Thoughts on the program moving forward
Time to leave the past where it belongs: in the past!
Pitt Script/old colors: whether or not Barnes brings back the "Script" and old colors for all sports won't make or break him as an AD here. I tend to think he will, but it won't be the first thing he does, nor will it be a priority.
On Campus Stadium: As much as everyone wants to see this happen (myself included), I don't see this coming to a reality for at least 10 or more years. Talks of Panther Hollow should cease, and I don't understand why people bring that area up. It's located in Schenley Park; therefore, a new stadium will never be built in that area. The only area that makes somewhat sense for a potential stadium is between Allequippa Street, Terrace Street, and Darragh Street, but that area is likely student houses and private homes, which will be a tough area to build as well. Not to mention, that area would be logistically hell to get 50K to and from there.
Donors and future donors: At the moment the budgets has been expanded to ensure some football success; however, the Athletic Department must raise the funds to justify the money being spend or the department will go into the red. Barnes has a history of being a fantastic fundraiser at Utah State, but he still must prove he can do this at Pitt. Which brings me to the point of future donors, the department must do more to get students to go to the games, but also to stay at the games. Gallagher offering a free ticket to all of the 2015 grads is a tremendous start in this direction. Getting a head start on the next generation of business men/woman, lawyers, engineers, etc is a must. Not only will that create the next generation of donors; it will help grow the fan base.
Speaking of growing the fan base: Pittsburgh is very much a front running sports town. Look no further than the Pens & Pirates for this fact. "Win and they will come" is very much a reality. Granted Cincinnati brought a nice bit of fans to Heinz for the de facto BE Championship Game a few years back, but Heinz was more than packed for a game that didn't headline Pitt vs Notre Dame or WVU. At the same time, Pitt gotta do more outreach to the locals in Pittsburgh and sell the fact that season tickets for Pitt costs the same as a single Steelers game found on EBay or Stubhub. Sell the fact that the college game is a lot more exciting than the professional game (And yes I know that it's a tough sell being that I lived in Pittsburgh 25 of my 33 years on this lovely planet!).
Minor sports: Everything begins and ends with fundraising. Fundraising helps all sports hire the coaches needed to win championships. If there's a model I'd like to see Barnes take is the Tom Jurich model over at Louisville. Look at what they've accomplished, in all sports, from the time they were in CUSA to the Big East and now the ACC. The work they do in all sports is remarkable.
Scheduling: I fall into the camp that wants to see us play PSU and WVU on an alternating basis. We're not going to see PSU as an every year rival, unless the governor gets involved and that's not happening anytime soon. Have PSU/WVU, then schools like Tennessee, Iowa, aTm, and then finally two directionals/Navy to round out the football schedule every year. For hoops, I'd love to see the schedule upgraded. No more cupcakes and then the ACC schedule.
Ultimately, I think that Barnes is the right guy and at the right time. I believe great times are ahead, but only time will tell if that's a fact or not.
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