You Can't Spell Cardinals Without NCAA

[Freelance Hack]

Re: You can't spell Pitino without NIT

Ruined a once-promising coaching career?

He's won a national title at Kentucky, he took a probation-ruined program to the Elite Eight in two years and he brought tiny Providence to the Final Four. He doesn't have to do anything else to walk into the Hall of Fame.

Ruined? Shut up.

I agree. He's still a Hall of Fame coach. His turnaround of Kentucky was miraculous. He is the only coach to lead three schools to Final Fours. He's also taken teams to Final Fours in three different decades.

But at the same time, I wonder if the game has passed him by. I don't doubt his passion for the game, but Pitino has made some serious errors in recruiting the past few seasons. Chris Lofton could easily be averaging 20 a game in a Louisville uniform. Instead, Pitino placed his hopes on Sebastian Telfair. A number of other players have come in with great hype, but have either been dismissed, transferred or not met their expectations.

 

[wickedwritah]

Re: You can't spell Pitino without NIT

He's won a national title at Kentucky, he took a probation-ruined program to the Elite Eight in two years ...

And they would've been in the Final Four if it wasn't for the greatest clutch shot in the history of college hoops.

 

[Bob Slydell]

Re: You can't spell Pitino without NIT

He was in the Final Four two years ago. Lost eight guys off that team, and has had a young and injured team the last two seasons.

But that being said, it is going to be a LONG winter in the The 'Ville because this team is not going anywhere. They have too many question marks and cant seem to guard a corpse. They can't shoot and their best post player has knees like Joe Namath's. And he has had some questionable signings.

But never count him out because he works harder than anyone. He has too much drive and ego to fail.


And to join the parade, Jeff Hall, Herb Crook, Jerry Eaves, Robbie Valentine, Tony Kimbro, Dwayne Morton are not walking in that room. I could go on, but it would get ridiculous.

I was at UK last night covering a game and when the Notre Dame-UL score came out, Rupp had the second loudest cheer of the night. The loudest came when Rich Brooks, the football coach, was shown on the video screen. Don't get me started on Uk hoops fans.

 

[Kable]

Re: You can't spell Pitino without NIT

This thread should be "You can't spell Dave Odom w/o NIT," but that wouldn't make sense would it?

 

[wickedwritah]

Re: You can't spell Pitino without NIT

Last I checked, Odom was missing an N, I and T from his name.

 

[Ace]

Re: You can't spell Pitino without NIT


Don't you have to have at least a .500 record to get into the NIT?

 

[slappy4428]

Re: You can't spell Pitino without NIT

Ruined a once-promising coaching career?

He's won a national title at Kentucky, he took a probation-ruined program to the Elite Eight in two years and he brought tiny Providence to the Final Four. He doesn't have to do anything else to walk into the Hall of Fame.

Ruined? Shut up.

You DID look at who made the initial post, then realized "damn, I wasted eight perfectly good seconds responding to that fanboy," right?

 

[Kable]

Re: You can't spell Pitino without NIT

Last I checked, Odom was missing an N, I and T from his name.

True, but in my eyes, Odom is "Mr. NIT."

 

[wickedwritah]

Re: You can't spell Pitino without NIT

Don't you have to have at least a .500 record to get into the NIT?

NIT says the rule never existed.

http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/2006/02/02-28-06tdc/02-28-06dsports-02.asp

 

[Freelance Hack]

Re: You can't spell Pitino without NIT

He was in the Final Four two years ago. Lost eight guys off that team, and has had a young and injured team the last two seasons.

After the Final Four, Pitino made the statement that Louisville would never be out of the Top 20 again. Well, since last February Louisville hasn't sniffed the top 20.

And I don't think there's been a season since Pitino's arrival that there wasn't a significant injury. Garcia was hurt. Dean, McGee, Padgett, Palacios, etc., etc. And there are several teams that have succeeded with young players. See Florida last year. See Ohio State this year. North Carolina and Texas are also doing well while being young.

Being young is no excuse in today's college basketball environment. If Billy Donovan and Roy Williams can do it, why can't Pitino?

 

[wickedwritah]

Re: You can't spell Pitino without NIT

Freelance, why do you hate America?

 

[Norman Stansfield]

Re: You can't spell Pitino without NIT

Pitino's one of the biggest phonies around.

Yeah but he has Nick Saban to thank for making him look like less phony.

And Pitino is a human being to the media, from what I can tell.

Eh, that's questionable. I think he's good to the media when he needs to be (pretty much like all coaches).

He's also got a holier-than-thou air to him, though -- ask any of the Big East hoops writers that tune in every other week hoping to ask him a question on the teleconference, only to be alerted that assistant Kevin Willard will once again be in Pitino's place.