John Clay's Sidelines

(AP photo)

You have to give it up for Louisville, left for dead at the half against red-hot Notre Dame, down 46-32. But Rick Pitino’s team stormed back and downed the Irish 83-77 in overtime to earn a spot in tonight’s final against UConn, 9 p.m. on ESPN.

Preston Knowles, a fellow GRC grad, led the way with 20. Dana O’Neill of espn.com writes:

The Cardinals are here for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is the superb job Pitino has done coaching this group. He has catered his teaching to this team’s strengths, building up a defensive behemoth that thrives on disruption. Against the Irish, somehow the native New Yorker’s warnings of “shoot-uh” could be heard loud and clear over the frenzied Madison Square Garden.

But they are here also because of Knowles. The senior has welcomed the mantle of leader with grace, comfortable in his abilities to lead a team.

His spot is so secure now that, during the first half when Pitino lost his cool and was about to get a technical, Knowles calmed him down.

“Me and Coach, our relationship has just skyrocketed,” Knowles said. “When I talk to him he actually listens to me now.”

Give Pitino his props. No way Louisville should have finished fourth in the packed Big East. No way the Cards should be in the title game. Is there a pro on this Cardinals team? Draft Express doesn’t think so. It has not a single U of L player in its top 100 prospects for this year’s NBA draft.

Continue reading ‘Rick Pitino doing it again as Louisville makes Big East final’

(AP photo/Ed Reinke)

One of the more interesting aspects of S.L. Price’s terrific feature on John Caliapri is the examination of the role Rick Pitino played in getting Calipari hired as the head coach at UMass, Pitino’s alma mater.

Price quotes others doubting Pitino’s assertion to Sports Illustrated last year that he wrote a check out of his personal account so that Calipari would be hired.

The story also says that Pitino played a role in the now infamous allegation that Calipari spread a rumor about Lou Carnesseca’s health to get a recruit.

The excerpt:

You become the kind of coach desperate programs want to hire. UMass was a basketball backwater then, with a tradition that began and ended with Julius Erving, but Pitino was an alum and the search committee’s headhunter. He suggested four men: New Mexico assistant Larry Shyatt; Stu Jackson, Pitino’s assistant with the Knicks; George Mason head coach Rick Barnes; and Calipari. After that, the story gets foggy, and it helps explain why Calipari and Pitino barely tolerate each other.

For decades Pitino has said that he pushed hard for Calipari and wrote a $5,000 check to UMass athletic director Frank McInerney to help cover Calipari’s $63,000 salary. “The guy wouldn’t let me out of the meeting until I wrote the check!” Pitino told SI in 2009. Early in his career Calipari described Pitino as one of his “three or four really good friends in coaching.” Now, however, when first approached to talk about Calipari, Pitino says, “I really don’t know him, so I’d prefer not to.”

Asked why Pitino would say that, Calipari nearly chokes and says, “I would just tell you: I respect him, respect what he’s done over his career.” Then he yells in a voice thick with sarcasm, “And thank him for all the help he’s given me over my career!”

Continue reading ‘Did Pitino lie about his role in Calipari UMass hiring?’

First UK coach John Calipari and then U of L coach Rick Pitino after Cal’s 78-63 win over Pitino.

The AP’s omnipresent Will Graves was at Rick Pitino’s press conference today previewing Cats-Cards. Here are highlights from his tweets:

• Pitino says Rakeem Buckles has spiral fracture in finger, miss a couple weeks.
• Pitino said injury came during a drill. He’ll have surgery soon.
• Van Treese called on to step up in that position
• Pitino on UK: “they’re a lot different because they shoot it so well.”
• Pitino on last year’s game: We weren’t chippy at all. I don’t think Swopshire was going to bully Cousins too much.

Continue reading ‘Tweets from the Rick Pitino press conference’

(AP photo)

In an interview with Dime Magazine, Rick Pitino says that the Kentucky-Louisville rivalry is more intense now because Kentucky has raised the bar.

An excerpt:

The rivalry will always be intense. I think it’s become more intense in a good way because they are doing such an unbelievable job recruiting that it’s picked up our level of recruiting. I mean, they get the top six or seven (high school) players in the country each year. Everybody loves that star quality – the fans love star quality – so it’s changed the dynamics of the way we recruit a little bit. They’ve raised the bar, so to speak.

Also, Mike DeCourcy of Sporting News reports that Pitino has not agreed to coach Puerto Rico national team.

Dime magazine assigned two writers to take different sides of the following question:

(AP photo/Ed Reinke)

Who’s better, John Calipari or Rick Pitino?

Excerpt from the case for Cal:

If there’s one thing that Calipari can do better than Pitino, it’s finding a way to bring in the best players, no matter what the cost. Not only was he able to convince John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins and Xavier Henry to commit to Memphis, but he also slapped clauses into their letters-of-intent so they could go somewhere else if he chose to coach at another school. When he accepted the UK job, Wall and Cousins followed. Those two then led the way as Coach Cal made the Elite Eight in his first season in Lexington.

Excerpt from the case for Ricky P:

With less talent and a tougher conference slate over the majority of the decade, however, Pitino still keeps pace. Calipari’s record over the last nine years includes seven NCAA Tournaments, four Elite Eights, one Final Four, and one NCAA title game loss. Pitino can match that, plus he has four other Final Four appearances on his resume from his tenures at Kentucky and Providence.

