NCAA Basketball: UNC, Kansas among top head coaching hires from 2003

6. Jamie Dixon (Pittsburgh)

Then still a member of the Big East, Pittsburgh was a program that had some success in their history but was never really a perennial national contender. Come 2003, coach Ben Howland has just led the Panthers to consecutive appearances in the Sweet Sixteen, certainly considered a breakthrough for this program. However, Howland was lured away by UCLA, leaving Pittsburgh with the tough job of hiring a new coach to keep that momentum going.

All things considered, Jamie Dixon was both the right and easiest pick for the job. Dixon had spent several years working with and under Howland, including the last four seasons on the Panthers staff. Dixon also had experience at Hawaii, Northern Arizona, and UC Santa Barbara, but this was his first real experience helming a program.

Dixon picked up right where Howland left off, leading this Panthers program to great success over the next thirteen years. He led Pittsburgh to 11 NCAA Tournaments, including an Elite Eight run in 2009 and a couple of Sweet Sixteens. The team won a pair of Big East titles and had certainly become that perennial contender. However, Dixon departed for TCU, his alma mater, in 2016 and this Panthers program just hasn’t been the same since.