BleedGopher
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Pitino was on 1500 yesterday. Here is a recap of the interview. This is not verbatim, but close:
Pitino on NIT title…People don’t know how to react when you get into the NIT. The fans, the media, the players .It’s nobody’s fault. I have since received an overwhelming response on the championship from our fans. This is all a process, especially the first year. To be NIT Champions, to walk off the court winners is really special for our seniors and for the guys coming back to win five games in a row.
Pitino on the extra practice and NIT games being a value…I don’t think the practice helps, I’ll be quite honest. When you get that deep into the year, we were preparing to play five games. We had to keep them fresh and in shape. The only game that was most difficult mentally was the High Point game, but after that it was easier. We know we beat some high quality teams and that’s great for our team.
Pitino on first year expectations…I can say this, I didn’t have any expectations because I didn’t know what I was getting into. We lost three starters, I knew we had to add some pieces. I didn’t know Deandre Mathieu would be one of the better starters in the Big Ten. I didn’t know if Joey King would be able to be a Big Ten starter, or how Mo Walker would play. We’re very excited, we’ve got a lot of nice pieces back and the guys are excited to hopefully make the NCAA Tournament next year.
Pitino on his Dad’s excitement…Yea, you media guys always ruin everything. Everyone keeps thinking he coached the team, so I went and re-watched it. The only thing I said to him and he said to my video guy saying, “you gotta foul, you gotta foul.” He did not coach the game, but if he was allowed I’d gladly let him. It was a fun experience. It was great to win a championship in the Garden.
Pitino on fouling or not fouling…You’re sitting there with Malik Smith shooting two free throws up three. He misses the first one and I’m not going to yell, “hey if he misses, foul.” I didn’t want to put that negative pressure on Malik. I don’t regret not fouling but I do regret not calling a timeout.
Pitino on which player benefited the most from the NIT…Well, he’s not coming back, but I think Austin helped his career and hopefully helped his pro career. I think Joey King gained confidence and Deandre Mathieu from start to finish was probably our best player. He’ll have a bit of target on his back. He’ll be like Andre Hollins was this year. It wasn’t as easy for him this year and Deandre will experience that next year.
Pitino on Austin Hollins…His shooting was inconsistent, but he wasn’t taking bad shots. There are a lot of things he brings to the program that aren’t in the box score. He had certain games where he was really, really good and some games where he wasn’t and it’s a confidence thing.
Pitino on what’s next for the staff…We’ll shut it down for a couple of days, but only a couple. I have a baby being born in about two weeks. Our guys have this week off, but then we’ll get into individual instruction. Our guys coming back have to be in the greatest shape of their life this offseason. More than anything with the staff we gotta go and recruit because that’s what it’s all about.
http://www.1500espn.com/sportswire/gophers
Go Gophers!!
Pitino on NIT title…People don’t know how to react when you get into the NIT. The fans, the media, the players .It’s nobody’s fault. I have since received an overwhelming response on the championship from our fans. This is all a process, especially the first year. To be NIT Champions, to walk off the court winners is really special for our seniors and for the guys coming back to win five games in a row.
Pitino on the extra practice and NIT games being a value…I don’t think the practice helps, I’ll be quite honest. When you get that deep into the year, we were preparing to play five games. We had to keep them fresh and in shape. The only game that was most difficult mentally was the High Point game, but after that it was easier. We know we beat some high quality teams and that’s great for our team.
Pitino on first year expectations…I can say this, I didn’t have any expectations because I didn’t know what I was getting into. We lost three starters, I knew we had to add some pieces. I didn’t know Deandre Mathieu would be one of the better starters in the Big Ten. I didn’t know if Joey King would be able to be a Big Ten starter, or how Mo Walker would play. We’re very excited, we’ve got a lot of nice pieces back and the guys are excited to hopefully make the NCAA Tournament next year.
Pitino on his Dad’s excitement…Yea, you media guys always ruin everything. Everyone keeps thinking he coached the team, so I went and re-watched it. The only thing I said to him and he said to my video guy saying, “you gotta foul, you gotta foul.” He did not coach the game, but if he was allowed I’d gladly let him. It was a fun experience. It was great to win a championship in the Garden.
Pitino on fouling or not fouling…You’re sitting there with Malik Smith shooting two free throws up three. He misses the first one and I’m not going to yell, “hey if he misses, foul.” I didn’t want to put that negative pressure on Malik. I don’t regret not fouling but I do regret not calling a timeout.
Pitino on which player benefited the most from the NIT…Well, he’s not coming back, but I think Austin helped his career and hopefully helped his pro career. I think Joey King gained confidence and Deandre Mathieu from start to finish was probably our best player. He’ll have a bit of target on his back. He’ll be like Andre Hollins was this year. It wasn’t as easy for him this year and Deandre will experience that next year.
Pitino on Austin Hollins…His shooting was inconsistent, but he wasn’t taking bad shots. There are a lot of things he brings to the program that aren’t in the box score. He had certain games where he was really, really good and some games where he wasn’t and it’s a confidence thing.
Pitino on what’s next for the staff…We’ll shut it down for a couple of days, but only a couple. I have a baby being born in about two weeks. Our guys have this week off, but then we’ll get into individual instruction. Our guys coming back have to be in the greatest shape of their life this offseason. More than anything with the staff we gotta go and recruit because that’s what it’s all about.
http://www.1500espn.com/sportswire/gophers
Go Gophers!!
