Pitino to get 4-year contract extension
by Mike Rutherford on Mar 30, 2010 10:07 PM EDT
in Basketball
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PrintInteresting timing, but I suppose not particularly surprising.
The terms of the extension were not revealed, though a source who asked to remain anonymous indicated the school wanted Pitino to retire as a Cardinal.
The university announced Tuesday that the Personnel Committee of the University of Louisville Athletics Association will meet at 1 p.m. Wednesday.
Pitino just completed his ninth season, which represents his longest stay as a head coach in his career. He is set to receive a $3.6 million loyalty bonus on July 1 and would receive the same amount again in 2013 for remaining at U of L.
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Hopefully I eat my words
but the man’s past his prime in my opinion. I love him, but have many many reasons to be discouraged
concur
that being said, maybe some of the flirtations with other jobs will finally quit. where there’s smoke there’s fire, so to speak.
Figured I'd come back and give some of my reasons
1) I’ve never understood his recruiting. From Rondo and Lofton back in the day to Nolan Smith, he seems to really overlook guys who either want to come to Louisville or would be a great fit.
2) Management of players already in the system… I think its just the fact that I liked the guy when no one else did, but I really wish Pitino had made it work somehow with DC. Also, doing stuff like changing Edgar to a point guard when he had only played the two his whole life. PG is the most important position on a team and we still haven’t had a good one in my opinion (until Siva the next couple years).
3. Substitution patterns and starting lineups…. In my opinion he takes players out all the time who are on a roll. Players sub in and give it their all and really do well, and then come out very prematurely. Also, the starting lineup decisions always bother me with his insistence on starting seniors and always playing to the other teams strengths instead of making them match up against us.
4. Late game situations… I feel like I’ve seen Pitino get out-coached so much recently down the stretch. Between us blowing leads or just looking totally lost in the last couple minutes…. some of that is on the coach, right?
All that being said… I couldn’t name many people who I think would do better here, and last season was awesome
You don't think he gave DC enough chances?
I for one thought he gave DC ample opportunity to turn things around. The guy obviously has a ton of talent, but his head just isn’t screwed on straight. I mean he’s declaring for the draft this year. I don’t totally agree with the substitution patterns, but that certainly could be argued both ways…but come on DC had plenty of chances.
by Chris Redman is my hero on Mar 31, 2010 12:59 AM EDT up reply actions
I'm happy Pitino is here to stay.
He isn’t the coach he was in his early years, but even “past his prime,” he’s still much better than most of the coaches whom we might hire.
(1) Recruiting: I agree that this has been the biggest disappointment and weakness in Pitino’s tenure here compared to UK. And while I don’t know how things work internally, I think the problem has been a reliance on assistants for talent evaluation, leading us to make offers to some players that just never worked out. There were the early experiments with Jucos, and then some chances taken on players who never worked out (or never would have — i.e. Farley, Millard, Huffman, etc.). However, it seems that Pitino has learned from these experiences, and hired Williard with the thought that it would free him up to do more hands on evaluation and recruiting. In any event, our 2011 class should be killer.
(2) I don’t agree about DC or Sosa. Pitino did his best to get something out of these guys, and it largely worked. I think he would have given DC another chance, too, if he hadn’t been such a bad influence on Clark.
(3) I agree somewhat in that this season, for example, you could never predict what our substitution pattern would be or even who would play between Kuric and Marra. However, that has more to do with the inconsistency of the entire team, and everyone’s failure to provide a consistent effort and focus.
(4) I don’t agree. There’s no doubt that Pitino’s strength is in pre-game preparation over in-game adjustments, but we’ve been a solid team in the last few minutes over his career. This season stood out because it was an exception (and what can you do if your senior guards and making dumb mistakes and missing all of their freethrows?).
In short, Pitino isn’t fulfilling my lofty expectations when we hired him, but he is still bringing us some of the best basketball coaching and preparation in the country.
I agree with 83fan on all accounts
But I still understand those that don’t like Pitino.
by UL is my hot hot sex on Mar 31, 2010 1:00 PM EDT up reply actions
Under #4
This year was bad about us blowing leads at the end of a game, but I think it had to do more with the team, lack of leadership and defense. If you remember last year, we rarely if ever, folded at the end. we always finished games. I’m sure he is partly to blame for the late game melt-downs, but i mostly think it was just a different team this year
This is how Ashley feels about extension
Rick can stay as long as he wants.
