duq81 wrote:

Ironduke81 wrote:

Dukes2012 wrote:

We aren't dropping down to a lower conference. There's as much of a chance of that happening as Harper bringing Ron back.

 
Besides the facts they should bring back Ron the current line of BS is WIN and everything will solve this all time low point in the program. Poor marketing, sponsorship, alumni relations, student involvement, same old same old no new ideas & NO CHANGE this program is toast my friends. Yeah if I win the power ball I would be a millionaire "No S$$t!" Let's face it over 50 we all grew up following the Dukes. Under 50 never was there an interest except for the students who were on the bluff during Rons tenure.IEven if this train wreck is turned around the majority of the season ticket holders are done! Maybe a phone call to the Pitt AD who brought back the disenfranchised Pederson haters within 3 months of his tenure. Hard work & change is the answer.

The lynch mob is forming for the new AD at Pitt as we speak. He is being blamed for running off Dixon, and hiring a bum in Kevin Stallings. He gets no credit for Narduzzi, as he didn't hire him. Losing equals empty seats in most places, as Pitt's shrinking basketball crowds illustrate. The Penguins bandwagon is full now, but the Arena was a ghost town a dozen years ago. This photo illustrates it better than anything I can say.


This was taken during the 3rd quarter of Sunday's game in Cleveland between the Browns and Bengals. The Cleveland Browns once had a fanbase that was second to none in American pro sports. This is what losing does to fanbases.
 

1. There were more rubber pellets on the field in Buffalo Sunday than Brownie butts in these seats.

2. I have to question the sense of people sitting in nosebleeds when there are field level seats available.

3. Palumbo sounds even emptier these days.

Ironduke81 wrote:

Duq81 wrong again my friend. Do you even live in Pittsburgh or know the alumni that pay big bucks to support PITT athletics NO YOU DONT. Right or wrong Jamie had run his course based upon his 10 year contract extension with the former AD thanks to the former chancellor. At that stage the powers to be lost faith in coach Dixon.Only the small fry that contribute nothing maybe on the Pitt forum from their parents basement are complaining. Again unless you are employed by the University you miss my point. The new Pitt AD brought back ALL the contributors especially the football players. Made major changes and worked his behind off. Trust me he is going nowhere. Finally, you if anyone should continue to support coach Ferry after all Ron sucks and Ferry was next level right my friend.

 Well you seem to be very tuned in as a Pitt employee or fan,  but the fact is that the big contributors can only fill a handful of seats in the Pedersen EC.  It takes thousands of those "small fry" fans to actually create an atmosphere in a 10,000 seat arena.   That has always been the problem at Pitt, where a few of the big contributors have had way too much influence on things like coaches jobs.  They clearly wanted Dixon out, and got their way.  They were in the process of running Paul Chryst out of town when he left for a much better job.  He looks like a pretty good coach now!  I believe he recruited nearly every major contributor including the offensive linemen, on this football team.  He was well-respected and a great builder of offensive linemen, but not flashy enough for the big money guys at Pitt.  So coaches gradually become sick of trying to please the big money guys that run Pitt athletics and look for greener pastures.  So much for Pitt, who really cares what they do?  Obviously in looking at all of the empty seats at every home game with the exception of Penn State; not many of the "small fry" fans care about the football team either!

Ironduke81 wrote:

Duq81 wrong again my friend. Do you even live in Pittsburgh or know the alumni that pay big bucks to support PITT athletics NO YOU DONT. Right or wrong Jamie had run his course based upon his 10 year contract extension with the former AD thanks to the former chancellor. At that stage the powers to be lost faith in coach Dixon.Only the small fry that contribute nothing maybe on the Pitt forum from their parents basement are complaining. Again unless you are employed by the University you miss my point. The new Pitt AD brought back ALL the contributors especially the football players. Made major changes and worked his behind off. Trust me he is going nowhere. Finally, you if anyone should continue to support coach Ferry after all Ron sucks and Ferry was next level right my friend.

Here you go with your lies again. Your nose must be a mile long by now. STOP LYING! There is not one post on this board where I ever said "Ron Sucks", nor did I ever call for Ron to be fired at any point while he was coach at Duquesne. Did I attempt to look at both side of the decision after it was made? Of course! There are always two sides to a story, and thought it was fair to consider why Amodio would make such a decision, as opposed to a bunch of name calling. As for the "next level" nonsense, who besides Amodio ever did anything but hope Ferry could be the next level coach? Ferry has failed, but you've prayed for that since he was hired. The rest of us were hoping he could get the job done, regardless of how we felt about Amodio.

As for the Pitt thing, you're angry about Ron being run off, yet think it was ok for certain folks at Pitt to run off the most successful coach they've had in 65 years? Dixon missed the tournament twice in his entire run. Never lost to Duquesne even once, something no other Pitt coach can say. One NIT trip, and one CBI (which they won), and you think those jokers were justified in running him off, yet WEB, and the few complainers on this board are the devil for helping do the same thing to a less successful coach?
 

Jax St. game will begin to  tell all one needs to know about this team. Up to now Ferry has purposely not game-planned in order to try and build team chemistry by essentially throwing his team in the fire, for them to figure it out - with game wins of secondary importance.  During the current 9-day layoff, practices are centered on opponent at hand via film, individual matchups, etc. compared to the OOC's when practices were more to "focus on ourselves" and "getting better everyday."

FAM wrote:

Hilltoppers,
If your infor. Is correct, that makes me even more concerned with Ferry as a coach. To be a coach in a Division I program and not purposely game plan - if that is true - really sheds light on his lack of ability. IF JD quoted him correctly saying that He said... you have to lose before you can win, this is on the same level. I would be extremely surprised if other Divisoin I coaches did NOT game plan for the games at the beginning of the year, didn't watch film, etc. I guess he believes that all of the other coaches must be doing it wrong.

That indeed sounds crazy FAM. Well Ferry, if your crazy scheme is to work, it's now or never. He actually doesn't even have to accomplish that much for me to think he should get another year. Win the next two games, and then win 10 league games, including the tournament. The league is terrible this year. If he can't be around .500, and win a game or two at the Arena, then he's truly hopeless.
SHOCK US FERRY! PROVE US WRONG! For all the criticism, for all but a handful of us, it's not personal, we just want to see the team win.
 

ElDuque wrote:

The only personal part for me is the deep doubt I have that he can be successful at this level. But yeah, shock me. Be happy to eat more crow.

I'd gladly join you for a crow dinner. No Baltimore Crows though. Yuck!

 

Hilltopper wrote:

Jax St. game will begin to  tell all one needs to know about this team. Up to now Ferry has purposely not game-planned in order to try and build team chemistry by essentially throwing his team in the fire, for them to figure it out - with game wins of secondary importance.  During the current 9-day layoff, practices are centered on opponent at hand via film, individual matchups, etc. compared to the OOC's when practices were more to "focus on ourselves" and "getting better everyday."

 
Must have one hell of a sense of security to think he doesn't have to work at his job.

I guarantee you as lightly as Kentucky could have viewed us, Calipari didn't just throw kids on the court and let them play.

No wonder no one goes to the games. If Smalltime Jim doesn't make an effort, why should anyone else?

Starting with me.

I am beyond speechless if that assertion about smalltime jim is correct. No wonder I. Mike and M. Lewis looked lost at the OOC games at Palumbo. Nobody told them what to do! Sorry jim X's and O's are as much a part of basketball as running drills. Santa, we all swear that we've been good this year (including El Duque). So why the huge lump of coal!