The Official UofL Thread (UPDATE: Pitino, Jurich Reportedly Out)

[Blue Heaven]

Come on Pitino...first you knew nothing about the hookers and now you know nothing about this......Who are you..why do you know nothing about your program

YES you should be fired

Dan Wolken had a great tweet on just that. He said Rick Pitino is the most succesful person in history that never knows anything important.

Call me crazy, but I really feel he knew nothing about this. Why would he say something to the effect that the "recruitment" of Bowen was so easy and it cost them nothing? I put recruitment in quotes because they weren't recruiting him. One would think he would choose his words better if he knew what was really going on.

I believe he knew about the hookers but not this. It's 3 scandals for Rick since 2009. No way he survives this if he were innocent of all three. But he's guilty in two of them and this one is just unfortunate for him. Three stripes and you are out Rick ( 3 stripes for adidas. See what I did there?).

Times like these are when I wish we still had Redandblackattack and Noknee6of7 on the board. If only I could be a fly on the wall in their house?

[George]

Dan Wolken had a great tweet on just that. He said Rick Pitino is the most succesful person in history that never knows anything important.

Call me crazy, but I really feel he knew nothing about this. Why would he say something to the effect that the "recruitment" of Bowen was so easy and it cost them nothing? I put recruitment in quotes because they weren't recruiting him. One would think he would choose his words better if he knew what was really going on.

I believe he knew about the hookers but not this. It's 3 scandals for Rick since 2009. No way he survives this if he were innocent of all three. But he's guilty in two of them and this one is just unfortunate for him. Three stripes and you are out Rick ( 3 stripes for adidas. See what I did there?).

Times like these are when I wish we still had Redandblackattack and Noknee6of7 on the board. If only I could be a fly on the wall in their house?

You're crazy.

[Joneslab]

I wish we still had...Noknee6of7 on the board.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31g0YE61PLQ

[Dwight Schrute]

Dan Wolken had a great tweet on just that. He said Rick Pitino is the most succesful person in history that never knows anything important.

Call me crazy, but I really feel he knew nothing about this. Why would he say something to the effect that the "recruitment" of Bowen was so easy and it cost them nothing? I put recruitment in quotes because they weren't recruiting him. One would think he would choose his words better if he knew what was really going on.

I believe he knew about the hookers but not this. It's 3 scandals for Rick since 2009. No way he survives this if he were innocent of all three. But he's guilty in two of them and this one is just unfortunate for him. Three stripes and you are out Rick ( 3 stripes for adidas. See what I did there?).

Times like these are when I wish we still had Redandblackattack and Noknee6of7 on the board. If only I could be a fly on the wall in their house?

The problem is, you don't get to play the "I didn't know" card when you've already used it on hookers. It's painfully obvious Rick Pitino has zero control over his program.

Also, you stole that joke.

[Dwight Schrute]

The thing is, I actually don't find paying a player to be some great sin. It just needs to be out in the open so everyone's on a level playing field.

[KCKUKFan]

Rick Pitino is proving himself to be the "bad actor," but he doesn't have nearly enough self-awareness to realize this.

[Joneslab]

The thing is, I actually don't find paying a player to be some great sin. It just needs to be out in the open so everyone's on a level playing field.

I feel the same way.

I don't think this particular issue though is really about amateurism or the perversion of college basketball. I think they just let a deeply flawed human being run wild through Louisville for 17 years, and nobody had the guts to check him.

This is basically what a culture of sycophantic yes men gets you. Both Jurich and Pitino became bigger than the university over the years, and when you've got two guys in the same medium-sized town, both of whom are credited as being these mythical geniuses, who's going to be sure enough about himself to stop them when things start to go wrong?

This is what happens when ego runs amok. We see it a lot in politics. Everybody needs a boss.

[KCKUKFan]

The thing is, I actually don't find paying a player to be some great sin. It just needs to be out in the open so everyone's on a level playing field.

It becomes a great sin when you know it is against the rules and you're already on probation for other serious violations.

[KCKUKFan]

I feel the same way.

I don't think this particular issue though is really about amateurism or the perversion of college basketball. I think they just let a deeply flawed human being run wild through Louisville for 17 years, and nobody had the guts to check him.

