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Rumor Alert: Rick Pitino interested in Nets job?

by in Rumors | February 11th, 2010

By now, you’ve likely read the New York Daily News report published this morning linking Louisville coach Rick Pitino to the New Jersey Nets coaching job. If you haven’t, here are the pertinent details:

Sources close to Pitino said that the Louisville coach has reached out to Nets brass in recent days, making himself a candidate for the job now held by GM and interim coach Kiki Vandeweghe, and due to open after their woeful season is completed in April.

According to sources, Pitino had intermediaries recently contact Nets president Rod Thorn on his behalf. Thorn himself is in the final year of a contract, and is looking to get a new deal from incoming owner Mikhail Prokhorov.

Pitino, unsurprisingly, has denied any interest in the job to ESPN.com’s Pat Forde:

“There’s not an ounce of truth to it. I have no interest, period. I’m done with coaching professional basketball. I’ve put the professional ranks behind me.”

So, why, you ask, is this pertinent information for this here blog? Two words: Marquis Teague.

Louisville has long been recognized as the leader to land Teague. This rumor, regardless of its validity, only aids Tom Crean and other schools in the pursuit of Teague, no? The wildcard in all of this is Kentucky, where Teague will visit Saturday for a game against Tennessee. Also still reportedly in the mix: Cincinnati, Purdue, Ohio State and Wake Forest.

Louisville coach Rick Pitino seems a bit angry

by in Opponents | August 26th, 2009

University of Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino held a press conference earlier this afternoon on campus at the Yum! Center, the school’s basketball practice facility. Pitino, as you know, is in a bit of a PR mess.

Normally, a Pitino press conference wouldn’t be considered news to IU hoops fans, but this particular spectacle can only be described as bizarre. Let’s go to the footage:

So, what was accomplished here? The Pitino-Karen Sypher story had started to find its way to the back page after Pitino’s public apology two weeks ago. Now a defiant Pitino has come out with his teeth gnashing towards perhaps his biggest ally since the story broke in April: the media. Probably not an advisable move, no?

Could Rick Pitino’s indiscretions put Marquis Teague back into play?

by in Recruiting | August 16th, 2009

Until recently, the idea of prized 2011 Indianapolis Pike guard Marquis Teague playing college basketball somewhere other than Louisville was hard to imagine.

Teague’s father, Shawn, played for Louisville coach Rick Pitino at Boston University. And after the Louisville coach passed on Marquis’ older brother Jeff, a NBA first round pick this past June, Pitino and his staff set their sights on the younger Teague as the cornerstone for their 2011 class.

But the whispers of a Teague commitment to Louisville have all but gone silent after The Louisville Courier-Journal revealed last week that Pitino admitted to having sex with Karen Sypher and then paid her $3,000 for health insurance which was used for an abortion.

And while Louisville Athletic Director Tom Jurich and President James Ramsey have publicly backed Pitino following his public apology last week, this story still has twists and turns to navigate further. There are pending federal charges against Sypher for attempting to extort up to $10 million from Pitino. Until Sypher’s trial is resolved, she’s perfectly capable of doing even more damage to Pitino’s crumbling reputation.

So where, you ask, does Marquis Teague fit into this equation? For now, Shawn Teague told Jody Demling last week that the latest Pitino news changes nothing in his son’s recruitment:

“It hasn’t changed a thing for us. Of course, I want to see some things fall out a little bit more. Things happen and things can change – even with this situation – and we still have to look to see if anything is going to happen as a result of what did happen. But in terms of who Rick Pitino is and how I feel about him and how my family and Marquis feel about him, there’s no change in that whatsoever.”

With the uncertainty of Pitino’s job status moving forward and two years of high school remaining for Teague, it’s hard to imagine a commitment to Louisville being anything close to imminent. Which puts Indiana and other schools in position to continue making a push for Teague while Pitino tries to convince the guard and his family that he’ll be in Louisville two years from now. Consider the recruitment of Teague far from over.

One thing I thought I’d never see: Bob Knight in his underwear

by in Media | March 30th, 2009

I’ve gotta hand it to the brass at Activision. They’ve consistently produced an all-star lineup for their Guitar Hero commercials. And their latest installment, which apparently debuted during this weekend’s NCAA Tournament, is no exception.

Prepare to witness Coach Knight, Rick Pitino, Roy Williams and Mike Krzyzewski put their spin on ‘Risky Business’. In their underwear.



It’s just a shame we didn’t get to see the drums make contact with Lars Ulrich. Long live Napster!

{HT: The Dagger}

Le Weekend: Louisville and Kentucky aren’t good

by in Commentary | January 4th, 2008

biel.jpgLe Weekend is Inside the Hall’s look at what’s ahead this weekend in college hoops. It’s also a perfect opportunity to post pictures of hot chicks, like Jessica Biel.

- Not a lot going on in Hoosierland this weekend, but there is a game going on down in Lexington, Kentucky that could be interesting for those of you not obsessed with the NFL playoffs. Rick Pitino and the Louisville Cardinals will travel to Rupp Arena to take on Billy Gillispie and the Kentucky Wildcats. Neither team is off to a good start, Louisville is 9-4 and Kentucky is 6-6. Louisville is coming off of a head scratching loss to Cincinnati at home and Kentucky has already dropped games at Rupp to Gardner Webb and San Diego. I’ve got no clue who will come out on top in this one (is it possible for both teams to lose?), but a loss from Kentucky pretty much seals their fate as a NIT-at-best team and a loss for Louisville will look terrible to the selection committee come March.

- The Big Ten schedule kicks into full gear with the following games:

  • Saturday: Iowa @ Wisconsin; Michigan @ Purdue; Minnesota @ Michigan State
  • Sunday: Northwestern @ Ohio State; Penn State @ Illinois

Nothing really great, but it’ll be interesting to see how Tubby Smith and the Gophers fare in the Breslin Center. My prediction: not very good.

- One final note: Indiana receiver James Hardy has moved on to the NFL and we’d like to wish him the best of luck. He’s got the necessary skill set to have a long and successful career at the next level and we can only hope he ends up on the Bears. Sorry Colts fans.

See you Monday.

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