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With Barry Rohrssen's apparent heading to Kentucky, Pitt basketball head coach Jamie Dixon will have an opening on his coaching staff. We've already debated some options here, but can't say we saw this one coming.
One man who is throwing his hat in the ring? Former player Ashton Gibbs. Gibbs had this to say on Twitter recently:
Congrats Coach Slice! Wish u all the success in your coaching change, which means there's an opening coaching position at my alma mater!
— Ashton Gibbs (@AshtonGibbs12) April 18, 2014
He immediately added this:
University of Pittsburgh and I want it in the worst way! #teampitt #h2p #coachgibbs
— Ashton Gibbs (@AshtonGibbs12) April 18, 2014
Our own Jesse Irwin recently spoke to Gibbs to confirm his interest:
Ashton Gibbs tells me he's extremely interested in the Pitt Assistant Coaching job. May be meeting with Coach Dixon very soon.
— Jesse Irwin (@JesseIrwin_) April 19, 2014
First, the pros. Gibbs is a Pitt alum that loves the school. We can debate the importance of having alumni as coaches all day, but I do think there are some positives there in being able to sell the university to prospective recruits.
Gibbs also is from New Jersey and would be a solid guy to help Pitt make inroads there and in the New York area as well.
Finally, Gibbs isn't only an alum, but one of Pitt's greatest players. Far too many people remember his senior season that didn't go according to plan, but at his peak, Gibbs was a very good player for the program.
Unfortunately, there are some things working against him. Gibbs has zero coaching experience. In addition, in Rohrssen, the Panthers aren't replacing a guy that wasn't doing much recruiting for them - they're replacing a guy that was the program's top guy in that role. The thought is that Rohrssen's replacement would be another senior-level guy with a lot of recruiting experience.
The thought of Gibbs as an assistant is intriguing, but I'm not sure he's the guy who will get to succeed Rohrssen. Dixon may have his sights set on someone with coaching experience.
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