Rick Pitino

[rrskyjf]

Just go back to his first 2 years at Kentucky. Took a team of farm boy walk ons and Mashburn and turned them into title contenders.

 

[CL82]

It’s kind of insane to think about the job he’s done at every stop. PC to the final four and Kentucky to final fours/championship and ushers in the 3pt era. Pros didn’t work and then comes back and wins a title at Louisville. Then takes over Iona and St John’s and turns both into NCAA tourney teams in zero time.

Dude is a total tool. But as a coach he’s as good as there’s ever been.

Did he win a title at Louisville? I couldn't find it in the NCAA record books.

 

[CL82]

He purchased a tourny team. He coached them to a top 4 seed.

This is true, but that doesn't make it less annoying. What's even more annoying is that I will be forced to root for them once we are eliminated from the NCAA tournament, which, tonight, seems pretty likely it will happen.

 

[UConnSwag11]

What happens to St. Johns when he leaves in a year or two?

 

[CONN78SEJ]

He's easy to joke about because of his personal life and lack of trustworthiness but the guy is an unbelievable coach. He's on my Mount Rushmore and if I'm choosing someone to put together a team to win now I'm taking him over anyone who has ever coached college basketball. St. John's was a dead program for basically the past 25 years. He took 6 guys and has them running through walls and running roughshod over the Big East.

Glad he's here because the Big East would be uninteresting without him this season.

More or less, Pitino doesn’t try to win games himself, he coaches and teaches his basketball players offense and defense and they win those games. He’s been like that since his Providence days.

 

[Hoophound]

What happens to St. Johns when he leaves in a year or two?

He should stay there. I continue to believe he’ll take them to a Final Four if he sticks around. After this strong season, he’ll get even more talent and find a couple of shooters. He can make them a perennial Top 25 or better program.

 

[Jaydumo20]

He should stay there. I continue to believe he’ll take them to a Final Four if he sticks around. After this strong season, he’ll get even more talent and find a couple of shooters. He can make them a perennial Top 25 or better program.

It would be kinda great to have them as our major rival. It makes so much more sense than any of our other "rivals" but it never really materialized because they've been largely irrelevant.

 

[Yardigan]

He purchased a tourny team. He coached them to a top 4 seed.

That "c" word is big....

 

[Yardigan]

What happens to St. Johns when he leaves in a year or two?

for where?

 

[SwingDog]

What happens to St. Johns when he leaves in a year or two?

Not that we should believe him but Pitino went on record today as saying St. John's is his final coaching stop.

 

[djct1999]

The fact people are trashing his strategy when we paid everyone on our roster the last 3 years is insane.

Who is trashing it? But it also should be acknowledged. As good as Slick Rick is, Mike Repole is equally responsible. They are paying two guys 900k each. It’s easier and far less admirable to rebuild in today’s game. It can happen overnight when you have a billionaire signing checks. But everything said is true. Guy can coach his arse off. I mean Miami went to the final four.

 

[Deleted at users request]

More or less, Pitino doesn’t try to win games himself, he coaches and teaches his basketball players offense and defense and they win those games. He’s been like that since his Providence days.

What a concept.

Teaching your players how to play basketball and take the shots they are capable of making

Instead of teaching them an offense and telling them to take analytically smart shots. I didn’t know old school coaching still worked and thought it was obsolete.

 

[JBK]

Who is trashing it? But it also should be acknowledged. As good as Slick Rick is, Mike Repole is equally responsible. They are paying two guys 900k each. It’s easier and far less admirable to rebuild in today’s game. It can happen overnight when you have a billionaire signing checks. But everything said is true. Guy can coach his arse off. I mean Miami went to the final four.

Yea - but every program is paying. How much did we pay Karaban and McNeeley
I heard Flagg recd 4.8 million.

 

[djct1999]

What a concept.

Teaching your players how to play basketball and take the shots they are capable of making

Instead of teaching them an offense and telling them to take analytically smart shots. I didn’t know old school coaching still worked and thought it was obsolete.

Exactly what has he taught RJ Louis and Khadary Richmond? Richmond looks like the exact same player he has been except his pockets are a bit deeper.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

What a concept.

Teaching your players how to play basketball and take the shots they are capable of making

Instead of teaching them an offense and telling them to take analytically smart shots. I didn’t know old school coaching still worked and thought it was obsolete.

Your shtick is beyond played out. We have some sad fans like every fan base but to bitch and moan about a coaching staff that’s won two rings in the last two years as much as you do is really something. You’d think Dom Perno is running the show (no disrespect to Perno ) given the way you constantly whine about the staff. Of course you have no idea who that is because you started following the program when Sterling Gibbs was the point guard.

