Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Longtime basketball coach Dixon leaves Pitt for TCU
University of Pittsburgh men’s basketball coach Jamie Dixon accepted a job offer Monday to become the next coach at his alma mater, Texas Christian University. And, although it was mostly his decision to leave, Pitt didn’t exactly beg Dixon to stay.
In the past, when Dixon was building Pitt’s basketball program into one of the best in the country, university officials had to fend off outside interest in their coach, offering Dixon better contracts and other perks to keep him in the fold.
That changed in the past couple of weeks, as it became apparent Dixon was TCU’s top choice, even before the school officially fired its previous coach, Trent Johnson. Rather than enticing Dixon to stay, Pitt officials worked with TCU to negotiate a smaller buyout from Dixon’s contract to help ease his exit.
“We knew where his heart and his head were, and it wouldn’t have been good for our program to hold him hostage,†Pitt athletic director Scott Barnes said at a news conference Monday announcing Dixon’s departure. …
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