Pittsburgh set to hire former Auburn AD Allen Greene for same role

Greene is set to return to the AD chair after stepping away from the role at Auburn in 2022.

Allen Greene stepped away from his role as Auburn’s athletic director over two years ago, and now he is ready to take the chair at another institution.

ESPN’s Pete Thamel reports that Pittsburgh has hired Greene to become the university’s next athletic director. University of Pittsburgh Chancellor Joan Gabel confirmed the report on Friday morning.

In a press release from Pitt athletics, Gable says that Greene is “proven” and is ready to take charge of the athletics program.

“Pitt Athletics is the front porch of the University of Pittsburgh, serving as a crucial access point for so many across our campus, our region, our nation and the world. In Allen Greene, we have a proven national leader who exemplifies the Pitt way, and who has all of the experience and intangibles to elevate our athletics program in competition and in the classroom. In my conversations with Allen and with many others who know him well, it is clear that he will lead us successfully into the new world of intercollegiate athletics.”

Greene served as Auburn’s athletic director from 2018-22, coming to the Plains from Buffalo after serving as the leader of the Bulls’ athletic program in the three years prior. He departed from Auburn in August 2022 with three months remaining on his contract.

“The decision to step away from Auburn Athletics is not an easy one, but it is the right time for me to begin the next step in my professional journey,” Greene said following his departure. “I am very proud of the work that we have done together to move our athletics program forward. Christy and I want to thank the Auburn family for allowing us to be a part of something truly unique, and I wish Auburn nothing but the best in the years ahead. I’m confident we leave Auburn athletics stronger than when we arrived.”

The highlights of Greene’s career were the firing of former head football coach [autotag]Gus Malzahn[/autotag] in 2020 and the hiring of [autotag]Bryan Harsin[/autotag] to replace him. He also hired [autotag]Johnnie Harris[/autotag] to lead the women’s basketball program in 2021, where she has built a 46-45 record in three seasons with two postseason appearances.

Greene heads to Pittsburgh after spending a short time at the University of  Tennessee, serving as Senior Deputy Athletics Director/Chief Operating Officer for the Volunteer’s athletic department. He will officially take over the role of AD at Pitt on Nov. 1.

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SEC opponents confirmed for Women’s Hoops

Head coach Johnnie Harris is gearing up for her third season on the Plains.

[autotag]Johnnie Harris[/autotag] is gearing up for her third season on the Plains.

After Auburn fell 56-55 at the hands of the Clemson Tigers in the second round of the WNIT, the Tigers are ready to get back in the swing of things.

Auburn will face the Alabama Crimson Tide, LSU Tigers and South Carolina Gamecocks twice in the regular season. This is a tough draw as LSU is the defending National Champion and South Carolina is a perennial powerhouse.

The Tigers will face the Georgia Bulldogs, Kentucky Wildcats, Mississippi State Bulldogs, Tennessee Volunteers and the Texas A&M Aggies just one time in the regular season. Each matchup will take place at home in Neville Arena.

The teams Auburn will only face on the road in the regular season are the Arkansas Razorbacks, Florida Gators, Ole Miss Rebels, Missouri Tigers and Vanderbilt Commodores.

Additionally, Auburn will get a rematch with Clemson in the first year of the SEC/ACC Challenge. The contest will take place in Neville Arena on November 30th at 8 p.m. CT.

The dates and times for these games as well as the remaining non-conference opponents will be announced later.

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What can be expected in Johnnie Harris’ third year in Auburn?

Auburn Women’s Basketball has improved every season under Johnnie Harris’ leadership. Can we expect more of the same next season?

The 2022-23 season was a step in the right direction for the Auburn Tigers women’s basketball program. The Tigers finished with a winning record for the first time since 2019 and advanced to the second round of the Women’s National Invitational Tournament. [autotag]Johnnie Harris[/autotag] has the program moving in the right direction.

The roster for next year will look different, but the Tigers will welcome back a familiar face. [autotag]Honesty Scott-Grayson[/autotag], a guard from Brick, New Jersey, will be back for her sixth year of college basketball and her fourth year with Auburn. Scott-Grayson averaged 12.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game and scored her 1,000th career point this season.

Auburn has two players who have entered the transfer portal so far: [autotag]Romi Levy[/autotag] and [autotag]Aicha Coulibaly[/autotag]. Levy was a junior forward from Herzelia, Israel who missed the 2021-22 season due to a knee injury. Levy averaged 6.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists for the Tigers this season. Coulibaly was a junior guard from Bamako, Mali who has been a big part of the program for three seasons. Coulibaly averaged 16 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists and started 25 games for Auburn this season.

The Tigers have two important recruits coming in for next season: [autotag]Timya Thurman[/autotag] and [autotag]Savannah Scott[/autotag].

“I’m very excited about the class of 2023,” Harris said. “They both provide much-needed SEC size and skills that will help boost our program to the next level. This is an instant impact class that we’ve needed to rebuild this program.

Thurman is a 6’5” center from Linden, Alabama.

“Timya Thurman has the potential to be a dominant post player in the SEC,” Harris said. “She’s long, physical, and her presence will be felt on both ends of the court. This is an Alabama kid that is able to stay close to home, while establishing her new home here at Auburn.”

Scott is a 6’4″ center from Conway, Arkansas.

“Savannah Scott is a physical player who has really good hands and footwork in the paint,” Harris said. When I think of tough, hard-nosed, physical, and aggressive…she’s a player that comes to mind. She’s also the kind of post player skilled enough to play with another big.”

This will be a crucial year for Auburn’s rebuilding process and Harris is confident that the team will continue moving in the right direction.

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Auburn Women’s Basketball Takes On Clemson In The Second Round Of The WNIT

The Tigers look to advance in the WNIT with a win at Clemson.

After a 73-58 victory over the Tulane Greenwave (18-14) at home in Neville Arena, the Auburn Tigers (16-14) travel up to South Carolina for a meeting with the Clemson Tigers (18-5) at 6:00 p.m in the second round of the WNIT.

[autotag]Johnnie Harris[/autotag] led Auburn to its first winning season and post-season tournament appearance since 2019 in her second season at the helm of the program.

[autotag]Aicha Coulibaly[/autotag] has led Auburn in scoring this season, averaging 16 points per game. [autotag]Honesty Scott-Grayson[/autotag] follows closely with 13.1 points per game. Coulibaly also leads the team in assists, averaging 2.7 per game. [autotag]Sydney Shaw[/autotag] follows closely with 2.4. Coulibaly leads the team in rebounds as well, averaging 2.7.

Auburn averages shooting about 40% from the field, 30.7% from three-point range and 67.7% from the free-throw line.

Amari Robinson leads Clemson in scoring and assists, averaging 14.1 and 6.3 per game respectively. Brie Perpignan leads the Tigers in assists, averaging 3.2 per game.

On average, Clemson shoots 41.9% from the field, 31.2% from the three-point range and 68.8% from the free-throw line.

Clemson has a few signature wins to its name this season. The Tigers knocked off the No. 7 Virginia Tech Hokies 64-59 and the No. 23 Florida State Seminoles 74-61.

Amanda Butler has been the head coach of Clemson since 2018. The Tigers are 68-86 under Butler’s leadership. They made the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2019 and the second round of the WNIT in 2021.

Brit Bowen will have the radio call on WQSI 93.9 FM beginning at 5:45 p.m. CT. The broadcast can also be heard on AuburnTigers.com and the Auburn Tigers app. The game will be televised on the ACC Network.

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