A very difficult few weeks for Pitt sports

… some major changes are necessary 

The University of Pittsburgh has always had a strong academic reputation with both its undergraduate and grad schools. Its ranking in the U.S. News and World Report 2017 edition is 68.

However, the university has been struggling in another extra-curricular area that is important to many Pitt alums: Athletics. The recent news out of that arena in terms of football and men's basketball has been a major concern.

Men's Basketball

When Coach Jamie Dixon left town earlier this year under fire from many Panther followers, many Pitt basketball fans were hoping that new Athletic Director Scott Barnes would follow an earlier script and lure a promising mid-major coach to Oakland. Someone like Ben Howland.

Instead, Barnes selected Vanderbilt Coach Kevin Stallings, a choice that Sporting News columnist Mike DeCourcy called a "comically poor decision" because "his past four seasons included only a single NCAA Tournament bid and just one winning record in SEC play."

Things were so bad that before the hiring was announced, some Pitt fans formed a Twitter hashtag called #NeverStallings.

That did not matter.

Now, the basketball attendance for Pitt at the Petersen Events Center is down to the lowest numbers that it has ever been, according to a study by the Post-Gazette.

It found that "Pitt’s five home games this season have accounted for five of the 11 lowest-attended regular-season games in the venue’s 14-year history."

In fairness, that is not all Stallings' fault since the schedule, drawn up by Dixon, included games against Eastern Michigan, Gardner-Webb, Yale, Morehead State and Buffalo, the PG notes.

However, suffice it to say that Stallings has yet to generate any excitement, and the Panthers were selected to finish 12th in the ACC this season.

Losing to the Dukes

Then the Panthers lost to the Duquesne Dukes, 64-55, for the first time in 16 years, a huge embarrassment, something that Stallings could control. It further demoralized a fan base that used to be one of the best in college basketball.

Narduzzi's season started so well

When Panther football coach Pat Narduzzi's squad defeated Penn State, 42-39, on Sept. 9 before a sellout crowd at Heinz Field, fans were thrilled. Not only would this pay recruiting dividends, but they could lord it over Penn State and others this year as they raced to compete for an ACC title.

Except that no one told Narduzzi how bad his pass defense was. His offense was superb, averaging 42 points a game under first-year offensive coordinator Matt Canada.

The defense was woeful at times, losing heartbreakers against Oklahoma State and North Carolina simply because of a poor pass defense that was also the result of some poor coaching -- such as playing a bump and run in the final two minutes of the Oklahoma State game with the Cowboys 80 yards away from the end zone.

The win over Clemson was scintillating, knocking off a top-five team that is now in the national championship four-team playoff.

The Pinstripe Bowl is also nice, but the loss of Clairton's five-star sensation Lamont Wade was a brutal blow caused by Penn State's sensational turnaround that led to the Big Ten championship.

Wade said as much in announcing his choice from among the Panthers, West Virginia Mountaineers, and the Nittany Lions. "The thing I was saying in my head was if Penn State could win, then I would love to be in that program. They showed me that they can win with the Big Ten championship,” Wade said according to the PG.

This was a punch to the gut of Narduzzi's program. Former Gateway Coach Terry Smith recruited Wade away from Pitt to the point where it was not really a top competitor as he named WVU, Ohio State, and Tennessee as finalists.

Does Narduzzi have a Western Pa. recruiter?

Canada loss symbolic

When Narduzzi hired Canada as his OC last year, he said this according to Post-Gazette columnist Joe Starkey, "We don’t need a great coach to come in here and be here for a year. That does me no good. That does our football team no good.”

So, his team will need to adapt to someone else after one season under Canada, who bolted for Louisiana State University of the SEC. The difference, in addition to playing before sellout crowds through the entire season, was a salary of $1.5 million. Starkey said that Pitt offered $1 million, but that was not enough.

