Q&A with Rick Pitino

Rick Pitino has had one of the most illustrious careers of any college basketball coach in recent history. His most famous tenure occurred when he coached the Kentucky Wildcats for eight seasons, including a NCAA championship in 1996.

Pitino has also had a couple of brief stints in the NBA with his hometown New York Knicks and the Boston Celtics. He is now back in Kentucky, once again coaching college basketball, but this time with the Louisville Cardinals.

I sat down with Pitino and asked him a few questions about his career and what changes he has seen through the years:

Is the month leading up to the first game of the NCAA season the worst month of the year?

Well, I guess you could say that. Recruiting takes so much time. Nowadays you have juniors in high school that are already committing to big schools. It really makes it tough because they still have another year to prove themselves. We just have to be sure to evaluate these guys to the fullest extent.

Speaking of recruiting, what changes have you seen over the last 10 years?

Well, when I first starting coaching it seemed as though the schools you were competing against were University of North Carolina and Duke University. That’s not the case anymore. Now we are battling teams like the Portland Trailblazers and the Chicago Bulls. These kids aren’t thinking enough about their futures, they just want the big bucks, as soon as possible. Sometimes they know they are not ready, but they still go.

When you are approached by a player who wants to enter the NBA draft, what do you tell them?

If I believe they are not ready for the NBA, I will tell them what it is really like. First off, they are not used to a 82 game schedule. That will take a lot out a young guy. When I coached the Knicks and Celtics I felt like a dog, aging seven years instead of one. Also these guys don’t realize how physical it is. The players are so much bigger and stronger, its amazing.

So I guess it is a safe assumption to say that you enjoy coaching college as opposed to the NBA?

Definitely. I didn’t really get a whole lot of enjoyment out of the NBA. Now that I am 50, I realize that my window of opportunity is getting smaller and smaller. I really wanted to spend the time I have left impacting the lives of young people. It is really hard to do that in the NBA from what I have noticed. I have only really felt it in college.

Do you even miss the NBA?

There are a few things that I miss. I miss the commrodory, the big name match-ups and trying to devise defenses. But I missed March Madness too much. There is really nothing like it.

What are your predictions for Louisville this year?

Louisville is still working very strong. To be honest, behind closed doors, we know we are not ready for prime time just yet. But we do have a couple of standout players in Marvin and Reece, so we are hoping they will lead us as far as possible.

Are you surprised that you are now coaching Kentucky’s in state rival?

Yes. The one place I thought I would never coach would be Lousville. When I heard that the head coaching job opened up, I figured there was no way I would get it. When they offered me the job, I jumped on the opportunity.

Do you ever go back to Lexington (Where UK is)?

No. When Louisville played at UK last year, I was greatly surprised. I figured the student body would not give me a good reception, but I never thought the adult crowd would treat me the way they did. It was a shock. I have not gone back since and don’t have any road trips planned in the future.