TCU officially hires Dixon from Pitt....

[Hawkeyestate81]

No, I'm not worried Fran leaves AT ALL. Though maybe he should with the idiots in this fanbase.

BREAKING: TCU has hired Pitt's Jamie Dixon as its next head basketball coach, sources told @CBSSports.

 

[Alex Thompson]

Nor am I. Pitt's SB Nation blog doesn't even see Fran on the long list of potential replacements. Get real, Fran is a good fit at the University of Iowa, and will be successful here for a long time.

http://www.cardiachill.com/2016/3/20/11273112/what-if-hypothetical-coaching-candidates

 

[DavenportHawk8]

Shocked they mention Jacobsen in that article. I realize he is a good coach, but you would think he would stay in the midwest. I really think that one of the Miller boys takes it and look out.

 

[Cyanide]

I think it's Archie Miller's to lose

 

[MTHawkeyes43]

Fran is not the candidate for the Pitt job (as much as I would like to see him go). Fran is a rebuilding type of coach and there is really nothing at Pitt to rebuild. Pitt will be looking for the guy that can get them to the next level.

 

[David1979]

could definitely see them looking at fran.

 

[Herkster5]

 

[Hawkeyestate81]

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LOL, please. He isn't going anywhere.

 

[hawkeyemark]

I made the point in an earlier thread that Fran's name coming up in this conversation means he likely has his hat in the ring for another job should a mutual interest develop somewhere to his liking. That said I have no clue what happens with this one. I can see where it would look attractive to Fran. Pittsburgh seems a Steelers town with Pittsburgh basketball not the focus of attention like he has here. If not a re-building situation I don't know how attractive he looks to them. I expect we'll know something sooner rather than later.

 

[Hawkeyestate81]

This goes against what he has sald all along about his family, yanking his kids out of where they've grown up for past 6 years and the closeness of his Inlaws which is one of the main reasons he came here with the location of Iowa City. Not happening.

 

[murph0]

Since he's an east coast guy, I guess I can see him considering it but I'm not sure Pitt is a great job. Jamie Dixon has done well there but the ceiling appears to be 1-2 wins in the tournament in a good season. Who knows, conf realignment might also be an issue there.

 

[doughawk]

Fran will not likely be getting any offers for any power 5 conference schools. Coaches who build programs take a down and out program , implement their plan , see results and then move on because they can't build on those results after 5,6, or 7 years. That's why they are known as program builders. They can't sustain a program at a high level.
But, as long as you participation ribbon people fear Barta might hire another Licklighter and also fear another Tom Davis swoon, let's just keep Fran and be happy with what we have.

 

[hawkeyemark]

This goes against what he has sald all along about his family, yanking his kids out of where they've grown up for past 6 years and the closeness of his Inlaws which is one of the main reasons he came here with the location of Iowa City. Not happening.

At the end of the day I don't know how much Fran really likes it here at this point. His demeanor at press conferences seems some evidence of that. On the court he didn't look in tune with his players this season and at times they looked like they had lost interest and didn't particularly care for playing for him. I live in the south and told a co-worker today about how not all coaches like Iowa because you have the entire state focused on your program and that can become a rough ride when people see you as not performing to expectations which made sense to him. Say what you will about the overall record we just did not play pretty basketball going on several games at the end of the season.

In reference to the above post I too have a strong sense that the family likes it here. That said the McCafferys seem like a resilient bunch and can probably adapt to whatever situation they land in. I think we have to just let things play out to see what direction Fran goes in.

 

[hawksauce]

Fran will not likely be getting any offers for any power 5 conference schools. Coaches who build programs take a down and out program , implement their plan , see results and then move on because they can't build on those results after 5,6, or 7 years. That's why they are known as program builders. They can't sustain a program at a high level.
But, as long as you participation ribbon people fear Barta might hire another Licklighter and also fear another Tom Davis swoon, let's just keep Fran and be happy with what we have.

Theres no way a coach sits down and tells himself, "Ok, I'm a program builder, I know I can't have success after year 7, so I need to move on." Every coach out there thinks they can build/sustain a winning program.

Program buillders might be the dumbest term for a coach out there. A person that is able to take a doormat of a team and turn them into a winning program is a coach, period, and a damn good one at that.

 

[MepoDawg#]

Fran isn't a program rebuilder as much as those programs are stepping stone programs.

 

[Michael1969]

Is it me or does Pitt have a hard time holding on to coaches? Seems like a football or basketball coach leaves there after a short while. Either they don't pay much there or coaches realize there's going to be a limited amount of success there.

 

[SotaHawk87]

Is it me or does Pitt have a hard time holding on to coaches? Seems like a football or basketball coach leaves there after a short while. Either they don't pay much there or coaches realize there's going to be a limited amount of success there.