Maddie in Portland, Oregon
So happy to hear this.
Last thing we want is to be in the market for a coach when the market is inferior to who we have. Plus, Louisville is loyal – that’s one of the things I love about our program. It took krags repeated horriffic seasons with no end in sight to oust him. Pitino is a top tier coach and he’ll gete us what we want. I truly believe that.
— I can’t speak to Lofton – but Rondo didn’t come because Pitino was trying to land the Big Fish and spent all his time courting Telfair and not enough time with Rondo. It was a roll of the dice. We get Telfair, we’re probably a title contender that year. Telfair sure could have used a year of college too. Cest le vie.
Nolan Smith is reported to have chosen Duke not because Pitino didn’t recruit him, but because his sister said the school really stirred up a lot of ghosts of his father, and he didn’t want to deal with it. Certainly understandable.
- totallay agree about our point guard situation. It will be nice to see what having a car with a steering wheel is like. Think of the places we can go.
- I liked DC too. I suspect he just wanted to grow a big honking mohawk and Pitino wouldn’t let him.
-I think the lineups will be less fluid next year – but perhaps still more fluid than you might like. The key to managing his press is to constantly have fresh bodies. I for one like that we don’t run out of energy at the end of games. We may suck at the end of games, but we are sucking at full speed. Most teams can’t say that.
- No idea about the late game situations. The guys have to hit free throws and not make dumb plays. I’m hoping we’re a much smarter team next year.
Long live Pitino!
e
Exactly right regarding Nolan Smith...
I saw a report on HBO’s “Real Sports” about Nolan. He was recruited heavily by Louisville, has nothing but good things to say about Pitino and the school, but didn’t want to follow so closely in his father’s footsteps. Who could blame him?
He remains the only Duke player I’ve ever liked.
by don'tshootmei'macard on Mar 31, 2010 7:46 AM EDT up reply actions
Seriously, you're a talented player and you can choose between Duke and U of L?
I love my hometown school, but if I’m in that position, I’m going to Duke. Every time. Basketball aside, it’s one of the premier schools in the country.
theoldman
agree
I made a similar decision.
by UL is my hot hot sex on Mar 31, 2010 1:01 PM EDT up reply actions
I had scholarships to MIT, Ohio St., Georgia Tech and UK
but chose UofL to study engineering. I chose that getting paid to go to school on top of tuition, room, board and books would allow me to not have to work through school (and thus focus on studies) whereas other places would have demanded a part-time gig.
I haven’t once regretted the decision. I’m employed at one of premier research laboratories in the country surrounded by MIT, GT, Cal Tech, Purdue, etc. grads. If you are talented academically, you can make it to your dream job regardless of where your degree is from. Similarly, if you are super talented college ball player, you can make it to the NBA from any school, all the big-time programs do is “help” you get exposure.
That said, for a lot of basketball players (and Nolan is certainly not one); they should go to the school with best name brand academic recognition. A 4-yr career-focused degree from Duke is easier to market than one from UofL. Because if you don’t make it to pro-ball level, you’ll be getting a job just like the rest of us and if your talents aren’t academic, you need all the help you can get.
by Remote Cardinal on Mar 31, 2010 5:38 PM EDT up reply actions
tru dat
I went to UofL, then grad school in Boston and now have a pretty good job surrounded by people that went to expensive small liberal arts colleges, Ivy League, private parochial and they are sitting right next to me in the same job. It’s not the place, it’s the person.
Maddie in Portland, Oregon
by kentuckybred on Mar 31, 2010 6:12 PM EDT up reply actions
Derek also became good friends with Tommy Amaker
Amaker remains a friend of the family and was an influence on Nolan’s choice of schools. Or so they said on TV.
to be fair they were in different points in their career arc
there were many places for him to move up. Not so many places for Pitino to go, and a lot less for him to prove that he can’t prove at UofL.
e
About DC...
I truly think Pitino did everything he could to make DC work… Unless you’re Coach Cal, you can’t let players think they have control and act however they want. I’d rather have someone humble any day.
What year does the contract end then?
