Pitt needs a change of pace, and Enfield could be the guy to change it

By: Joe Smeltzer

It's up to AD Scott Barnes to hit a home run when hiring a new basketball coach for Pitt (Photo creds to wptsradio.org)

Let's get one thing straight. I am not a University of Pittsburgh supporter. I do not care for the school in any way, shape or form. However, when something big happens in the sports world in my city, I have to say something about it.

As most of us should know by now, Jamie Dixon's 13 year run as head basketball coach at Pitt came to an end, as Dixon decided to return to his alma mater and become the new head basketball coach at TCU. Opinions of Dixon have been mixed over the years, as his Pitt teams were known to be very successful throughout the regular season only to crash out early in the NCAA tournament. For all that can be said, Dixon carried over what Ben Howland started in turning the Panthers from laughing stocks into winners, and he deserves to be commended for his efforts over the past decade in a half.

But as successful as Dixon was during his time at Pitt, I am a firm believer in that when a coach leaves, his successor should introduce a change of pace. Jamie Dixon, as well as his predecessor Ben Howland, are smart basketball minds, but Pitt basketball has played the same style for the better part of the past two decades: play defense, rebound the basketball and may the first team to score 50 wins. While that is capable of winning games (see, Virginia Cavaliers), it is not very exciting to watch and doesn't help with recruiting, either.

Kids with ambitions of playing a year in college before declaring for the NBA do not want to play in the style that Pitt has instituted over the past several years, and some statistics back that up. In Dixon's time as head coach, only 5 Pitt players were drafted into the NBA, and of those 5, only 1 (Steven Adams) went in the first round. Now this is not to say that whoever Pitt hires has to become John Calipari and recruit a semi-professional basketball team, but filling your roster with players like Jamel Artis and Michael Young might get you to the tournament, but won't get you to a Final Four.

Now teams don't necessarily need to rely on one-and-done's to get far. Schools like Butler and Wisconsin have gotten to Final Fours without playing a flashy, bling-bling style. At the same time, however, those teams had star power, as Wisconsin had one of the best college players of this decade in Frank Kaminsky. Butler had Shelvin Mack and Gordon Hayward, who are both currently playing in the NBA (Hayward has become a low-key star with the Utah Jazz). Also, Wisconsin was coached by future Hall of Famer Bo Ryan, while Butler was coached by Brad Stevens, who has become one of the best young minds in the NBA with the Boston Celtics. The odds of Pitt getting a coach like Ryan or Stevens are not something you should take to the bank.

Jamie Dixon did not go for the 5-star, blue chip recruits. He instead coached up lesser touted players and did a good job with it. But I have to think to myself: with a 1 or 2 more blue chip prospects, could Pitt have won a championship? It's hard to speculate, but it's a question worth asking. If Pitt wants to change their image from the days of Dixon, it would be wise to look for somebody who is a good salesman, and that will be a challenge. Pitt's presence in the ACC is both a blessing and a curse for them when it comes to recruiting.

Being in the ACC is a blessing in this regard because it is a big time conference that would give kids national exposure. It is a curse, however, because Duke, North Carolina, Louisville, Syracuse, Notre Dame, Miami and Virginia are all currently more attractive options than Pitt is while Clemson and Virginia Tech are not too far behind. Pitt is a middle-of-the-road power five school, and you can bet that athletic director Scott Barnes will not settle for that. To get the star athletes needed to make a big splash in the ACC, the best option for Pitt is a coach who is charismatic, can make a good sales pitch to recruits, and will institute a fast paced, flashy style that will get the Peterson Events Center rocking and rolling. Pitt assistant Brandon Knight is too similar to Dixon, and the Miller brothers are both staying put at their schools. Valpo's Bryce Drew is a solid choice, but I think Pitt could use somebody with a little more charisma. Fear not Pitt fans. USC's Andy Enfield could be that guy.

Photo creds to www.nytimes.com

Enfield is best known for his time at Florida Gulf Coast, where in 2013, he lead a program in just its 11th season of existence to the Sweet 16 as a #15 seed. He did it with a with a flashy and exciting team, so much so that they earned the moniker "Dunk City". After that magical ride was over, Enfield was tabbed to take over a struggling program in central Los Angeles known as USC. After a rough first two years, Enfield turned the corner this season, leading the Trojans to 21 wins and their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2011. Enfield is energetic, charismatic, and a smart basketball mind who fits like a glove into the style that Scott Barnes wants Pitt basketball to possess.

Unlike the previous two programs that Enfiled took over, Pitt is already in a relatively decent place. The Panthers made the NCAA tournament this year, which is far greater than what Enfield walked into at FGCU and USC, and Pitt has national exposure playing in what is arguably America's flagship college basketball conference. Over the past decade, Pitt has been a much better program than USC, and they play in a better conference and a better arena. But two things might keep Enfield from Oakland if given the chance.

The first is that USC is a quality program in a power five conference that earned higher tournament seeding this year than Pitt did (USC was a #8, Pitt a #10). Archie Miller's Dayton squad is in a similar spot, only as a mid-major power, and he was uninterested in the Pitt job. The second thing that could factor in Enfield decision is that LA is a little more of an exotic place to make a living than Oakland is. There are plenty of things that Enfield would have to think about if Barnes were to offer him the job, and it is not my place to predict what he would do if the offer were on the table. But I believe Pitt should put the full court press on Enfield to try and get him to come to Oakland.

Scott Barnes is a basketball guy. He was once the head of the NCAA selection committee. He has done good things in his short time at Pitt so far, none bigger than the hiring of Pat Narduzzi to head Pitt's football program. Barnes is a smart man, and if I were a Pitt fan, I would trust him to make the right decision. Andy Enfield would be the right choice, and Pitt should do whatever they can to make that happen.