By LARRY VAUGHT
Finally there has been a few days where Louisville coach Rick Pitino can feel like he’s having a better week than Kentucky coach John Calipari.
That’s not happened often in the last year  and certainly didn’t last week when Calipari convinced Indianapolis junior point guard Marquis Teague to commit to UK instead of Louisville where he had been leaning for months. Remember, Teague’s father and uncle once played for Pitino and one of his former assistant coaches now works at Louisville. But he still picked Kentucky.
This week, though, the Cards landed 6-10 center Gorgui Dieng, a Senegal native. He averaged 15 points, 13 rebounds and seven blocked shots per game at Huntington (W. Va.) Prep School and was named MVP of last month’s Kentucky Derby Festival Classic.
That’s better than Calipari did because Wednesday he lost North Carolina power forward C.J. Leslie to North Carolina State. Considering Calipari has landed John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Eric Bledsoe, Enes Kanter, Brandon Knight, Doron Lamb, Stacey Poole, Michael Gilchrist and Teague since arriving at UK a little over a year ago, it had almost become a foregone conclusion that if he wanted a player, he got him.
Calipari has taken the state  and national  spotlight from Pitino. Kentucky has gone from a team without direction like it was for two years under Billy Gillispie while Pitino had Final Four contenders to a team positioned to be a national championship contender annually. Louisville barely made the NCAA field this year and doesn’t look like a championship contender next year.
Pitino does have a cool new arena to move into soon, but he also still has to deal with the extortion trial of Karen Cunagin Sypher, the woman he admitted to having a one-night affair with and then had her to try to extort money from him.
Sypher’s trial is scheduled to start in June and that’s more bad publicity that Pitino certainly does not need. Meanwhile, Calipari has become the darling of the Big Blue faithful and seems to always have a national media presence. He was even on stage Tuesday with rapper Drake during a Memorial Coliseum concert.
Pitino did a magnificent job restoring the UK program to respectability and winning a national championship before bolting for the NBA. He’s never had the same success at Louisville and has been unable to match the frenzy he created with UK. But Calipari has put the sizzle back into UK basketball.
Pitino has the lead over Calipari this week. Of course, that could well end Friday if Oregon forward Terrence Jones picks UK. He’s much higher rated than Gorgui Dieng and would put Calipari one up on Pitino again this week.
Calipari made it clear when he came to Kentucky that he couldn’t wait to compete with Pitino. So far, he’s ahead and seems in position to keep widening the margin over the coach who once did so much for Kentucky basketball.
17 Responses to Pitino finally has better few days than Calipari  but that could change Friday
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Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while. Some decent players at Louisville will only help the Cats’ RPI when they beat the Cards at the KFC “Food Court” next season.
It seems mighty strange that Leslie was putting out rumors that he was UK bound then suddenly he wasn’t. Let’s hope that’s because Jones plans on coming to Lexington. Of the 2 Jones would be the top pick anyway. But if Cal doesn’t land a pf soon we could see the 4 position shared by Miller and Harrellson.
Larry, Pitino had a fairly good day, but I would not compare any of his days to one of Cal’s days. The guys out on the wrong end of I-64 is just in shambles.
That guy can never out do Cal because he wakes up everyday realizing what he had. No matter what he does he is still at ul period.
He has not had the same success there as he did with UK because it’s not UK. College bb has always been about the hot coach in relationship to recruiting and right now UK has the hot coach.
Some of my best UK memories were during his time here. I went to every level of game from exhibition to National Championship.
That said he will always be a part of UK. But he is now married to my exwife who cheated on me with him and lives close enough to try and rub it in my face every year! !(LOL) So I hope he enjoys the new diggs and wish him nothing but losing seasons! !
Just my opinion.
KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK. GO BLUE AND KEEP THE PAST BEHIND US! ! ! !
That’s funny UKFMLY.
I am glad we don’t have to put up with Slick’s problems here, but I do have very fond memories of the days when he was our coach. You still can’t deny what he did for this program. At the time, he was probably the only one who could have done it that well and that quickly. For all of that, I will never be able to truly hate him, like some fans seem to.
That being said, I wouldn’t trade Cal for anyone and I hope Slick continues to have bad luck and continues to play the part of the ugly, “(Cardinal) red”-headed step-child to him.
