Pitino set for extension

Louisville Cardinals head coach Rick Pitino is set to receive another contract extension from the school.

The Cardinals have given Pitino an extension through the 2017 season despite a disappointing 2009-2010.

The head coach is happy about the extension and is hopeful that it quells rumors he will go elsewhere.

Pitino said that his moving days are long over and he intends to finish out his coaching career at Louisville.

The school said that the contract was more about trying to show their public support for the head coach.

Saturday, April 3, 2010 at 8:17 am by steve

Slow start dooms Cards in first-round NCAA loss

By Bud L. Ellis

The start was absolutely a nightmare for the Louisville Cardinals. And despite a big surge toward the finish, the hole proved too deep from which to emerge.

The Cardinals, viewed by many as a potential sleeper in the NCAA Tournament, instead looked asleep for the opening minutes of their first-round game Friday against California in Jacksonville, Fla. Falling behind 22-4, Louisville made it back to within four points before eventually falling 77-62.

For the Cardinals (20-13), the loss marked the end of an up-and-down season. And much like the campaign that would finish on this night, this game was marked by wild swings both good and bad.

The start was horrible. Louisville fell behind by the big deficit, pulled to within 41-30 at halftime, fell back behind by 14, pulled within 62-58 with 6:55 left, then ran out of gas at the end as the Bears finished the game on a 15-4 run.

Rakeem Buckles led the Cardinals with 20 points. Samardo Samuels added 16 points. Cal finished by shooting 51 percent from the floor and 53 percent from 3-point range, as the Cardinals had no answer for the Bears’ offense.

—30—

Tuesday, March 23, 2010 at 5:32 am by bud

Tags: California, Louisville Cardinals, NCAA Tournament, Rakeem Buckles, Samardo Samuels

Louisville upsets Syracuse, 66-60

The Louisville Cardinals picked up a huge road win with a stunning,  66-60 upset of the No. 2 Syracuse Orange.

The Cardinals fell behind big from the opening whistle, but they kept their composure and rallied back to take control of the game.

They then nearly blew it in the final minute thanks to missed free throws and turnovers, but were able to eventually put it away.

Head coach Rick Pitino has to be frustrated with how inconsistent his team is, but at least they are showing some progress.

The win gives the Cardinals a key road victory over a very highly ranked opponent, which should help give their NCAA tournament hopes a big boost.

Friday, February 19, 2010 at 4:24 pm by steve

Pitino Not Interested In Nets Job

Reports broke out this week that current Louisville coach Rick Pitino was actively pursuing the head coaching position of the New Jersey Nets, who are looking for a full time coach to replace interim coach Kiki Vandweghe.

On Thursday, Pitino spoke out, actively denying the accusations to ESPN.

“There’s not an ounce of truth to it,” Pitino told ESPN.com’s Pat Forde.

“I have no interest, period,” Pitino said Thursday. “I’m done with coaching professional basketball. I’ve put the professional ranks behind me.”

This comes amidst rumors that Pitino may be wearing out on the college basketball game, especially given the harsh reaction he’s received on the road this season. After admitting to an affair this past offseason, WVU fans took it to a whole new level last week by chanting Pitino’s mistress’ name several times throughout the game.

“Because of what happened at West Virginia, I’m worn out?” he told ESPN’s Forde. “I’ve been on the road recruiting, I’ve been working 18-hour days, and I’m worn out because I went into a place where they denigrate everybody?”

Pitino says that he did speak with Nets president Rob Thorn at the funeral for former Knicks player Dick McGuire, but the conversation was funeral-appropriate, not job oriented.

Thursday, February 11, 2010 at 9:27 pm by bryan

Pitino tells Cardinals he is not going anywhere

Louisville Cardinals head coach Rick Pitino denies rumors that he has been in talks with the New York Nets about becoming their next head coach.

Pitino vehemently disputes the rumors and says that he has been there and done that with regard to coaching professional basketball.

Pitino has already had two stints in the NBA, coaching the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks for a few seasons before he was fired by both teams.

The head coach had made it clear in the past that he was not interested in returning to the NBA, but the attention that has been given to the allegations of infedelity have rocked his family.

He has made it clear that the allegations have been hell for him and his family, and some believe that a move to the NBA would help to ease some of that pain.

It also hasn’t helped that Louisville’s play has been uneven this year while rival Kentucky is roaring with the arrival of head coach John Calipari and top recruit John Wall.

at 6:43 pm by steve

Louisville takes down Cincinnati, 68-60

The Louisville Cardinals snapped a three-game losing streak with a 68-60 victory over the Cincinnati Bearcats.

Reginald Delk had a double-double, finishing with 13 points and 11 rebounds.

Louisville found itself down as many as 11 in the first half but rallied back to take a three-point halftime lead.

The Cardinals never trailed in the second half, and shot well from both the three-point and foul lines.

