Big East 2024 Offseason

[THRILLHO]

My guess is he leaves St John’s in less of a mess than Georgetown currently finds itself.

They would be bad without him and need a rebuild in a few years and they will be better with him and need a rebuild in a few years.

[rgoode57]

Yes, Pitino will win at StJ, and will likely win the conference championship before he leaves. Certainly, the guy can coach and will do whatever it takes to get the players he wants. I don't know a lot about StJ as an institution, but hiring Pitino certainly does not reflect on any school in a positive way. To me, it simply says that a school is willing to bypass any measure of ethical conduct just to win basketball games.

[brewcity77]

More than a few Scoopers were pushing for Pitino to be hired by Marquette.

Certainly would have spiced things up.

Shaka seems to be the perfect match, but I would've taken Pitino. I get the questions around him and am not a big fan of his personal conduct, but the NCAA cleared him and he's taken every high major he's coached to the Final Four in his first four years.

[MU82]

Shaka seems to be the perfect match, but I would've taken Pitino. I get the questions around him and am not a big fan of his personal conduct, but the NCAA cleared him and he's taken every high major he's coached to the Final Four in his first four years.

Interesting take. I know it wouldn't have negatively affected my MU fandom.

[Viper]

Yes, Pitino will win at StJ, and will likely win the conference championship before he leaves. Certainly, the guy can coach and will do whatever it takes to get the players he wants. I don't know a lot about StJ as an institution, but hiring Pitino certainly does not reflect on any school in a positive way. To me, it simply says that a school is willing to bypass any measure of ethical conduct just to win basketball games.

just win, baby! I’d have taken RickyP in a heartbeat.

[Jay Bee]

I’d have taken RickyP in a heartbeat.

Pawz

[brewcity77]

Interesting take. I know it wouldn't have negatively affected my MU fandom.

I get that, but after 7 years of Wojo I was desperate for a competent winning coach.

[rgoode57]

I went to the STJ fan site the other day and was amazed to see 100% enthusiasm for Pitino. I am equally amazed to see MU fans saying here that they would have been fine with Pitino. I get the   fan urge to win after the Wojo era, but is winning really so important that you are willing to have a total sleaze of a human being as the coach in order to do it? Call me whatever you want, but if MU had hired Pitino, I personally would have severed my fan relationship with the team. I love to see the team win, but not that much. Fortunately, MU made a great hire and we can let STJ deal with the Pitino aftermath in a few years. (As I remember, he has left every program he has been at in a total mess.) Just ask a Kentucky or Louisville fan what they think about Pitino.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

I went to the STJ fan site the other day and was amazed to see 100% enthusiasm for Pitino. I am equally amazed to see MU fans saying here that they would have been fine with Pitino. I get the   fan urge to win after the Wojo era, but is winning really so important that you are willing to have a total sleaze of a human being as the coach in order to do it? Call me whatever you want, but if MU had hired Pitino, I personally would have severed my fan relationship with the team. I love to see the team win, but not that much. Fortunately, MU made a great hire and we can let STJ deal with the Pitino aftermath in a few years. (As I remember, he has left every program he has been at in a total mess.) Just ask a Kentucky or Louisville fan what they think about Pitino.

He didn't leave Kentucky "a total mess." The won the national championship under Tubby Smith the year after he left. And they had a nice, sustained run after that. It can be argued that he resurrected that program after Eddie Sutton got them in so much trouble.

I would also add that he left neither Providence or Iona "in a mess" as well. Really the only time he faced serious NCAA trouble was the back-half of his tenure at Louisville. (Outside of when he was an assistant at Hawaii.)

These days with NIL, people really don't care all that much that shoe companies paid players to attend certain schools. In retrospect, it sounds ridiculous that schools used to get in trouble for that stuff.

