If Pitno could have a redo:
- Thread starter MidseasonTweak
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And continue to not win for 28 years? No thanks. He was out coached in ‘97 that cost us a title and would have in ‘98 more than likely as well. Thank goodness Tubby was the coach in ‘98.
Yes, he would have left. He despised Kentuckians and his wife even worse. They couldn't get to Boston fast enough, especially her since she did all her shopping there.
Get lost. Tried of hearing about this chump.
Get lost. Tried of hearing about this chump.
If he'd of stayed, he would be the coach that everyone would call one of the best of all times not Kenteuwaljadsljawfy9aoyski. He would have won multiple national championships...in fact I would go so far as to say we'd tied UCLA or gone ahead of them. The guy in his prime, was the best preparation, XS and OS, he was it.
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For sure. They don’t get it and you can tell they don’t by how they view UK basketball. It’s pretty sad when your expectations are partly designed around Calipari’s full tenure. Just my o.
He's said it many times. He usually qualifies it with something like, Had I known we wouldn't get Tim Duncan or some other kind of BS.
But I believe him. He would have stayed in that moment. But he would have left in a few more years anyway. He would not still be here coaching today.
I think you're saying that Pitino wanted to be rehired as coach at UK, maybe when Tubby left?
Yea I just think he wanted it and couldn’t get it at the time (while tubby was here) Personal belief. I think Louisville was a slap in the face because they wouldn’t make the move. When he left it pissed people off, and I’ve spoke to Pratt about it and he said people in charge thought he’d just leave again. They were sick of the one foot out, one foot in tenure of his.
The closest he’s ever come to actually saying it is …. If I would have known I wouldn’t get Tim Duncan in the draft I might not have went to Boston.
I blame Adidas. If they didn't swoop in and steal McGrady, Pitino likely comes back.
Kentucky's legacy since Pitino left:
2 NCAA Championships
11 SEC Tournament Championships
5 Final Fours
11 Elite Eights
A SPOTLESS ethics record and generations of high-character kids we could all be proud of while UNC-Cheats, Kansas, Louisville and many others suffered through disgrace and permanent staining of their legacies as cheaters.
Would Kentucky have done better overall with Pitino before his obvious character flaws caught up with him and us? I doubt it.
2 NCAA Championships
11 SEC Tournament Championships
5 Final Fours
11 Elite Eights
A SPOTLESS ethics record and generations of high-character kids we could all be proud of while UNC-Cheats, Kansas, Louisville and many others suffered through disgrace and permanent staining of their legacies as cheaters.
Would Kentucky have done better overall with Pitino before his obvious character flaws caught up with him and us? I doubt it.
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Imagine NIL in 1997.
McGrady signs with Kentucky but goes to college as a mult-millionaire.
UK signs Mouton in the Spring (37% three point shooter for Tulane his first year).
UK wins it all in 1998, only with more dominance (McGrady on that team allows them to compete for an undefeated season).
The next year, UK adds Yarbrough. With Mouton as a sophomore, and Pitino adding another shooter, the 1999 team's only weakness (shooting) is suddenly cured. They make the Final Four again in 1999.
Rinse and repeat.
McGrady signs with Kentucky but goes to college as a mult-millionaire.
UK signs Mouton in the Spring (37% three point shooter for Tulane his first year).
UK wins it all in 1998, only with more dominance (McGrady on that team allows them to compete for an undefeated season).
The next year, UK adds Yarbrough. With Mouton as a sophomore, and Pitino adding another shooter, the 1999 team's only weakness (shooting) is suddenly cured. They make the Final Four again in 1999.
Rinse and repeat.
You doubt UK would have done better? Really? The 1998 team would have been even better with Pitino because we would have also had Mouton for additional depth. That's a title in '98 and probably a Final Four the next year in 1999 with Mouton and more shooters.
Then you don't think Pitino could have won one more title from 1999 through 2024, when he did just that at Louisville?
I know you are a Calipari guy, but get real. There's no way you really believe that.
Never have gone by that name sir, swing and a miss.
Pitino wouldn’t have done better than we have today had he stayed at Kentucky? I’ve heard it all, talk about wishing a result into existence.