Samardo Samuels and Edgar Sosa led Louisville with 14 points a piece, and Peyton Siva added 10.

Friday, January 29, 2010 at 5:05 pm by steve

Tony Dungy motivates struggling Cardinals

The Louisville Cardinals have endured a difficult season to date. At 3-5, the Cardinals have already started three different quarterbacks, and head coach Steve Kragthorpe is widely believed to be on the way out at the end of the season. But ahead of its game at West Virginia, the team will have extra motivation to spring the upset.

Super Bowl-winning coach Tony Dungy visited the team yesterday, giving the team a pep talk about dealing with tough times and overcoming adversity. Dungy is known for his ability to motivate and connect with players, as evidenced by his work with the recently-reinstated Michael Vick.

“You have to dig deep and stay focused,” Dungy said. “My team in 1996, we lost our first game and eight of our first nine, but really that’s where the groundwork lay for that 2002 Super Bowl team. Those guys stayed determined, they stayed the course and they stayed focus. At the end we got it going, we won some games and developed some momentum for the following year.”

It’ll take more than a pep talk to overcome the host Mountaineers, but don’t be surprised if Louisville comes out and plays inspired football on Saturday in Morgantown.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009 at 7:50 pm by Raj Sethi

Louisville Players Reach Plea Deal

The two Louisville basketball players involved in an incident with police last week were sentenced to one year of probation on Monday after pleading guilty to the charge of resisting law enforcement.

G Jerry Smith and F Terrence Jennings now must complete 40 hours of community service and pay nearly $500 in court fees.

Court documents say that Smith and Jennings “knowingly and intentionally defied, obstructed and interfered with Officer Thomas Mitchell while Mitchell was engaged in the execution of his duties,” according to court documents.

The two players resisted arrest from off-duty police officers (wearing T-shirts clearly labeled POLICE on the front and back) after a fight broke out at an alumni homecoming event a few weeks ago. Jennings had to be tasered twice by police before submitting.

“Both Terrence and I can assure you and everyone else that we will do what we are required to do and we will work very hard to make up for this both in the classroom and on the court,” Smith said.

Coach Rick Pitino has already announced that his two players would not miss game time stemming from the incident.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009 at 11:14 pm by bryan

L’Ville Players Dodge Team Suspension

The offseason of turmoil just keeps on rolling for Louisville.

Last weekend, basketball players Jerry Smith and Terrence Jennings were involved in an altercation with off-duty police officers, which led to their arrest.

Now, Louisville coach Rick Pitino has announced that his two players will not miss any game time because of the incident.

“Anytime you defy a police officer, it’s serious,” Pitino told ESPN.com. “They will be punished and are being punished right now. But no, they will not miss game time.”

Each player was only charged with one count of resisting law enforcement, a misdemeanor charge that carries a maximum of one year in jail and a $5,000 fine. At first, the police report asked that the two students were charged with multiple counts.

In the police report, it was said that off-duty officers (who were wearing T-shirts that read “Police” on the front and back) were working at an alumni homecoming party when a fight broke out. The police found Jennings in the fray when they went inside.

The police took Jennings outside and pinned him to the ground, but he “continued to fight with officers; trying to get back to his feet and refusing to place his hands behind his back,” according to the police report. The police used a Taser on Jennings twice before he calmed down.

Smith saw Jennings on the ground and approached the officers; he would not comply with the officers’ request to back away, and he resisted when an officer tried to hold him back.

“I think Jerry saw a teammate on the ground and didn’t want to abandon him,” Pitino said. “I think he saw a teammate taking some pretty good blows and tried to help.”

Thursday, October 15, 2009 at 10:39 pm by bryan

Cardinals drop heartbreaker to Wildcats

In a game that features six lead changes, it was the Louisville Cardinals who were on the losing end of what was a wild fight for the Governor’s Cup. Quarterback Justin Burke threw an interception with two minutes left and the ball on the Kentucky 21, giving the Wildcats at 31-27 victory.

The interception was the second monumental miscue by the Cardinals late in the game. A few minutes earlier, clinging to a three-point lead and having just forced a punt, Trent Guy muffed the catch and Kentucky regained possession. The Wildcats would eventually score the game-winning touchdown.

Quarterback Justin Burke played admirably in rallying Louisville, completing 15 of 28 passes for 245 yards and two touchdowns and the ill-timed interception, which was tipped. And despite giving up big yards to dynamic running back Derrick Locke, the defense was opportunistic, forcing three consecutive turnovers in the second half to help the Cardinals climb back.

There are no moral victories when the Governor’s Cup is on the line, but considering that Kentucky appeared to be the superior team on paper (it entered the game as a 7-point favorite) and was at home, Louisville showed even better than was expected.

Saturday, September 19, 2009 at 3:43 pm by Raj Sethi