next year? That's a little alarming.

Another telling fact was when asked if he met with Oregon representatives, not only did he not didn't deny it, he didn't even address it. Hmm, strike two.

Still, I fully expect Jamie Dixon to return next season. I'm leaning this way for a number of reasons:

1. Pitt has a good team coming back next year and an even better one coming the year after. Recruiting has gotten better and better and Pitt has exceeded the 'team' label and become a program. Something that should be able to be sustained as long as Pitt sticks to the same system and avoids thinks like violations.

2. Dixon has stated over and over that he genuinely likes the area and that his family likes it here. Don't know how true this is, but you've got to think it's at least partially true since he brings it up so often.

3. Dixon can establish a true legacy here at Pitt by sticking around for many years. That type of thing is rare in coaching.

4. The whole Big East thing will loom large until the Big Ten figures out its situation. But for the time being, Dixon has the luxury of playing in the best conference in the country. In a sport like football that doesn't have a playoff, playing in the toughest conference may be a hinderance. One loss can ruin your season. But in basketball, it prepares you for the tournament and assists greatly in recruiting.

5. Going to Oregon would mean he would have to face Ben Howland twice a year. For the life of me, I don't understand why this should matter to Dixon. And despite his insistence that he doesn't want to do that, I don't think it would stand in the way of getting a job he really wants. Still, he HAS mentioned it and assuming he's not lying, should favor Pitt.

6. He passed on the Arizona job when it was open. That school has much more prestige than Oregon and I don't understand why he would not take that job then turn around and take an inferior one.

Look, I don't think it's a guarantee that Dixon will be around long-term. He's never said that this was where he wanted to be for good, and even if he had, things can change. But simply put, I don't see him leaving this year.

But I'll say this and it's meant as no slight to him. The fact that his name is continually brought up means something very important to me. It means that other schools have reason to believe, (for whatever the reason), that he is 'available.' Until he repeatedly comes out and says he wants to be at Pitt for the long haul, this type of stuff will continue to happen. Do I want Dixon to stay? Of course I do. I think he's one of the best coaches in the country. He proved he can win with limited talent and as more starts to come in, look out. I think Pitt is a budding program that can turn into a UCONN in the near future (5-10 years down the road).

That said.

I'm also getting sick of this annual dance we seem to have with him. He never comes flat out to deny any job. I understand he's doing that to avoid the same fate Ben Howland did with fans here. But, really, you can't turn down ANY job publicly? I really believe that most of this is just posturing for more money (and even in the case of potentially playing a factor on if Pitt would ever leave the Big East, a certain degree of power), but the University has done right by him in my eyes. First, there was the 2006 extension that significantly increased his salary after he was mentioned as a possible Arizona State candidate. Then there was the 2008 increase that bumped him up over his then $1.3 million salary.

The Chicago Tribune reports that his salary is currently $1.5 million. Dixon is a great coach, but still one without even a Final Four appearance. Oregon could throw Nike money at him, but you've got to think Pitt would at the very least offer a raise to try to get closer. John Calipari leads the list and there are only three guys at $3 million and over. If Oregon came in with $3 million, I've got to think Pitt will try to get to at least $2 million. I really think Oregon would need to make him one of the top 1-2 highest paid coaches in the NCAA to get him.

Dixon's salary has risen considerably over the past few years, as well it should have. But at what point does Pitt finally say 'enough is enough?' I don't fault Dixon necessarily for this. He's playing the game he needs to play to a degree. But I really wonder when Pitt will finally say 'no' to him without seeing a significant boost to the program's postseason success. As mentioned, Dixon has zero Final Fours, let alone championships, to his name. Certainly not a fireable offense, but his salary is well in line with someone of his accomplishments so far.

I'd be surprised if he goes, but this story seems like it will be around until Oregon fills its position.

Let's Hope It's Not Becoming A Trend

Let me start by saying I did not see Pitt's loss against Seton Hall - only a few plays and some highlights. So my analysis on this game is limited to strictly the box score and post-game interviews.

That said, I don't think this loss is that big of a deal. I don't know. Maybe it's the fact that I've seen good Pitt teams get bounced early from the NCAA Tournament and regular season games mean increasingly less to me. The hot start that Pitt has (or, had, depending on how you view it) gotten off to this year really got me excited because I wasn't really expecting that much out of this team. Yes, I predicted 20 wins for them going in, but after the Wofford and Indiana games, my expectations were lessened.

But back to the game.

This loss was to a rising team on the road after they had played an emotional one on Wednesday, so I'm not going to get too bent out of shape over it.

Looking over the box score, it looks like Ashton had another tough day (4-15 from the field), despite getting to the line quite a bit and ending up with 23 points. He also had the misses at the end to tie it. He's now had three off shooting nights in a row and is 11-43 from the field over that span (just over 25%). That's not going to cut it if Pitt is to be successful over the good teams. Yes, when others have shown their ability to step up, Pitt has shown they can still find ways to win. But Jermaine Dixon was the only other player in double figures (11) and the team shot an abysmal 35% from the field.

Other than Jeremy Hazell having a foul-plagued game, the other thing that stuck out to me was Dante Taylor only getting 7 minutes.

Pitt managed to outrebound Seton Hall by ten, but also reverted back to their old ways a bit with 20 turnovers - their most in eight games. Local kid and former Pitt recruit, Herb Pope, also appeared to have Gary McGhee and Dante Taylor for breakfast as he had 19/9 compared to McGhee/Taylor's combined 6/5. Ouch.

The Panthers' next two games are two that they should win - home against St. John's and on the road at South Florida. If Pitt loses either game, there should be cause for some concern - even with Pitt's history of playing down to its competition at times. Pitt really needs to come out strong and get two convincing wins this week.