(H-L photo/David Perry)

Big Blue Links for Saturday:

• Anthony Davis’ family plans to sue the Chicago Sun-Times next week, reports Paul Skrbina of the Chicago Tribune.
• Chip Cosby of the Herald-Leader writes that it’s been a long time coming for Donte Rumph and Mychal Bailey.
• Attorney representing Kentucky says Chicago Sun-Times is practicing unethical journalism, reports Jerry Tipton of the Herald-Leader.
• Deadspin wants to know: “What it comes down to now is the paper’s sources words against the university’s. Who do you believe? A multiple-sourced story, or a university and coach, with separate histories of violations, who stand to suffer if the story is true?”
• A Sea of Blue thinks Chicago Sun-Times reporter will soon be saying, “Would you like fries with that?”
• My column on the brotherhood battle among the three UK quarterbacks.
• Brett Dawson of the Courier-Journal on the three-headed competition at quarterback for the Wildcats.
• It’s been a crazy week for the blog Nation of Blue.
• Sports Grid says that while the Sun-Times sticks by its story, the media sticks with ripping the Sun-Times.
• Larry Vaught of the Danville Advocate-Messenger writes on the quarterback competition.

Continue reading ‘BBL: Anthony Davis’ family to sue Chicago Sun-Times’

PROGRAM NOTE: DON’T FORGET TO CHECK BACK AT 10 A.M. FOR LIVEBLOG FROM UK FOOTBALL MEDIA DAY.

Big Blue Links for Friday:

• Michael O’Brien and the Chicago Sun-Times come right back with another Anthony Davis story, repeating earlier rumors, this time with UK’s response.
• Football Cats report and are itching for practice to start, writes Chip Cosby of the Herald-Leader.
• APR numbers support John Calipari’s contention that he cares about academics, reports Jerry Tipton of the Herald-Leader. (Remember, the story that won’t be written.)
• Kentucky will play Oklahoma in Maui opener, before a possible dream match-up with Washington. This being Washington’s dream.
• “I hope we look bad,” says Calipari about Canada trip, reports Tipton in the H-L.
• Kentucky football team takes plenty of questions into camp, starting at quarterback, reports Brett Dawson of the Courier-Journal.
• A small team with big strides to make, basketball Cats prepare for its trip north of the border, eh, reports Dawson in the C-J.
• It’s always something with Calipari, says the Cincinnati Enqurier.
• Get ready Ashland, John Calipari is coming your way Sept. 6, reports the Ironton Tribune. (Hat tip to Bluegrass State Basketball.)
• Mike DeCourcy of the Sporting News on UK basketball taking some media hits of late.

Continue reading ‘BBL: Sun-Times repeats rumors, acknowledges response’

SportsIllustrated.com features dueling columnists on the subject of Rick Pitino’s involvement in the Karen Sypher trial.

Dan Shaugnessy of the Boston Globe argues that Rick has to go:

Pitino wins games. He’s the most famous person in Louisville. He’s taken the Cardinals to the Final Four and Louisville is getting ready to move into a new arena. College basketball is a very big deal in Kentucky.

And so Pitino survives.

This amazes me. Pitino holds a high position at a major public institution of learning. He makes millions of dollars and controls the lives of talented teenage ballplayers. He succeeds by going to the homes of high school ballplayers and telling parents that their sons will be in good hands in his basketball program.

Seth Davis of SI and CBS argues that Rick should stay:

Look, I am not here to defend Pitino’s behavior. Over the last 16 months, he was revealed to be to be a lot of things — a fool, a cad, a liar, an adulterer and an egotist. In other words, a sinner.

But allow me to remind you that he is something else as well: a victim.

That’s right, Rick Pitino is a victim, and of a potentially very serious crime. If Sypher — who after all is the real defendant here — is convicted of extortion and lying to federal investigators, she could be sent to prison for up to 10 years and pay a fine of $250,000. Pitino’s actions may have been immoral, but they weren’t criminal.

I side with Seth on this, by the way.

Big Blue Links for Saturday:

• Marquis Teague found leadership qualities in Germany, writes Kyle Neddenriep of the Indianapolis Star.
• Joker Phillips is done schmoozing, and is ready to start coaching, writes Chip Cosby of the Herald-Leader.
• My column on John Wall’s return to Lexington for the Calipari Pro Camp.
• Courier-Journal gives a slo-mo replay of Week 1 of the Karen Sypher trial.
• Optimism abounds for Kentucky football, writes Brett Dawson of the C-J.
• Wah Wah Jones is still going strong at 84, blogs Steve Moss of WKYT.
• John Wall says fans should not put too much pressure on Brandon Knight, reports WLEX’s Mary Jo Perino.
• Derrick Locke is tired of talking, and ready to put on the pads, writes Larry Vaught of the Danville Advocate-Messenger.
• Rick Pitino trial means nothing in recruiting, but it should, blogs Ryan Clark of the Kentucky Enquirer.
• A Day in the life of DeMarcus Cousins:

(Hat tip to Bluegrass State Basketball.)