A day after sharing the terrible news about Mike Marra’s torn ACL, Rick Pitino took to his website, RickPitino.com, to give an update on the team. In this weekend’s blog post, Coach Pitino gives a breakdown on the five questions he has been asked the most throughout the off-season. Below is an excerpt.
1) What’s our biggest strength and weakness?
Strength: Intensity on Defense
Weakness: Passing – I’m hoping Luke Hancock will help in this area. Some people think it’s shooting and the injury to Mike will even hurt more. Not really. Mike would have helped more in the passing department. We have good scorers who will make the outside shot. The three point shot is average, but not poor by any stretch.
Reason- In our offenses all 5 players will handle the ball quite often.
2) Who works the hardest with the best attitude?
Three way tie:
–Peyton Siva
–Gorgui Dieng
–Russ Smith
Great work ethic! Russ will at times fake an injury when he is tired. I would go over to him and whisper “I’ve seen that trick before.” His response is always “Come on coach, that’s between you and me.”
3) Can we go to a Final Four this year?
Yes, the same as 150 other schools. Enjoy the journey, that’s what makes it fun.
4) What do I like most about Louisville?
a) Passion for sports without being over the top
b) Athletic department humble people that root hard for each other
c) You’re never more than 15 minutes away for anything
d) Makeup of student body – nothing is given, everything is earned by them, and some will work two jobs to make ends meet.
5) Who is the best college or pro player you have coached?
a) College: Jamal Mashburn
b) Pro: Three-way tie between Bernard King, Patrick Ewing, Paul Pierce
Practice this weekend went well. I like our quickness and intensity. Passing continues to be our major weakness. We will spend a lot of time in this area.
RED ALERT - Anyone interested in walking on to our team, contact Andre McGee (852-6651)
Pre-requisite for walk-ons:
A) Played high school basketball
B) Averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds
C) Made McDonalds All-America team
Only joking with B and C!!
October 4, 2012 at 11:25 am
You have to love that Rick Pitino, Louisville will be fine, just needs steady shooting and tough defense.(Blackshire ans Nunez) big factors. Must be consistent. And no major injuries.