Ten millions dollars to not coach Pitt.
Is this a great country or what?
For the record, I'd take a lot less to not coach Pitt.
Sage Grouse
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'When I got on the bus for my first road game at Duke, I saw that every player was carrying textbooks or laptops. I coached in the SEC for 25 years, and I had never seen that before, not even once.' - David Cutcliffe to Duke alumni in Washington, DC, June 2013
Ten millions dollars to not coach Pitt.
Is this a great country or what?
For the record, I'd take a lot less to not coach Pitt.
They'd be smart to give a young coach that's had success in the mid or lower majors a chance rather than go with another retread. South Dakota State out of the Summit has made the post-season consistently this decade, though T.J. Otzelberger has only coached them since 2016. And he has a pro prospect in Mike Daum - when he leaves, what will happen? But how worse could Pitt get? Roll the dice. Turned out well for Duke.
Pitt did not run Dixon out. He wanted to go to TCU because it's his alma mater. Pitt had been in something of a slide up until then, and then Pitt actually decreased his buyout in order to allow him to pursue a job he wanted. They might not have moved mountains to keep him, but they didn't push him out.
I do get why Stallings wouldn't reduce his buyout. Here take 10 million to do nothing or work another year, get your head beat in and then we'll fire you and give you less of a buyout.
Sounds like he was not a good fit from the get go and only took the job because Vandy was thinking of showing him the door.
Coaches change jobs all the time despite existing contracts but a player who graduates with remaining eligibility and transfers -- typically the only hoops transfer that doesn't require sitting out a year (Elliot Williams notwithstanding) -- is "stolen"? That's horribly unfair to players, who have all too few rights once they commit to a school. Kids can't transfer freely, leave when their coaches leave, etc. But their scholarships can be pulled for any or no reason on a year-to-year basis.
ESPN reports that Ollie is out at UCONN, for cause.
The scholarships should not be able to be pulled, and I don't know how often that happens, in basketball at least. As for it being horribly unfair, I would not go that far. By the time you are 17-18, you should realize that the school is permanent, the coach is not. Coaches get fired, get sick, take other jobs all the time. This is not a secret. This is life, with any student or any job applicant or anything else. That's not to say there aren't some tweaks that would be appropriate, but every year we learn that coaches are not permanent.
Georgia has an opening available.
http://www.espn.com/mens-college-bas...-ways-mark-fox
Q "Why do you like Duke, you didn't even go there." A "Because my art school didn't have a basketball team."
ECU just negotiated a buyout with their AD. He wasn't very popular, with fans even hiring a plane to fly over the football stadium with a banner saying "Fire Compher". (He was instantly despised when he fired FB coach Ruffin McNeill, and Scottie Montgomery unfortunately hasn't done much to back up his decision.)
So the new AD will get a chance to make a statement hire when he looks at the basketball coach position. Seeing as how the Pirates ended the season at 10-15, it's safe to say the interim guy won't be keeping the job.
Q "Why do you like Duke, you didn't even go there." A "Because my art school didn't have a basketball team."
To be completely accurate, the espn.com article says the school has started a “disciplinary process” with the apparent objective of firing him for cause. Whether they are serious about that, or whether it’s a negotiating ploy, time will tell.
ESPN speculating that Dan Hurley is the leading candidate for both Pitt and UConn. If anyone would like to try convincing me that either of those situations are better than URI, I’m willing to listen.
I think UConn is a terrible basketball job now, with their conference affiliation. Pitt would get the nod over URI in many people's minds simply due to the ACC. That said, URI might be a better fit for Danny Hurley. It's closer to his roots, and much more similar in culture to his roots.
I would not try to convince you either is better, only would say UConn is a death bed for future coaches, and Pitt is debatable.