Pitino would have killed it here by now. No question about it. Jeez what some of these cal guys make up in their minds lol.
Pitino would have killed it here by now. No question about it. Jeez what some of these cal guys make up in their minds lol.
I love when they don’t want to give credit to Pitino for 1998. That’s my favorite.
Tubby, a guy who never made a final four outside of Slicks players, won with Ricks recruits, but no, Rick couldn’t have done that himself
No he doesn’t believe any of this or his post. He goes over the top to try and counter deficiencies in his logic. His preemptive method of defense is comical.
In an alternate universe, after accomplishing his fourth title, Pitino solidifies a legacy second only to Rupp's and makes us opine on whether we should leave Rupp Arena for an on-campus arena named Pitino's Palace.
(The only downside is that in this universe we have fewer NBA All-Stars than in our current one.)
(The only downside is that in this universe we have fewer NBA All-Stars than in our current one.)
Exactly and it’s funny how many people in here that shit on him. He’s the best coach in my lifetime and I’m 44. People in here act like they’ve never made mistakes…… They are full of shit if they say they haven’t!!!!!!
Like I posted above I’m 44. If I could like this post a million times I would this younger generation doesn’t know Kentucky basketball….. Pitino coached it like it was meant to be played in Lexington Kentucky!
Well duh, that should have been the easiest decision of his life. He would be Coach K by now. Instead he banged a chick on a table, had another title taken away, and got caught in an FBI sting.
Rick Pitino could've had the opportunity to be the Geno Aremia of mens basketball if he stayed.
That guy thinks he’s smarter than everyone else so you’d be surprised at what he believes. When times are bad he’s out of here like a fat kid in dodge ball, but when it’s good he’s on here gloating. Only thing he brings to the board that I agree with is his hatred for Indiana and Kansas.
Nah. I know I am anti-Pitino-would-have-been-the-best precisely because he (he!) made the poor decision to leave UK. That’s on him. He was great for a short while, but so was Donovan and Wright. I’m not going to re-write Pitino’s legacy in his favor because he now regrets his bad decision.
Of course we all made mistakes, doesn’t mean we can’t judge Pitino by his mistakes. For me, it’s thanks for the 1 ship, Pitino. And that’s it.
Strictly talking hoops, I loved that dude as our basketball coach. As a human, we’ve all made mistakes. Damn.
I look at Piteener as a former UK employee who was well compensated for his work here. Not that it matters, but I go back to the Rupp's Runts era.
I was thinking the same thing. Although he's proven to be a despicable human being, I think he's the best basketball coach ever at U.K. Yes, including Rupp. And I go back to Hagan and Ramsey. Saw my first game in 1954.
I'm glad Pitino finally admitted that he made a bad mistake. Such admissions are often the beginning of a road to redemption.
Meh. Same shit, different venue. If he stayed at UK he would’ve got caught getting his peter beat at Joe Bologna’s.
He would have gone nutso had he stayed in Lexington. He was a time bomb.
Yep. Dude has a self destructive streak. Blew it at Boston and eventually caught up with him at ul.
Pitino has said, “My biggest mistake I made in my life is when I left Camelot," Pitino said in 2011.
How college basketball would be different if Rick Pitino had never left Kentucky
Rick Pitino admits "my biggest mistake I made in my life is when I left Camelot." The impact? John Calipari would have had to build his one-and-done empire elsewhere. Dunk City might not exist.
I remember those days. Nowadays at the end of a season, the “will he stay or will he go” drama is about the players going to the NBA, but back in the day UK fans were on edge at season’s end about Pitino leaving us for the NBA. Before he left, he knew he either needed to make a long-term commitment to UK or leave on a high note , which would end the speculation year after year. https://www.southcoasttoday.com/story/sports/1997/05/02/pitino-keeps-his-distance/50614998007/
I think he wanted to leave UK on a high, and he did, reaching two Championship Games in two years, with one Title. In his 6 post-seasons at UK, we went to the Elite Eight in all but ONE year, and the Final Four three times. He wanted to go out with a record the fans would fondly remember and revere. And we did. And then he took his chances with that legacy in the controversial decision to coach Little Brother.
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