Dixon has been there for a long time though..

 

[SDHawkDoc]

Unless one of you is Margaret posting anonymously, no one here has any idea what is going through Fran's head as far as another coaching offer.

Pitt could certainly do worse than choosing Fran.

If he stays, I'm looking forward to seeing what he can do over the next couple of seasons.
If he leaves, thanks for turning the mess around and making Iowa basketball respectable again.

 

[icparkerhawk]

I know this thread is targeted at the possibility of Fran heading to Pitt, but can someone enlighten me on why Dixon is leaving for TCU? Maybe I'm living under a rock and I'm admittedly less plugged in and observant than some of you, but that seems like a major step down to me. Not so much that Pitt is a dream but that TCU is a shit-show.

 

[StormHawk42]

I know this thread is targeted at the possibility of Fran heading to Pitt, but can someone enlighten me on why Dixon is leaving for TCU? Maybe I'm living under a rock and I'm admittedly less plugged in and observant than some of you, but that seems like a major step down to me. Not so much that Pitt is a dream but that TCU is a shit-show.

Two reasons it seems. First, he is an alum, which is most important. Second, the Pitt faithful appear to be getting grumpy with routinely getting beat in the first or second round pretty much every year. I think he's been there 13 years and only has one or two sweet 16's but I could be off on those numbers.

 

[HerkyFan]

Really this is a win-win situation. If Fran leaves we hire a replacement and get a fresh start. If he stays he continues to build.

I am good either way.

 

[Tclone99]

I know this thread is targeted at the possibility of Fran heading to Pitt, but can someone enlighten me on why Dixon is leaving for TCU? Maybe I'm living under a rock and I'm admittedly less plugged in and observant than some of you, but that seems like a major step down to me. Not so much that Pitt is a dream but that TCU is a shit-show.

It's his alma mater and there's a whole lot of talent in the D-FW area. That's the simple answer.

 

[And1Hawk]

Never say never. I am a Fran guy all the way and do not want to see him go but I have also learned over time that if a coach wants to go on his own accord that's not necessarily a bad thing. Would much rather have that scenario then having to fire someone. Firing is a negative and speaks volumes about your job. It had to be done with Lick but do not want to see that again anytime soon.

Our job although not elite has gained some traction again under Fran so we might be able to get some solid candidates the next time around.

 

[BigHAWK8]

Dixon has been there for a long time though..

And was getting paid an obscene amount of money. Over $3 million per year, which was top 15-20 in the country, all for a coach that hasn't made it past the 2nd weekend in like 7 years.

I actually saw one guy on the Pitt blog compare him to Ferentz. Made me chuckle.

 

[Herkster5]

LOL, please. He isn't going anywhere.

I never said he was leaving, just passing on the info

 

[MTHawkeyes43]

Since he's an east coast guy, I guess I can see him considering it but I'm not sure Pitt is a great job. Jamie Dixon has done well there but the ceiling appears to be 1-2 wins in the tournament in a good season. Who knows, conf realignment might also be an issue there.

Fran will fit right in, won't he? You are correct about the conference realignment. Pitt's success has diminished somewhat since moving to the ACC. I read where Dixon, who like to recruit the Northeast, has had trouble attracting the Northeast players since Pitt left the Big East.

 

[hawkeyemark]

I have speculated that Fran may have decided to test the waters and continue to think that but hard to say much beyond that as to what to expect. I have just a couple years on Fran and while I remain committed to what I do at the same time I have grown tired of it and for the first time think about life beyond the working years. At this stage of life if you continue to work it seems imperative that you feel good about what you do.

Fran I think has enough years of coaching in him to either stay on and try to build something really good here or finish things off in a setting he finds more comfortable. The time to figure that out for him seems now. So a discussion of will he stay or will he go IMO seems pretty relevant at this point in time.

 

[Herkster5]

Sounds like Pitt may have offered Sean Miller, which it appears he has turned down.

http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2016...ffers-head-coach-job-to-arizonas-sean-miller/

 

[And1Hawk]

Good lesson for programs like PITT, Iowa, etc. when fans wanting the 'next level' think other really good coaches are just going to come running to your opening. PITT is in the ACC and has been in the tourney for most of the past 10+ years and got turned down by a former player. What does that say...

 

[DavenportHawk8]

PITT have any recruits we could try and get?? Just wondering whats the protocol when your coach leaves, do the players get to transfer w/out having to sit out?

 

[iahawkeyes17]

It's his alma mater and there's a whole lot of talent in the D-FW area. That's the simple answer.

Good point and we've seen former dumpster fires in Baylor football and bball with all the talent in Texas achieve success under their current coaches and TCU turn from a mid major to one of the better football teams in the big 12.