OT: Geno reaction to the firing of his friend Phil Martelli.

[CocoHusky]

St. Joseph's parted ways with Phil Martelli after 34 years. Phil & his Family, Philly , St Joe's, Geno are all heart broken.
On the radio this morning Phil described his feelings like: "attending your own funeral". Phil then went on to say: In an instant St. Joe's went from being EVERYTHING to he and his family to just another place where he worked for a while. Phil was at St Joe's for half his life! The attached article chronicles the 40 year friendship of Phil & Geno and gives great insight into Geno. I was very fortunate to be a small intersection at the beginning of that friendship in 979 as an impressionable high school kid trying to make my way. Both were and remain great men. Phil deserved better from St Joe's.

" Why don’t you just say, ‘We’ve been forced to change coaches because we’re not winning enough games and the boosters are complaining.’ Don’t give that same old crap. It could be Charles Manson and if your team is winning 35 games every year nobody gives a goshdarn.”

Jeff Jacobs: Geno Auriemma ‘shocked’ by firing of close friend Phil Martelli at St. Joseph

 

[HopJim]

Growing up in the Phila/Norristown area, I had on a St. Joe jacket most days. These were the days of most Big Five basketball teams ending up in the Top 20 (for those of you with long memories, Danny Kelly and Mike Houser were St. Joe icons in the '60's). While it would seem that St. Joes could have cushioned the firing, this is fairly typical of many small Catholic colleges. If you look at Boston College, Holy Cross and others, quick, merciless firings seem to be the norm versus the exception.

 

[CocoHusky]

Growing up in the Phila/Norristown area, I had on a St. Joe jacket most days. These were the days of most Big Five basketball teams ending up in the Top 20 (for those of you with long memories, Danny Kelly and Mike Houser were St. Joe icons in the '60's). While it would seem that St. Joes could have cushioned the firing, this is fairly typical of many small Catholic colleges. If you look at Boston College, Holy Cross and others, quick, merciless firings seem to be the norm versus the exception.

Lol! Just how in the heck does any self respecting person who grew up in Phila/Norristown area use Danny Ainge in an Avatar? That man is pure evil!

 

[hoopsfan22]

I posted the video of this interview in the thread with all the other pre-game ones if you want to see all of his comments. Geno also mentioned this in the official NCAA press conference as well, also posted there in case you missed it yesterday.