Truth & Rumors > NCAAB

Pitino apologizes to fans for loss

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03:47 PM ET 12.01 | Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino posted an entry on his website today, apologizing for the team's effort in the Cardinals' loss to Western Kentucky on Sunday and promising to improve practice habits immediately. Pitino credited WKU, saying the Hilltoppers played with "great purpose" and singled out homegrown WKU stars Steffphon Pettigrew and A.J. Slaughter, but criticized his team for their poor preparation. "We will improve our practice habits immediately," Pitino wrote. "We have not sustained our intensity on a consistent basis. That all changes today. We apologize to the fans who paid hard earned money and had to witness such poor execution."

Louisville Courier-Journal

Rick Pitino, AP Rick Pitino, AP
Comment #1 has been removed
December 1, 2008  06:17 PM ET

Oh Good God Rick!! U of L wasn't defeated by some 6th grade middle school team. WKU's an OK team. Not going to win the championship probably, but they got game, and they work had for every point. It's a good intrastate rivalry, too. Besides, Rick, you probably should save the groveling apologies for later in the season when you REALLY need to be sorry for an embarassing loss, 'cause it'll happen. Perhaps he was just practicing his apologies...and should have spent that time making the team practice. Chill out, Rick. You're a good coach, not a drama queen.

December 1, 2008  07:00 PM ET

Why did the link say "Kentucky's Pitino apoligizes...."? He hasn't coached at Kentucky for over 10 years.

December 1, 2008  07:00 PM ET

Sorry...apologizes....*

December 1, 2008  08:12 PM ET

The Coach formerly employed by UK hasn't been at the University of Kentucky since the summer of 1997. He left the state for Boston and then returned to Louisville, which most Kentuckians consider to be outside the boundaries of the state.

If only the writers of SI articles and blogs had a modicum of intelligence and memory, they surely would have caught the ignorance of the title of this blurb.

December 2, 2008  01:24 AM ET

Wow, even people that don't follow college sports know that Rick Pitino has not coached
at Kentucky in 11 years. UK has had 2 coaches since then.

December 2, 2008  01:28 AM ET

Yeah, apologizing for loosing to a good team is a bit insulting. WKU leads that series 40-30, and WKU
went to the sweet 16 last year, and not for the first time. It's an instate rivalry almost.

December 2, 2008  05:56 AM ET

Rick P is and always will be a big ole ****

December 2, 2008  11:12 AM ET

In response to "Dan_bgblue," it's not just that Kentuckians consider Louisville to be outside the state, it's also that they consider and refer L-ville as "that team" and Pitino a traitor. Understandable, considering when he left they were super hot and he, for the most part, was approaching near legendary status. And then he broke their hearts. Breaking up IS hard to do. If he had stayed at UK he could have written his own ticket for whatever he wanted. He SHOULD have stayed at UK in light of the Celtic's less-than-steller performance. Maybe it was pressure from his wife to get out of Kentucky and go back to where there's better shopping.
I've always found it amusing how most UK fans are so hateful toward U of L, and other Kentucky teams, until UK completely bombs out of the NCAA tournament. And then all of a sudden they become diehard U of L fans. And of course they deny it. I lived in KY for years and years, still love it and miss it, and will always be a die hard Wildcats fan. And I'm a big fan of Louisville, too, (among the other teams, like EKU) but not with the passion and commitment to UK. But I'm realistic and Louisville's so much stronger right now than UK. But there's always next year!

December 2, 2008  12:02 PM ET

Don't you guys have content managers or a managing editor who can get a headline corrected faster than this? It's not 1997, Pitino isn't "Kentucky's"

December 2, 2008  01:01 PM ET

How about an apology to the fans for the weak field he invited to the tournament in honor of his late brother in law. They had to pay for that also! Ricky should be commended for naming the tournament after him but I would say the field is an insult to everyone involved. Do you think playing a couple of much better opposing teams would have better prepared the team for WKU? I suspect the practice scrimmages are more competitive!

December 2, 2008  01:33 PM ET

Change the headline he's Louisville's coach not Kentucky's!

December 2, 2008  02:14 PM ET

F'in Rick ..UL sucks!!

December 2, 2008  02:56 PM ET

jeffd78. you call that wku team a good team? they lost to the murray state racers by 30 last week. that sweet sixteen team is not intact. they lost their top three scorers. no way a team like wku loses courtney lee and not take a step or two back.

December 2, 2008  03:20 PM ET

At least Rick apologized for the poor play with complete sentences. I'm just so glad we don't have the incoherent, incompetent, drunken Billy Gillispie coaching our team. It's just hilarious hearing him after a loss. He says one of two things - "We got our tails whipped" or "We got our butts kicked." Wow, thanks for the explanation, my man!

The complaint about the Billy Minardi Classic is stupid. All the top teams play some weak non-conference opponents. When it's all said and done, Louisville will have a top 5 schedule.

December 2, 2008  04:47 PM ET

Louisville willl be a good team and they do play a hard schedule. The Big East is the hardest conference in college basketball but outside of UConn, Louisville, and Georgetown there are few elite teams that are consistent year in and year out. Louisville doesn't have to play a hard non-conference schedule, the conference play will speak for itself. Rick just doesn't need to schedule neutral site games. The Cards have a 16% win percentage in neutral site games over the last 3 years.

December 2, 2008  05:02 PM ET

Louisville will always be UK's little sister.

December 3, 2008  01:14 AM ET

In response to post 9 this UK fan like most UK fans pull for every team in the state EXCEPT Louisville in the tournament or any other time! In fact I despise the Cardinals program and Tom "I need to suck up to former UK stars and businessmen to expand my fan base" Jurich so much that I honestly root of Tennessee, North Carolina and Duke when they play U of L.

So you are dead wrong my friend. Pitino can rot in his little Cardinal hell and U of L fans will be disappointed again because Ricky's game and desire have passed. He just looks tired now.

December 3, 2008  01:20 AM ET

Hey # 15 & # 16.....Louisville's RPI is 243rd out of 343. Strength of schedule is 271st!

Louisville will ALWAYS be UK's little sister!

Oh...and nice comments about Gillespie. We're more than happy to have the best coach in America......

 
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