GO BIG BLUE!!!!
.
It’s not hate it’s more like negatively amazed. As rivalries go could anyone imagine Dean Smith @duke or Woody Hayes @ Michgian or Bobby Knight @ Purdue or Bear Bryant @ Auburn, NOT ON THEIR LIVES.
If he were anywhere else I would wish him the best.
KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK. GO BLUE AND KEEP THE PAST BEHIND US! !
Rick still leads Cal in the Romps in Bathroom catagory too.
I agree Fam. I was in high school in the mi 90′s and those are my fondest memories too. But no, you wouldnt see those other coaches go their schools bitter rivals. Knight hated UI at the end and he still went across the country. I will forever be grateful to Rick for what he did here, but, we you go work for Al Queda, thats when we part ways. I do like seeing U of L good though. It does help us when we beat them.
One slight correction Larry, the Sypher/Pitino trial is going to be delayed as agreed to by both sides. Which is horrible for Pitino, as this will continue to hang over his head, and might drag into this upcomming season.
ClassyCatFan had it right – even a blind squirrel finds a nut sometmes; maybe Pitino has been going after the wrong kind of nuts.
We all have made mistakes and at least Pitino will tell you his biggest mistake was not Karen S. but leaving UK. I think that is something we can all agree on.
BarryRussell, I understand we all make mistakes and I used to have a lot of respect for Pitino, even tho I did wish him bad luck at UofL, but last summer I lost all respect for him. He said he tells his players that “if they are honest, their troubles will be behind them.”
Yeah, he said that in a news conference THREE YEARS AFTER his “mistake,” and on the eve of the story breaking on front page of the C-J. He also equated his problems with 9-11! Really Rick?
I can appreciate what he did at UK but all respect and credibility for him as a person is gone for me. (and not because of his restaurant escapades but because of the manipulative line of crap in his news conferences.
Thanks for trial update. I knew defense asked for delay, but did not know it had been granted. Again, not good for Pitino
Any Cat fan who remembers the Pitino era at UK can have nothing but fond memories because Rick did a FANTASTIC job of rebuilding UK basketball on ALL levels and I certainly respect and have nothing but great accolades for what he did during his time at the helm BUT,that was a long time ago.Pitino left on his own choosing.He once said on ESPN that he couldn’t believe he gave up Camelot for the NBA and that it was a big mistake and I still recall that he told UK fans he wasn’t taking the Boston job due to the money…yeah right.I said when he took the Louisville job that he would win alot of games,maybe make a final 4 or two but he would never win a National title with them,thus far I have been correct and maintain those same statements.What happens with his recent stumble in the eyes of non-sinners is of no concern of mine,I could really care less.He gets paid to coach basketball and yes he is to be a good representative of any university that is his employer but Pitino’s best days were back when he roamed the court as UK coach.He left us in good shape and his successors couldn’t keep up.Now we have Calipari and the program is in good shape.We have the right coach at the right time and he will make memories for us as well.
Larry, nothing like a column on Slick to bring out the comments. It’s a shame to see what he has become. The way he has lived his life is catching up with him. While many great coaches spend their waning years basking in glory, Rick sits in a cesspool that engulfs his life. Truly a pity.
Agree with you Ken. NOt even sure Cal can match what Pitino did in those glory days. Actually, not sure anyone could.
And Mick you are right. It is a pity
good points Ken. I really could care less what people do in their personal lives. BUT, Pitino made it public and made it relevant to U uh L when HE called press conference after press conference. If he had left it in the hands of the FBI and not referenced 9-11, Ted Kennedy and so on, it would have been personal tribulations. RICK and his insatiable need for media attention made it a public spectacle.
I agree ClassyCat fan,the way he handled the entire fiasco was a disaster but in the end,he made his bed so he gets to lay in it.When I go to Rupp I can’t help but notice all the jerseys hanging and I see Rick’s and think back on those days fondly.I prefer to beat Louisville and their head coach badly but somewhere deep inside my memories I get sad that it ended up the way it did.Alas,he chose it to be this way so as Walter Cronkite said,”Thats the way it is”.
Fair point Classy. He didn’t do anything to help himself after this all happened