 

[CTBasketball]

Who is trashing it? But it also should be acknowledged. As good as Slick Rick is, Mike Repole is equally responsible. They are paying two guys 900k each. It’s easier and far less admirable to rebuild in today’s game. It can happen overnight when you have a billionaire signing checks. But everything said is true. Guy can coach his arse off. I mean Miami went to the final four.

Yes but we also have a few guys making over 1M collectively.

 

[Deleted at users request]

Your shtick is beyond played out. We have some sad fans like every fan base but to bitch and moan about a coaching staff that’s won two rings in the last two years as much as you do is really something. You’d think Dom Perno is running the show (no disrespect to Perno ) given the way you constantly whine about the staff. Of course you have no idea who that is because you started following the program when Sterling Gibbs was the point guard.

Why are you lying and making stuff up?

You can literally see when I joined the boneyard (which hint was when it was first created after the scout days). You don’t know anything about basketball other than being on Hurley’s jock. Don’t be mad at me for having my own brain to form an opinion for myself.

 

[djct1999]

Yes but we also have a few guys making over 1M collectively.

I just feel this St. John’s story is slightly overblown. Yeah, they are good. Yeah, they are exceeding expectations in a league where almost everyone else is underachieving. They play tremendous defense and have a ton of red flags(didn’t show today) offensively that will ultimately cause their doom, I believe earlier rather than later. This isn’t a classic rebuild. What Pitino does great is he pivots to the strengths of his players. That said, I am not sure he is even a top ten coach of all time.

 

[nycscooby]

He should stay there. I continue to believe he’ll take them to a Final Four if he sticks around. After this strong season, he’ll get even more talent and find a couple of shooters. He can make them a perennial Top 25 or better program.

Rumor is his son takes over

 

[CTBasketball]

I just feel this St. John’s story is slightly overblown. Yeah, they are good. Yeah, they are exceeding expectations in a league where almost everyone else is underachieving. They play tremendous defense and have a ton of red flags(didn’t show today) offensively that will ultimately cause their doom, I believe earlier rather than later. This isn’t a classic rebuild. What Pitino does great is he pivots to the strengths of his players. That said, I am not sure he is even a top ten coach of all time.

Reminds me a little bit of the 2022 Providence team, very aggressive and in your face but can be limited offensively when pushed in high scoring games. S16/E8 ceiling though I would say.

 

[Zonepress]

Why are you lying and making stuff up?

You can literally see when I joined the boneyard (which hint was when it was first created after the scout days). You don’t know anything about basketball other than being on Hurley’s jock. Don’t be mad at me for having my own brain to form an opinion for myself.

Why are you lying and making stuff up?

You can literally see when I joined the boneyard (which hint was when it was first created after the scout days). You don’t know anything about basketball other than being on Hurley’s jock. Don’t be mad at me for having my own brain to form an opinion for myself.

Good for u
I

 

[Zonepress]

Who is trashing it? But it also should be acknowledged. As good as Slick Rick is, Mike Repole is equally responsible. They are paying two guys 900k each. It’s easier and far less admirable to rebuild in today’s game. It can happen overnight when you have a billionaire signing checks. But everything said is true. Guy can coach his arse off. I mean Miami went to the final four.

Not doubting you but how do u know about the $900000! To each player

 

[MJ1]

He purchased a tourney team, right?

Just like the SEC did. That’s the way of the world today.

 

[Orange]

They came the closest to beating us last year in the BET and we were a total juggernaut and he beat us for a half as a 16 seed.

Iona was a 13 seed in the 2023 tournament, if that's what you're referring to. Not a 13 seed.

Yeah, we had the analytics of a 1 seed even heading into the NCAA tournament, but we only got a 4 seed because of all the close losses. (Combined with a perception that we had declined over the year and weren't the same team we were in December.)

 

[Huskyforlife]

Can someone smarter than me explain how the long 2 offense is supposedly working but their offense is just inside the top 75 on Kenpom?

Good for Pitino getting those guys to buy in effort wise and on defense. It’s gonna win them the league and a top seed for the first time in a long time.

He’s a great reminder of how hard it is to win titles. Everyone agrees he’s a fantastic coach(most would say the best in the sport), he’s been doing this for at least 2 decades longer than Hurley, and he still has one less title.

It is also funny how he pulled the Hurley last year by calling his team soft or whatever. I think these guys know when it’s right to call out their guys. Both dudes know what a tough, talented team plays like.