The Heinz Stadium White Elephant

Many of the problems with the football program cannot be undone. Tearing down Pitt Stadium was a stupid decision by long-time Chancellor Mark Nordenberg and his administration. The now retired administrator still points to the Petersen facility as being the reason that the school is now in the ACC. He refused to accept his culpability in the demise of the football program under his tenure.

Pitt was always a football school, not a basketball school. Go back in history and see all of the national titles of the 1900s, before the AP sanctioned them. Go back to the days of Pop Warner and Jock Sutherland.

Go back to the Alliquippa guys like Iron Mike Ditka and Tony Dorsett.

Pitt was never a basketball power

The Panthers have never even reached the Final Four in basketball, much less won a title. With the program in the state it is right now, that is not going to happen for the next decade or so.

Jamie Dixon has the program on an upswing, but he could just not win in the NCAA Tournament. That was sad.

Why is Heinz Field a problem?

Compare the situation that Lamont Wade may have seen in visits to Pitt and Penn State. Often, Heinz Field is half-empty for games, while the worst crowd that Penn State may get will be in the 90-thousands.

Much of that is due to a Penn State base, but the enthusiasm is more likely the result of students on campus being able to walk to games.

That was possible with Pitt Stadium, which Pitt used from 1925 until 1999, when it was imploded to make room for the Pete.

Now, students must take a bus from Oakland to the North Side just to participate in tailgating. There is almost zero enthusiasm on campus about football from reports.

Narduzzi is a good coach who has the potential to do well at Pitt, but not if he is not able to fill the stadium. He can have the best Western Pa. recruiter, even hire back Tom Bradley from UCLA to direct his defense, but the White Elephant will still be there.

Build a stadium on campus

My suggestion: I looked at old photos of Forbes Field, which was located on the Pitt campus. With the area that it covered, Pitt could build a 50,000-seat stadium on campus. Of course, that would include tearing down the law school building that was the reason that Pitt forced the demolition of Forbes Field.

Put the law school in the Cathedral of Learning, and put those displaced there in one of the empty or underused UPMC buildings.

Think outside the box. If Pitt wants to succeed in football, it needs its own stadium.

Barnes to leave?

Much of the damage done to the football program was exacted by Nordenberg's buddy, Steve Peterson, who was finally fired after Nordenberg retired.

In short, he fired Dave Wannstedt, then replaced him with a wife-beater, then with a guy who lasted a year. Then by another guy who lasted two years.

Instability breeds failure.

So, less than two years ago, Pitt brought in Scott Barnes from Utah State, and apparently, Barnes has had enough. He is reputed to be one of the top candidates for the same post at Oregon State. Barnes is a West-Coast guy, according to the Oregonian. "Prior to joining Pitt's athletic department in 2015, Barnes was Utah State's athletic director and hired [current] Beavers coach Gary Anderson in 2009. Barnes also has ties to the West Coast, as he's a Spokane native and the former athletic director at Eastern Washington (1999-2005) and associate athletic director at Washington (2005-08). He also played basketball at Fresno State."

Why would Barnes bolt after less than two years? Perhaps he sees how difficult the job at Pitt will be. Perhaps he could not take the heat from the hiring of Stallings. Perhaps he realizes how hard fundraising is going to be at Pitt after the Peterson years drove many athletic contributors to the sidelines.

Perhaps.

In any event, losing Matt Canada was probably worse than Barnes leaving.

[Why not look in-house at a guy like E. J. Borghetti as A.D.? He may be able to bring back some of the old Panther faithful -- athletes and fans -- back into the fold.]

Conclusion

Pitt could see a restoration of athletic success in basketball and football, but it needs stability and a commitment from the current administration and board that it will make the essential changes.

The Panthers are stuck with Stallings for probably five years, but they should work to keep Narduzzi from leaving and give him the resources to succeed.

I would love to see the Panthers get back on track in both sports.

Basketball attendance

http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/Pitt/2016/12/17/pitt-panthers-attendance-college-basketball-kevin-stallings-jamie-dixon-scott-barnes-ncaa/stories/201612170041