Pitt Coaching Candidates: Assistant Brandin Knight appears out of running for head coaching job

Pitt's basketball team is still looking for a head coach but it doesn't sound as if it will be assistant Brandin Knight. PantherLair's Matt Steinbrink broke the news first earlier this afternoon that he wasn't getting the job and the Post-Gazette's Paul Zeise has since confirmed it.

Knight being left out here isn't too much of a surprise. As I wrote earlier, while he had the support of many former players and also head coach Jamie Dixon, the Pitt job is a much different one than it was when Dixon landed it as an assistant.

Plus, when you consider that Barnes has stated he wants to have a more up-tempo style of play, Knight just didn't seem to fit, having played and coached in the previous system for 12 years. His support began to grow after Pitt lost out on possibly its top target Sean Miller, but at the end of the day, it looks like Barnes and Company are going with a complete overhaul here.

It should be noted that there's still a chance Knight could stick around. Barnes said in his press conference that he would leave the decision to hire any of Dixon's old assistants up to the next head coach. Usually, most of the old regime gets cleaned out but there's nothing to say that the new coach may want him to stay.

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