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Jamie Dixon's Hiring Of Pat Skerry Was Key In Birch's Commitment

Khem Birch’s commitment to PItt was likely based on a variety of factors. Specifically, he referenced the faciliies, fans, and current players.

But it’s clear that his relationship with Pitt assistant coach Pat Skerry was a big one. Skerry, the former Providence assistant, appeared to have Providence at the top of Birch’s list according to an interview in January:

Can you give us a hint about your recruitment? I’m not sure what this question is about, but if it’s about who is on the top of my list it would be Providence

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Birch says his relationship with Skerry is a close one:
“My relationship with Coach Skerry is great,” he told PantherLair.com. “We are so close it is unbelievable.”

His coach echoed those same thoughts:

“Providence was the leader in the clubhouse when Coach Skerry was there,” Hurd said. “And when he went to Pittsburgh, it was a no-brainer for Khem.”

“He just felt comfortable with Skerry and Coach Dixon. Khem is a special player. He’s a fantastic player and kid, and it’s tough to coach him sometimes because it’s impossible to get angry at him.”

Jamie Dixon deserves a lot of credit for bringing Skerry to Pitt. The move appears to have paid off.

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Photographs by dizfunk used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.