I thought he was already locked in until 2013? Is it 2017 now? Or 4 years from now, 2014? Is he going to be here until he’s 64? I hope so. I’d say that is best case scenario.
by REALISTICCARDSFAN on Mar 31, 2010 12:31 AM EDT reply actions
I do think the timing of this is weird
working out an extension around the same time the St. John’s Job opened up where they were offering a ton of cash. Which Pitino could in theory use for leverage. That being said, I’m happy he’s here, and I hope some of the rumors will stop now.
by Chris Redman is my hero on Mar 31, 2010 1:01 AM EDT reply actions
I'm glad we inked him
I think the last two UK coaching searches showed that its not nearly as easy to find a high quality coach as some fans might think. I’m not totally pleased with some of the on and off court occurrences the last couple of years, but I don’t think there is any obvious upgrades that we could get. Let him retire here and then go get Kevin Willard outta New Jersey in 4-5 years
/my 2 cents
I'm pleased
Yes he is getting older, yes there are some questionable decisions, but I really dont think its all his fault. Think about it, the landscape has changed so much, so many more schools are “in the hunt” now days. Yes you still have your powerhouses with big programs with big name coaches, North Carolina being the mecca. But we have competed and won the Big East in the 5 years we have been in the conference. I looked at that stat sheet the other day, we lead the league in wins over the last 4 years, thats awesome! I know we want to win championship’s believe me I want one now, but the guy has still got it, and his coaching tree is only getting bigger.
by ville 606 on Mar 31, 2010 9:33 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
If anything
He’s making a strong case for Louisville to be one of the most desirable coaching jobs in the country. Here’s a guys who’s coached all over and then he spend the longest amount of time here. He’s also got like a million disciples. Which one are we going to pick when he’s ready to go? I wouldn’t mind throwing Richard Pitino in, if he’s ready for it by then. It would look almost as if there was no coaching change at all.
by REALISTICCARDSFAN on Mar 31, 2010 1:21 PM EDT up reply actions
Call me in 2011-2012
And let me know if he is washed up. Its clear he is putting all of his eggs in that basket.
Here's hoping we can compete for a Final Four again in 2012 and the following years.
I expect some improvement next year, but I don’t see enough talent to compete at an elite level. We would need dramatic improvements from so many guys in so many areas; it seems pretty improbable.
by cardsinindy2010 on Mar 31, 2010 12:18 PM EDT up reply actions
in regards to DC
I read an interview with Character who said he loved his time in Louisville, but he was better than David Padgett and should have been starting over him. One on one he may have had a point, but Padgett made everyone around him better and he was a hell of a leader(in the right way). Character, not so much. I had no problem with him leaving.
Another example
of how far people can be removed from reality. Better than David Padgett? Good grief. He may have had better individual skills, but Mr. Character obviously still doesn’t understand that one-on-one skills alone don’t make you a true player. On the corner playground perhaps. In big time basketball, no sir.
David had it. DC didn’t.
theoldman
Agreed. I had seen the "better than Padgett" comment some time ago and was blown away.
Padgett was every bit as indispensable to the ‘08 Cards as T-Will said he was when he called him the “t-shirt” of that team. Caracter was that team’s “box of chocolates” – you just never knew what you would get.
I think the ‘08 team was without question the most talented team of the Pitino era. I’ll take the Padgett/DC combo (at least half of which is consistent) over SS/TJ and Clark/Palacios over Clark/Swop anytime. If that team had gone up against just about anyone except that UNC team in that location, we would have another Final Four to celebrate. Argh.
by cardsinindy2010 on Mar 31, 2010 3:54 PM EDT up reply actions
Caracter said in another interview
that the problems at Louisville were his own fault. I think getting axed from the program did him a world of good. He had to face up to his personal issues and do some maturing. He seems to have done so, and I will root for him to do well whether he stays in school another year or goes the pro route.
Why now?
The current contract goes until 2013 and he gets a $3.5 mill loyalty bonus this July (that was also pushed up to next week)? I just don’t get why they are doing it a month or so before trial.
by bradlm on Mar 31, 2010 6:34 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Maybe
It’s in case a lot of bad press comes off the trial. Everyone will be like “FIRE that SINNER!” Then, Tom Jurich and UofL will be like, “Sorry, we can’t, we just extended his contract until 2017. We’re stuck with that sinner.” End Result = We don’t have to fire a top 10 coach for being a sinner. Our program doesn’t suffer because they have to fire a better coach for an inferior one.
by REALISTICCARDSFAN on Mar 31, 2010 10:05 PM EDT up reply actions
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