Pitino says he regrets what he told the team right before the Laettener shot
- Thread starter Princecal
- Start date
The grass always looks greener from the other side. Refs were blowing whistles on everyone who looked at Laettner that game. And if he wasn’t going to miss a turnaround with two seconds left and a man in his face there’s no way on Earth he would have missed a foul shot from the same spot with all the time in the world.
It took me near thirty years to realize it. And maybe it’ll take him longer. But Pitino did everything right in that game. Everything.
In fact, while K coached that game too and beat him, he had more NBA talent on his roster. He also had the refs on his side, pretty clearly.
In that game, largely recognized to have been the best college game ever played, there’s a real strong case to be made that Rick Pitino turned in the best single-game coaching performance in history. Time to stop beating himself up over it.
It took me near thirty years to realize it. And maybe it’ll take him longer. But Pitino did everything right in that game. Everything.
In fact, while K coached that game too and beat him, he had more NBA talent on his roster. He also had the refs on his side, pretty clearly.
In that game, largely recognized to have been the best college game ever played, there’s a real strong case to be made that Rick Pitino turned in the best single-game coaching performance in history. Time to stop beating himself up over it.
If the refs had any back bone at all they should've tossed Laettner for stomping on Timberlakes chest.
He has said the same thing for 30 years. He said that at the Father and Son Camp in the Summer of '92....I was there. We watched a replay of the game.
That game was the rebirth of UK basketball. As agonizing as it was in the moment, we've won 3 titles since then. Prior to that point you have to go back to 1951 to to get to 3 titles.
We were on a 14 year year draught at that point. I refuse to look at that game negatively any longer and haven't since HS to be honest. Once we beat them in '98 that devil was slayed.
Time for the next rebirth.
It obviously bothers him. In that regard I feel bad for him.
He just said it. So I shared it. I wasn't even alive yet so that shot doesn't hurt me that much, at least compared to those who watched it live. It's UK history, with a new quote on it from the coach at the time, so I shared it here.
32 years before the shot, Cotton Nash hadn't played a varsity game yet.
All he could have done better is put a man on Grant Hill, making it harder for him to throw that inbound pass.
Both Pelphery and Feldhaus were scared to breath on him you could tell the million times I e seen it they both back away and throw their hands up. It was supposed to be Both Pelphery and Feldhaus front and back on Leattner but when he caught the ball they just backed away.
Yup, and he shouldn’t have even been in position to take that shot if the refs called the game fairly and thru his punk ass out for stomping on a player.
That is life and man is that crazy.
It is weird (not in a bad way) to look at stuff that way. Someone who was my age (44) in 1992 would have been born in 1948 and is now mid-70's. Life is short. As long ago as that shot was, it simply doesn't feel like it to me.
