Cal achieved his additional FF in the same time frame as pitino achieved his, 6 years. Cal also went to the NIT during this time frame and 2 of his 3 FF’s were unexpected due to how regular season played out. That’s not taking away from it happening but rather taking the whole body of work into account. Cal had 3 years during his great 6 year run that saw us lose 32 games. Pitino lost a total of 30 during his 6 year run from 91-97. And after 14 years compared to 6 for pitino, cal still only has the one extra FF and another missed tourney and our worst ever loss in NCAA history. If you don’t look at overall body of work you aren’t looking at it objectively. Nothing suggest had pitino stayed he was going to have the kind of setback we have endured with cal during his extra time here.
Great point. Other than a handful of fanatics on this board, I don't know anyone who doesn't want Cal to leave at this point.
It's not a generalization. I don't know anyone that wants him here anymore.
We know what happened in 98 but can’t say that the same would have happened under pitino but safe to say he would have had a good year regardless. The following years team was an EE team so again safe to say pitino would not have had a down year then either. Everything beyond that is projecting but hard to see things going south for Rick during his time in Lexington. While accolades are certainly remembered time to achieve those accolades is as well. This will be Cals 15th season, 14 not counting 2020 when there was no tournament. Pitino had 6 eligible seasons. Certainly Cals accolades should be greater than Cal’s but even so they barely are despite more than double the seasons to work with.
I got tired of Pitino and his ego real quick but I loved watching his team play. Loved his blowing up Uvel. Cal is not too in love with the “Bennys” so I guess makes them even there.
Pitino took a team that was on NCAA probation and led it to a National Championship (one can argue "two National Championships") and two straight (one can argue "three straight") Final Four appearances. As far as I know, Pitino did nothing during his tenure at U.K. to tarnish his reputation. And with respect to his stature as a college basketball coach, he certainly enhanced his reputation in that realm while at U.K. As far as I know, Pitino never evidenced the fact that he is a despicable human being until after he left U.K.
I agree, another thing I remember about Pitino was if he had a better team then you had he’d beat you. No 17 point blowouts on the road
Pitino took over a team on probation that had severe limitations and a gutted roster and made them competitive immediately. When he left, UK was on top.
I said Tubby had mediocre teams for the better part of 10 years: 99, 2000, 2001, 2004 (2nd round exit), 2006, 2007. So, that’s factually correct.
I'm not sure which one you're attributing to each sentiment, but if you think Pitino "loved the big blue nation," that's got to be a joke because you've completely reversed it. No coach at UK - or probably anywhere in college historically - had less respect and more almost disgust for a people than Pitino did for Kentuckians. I was at UK during this time and believe me the common fan was the great unwashed masses in his mind - especially from outside Louisville or Lexington (although he didn't want anything to do with those folks either). Some wanted to attribute the attitude to his wife, but I think he was more "I'm so much better than these people" than she was - she just preferred NY over Lexington.
It's hilarious that you and a few others here haven't gotten over what was the world's most benign middle finger. You guys carry that grudge like a bunch of spurned 7th grade girls. It makes me laugh every time, because you guys have absolutely nothing on Pitino's mark as a coach here. As a result, you have to point at his character in his post-Kentucky years.
Funny, walking off the floor to the locker room and the UK fans are heckling him and he flips them off, damn what a rotten human being.
At this point I’d say Cal has racked up more shots at the fan base than Pitino. Cal doesn’t like the hillbillies beyond what they can do to advance his agendas.
I think I touched a nerve with G-pip but oh well... and listen to a small extent I agree with him .. when he came here he seemed like an arrogant out of towner that looked down his nose at Kentucky folk .. but I think that reversed the longer he stayed around , and he grew to admire BBN . JMHO
Cal doesn’t win a title without Darius Miller. Which was a BCG recruit. Fact.
No nerve. And heck it's none of my business however you feel about Pitino. That's your right, and we're good regardless. Pitino could definitely coach - I think I've freely admitted that - and those teams were usually entertaining as all get out. I'm probably just a little too touchy about Kentuckians, and I know what he thought about us - when he arrived and when he left, and I doubt age has changed that. And if Calipari has similar thoughts, then in my book he's a pretty worthless human being as well.
The fact that Pitino DID come back and get to two FFs at a crap school like U6, and win the title as well, should count in his favor, considering he had to build that program basically from scratch as well. If you're going to argue that we don't have any data from Pitino staying at UK, it's fair to count his other successes as well. Saying "there's no telling if Pitino would have gotten another Final4" is absurd on its face, considering that he did so at a lesser school years later.
We were a hell of a lot better off than when Pitino took over . Not even close . Are you too young to remember?
First of all, you brought it up. Second, the fact that he did it TWICE at a crap school is a good indicator that he wasn't washed up when he left in 1997. It's very likely that if he could do it at U6, he could do it again at UK. Third, I wasn't saying he would have had the exact same run as he did from 96-98. That's a straw man.
