(A stunned Jamie Dixon looks on, wondering why he can never win the Big One).
So the Pitt Panthers have decided to sign coach Jamie Dixon to a 10 year (yep that’s right) extention. This keeps him as the Panther’s coach through the 2023 season. While some are rejoicing in this move made by AD Steve Pederson, I for one, am not. There are several reasons why, I think, the Panthers need a fresh start, starting with their Head Coach.
Winning the Big One…Or Not
One of the biggest reasons, if not the biggest, why I think this move is a bad one, is because Dixon has proven time and again, that he his unable to win the proverbial, “Big Game”. Dixon does have some nice wins on his watch, such as victories over Duke in 2007 and then No. 1 UCONN twice in one year in 2009. There are others for sure; but the problem is, none of these wins came when it really mattered. This can be said of the Big East Tournament Final, where Dixon has been 4 times in his 11 year tenure. The problem is, they have only won the tournament once, and that came back in 2008. And then there is the NCAA Tournament. Most who follow Pitt (even marginally) know that this is where the greatest amount of consternation comes when talking about Dixon. I truly think this is because Dixon has always opted for the easy Non-Conference schedule to prepare his team for the bulk of the regular season and into the Conference and NCAA Tournaments. This is the lion’s share reason why Pitt has consistently been bounced from the Big East and NCAA Tournaments on a yearly basis. The Panthers are never truly battle tested outside of the Big East. Furthermore, they never see any style different to that of the Big East. This creates nightmares for the Panthers when they go to the NCAA Tournament and they have to play a Butler or Wichita St. Shoddy preparation will most always lead to shoddy results; something Dixon has yet to learn. This soft scheduling creates a false sense of success that just leads to disaster and heartache in the end. Let’s take a look at some of these trips to the “Big Dance” and see Pitt’s
2003 (#2 Seed): Sweet 16 #2 Marquette (non-Big East Variety) Loss 77-74
2004 (#3 Seed): Sweet 16 #2 Oklahoma St Loss 63-51
2005 (#9 Seed): 1st Round #8 Pacific Loss 79-71 (Really!?)
2006 (#5 Seed): 2nd Round #13 Bradley Loss 72-66 (Again, Really!?)
2007 (#3 Seed): Sweet 16 Loss #2 UCLA 64-55 (Legitimate Loss)
2008 (#4 Seed): 2nd Round Loss #5 Michigan St. 65-54
2009 (#1 Seed): Elite 8 #3 Villinova Loss 78-76 (“At the buzzer loss)
2010 (#3 Seed): 2nd Round #6 Xavier Loss 71-68
2011 (#1 Seed) :2nd Round #8 Butler Loss 71-70
2013 (#8 Seed): 1st Round Wichita St Loss 73-55
So in his 10 appearances, Dixon has been ousted “Pre-Sweet 16”, 6 times! So 60% of the time Pitt is gone before things ever get rolling. And it isn’t like the Panthers didn’t have talent going into these games. Let’s examine a couple of these losses, and who exactly was on the teams when they decided to drastically underachieve and disaster struck.
The 2005 loss to Pacific sported a lineup that included Antonio Graves, Carl Krauser, Aaron Gray, Ronald Ramon, Chris Taft and Chevon Troutman…and they lost, yep to Pacific. (I know EXACTLY where I was and what I was doing when they lost this game!)
The 2006 loss to Bradley sported players such as: Levance Fields, Aaron Gray, Carl Krauser, Ronald Ramon and Sam Young. Yet they found a way to loose and lose badly.
The 2009 Elite 8 loss is especially burned into the hearts and minds of Pitt fans, due to the fact that this was the supposed “Year” for Pitt to go all the way. It was the first time Pitt had ever held a national #1 seed (earlier in the year) and it was their first #1 Seed in the tournament. This team was arguably the best Pitt has ever fielded in recent memory. Seniors: Tyrell Biggs, Levance Fields, and Sam Young; Sophomores: DeJuan Blair, Gilbert Brown; and Brad Wanamaker; Freshman: Ashton Gibbs, Nasir Robinson and Trevon Woodall. Their depth and talent was remarkable but in the end, when it counted, they underachieved came up short.
The losses to Xavier and Butler, to me, are not bad losses, as I thought Pitt wasn’t remarkably talented (even though they were a #1 seed in 2011), especially the 2010 loss to Xavier. That was the year Pitt was thought to only be about #9 or #10 in the Big East and they actually finished 2nd overall.
And finally, there is this year’s loss to Wichita St. I saw this one coming. This Pitt team was “up-and-down” all year. Just when you thought they had something going (a dismantling of Georgetown and Syracuse) they would lose to Cincinnati or Notre Dame. I thought that their #8 Seed was rather generous. While the loss was not at all surprising, it was the WAY that they lost. No one looked interested; they were lethargic and lazy, almost as if they didn’t want to be there. That, my friends, is a coaching problem.
