Kevin Stallings hired by Pitt: Panthers issue official statement announcing his hiring

Pitt made the announcement on Sunday that former Vanderbilt head coach Kevin Stallings has been officially hired as the program's next men's basketball coach in the wake of Jamie Dixon leaving for TCU.

Shortly after it became official, the school issued its formal press release - here's part of it:

"Coach Stallings and I share the same vision for Pitt -- playing in the Final Four," said Barnes. "Kevin has a successful track record recruiting the ACC footprint and beyond, and is one of the best coaches in the country at building an offense around his talent. He plays a fun up-tempo style that players love and fans will enjoy.  Kevin runs his program with impeccable character and has a high care factor and connection with his student-athletes. He is a Power Five conference coach whose experience and success will be immediate assets for our program."

Stallings has compiled a 455-283 record with nine NCAA Tournament appearances over a 23-year head coaching career. He began his head coaching career at Illinois State in 1993 before taking control of the Vanderbilt program prior to the start of the 1999-00 season.

"I am extremely excited to join the University of Pittsburgh family," said Stallings. "Pitt has a tremendous basketball tradition and I am looking forward to building on the excellent foundation that is in place on the court and in the classroom. The city of Pittsburgh is outstanding and I have a great deal of respect for the people that make it such a special place. I look forward to seeing their support along with that of the Oakland Zoo next season at the Petersen Events Center."

The talk of having a vision to play in the Final Four is interesting. Obviously, that's the goal for all programs, but in hiring Stallings it's questionable how likely that is. Stallings is not a young unproven coach - he's a veteran that has a track record of some, but not much success. Stallings has been to the NCAA Tournament many times but has not only never reached a Final Four, but has never been to an Elite Eight, either. He has been to the Sweet 16, but not since 2017 - nearly a decade.

More to come, but again, this looks like a pretty underwhelming hire.

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