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Yesterday, it became known that Pitt appeared interested in Vanderbilt head coach Kevin Stallings. Late last night, the two sides were reportedly close to a deal, and this morning, it sounds like it could soon be official:
Pitt has offered its HC position to Kevin Stallings & he is expected to accept, sources told @CBSSports. Story: https://t.co/M1b42kWrzg
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) March 27, 2016
For those hoping that the Stallings news was going to be a smokescreen and that Pitt's target would be a different one, that doesn't appear to be the case here. By all indications, Pitt's next head coach looks to be Stallings.
Stallings does have a track record of at least reaching the NCAA Tournament. But as I said yesterday, he's also missed the Big Dance in many different years and, like former Pitt coach Jamie Dixon, hasn't gone deep in all that much, reaching only a couple of Sweet 16s. The general consensus was that the Panthers would be hard-pressed to find a coach with Dixon's success in making so many NCAA Tournaments. However, many believed that was because they would be hiring a younger, up-and-coming, coach. That really isn't the case here as Stallings is five years older than Dixon.
We'll have to wait for the official explanation as well as athletic director Scott Barnes to hold a formal press conference. For now, though, this sounds more and more like a done deal.
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