My final point on this topic is, in their 10 losses in the NCAA Tournament, Pitt has never generated offense when it mattered most. Pitt was held to under 70 points in 6 of the 10 losses! What is worse, Pitt’s defense actually held serve in many of those instances holding teams to barely 70 points as well. The disappearance of offense when you need it most is simply uncalled for. Again, this goes back to the coach. Enough on this.
The Switcheroo
We all know that Pitt is headed over to the “newly molded” Atlantic Coast Conference. But why does this pose a problem for Pitt? The answer is quite simple. The philosophy and pace of the teams within the ACC is much different than the Big East. First off, Pitt (and many of the teams contained in the Big East) is what some call a “Banger” team. This is to say that Pitt loves to play a physical, “bang-you and knock-you-around” kind of game. This style wears you down and allows the “aggressor” to dictate the overall pace of the game. Secondly (and coupled with my first point), Pitt loves to play “half-court” basketball. They love to milk the shot clock, working their offense into high percentage shots while also making the opponent play defense for 30-35 seconds. This too, wears down the opponent, forcing them to not only be physically tough, but mentally disciplined as well. These two “styles” on the offensive and defensive end also translate into low scoring defensive struggles, with high turnover ratios. Unfortunately, these two “styles” are not tenants of ACC play. The ACC is much more “open court” and transition oriented on the offensive end. With that open style of play, requires the personnel to execute it. The Guards in the ACC are small but quick; and the Forwards are tall, lean and can run the court. Yes, most ACC teams have a prototypical “Big Man”, but the conditioning and physiques of most ACC Forwards are unlike anything Pitt has seen. Furthermore, teams in the ACC have high percentage outside shooting Guards, that can drain 3-pointers nearly at will, and Small Forwards that can extend your defense and knock down 3 pointers as well. This is not the style Pitt is used to seeing. They are used to a traditional 3 Guard 2 Forward set. The closest opponents Pitt faced who played any semblance of this style are Louisville or Marquette. And Pitt has not had the greatest of success against either team. This poses problems for Dixon and his offensive and defensive philosophies. Dixon’s Man-to-Man “in your face” defense is going to have to be extra special and extremely conditioned as many ACC teams will look to push the Panthers up and down the court in effort to not allow the Panthers to setup their suffocating defense. Furthermore, Pitt will be forced to playing “smaller” on defense as their #4 man (usually the Power or Small Forward) will be forced to step out of the lane and guard a hybrid Guard/Forward for the other team, (think Ryan Kelley for Duke). Who does Pitt have that can guard that style of player. The answer right now is, no one. Offensively speaking, many ACC teams love to press after made baskets. And if there is anything Pitt fans know well (other than bowing out of the Tourney early) is that Pitt has never handled the press with any consistent success. Pitt’s offensive consistency and discipline are going to be tested night in and night out with high-octane, full court pressure. Dixon’s style does not bode well against that. There are other “X’s and O’s” and differences in basketball philosophy but I feel these are the biggest issues Pitt will face moving forward into the ACC.
Next Man Up…No Really, Where Are You!?
If this wasn’t enough, I feel this may be the most ****ing point for Pitt, RECRUITING. Everyone knows that Jamie Dixon and his Assistant Coaches have a strong recruiting base in the Northeast, especially in States like New York and New Jersey. Why is this such a problem for Dixon? One of the biggest selling points Dixon was able to pitch to his Northeast recruits was the ability for them to be close to home and seen by family and friends. Moreover, Dixon was able to woo players to him, touting that they would be able to play under the big lights of New York City at “The Garden” on ESPN. While the latter point may not seem that big a deal to some; it means EVERYTHING to a kid growing up inside (or just outside) of the Big Apple. By moving to the ACC, that recruiting “carrot-on-a-stick” is gone and must be replaced with something else. What that “something else” is, is beyond me. Also, those recruits are leaving an area that they may not want to go, that hurts the recruiting base of New York and New Jersey considerably. Dixon must now chart into unfamiliar territory and start recruiting outside of New York and New Jersey and into States that coaches like Mike Krzyzewski, Roy Williams and Mark Turgeon already have a stranglehold on. Dixon is essentially going to have to start from scratch on the recruiting front and do so with the “scraps” left behind from the already established coaches of the ACC.
Was this the best decision for the Pitt Administration to make? Would Pitt have been better off letting Dixon go to USC and find a coach with already established ACC roots? Those answers remain unknown for now and only time will tell. But what we do know is that Dixon, for better or for worse, is locked into a new 10 year deal and he is seemingly willing to embark on this arduous task of establishing Pitt as a legitimate contender in the ACC. While I personally do not think this was a good choice, my hope is that Pitt can have success in the ACC, and that, that success will lead to better results when it matter most, in the NCAA Tournament. Attached Images
-
jamie-dixon_original.jpg (57.2 KB)