Pitt basketball coach Jamie Dixon officially announced the appointment of Barry Rohrssen as an assistant coach on Friday evening. Rohrssen begins his duties immediately.
A former Pitt assistant for seven years from 1999-2006, Rohrssen played a vital role in Pitt’s dramatic rise to prominence. During a five-year period, he helped guide Pitt to a 133-33 overall record (.801 winning percentage), a 59-21 Big East regular season record (.738 winning percentage), four Big East Championships (three regular season), three NCAA Sweet Sixteen berths and five consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. In addition, Pitt won its first-ever Big East Tournament title in 2003. At Pitt, he served in three different capacities including the associate head coach under Dixon from 2004-06, assistant coach (2001-04) and director of operations (1999-2001). As a recruiter, he helped the Panthers establish a pipeline from New York City to Pittsburgh.
"We are extremely excited to bring Barry back to Pitt," Dixon said. "From the start, Barry played an integral role in the success and building of our program. He has a great coaching background, is a good recruiter and has an exceptional understanding of how we operate our program."
Regarded as one of the nation’s top recruiters, Rohrssen has over 18 years of major college coaching experience. He became the 22nd head coach at Manhattan College on April 25, 2006, a position he held for five seasons from 2006-11. His best season came in 2008-09 when he guided the Jaspers to a 16-14 overall record and fourth-place finish in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference with a 9-9 league slate. Many of the players he recruited earned a postseason berth and won 21 games in 2011-12. Rohrssen improved academic progress ratings at Manhattan as he graduated every player that stayed for four years and dramatically improved the school’s basketball APR scores.
Rohrssen worked the 2012-13 season in the Portland Trailblazers organization.
"It’s extremely exciting to be returning to Pitt," Rohrssen said. "We obviously want to continue and build upon the great tradition established at Pitt. The program’s success speaks for itself. It’s been an honor and I’m proud of my association with the University of Pittsburgh. I love the city of Pittsburgh and feel that it’s home. It’s a great place to be."
Prior to his first stint at Pitt, Rohrssen served as the director of operations at UNLV from 1995-99 under head coach Bill Bayno and worked as an assistant coach at his alma mater St. Francis, N.Y. from 1993-95. The Brooklyn, N.Y. native played for the Terriers from 1981-83 and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in business management in 1983. He played in the Catholic High School Athletic Association at Xavieran High School in Brooklyn and is a member of the school’s Distinguished Athletic Hall of Fame.
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