Pitt removes any speculation by quickly firing Kevin Stallings
It was absolutely inevitable, but Pitt has let men’s basketball coach Kevin Stallings go.
With a 24-41 record in two seasons, and 8-24 mark this season (0-19 in ACC play), Kevin Stallings was surely not long for the job as Pitt men’s basketball coach. On Thursday morning the move was made, as Stallings has indeed been fired. Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports was first to report the news.
Since 2000, only six high-major coaches have been fired after just two seasons. Take away off the court issues, and Stallings joins James Johnson (Virginia) and Billy Gillispie (Kentucky) as those fired due to on-court performance. If Tubby Smith is fired at Memphis, the list of high-major men’s basketball coaches fired just two seasons in would add one more.
The Panthers 8-24 record this year was low-lighted by that winless mark in conference play, with 15 of the 18 regular season losses coming by 15 or more points.
Stallings was hired and given a six-year deal at Pitt in 2016, after Jamie Dixon left for TCU. A 16-17 record in 2016-17 was the school’s first losing record since 1999-2000, after the Panthers made the NCAA Tournament in 13 of the previous 15 seasons under Dixon. Stallings spent the previous 17 seasons at Vanderbilt, with a 332-220 record and seven NCAA Tournament appearances during his tenure.
As is common when a college coach is fired so quickly, Pitt owes Stallings a $9.4 million buyout. The school would surely like to reduce that amount, via offset if he gets another job or a simple negotiation. But it appears Stallings is not willing to take any less than he’s owed right off the bat.
I’m told Kevin Stallings has informed them he will not accept the reduced buyout of about $7.5M that Pitt boosters had hoped he would. He wants $9.4M and it is headed for a showdown — or most likely Pitt paying the whole thing to part with him.
— Colin Dunlap (@colin_dunlap) March 7, 2018
It gets better.
— Colin Dunlap (@colin_dunlap) March 7, 2018
Multiple Pitt high-end boosters say Kevin Stallings rejected an initial $7.5M reduced buyout offer earlier today.
A source close to Stallings just called me and said no such offer was made.
This is a total mess.
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Former Pitt athletic director Scott Barnes, who is now has the same job at Oregon State, now has the failed Stallings hire on resume. Current AD Heather Lyke is left to conduct a coaching search that may be a bit hamstrung by finances.