Barnes: Dixon contract a great move for all

(Bobby Mizia/ Assistant Visual Editor)

After Pitt lost to Wichita State a week ago in its first game of the NCAA tournament, the team’s fanbase decried the coaching style of head coach Jamie Dixon.

“He can’t win in the postseason” and “His style doesn’t work” were common complaints. Fans of recent years cannot be blamed for their thoughts regarding the men’s basketball program’s lack of success, especially considering the Big East tournament, in which the team has won only one game over the last three tournaments.

Amid speculation of Dixon leaving to take a job at the University of Southern California, some seemed content to let him go.

And then Dixon received a contract extension through the 2022-2023 season.

Across the country, a little way down the road from USC, former Pitt coach Ben Howland spent the past decade coaching at UCLA. In the time Howland spent there — the same amount of time Dixon has been head coach at Pitt — Howland steered the Bruins to three Final Fours, won 230 games and produced NBA players such as Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook, Darren Collison and Arron Afflalo.

One of those Final Four years included a victory over his former assistant, Dixon, when UCLA defeated Pitt in the Sweet Sixteen in 2007. In his decade at UCLA, Howland became the second-winningest coach in the school’s rich basketball history, trailing only John Wooden.

UCLA officially fired Howland on Monday.

Now, this is not a comparison of two coaches. This is a comparison of two schools: the way Pitt handled Dixon’s situation appropriately versus UCLA’s decision based on a knee-jerk reaction.

Which is good because, believe it or not, Jamie Dixon is the best this program is going to get. And Pitt is the best Jamie Dixon is going to get, which is why I was never fully convinced Dixon would actually go to USC.

Look at this situation. And look back to 2011, when Dave Wannstedt “resigned” (read: was forced out) from his duties as head coach of the Pitt football team after a 6-6 regular season.

You have to think that Pitt learned from that decision and the ensuing chaos that followed for the football program.

Mike Haywood was hired, charged with domestic violence and fired.

Todd Graham rolled into town running on high-octane something-or-another and then ducked out the back door after another 6-6 season.

Paul Chryst seems to be the savior of the football program, but in the year between Wannstedt’s departure and Chryst’s arrival, the football program suffered through every minute of the ordeal.

There was no way the basketball program could endure the same process, especially while on the verge of entering what will become arguably the best basketball conference ever assembled: the new-look Atlantic Coast Conference, complete with Syracuse, Louisville and Notre Dame.

But don’t get me wrong — Dixon isn’t Pitt’s highest-paid employee because of circumstance. As mentioned, Dixon is the best Pitt can get right now, and the best thing for the basketball program would be Dixon spending the next 20-some years coaching here until he retires.

Think about a Coach K-like legacy.

Dixon’s already won 262 games in his time as Pitt’s coach, the job he got when Howland left for UCLA. It’s not unreasonable to think that, at only 48 years old, Dixon not only has the ability — but also the time — to reach the 900-win mark.

Which, by the way, is in some very rarefied air inhabited by Bobby Knight (902 wins), Jim Boeheim (918) and Mike Krzyzewski (956), all current members of the Basketball Hall of Fame. Along his way to this milestone, Dixon would pass legendary coaches, including Adolph Rupp, Lefty Driesell and Eddie Sutton.

Speaking of Boeheim, Dixon’s winning percentage of .658 in the Big East is the highest in league history and leaves the Syracuse coach in second place on said list. Dixon has also kept his team out of trouble with the NCAA, avoiding sanctions and violations that have seemingly become commonplace at other schools.

And did I mention Dixon owns the highest winning percentage (.753) in school history?

As for postseason success, Pitt might not be the best when it gets there, but few teams have been better in getting to the postseason than the Panthers under Dixon. Since 2002, Pitt is one of only seven teams in the nation to have qualified for the Big Dance 11 out of 12 seasons.

Dixon played a heavy role in helping the Panthers reach that level, and his nine NCAA tournament appearances are the most by any head coach in Pitt’s history.

Does he need to alter his strategy? Yes. Especially heading into the faster ACC, Dixon needs to find a better way for Pitt to operate offensively — ideally one that involves more possessions.

But remember, Dixon wins games. So while there are concerns over Dixon, take a step back and a deep breath. Dixon is the coach who can make Pitt the elite basketball program it has shown that it’s on the verge of becoming for the past decade.