Jamie Dixon is headed back to his alma mater.
Only three days after finishing off his 13th season at Pittsburgh, Dixon has accepted the head-coaching job at TCU. The news, which was first reported by CBS, was confirmed by Pittsburgh on Monday afternoon.
Dixon led Pitt to the NCAA tournament for the 11th time this season, but the Panthers were knocked off Friday in the first round by Wisconsin.
Dixon, 50, garnered a 328-123 overall record and won two Big East regular season championships at Pitt, but hadn’t led the program to the Sweet 16 since 2009, when the Panthers were a No. 1 seed but lost to Villanova in the Elite Eight.
"On behalf of the University of Pittsburgh, I want to thank Jamie for his tremendous service to not only Pitt basketball but our entire institution. His impact on our university went well beyond his coaching responsibilities. Jamie has always represented Pitt, and the game of college basketball, in exceptional fashion. For all of these things we are eternally grateful," Pitt athletic director Scott Barnes said in a statement.
"In recent weeks, Jamie and I engaged in a number of conversations regarding his long-term personal and professional aspirations. In accepting the job at TCU he is, in many ways, returning home. We all wish him and his family the very best in his new endeavor. Our focus now turns to securing new leadership for our basketball program. This provides us with the opportunity to find an individual who will maintain, and build upon, our stature as a perennial NCAA Tournament program.
"The University of Pittsburgh is an outstanding institution with all of the elements necessary to attract an equally outstanding basketball coach. I am excited about the opportunity we have before us."
Despite the consistent NCAA tournament appearances under Dixon, Pitt has not been able to replicate the same success on a national level since its move from the Big East to the ACC in 2013. The Panthers finished tied for ninth in the ACC in each of the past two seasons.
At TCU, Dixon, who played for the Horned Frogs from 1984-87, replaces Trent Johnson, who was fired on March 13. TCU went 12-21 this season, Johnson’s fourth year with the program. In Johnson’s four years – the program’s first four seasons in the Big 12 – the Horned Frogs won just eight conference games and were 50-79 overall.
 | @TCU_Athletics | |
Time to bring our Horned Frog back home! #DixonComesHome pic.twitter.com/x95GR1J71J
 | ||
 | @_delconte | |
Look who's coming Home 🐸👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/YIavUR8SC3
 | ||
Overall, TCU hasn’t reached the NCAA tournament since 1998. The program's last tournament win came in 1987 – Dixon's last season as a player for the Horned Frogs.
Dixon will be introduced in Fort Worth on Tuesday.
No comments:
Post a Comment