[Uncle Rico]

I went to the STJ fan site the other day and was amazed to see 100% enthusiasm for Pitino. I am equally amazed to see MU fans saying here that they would have been fine with Pitino. I get the   fan urge to win after the Wojo era, but is winning really so important that you are willing to have a total sleaze of a human being as the coach in order to do it? Call me whatever you want, but if MU had hired Pitino, I personally would have severed my fan relationship with the team. I love to see the team win, but not that much. Fortunately, MU made a great hire and we can let STJ deal with the Pitino aftermath in a few years. (As I remember, he has left every program he has been at in a total mess.) Just ask a Kentucky or Louisville fan what they think about Pitino.

Louisville fans would take him back in a second

[rgoode57]

As I said, ask any Kentucky or Louisville fan what they think about him. I have talked to a lot of them, and neither school's fan base would want him again. As for him not leaving Iona in a mess, are you referring to the same Iona he vowed never to leave over and over again - and then left and took the meat of their roster with him? Is that the same Iona you're talking about?

Look, I get that fans get all excited about Pitino delivering a winning team. The guy can recruit and coach as well as anyone and better than most. STJ will undoubtedly be the most improved team in the BE this year and may well get a tournament bid. There are a few coaches who are bigger than whatever school they coach at -Coach K was certainly one, Bill Self may be one, Tom Izzo is one, etc. And, Pitino is one of those too for a variety of reasons - both good and bad.   His name attracts players and, once he gets them, he knows what to do with them.

My point simply is that,  from my perspective,  winning with Pitino is not worth the loss of dignity that goes with hiring him.
My point is simply

[JWags85]

As I said, ask any Kentucky or Louisville fan what they think about him. I have talked to a lot of them, and neither school's fan base would want him again. As for him not leaving Iona in a mess, are you referring to the same Iona he vowed never to leave over and over again - and then left and took the meat of their roster with him? Is that the same Iona you're talking about?

Look, I get that fans get all excited about Pitino delivering a winning team. The guy can recruit and coach as well as anyone and better than most. STJ will undoubtedly be the most improved team in the BE this year and may well get a tournament bid. There are a few coaches who are bigger than whatever school they coach at -Coach K was certainly one, Bill Self may be one, Tom Izzo is one, etc. And, Pitino is one of those too for a variety of reasons - both good and bad.   His name attracts players and, once he gets them, he knows what to do with them.

My point simply is that,  from my perspective,  winning with Pitino is not worth the loss of dignity that goes with hiring him.
My point is simply

So you're doubling down on things that are provably false.  And now a coach leaving a low major for a better job is "leaving the program a mess".  Iona dominated the conference before he arrived, and they hired one of the hottest low major names in the market who knows the region well so they will likely be just fine.  Not a mess.

And interesting how you've talked to a couple UK and UL fans and thus surmised neither of their sizeable fanbase want anything to do with him, which is provably false.  UK would trade Cal for Pitino in a heartbeat and probably pack up Cal's home and office for him.  UL fans would forget about everything related to Porcini's and sanctions to bring Pitino back if it meant freeing them from their current doldrums.

The positives and negatives of Pitino are clear without exaggerating untrue nonsense to make him seem like CBB's Voldemort.

[rgoode57]

Being a native of Kentucky and having lived in various parts of the state for a big chunk of my life, and having dozens of family members there (all ardent b'ball fans) as well as numerous friends and associates that are graduates of both UK and UL, yes, I think I have a fairly decent idea of their feelings. But, think what you will.

[MU82]

So you're doubling down on things that are provably false.  And now a coach leaving a low major for a better job is "leaving the program a mess".  Iona dominated the conference before he arrived, and they hired one of the hottest low major names in the market who knows the region well so they will likely be just fine.  Not a mess.

And interesting how you've talked to a couple UK and UL fans and thus surmised neither of their sizeable fanbase want anything to do with him, which is provably false.  UK would trade Cal for Pitino in a heartbeat and probably pack up Cal's home and office for him.  UL fans would forget about everything related to Porcini's and sanctions to bring Pitino back if it meant freeing them from their current doldrums.

The positives and negatives of Pitino are clear without exaggerating untrue nonsense to make him seem like CBB's Voldemort.

