Dixon signs extension to stay Pitt’s head coach

Faced with a reported three different contract offers – an extension from Pitt and separate… Faced with a reported three different contract offers – an extension from Pitt and separate offers from Arizona State and Missouri – Pitt men’s basketball head coach Jamie Dixon broke his silence and made a decision.

He’s staying put.

The 40-year-old Dixon accepted a three-year extension and a near $300,000 pay raise, moving him into the upper half of coaches in the Big East in terms of salary and keeping him at Pitt through the 2012-13 season.

“My family considers Pittsburgh home,” Dixon said shortly after agreeing to the extension. “Our children were born here, my wife earned her master’s from Pitt and we were married while residing in Pittsburgh.

“There is no place else that I would rather be, and I made that fact clear, both to Chancellor Nordenberg and our Athletic Director, Jeff Long.”

News reports late last week had Dixon leaning toward the Arizona State job, figuring he’d like to move back near the west coast. As the weekend neared, Missouri jumped in on the bidding, but neither wooed Dixon into leaving Oakland, Pa.

After guiding Pitt to 76 victories in three seasons, the fourth most all-time for an NCAA Division I coach in that span, Dixon’s one of the hottest coaches in the country.

His Big East winning percentage is even more impressive. Currently it sits at .679, ranking him as the winningest coach all-time in the Big East. Under his guidance, Pitt holds a 48-6 record in the Petersen Events Center and participated in the Big East Championship game two times.

“It is our belief in Coach Dixon that has led us to ensure his long-term leadership of our basketball program,” Long said. “It was our objective to continue to have Jamie and his family in Pittsburgh, and at the University of Pittsburgh, for a long time and we are pleased they feel the same way.”

Dixon recently finished his third year as head coach of the Panthers with a loss to Bradley in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Panthers’ 25-8 finish upped Dixon’s career mark to 76-22 with a third straight trip to the NCAA Tournament. Pitt’s 25 wins and 10 Big East Conference wins also made Dixon the first Pitt coach to amass three consecutive seasons of at least 20 total and 10 Big East wins.

“Jamie has proven he was the right person for our head coaching position three years ago and continues to be the right person today,” Long said. “Our program already has become one of the country’s most consistently successful, and I believe it has the potential to grow even stronger under Coach Dixon’s leadership.”

Had Dixon left, rumors of a top-three list spread for candidates to take his spot. Memphis’ John Calipari, Wake Forest’s Skip Prosser and Xavier’s Sean Miller headed the possibilities.

But with Dixon sticking around, the Pitt players let out a sigh of relief and are already looking toward another season.

“Obviously, it was a big concern,” center Aaron Gray told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “For the juniors, the people who only have one year left, it’s sometimes hard to get a new coach and have a new system.”

Next season figures to be a pivotal year in the development of Dixon and his basketball program.

The Panthers return nine of their top 11 players, including seniors Gray, Levon Kendall, Antonio Graves and Doyle Hudson. They also add transfer Mike Cook and freshmen Gilbert Brown and Austin Wallace to the mix.

“I’m fortunate to be surrounded by a special group of players,” Dixon said. “Pitt basketball has a very bright future and we are looking to build on our recent success.”