Monday, 02 January 2012 14:56

Written by Ray Fittipaldo

I receive a lot of emails every day from Pitt fans. As you can imagine I get the most after losses, so my inbox has been full of late. I cannot always answer every one of them, but I did want to give some of you a chance to vent on this blog.

So here is the first venting from a Pitt fan. It's from Tony Jaffe of Munhall. If anyone else would like to be heard, email me, and if I like it, I'll post. And please include your place of residence. 

Here is Tony's take on Pitt. One note, Adams cannot decommit as Tony predicts. He already signed a letter of intent:

At the end of the year, you're going to write that Jaime Dixon is entitled to one bad year.
You won't count the fact that he nose dives at the Dance.
You'll never concede that the cupcakes he schedules (okay maybe one legit team)
serve to pump up his won-lost record, only to give his players a false sense of who they are.

Here's the question? Name one five star recruit who wanted to come to Pitt during
Dixon's reign? Beside Birch, none. Birch was a fluke because he got bad advice from his prep school coach.
He thought Pitt would be good for Birch because Dixon is defensive minded, (even though he never traps)
and Birch is a terrific shot blocker. What was overlooked is that Dixon's system does
not utilize the strength of the player. He takes players and pigeon holes them, regardless of what they can do best. He plays them out of position. He doen't know how to play without a center, and then he won't run plays for them.
i.e. Last night Dante Taylor was open almost every offensive set, just standing there, and didn't see the ball once.

That's a bad formula for a five star recruit. Five star recruits want to show their talent and
Dixon's system doesn't allow any creativity. Birch did the right thing for himself.

Why does Pitt need five star recruits? Because you can't win at the Dance with two star recruits.
And aside from DeJuan Blair, who really recruited Pitt, Dixon hasn't had an elite player ever. I wouldn't be surprised if Adams de-commits for next year. He's actually a center who may come to realize he'll never see the ball unless he gets it himself. And oops, he'll be a freshman.

A lot has been made about missing Woodall like he's the second coming and that Gibbs
has been suffering with him. The latter may be true, but Woodall's the same two or one
star recruit who hits people in the shins with his passes. So develop someone like John Johnson at the point ... oops sorry, he's a freshman.

Finally. It would take a miracle to get Jaime Dixon axed. His system and
recruiting philosophy has finally come to bite him in the butt even before the Dance.

But real basketball people have seen it coming. You guys will write about this year
as if Dixon is entitled to one bad year, (and dismiss eight years of cupcakes, awful clock management when it counts, and failing miserably at the Dance). He bought into a system that wasn't even his, and this year, Ben Howland will probably get fired for it. Okay,
I'd rather have Dixon than Todd Graham.

Happy New Year,

Tony

Comments (4)

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tigerpaul, January 02, 2012 - 08:28 PM

This is hilarious. All of the Yinzers are going to come out of the woodwork now that Pitt is having a bad season (so far). Pitt has won 74 percent of it's Big East games over last 10 years and ranks third in RPI over last nine years in the country and only three other schools have more than Pitt's 5 Sweet 16 appearances over last 10 years. All of this accomplished without a single first round NBA pick.

Criticize Dixon for not getting better recruits but everything else Tony writes is a joke. Especially the part about Taylor. Dante Taylor is a below average player with bad hands. That's why Pitt doesn't pass him the ball Tony! Dixon is not above some critique but check your facts before spouting off dude!

Dixon is the all-time winningest coach (708 win percentage) in Big East history and you make him sound like Ralph Willard.

+15

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Pops, January 03, 2012 - 04:55 AM

Doesn't matter, either way. He's gone after this year, but not of Pitt's valition!!! He's going to take the first big school offer sent his way because he doesn't want to take the challenge of the ACC. He's said so publicly. He's also coaching like it. Schools have come after him before and he's always turned them down. Not again. He'll bolt at the very first "BCS" conference school to make him an offer.

-4

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j_r_ambrose, January 03, 2012 - 02:08 PM

This is absurd. Do you remember where Pitt basketball was from 1987-2001? And I don't know which "real basketball people" the writer means, but the powers-that-be at USA Basketball selected Jamie to coach a national team, which is something they don't just give away. This year looks like a down year, but to kill him over it is just so short-sighted as to be laughable.

+2

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tigerpaul, January 03, 2012 - 08:03 PM

Pops,

You've written this before. What insider information do you have about Dixon leaving?

Pitt is having a down year and you think he's going to bolt? Why?

Ray - do you have anything to add to this?

+0