Comments on: Pitino Lashes Out Again: What’s the Real Reason Behind It?

By: WakeFan

WakeFan — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 02:23:00 +0000

He isn’t too smart is he?

There is not a football member of the Big East conference that would not leap at an offer from the ACC, and this includes Louisville, but schools like Louisville will never get one.

By: rtmsf

rtmsf — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 23:56:43 +0000

In reply to BOtskey. It's still where he thinks he can always find good players. I was clear to say in the piece that he can recruit nationally, but his best players (the stars) have tended to come from the NYC area. I also think joining the Big 12 diminishes the "New York State of Mind" that Pitino has, even to this day, but I don't think that it alone explains his anger here. Like I alluded to in the piece, he's going to have work harder to get those same players to come to Louisville if/when it bolts to the Big 12.

By: Guest

Guest — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 23:55:00 +0000

Pitino is angry because he knows that Louisville is not going to the Big 12. The stories of Louisville to the B12 are sourced on disinformation.

By: BOtskey

BOtskey — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 22:52:00 +0000

I’m not so sure. Only four players on the Louisville roster are from the northeast and of those only two are major contributors (Mike Marra and Chris Smith).

He’s been much more of a national recruiter over the past five years and I think he’s certainly good enough to go up against Coach K, Roy, Cal, etc. Earl Clark and Edgar Sosa were his last big time players recruited from the New York area. They came to Louisville in 2006.

I think the recruiting base is a factor but not the key driver of this. I think there’s a simple explanation. He just likes to talk a lot, create a stir and pump himself up by opining on hot button issues. Louisville and Rick Pitino won’t be damaged if they go to the Big 12, just as they weren’t when they were in Conference USA.