Pitino in Advanced talks with Puerto Rico

[jaybilaswho?]

http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/olybb/news/story?id=5920094

to coach their Olympic Basketball team.

Why I bring this up is becuase I am curious of the potential impact this would have on creating a 'pipeline' for Louisville recruiting (not saying Puerto Rico is a hotbed of basketball but).

I would think that this would give Pitino 'Dibs' on any top recruits from the island.

Just curious for y'alls thoughts.

[dsfire]

Does he have ties to Puerto Rico?  Seems a bit strange, outside the realm of soccer.

I wasn't able to find a list of college players from PR but it looks like Carlos Arroyo is the best NBA player from there in recent years: http://www.basketball-reference.com/friv/birthplaces.cgi?country=PR&state=

[Aughnanure]

This is similar to how FIFA soccer works, with big name coaches getting paid to coach foreign national teams.

[chren21]

This is similar to how FIFA soccer works, with big name coaches getting paid to coach foreign national teams.

Not really, cause they still do not coach thier club teams.  It's one or the other. 

I assume Rick will still be the coach of Louisville.

[dsfire]

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/blog/the_dagger/post/If-Pitino-coaches-Puerto-Rico-Louisville-recrui?urn=ncaab-295951

[willie warrior]

While it is a free country, why is Pitino doing this?

Answer: He can get the Puerto Rican girls on a table in a PR restaurant.

Maybe Bobby Knight should take the job. wasn't PR where he had the chair throwing incident, and a warrant out for his arrest?

[Lennys Tap]

While it is a free country, why is Pitino doing this?

Answer: He can get the Puerto Rican girls on a table in a PR restaurant.

Maybe Bobby Knight should take the job. wasn't PR where he had the chair throwing incident, and a warrant out for his arrest?

I think the chair throwing incident was at Assembly Hall in Bloomington. There was, however, an arrest warrant in Puerto Rico.

[Aughnanure]

Not really, cause they still do not coach thier club teams.  It's one or the other. 

I assume Rick will still be the coach of Louisville.

True, but international soccer is much more important that international basketball at this point, thus why they are not dedicated solely to one or the other. I said similar, not equals.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

While it is a free country, why is Pitino doing this?

Answer: He can get the Puerto Rican girls on a table in a PR restaurant.

Maybe Bobby Knight should take the job. wasn't PR where he had the chair throwing incident, and a warrant out for his arrest?

My old boss was from Puerto Rico and was also a college basketball fans.  All I recall is he said Bobby Knight was personna non-grata in Puerto Rico and some incident from the Pan Am games and flipping the bird or something and saying something derogatory about Puerto Rico?

[reinko]

My old boss was from Puerto Rico and was also a college basketball fans.  All I recall is he said Bobby Knight was personna non-grata in Puerto Rico and some incident from the Pan Am games and flipping the bird or something and saying something derogatory about Puerto Rico?

Per wikipedia.

During the 1979 Pan American Games in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Knight was accused of assaulting a police officer while coaching the US Basketball team before a practice session. He was later convicted in absentia to a six-month jail sentence, but extradition efforts by the Puerto Rican government were not successful.[30]

[jaybilaswho?]

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/blog/the_dagger/post/If-Pitino-coaches-Puerto-Rico-Louisville-recrui?urn=ncaab-295951

THank you.

[4everwarriors]

Butch Lee would be a better choice.