Boehm ready to move on

In the wake of Ben Howland’s departure for Los Angeles, Pitt interim athletics director… In the wake of Ben Howland’s departure for Los Angeles, Pitt interim athletics director Marc Boehm held a press conference Thursday to discuss what most already knew: It wasn’t an easy process.

Howland met with UCLA athletics director Dan Guerrero last weekend, just days after the Panthers’ loss to Marquette in the Sweet Sixteen, in a meeting that the Pitt administration said it did not authorize.

“It was a very frustrating experience this past week,” Boehm said. “To deny permission or grant permission was irrelevant and that’s what was very frustrating. This thing was orchestrated well before that.”

Boehm also expressed his belief that in any situation, a head coach should be upfront and honest and come tell his athletics director what he wants to do.

“Ben signed a contract this past year for seven years, said he was going to stay here, and we hoped he would honor that,” Boehm said. “It’s not a one-way street.”

Boehm met with the players and Chancellor Mark Nordenberg on Wednesday after the team was informed by associate head coach Jamie Dixon of Howland’s decision. Although they were heartbroken, by Thursday they seemed ready to move on. Boehm and Nordenberg told the team how proud they are of them and players in turn shared their views of the situation.

Boehm then told the story of how Miami Hurricane head football coach Butch Davis left his team following the 2000-2001 season to take the coaching job with the Cleveland Browns. Miami then promoted assistant coach Larry Coker to the head coaching position and proceeded to win the National Championship the next season.

“They had a lot of smiles on their faces and I think right there, they wanted to head into the training room right away and move forward,” Boehm said of the Panthers. “We’ve got some great kids on the team and we are ready to move forward.”

Boehm would not comment on whether Pitt will employ a similar strategy of promoting one of its own coaches instead of hiring someone outside of the organization. Dixon, who interviewed Tuesday for the head coaching position at Wright State, is also a candidate at Illinois State and is now also likely a consideration for the Panthers’ vacancy.

“I will tell you that Jamie Dixon is a guy with character and he knows basketball. I view him as one of the best associate head coaches in America,” Boehm said. “He knows the system, the players love him, they love playing for him, but right now I cannot comment on possible candidates.”

One of the lures of UCLA for Howland was the chance for him to return home to his native California. When Boehm was asked if a Pittsburgh connection is a quality the Panthers will look for in their next head coach, he simply replied, “it might be.”

While Boehm will not comment on any potential candidates until a new coach is actually hired, he did express his belief that the job will be appealing to many and that he has already received inquiries about the position. He cited great facilities, wonderful players and a great fan base as reasons the position is desirable.

“Who wouldn’t want to be the head coach here?” Boehm asked. “I am looking forward to the opportunity, along with the chancellor, to find a head coach and I really believe that we will find the right coach that fits the University of Pittsburgh.”

He also added that the incoming recruit class is still solid on its commitments and he does not expect anyone to waver in that regard. As of right now, the coaching staff is also still intact, although it is expected that Howland will call in the next few days to see who he would like to take with him to UCLA. Two members of the coaching staff, Dixon and Chris Carlson, are both from Southern California.

It has been rumored that Adidas, the company that has sportswear contracts with both Pitt and UCLA, will help pay a portion of the $700,000 buyout clause in Howland’s contract. Boehm, however, did not know if there was contact between Howland and Adidas and could not comment on that situation.

He instead will focus his attention on the future and look for the best possible candidate to replace Howland. But while Pitt searches for a new head coach, it cannot help but feel somewhat betrayed.

“We believed coach Howland was going to be here,” Boehm said. “I don’t like how it was handled, but it’s old news and I just want to move on.”