This is basically what a culture of sycophantic yes men gets you. Both Jurich and Pitino became bigger than the university over the years, and when you've got two guys in the same medium-sized town, both of whom are credited as being these mythical geniuses, who's going to be sure enough about himself to stop them when things start to go wrong?

This is what happens when ego runs amok. We see it a lot in politics. Everybody needs a boss.

Bingo. There have been no checks-n-balances at the University of Louisville for almost two decades, and while it took longer to burn than I initially expected, it's burning to ashes now.

More than anything, it will be interesting to see how two severe egoists like Rick Pitino and Tom Jurich handle their comeuppance. We're about to see what happens when the bullies get bullied.

[Dwight Schrute]

It becomes a great sin when you know it is against the rules and you're already on probation for other serious violations.

Right, but only because it gives an uneven playing field. What I'm saying is I don't find the act of college kids getting paid to be some great sin - it just needs to be out in the open.

[Catsrock]

I understand the head coaches do not do all the recruiting. In fact assistant coaches are typically hired for their recruiting abilities more than their teaching abilities as that creates a more complete and successful staff.

However I feel sure the only way the head honcho does not know how the staff gets commitments is if he says "just get them here and don't tell me how you did it." Plausible deniability built in.

Does kinda make one wonder though what makes a great recruiter such as a Kenny Payne. Are they that smooth a talker/savvy salesman or are they just well connected with the shoe companies and other $ sources? Perhaps it could be either or both. I'm sure it's not one size fits all.

Just hope we play the game as clean as possible. I truly hope Cal's best sales pitch is giving them their best chance to make as much $ as they're capable of as soon as possible. $25 million in a year is better than $100 grand now.

And when Cal moves on I hope we'll have the momentum he's created and the best tradition in basketball to sell and another great coach to keep it going.

[KCKUKFan]

Right, but only because it gives an uneven playing field. What I'm saying is I don't find the act of college kids getting paid to be some great sin - it just needs to be out in the open.

I disagree. Obviously, some schools aren't going to be able to play on that same field.

Louisville can afford to stuff 100 grand into an envelope because of their status and their connection with Adidas, but what about the smaller school down the road who has a deal with Russell?

If you start getting into a "salary cap" in recruiting, the whole thing blows up in your face. There's no reasonable way to make paying players work across the board in college basketball, unless you want to break it all up and make division 1 strictly power 5 schools. And even then teams will just start breaking those rules and paying MORE.

[UK8STL11]

Michael Eaves‏
A person inside the #Louisville athletic department tells me there's an expectation that Pitino (and likely Jurich) will be fired today.

[Joneslab]

I disagree. Obviously, some schools aren't going to be able to play on that same field.

Louisville can afford to stuff 100 grand into an envelope because of their status and their connection with Adidas, but what about the smaller school down the road who has a deal with Russell?

If you start getting into a "salary cap" in recruiting, the whole thing blows up in your face. There's no reasonable way to make paying players work across the board in college basketball, unless you want to break it all up and make division 1 strictly power 5 schools. And even then teams will just start breaking those rules and paying MORE.

This is the problem generally with paying players. Kentucky (and similar schools) would essentially have to foot the bill for Hofstra.

The most interesting thing about college basketball is the balance. Yes, the mega-programs run the show. But the NCAA Tournament is the cash cow, and that thing is made in many ways because of how the smaller schools are in the pot with the big dogs.

It isn't like college football where the BCS conferences run everything. College basketball is different. This sport needs that evenness and equality.

So when you get into paying players it's really tricky because so many of these programs, particularly in this game, are losers financially. I think only a couple dozen programs make more than they spend. It's just that those programs and the conferences they're in are financial behemoths who very much could prop everybody else up if they wanted to.

[SCBlu]

......Call me crazy, but I really feel he knew nothing about this. Why would he say something to the effect that the "recruitment" of Bowen was so easy and it cost them nothing? I put recruitment in quotes because they weren't recruiting him. One would think he would choose his words better if he knew what was really going on.

Pitino had to somehow "explain" how a 5-Star player fell into his hands. He had to try to difuse what would certainly be brought up by sportswriters. He knew.....and I'll stake your life on it!