I get what you're saying, but is it "provably true" that UK would trade Cal for Pitino in a heartbeat?

[brewcity77]

I get the   fan urge to win after the Wojo era, but is winning really so important that you are willing to have a total sleaze of a human being as the coach in order to do it?

I don't know what Pitino went through, what all he was involved in, or what all he regrets. Everyone has their own story and I've often found when someone is able to explain their actions in their own words, things I initially judged harshly seemed pretty reasonable in retrospect.

The older I get, the more uncommon I think "total sleaze" human beings are. Pitino and I likely have a different moral center, but that doesn't make him wrong and me right, or vice versa.

[Lennys Tap]

He didn't leave Kentucky "a total mess." The won the national championship under Tubby Smith the year after he left. And they had a nice, sustained run after that. It can be argued that he resurrected that program after Eddie Sutton got them in so much trouble.

I would also add that he left neither Providence or Iona "in a mess" as well. Really the only time he faced serious NCAA trouble was the back-half of his tenure at Louisville. (Outside of when he was an assistant at Hawaii.)

These days with NIL, people really don't care all that much that shoe companies paid players to attend certain schools. In retrospect, it sounds ridiculous that schools used to get in trouble for that stuff.

All true. The NCAA has basically eliminated cheating by saying anything goes as relates to giving cash. So kind of silly to worry about coaches who gave a kid money. Now the coaches who gave a kid ride? Or a tshirt? Those are the dangerous ones. I hope the NCAA is still monitoring them to keep the game we all love clean.

[Frenns Liquor Depot]

All true. The NCAA has basically eliminated cheating by saying anything goes as relates to giving cash. So kind of silly to worry about coaches who gave a kid money. Now the coaches who gave a kid ride? Or a tshirt? Those are the dangerous ones. I hope the NCAA is still monitoring them to keep the game we all love clean.

I honestly dont know how one can both be a fan of college basketball and outraged by 'cheating'.  The sport is what it is - the money and other bad behavior is so pervasive that if your team is toward the top they are winning a certain way...clean and dirty is a perception about who hid it better.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

I honestly dont know how one can both be a fan of college basketball and outraged by 'cheating'.  The sport is what it is - the money and other bad behavior is so pervasive that if your team is toward the top they are winning a certain way...clean and dirty is a perception about who hid it better.

It's what you get when you limit someone's compensation relative to their value. Unless you have a common set of standards in place (like a collective bargaining arrangement) which provides a common set of understanding between all parties.

The NCAAs historic problem is that they want to limit who gets compensated and how much they get compensated, while also limiting their liability. And that just doesn't work.

[willie warrior]

Pitino will always be a slimeball. Speaks volumes about  that great Catholic institution St. Johns hiring the slime ball.

[Uncle Rico]

Pitino will always be a slimeball. Speaks volumes about  that great Catholic institution St. Johns hiring the slime ball.

Why? 

[brewcity77]

Pitino will always be a slimeball. Speaks volumes about  that great Catholic institution St. Johns hiring the slime ball.

Or does it speak more about you that you don't seem to believe in concepts like forgiveness or redemption?

[Scoop Snoop]

I get that, but after 7 years of Wojo I was desperate for a competent winning coach.

I would have been happy with Sister Jean replacing Wojo.

[4everwarriors]

Or a chimp, aina?

[oilcan]

Shaka Smart was the right choice my friends. And there will never be any regrets in my mind.  Pitino yeah I get it but then you'd always have to apologize for his past, and I stand with those who said, "I wouldn't touch him with a ten foot pole." Smart has his best years ahead of him. Rick will coach at St. John's for 2 years, get to the 32 once and move on to the Charlotte Hornets.  When you have a coach that truly makes you proud you don't waver, you don't second guess. Integrity and commitment means something. Or it should.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

I know I'm in the minority, but I don't think Pitino will succeed at St. John's. I think they'll spin their wheels for a few seasons before he retires. Maybe some tourney appearances but no top seeds. Obviously just a prediction but I think St. John's is harder place to win than people think.