[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
Not Gonna Do It
- Subject: Not Gonna Do It
- From: Theresa Lee <tjoyce@MIT.EDU>
- Date: Tue, 8 Apr 1997 09:49:17 +0100
Pitino asserts: I'm staying at Kentucky
By Nick Cafardo, Globe Staff, 04/08/97
Rick Pitino was in Boston yesterday peddling his new
book, "Success is
a Choice." Apparently, though, the Celtics won't be his
choice.
Pitino, on a visit to WBZ Radio's studios, said he is
100 percent certain
he'll return to coach Kentucky for his ninth season and
promised he
wouldn't do what former Notre Dame football coach Lou
Holtz and
former University of Massachusetts basketball coach
John Calipari did -
say one thing and do the opposite.
``I can honestly say I will be back at Kentucky,'' said
Pitino. ``I have
already told that to some of my recruits. I mean that.
That's an honest
answer.
``I have videos of Lou Holtz saying he will never leave
Notre Dame and
then the next thing you know he's announcing he's
stepping down. I
have a video of John Calipari saying he doesn't have
one ounce of
interest in pro basketball and the next thing he's in
New Jersey saying
this is what he always wanted to do. It makes them both
look like
pathological liars.
``I'm 100 percent sincere and honest when I say I
intend to be back in
Kentucky. I have not talked or negotiated with anyone
from the Boston
Celtics. I had a casual conversation with Larry Bird
and that was it.''
In contrast to comments he made over the weekend about
the Celtics'
organization being in disarray, Pitino actually had
good things to say
about team owner Paul Gaston yesterday.
``I've researched this,'' said Pitino. ``Paul Gaston,
as an owner, he's a
pretty good owner to have. When you research it, he's
my type of
owner: a guy who leaves you alone and lets you do your
job. That
doesn't mean I'm going to take the job, but ... a guy
who concentrates on
business and lets you run the basketball end of things?
He's a darn good
owner. That's a strong owner the way I've researched it.''
Pitino said Gaston has not contacted him, but having
Larry Bird do the
talking was official enough for him.
``I spoke to Larry Bird for less than two minutes
twice,'' said Pitino. ``I
thought at the time that M.L. [Carr], Paul Gaston,
everybody is in on the
phone call because they're all part of the Celtics'
team. But to this day I
do not know who's involved and who's not involved.''
Pitino added, ``Larry basically said he's tired of
what's going on. He's
being paid in his role and he was asked by Paul Gaston
to make the
phone call to see if I'd be interested in the Celtics'
job. Did Larry call
other people? I don't know.
``All I told him was that right now I'm just focused on
trying to win
another championship and you can call back again to see
if I can give
you an honest answer. The reason I didn't say no right
away - to be
perfectly honest - was because this is the Boston
Celtics. This is the
most revered sports franchise in all of sports.
``I spent nine years of my adult life here. I take off
on a Friday in the
spring from Kentucky and walk the streets of Newbury
Street and
Faneuil Hall with my friends and go back on a Sunday.
I've done that 15
times. I have a son at Milton Academy. So I said, `Let
me think about
it.'''
Pitino said he did not meet with Bird at the NCAA Final
Four in
Indianapolis.
``He called me again,'' said Pitino, ``and I said,
`Larry, I don't know. I
don't know enough about Boston and the Boston
organization. You have
a coach, and how much does M.L. know? And I don't know
that much
about the owner.' I said, `Larry, I'm really happy
where I'm at right
now.'
``At 34, I might have jumped. At 44, after coaching 21
years, you find
that after coaching eight years and having close
relationships with
players, fans, and the AD, it's tough to say goodbye.
I've been on a
tremendous guilt trip leaving Providence College. I
felt I let people down
because I changed my mind and left. To this day, I feel
bad about it. I
miss those two years.''
Still, he would return to the NBA to coach the Celtics
under certain
circumstances.
``I live in the precious present, but if Camelot ended
for me, and
Kentucky is going in a different direction and I wanted
to coach pro ball
again, I would hope to have a chance to come back to
New England and
the Celtics,'' he said. ``It's a storied franchise. But
I know that's not going
to happen today because I can't say goodbye to Kentucky.''
Pitino said he didn't mean for any of his comments to
be taken as
disparaging toward Carr.
``I didn't mean it in a disparaging tone,'' he said.
``I don't think you can
be a general manager and coach and I don't think you
can just step into
coaching. It's taken me 21 years and I'm still
learning. It takes years to
motivate athletes, break down film, talk over strategy,
X's and O's. Have
you ever seen a football executive who's never coached
step down to
become the head coach? You never see it in hockey or
baseball.''
Pitino said, in his mind, the story is over.
``As far as I'm concerned, I'm staying at Kentucky,''
he said. ``I'm
flattered my name came up. It's flattering to get a
call from Larry Bird,
and whoever gets this job is going to be OK because
they've had their
worst moment and now they're getting draft picks and if
you show
patience and put an organization together, they'll be
OK.''
It just won't be without the popular choice - Rick
Pitino, who doesn't
want to be remembered as Lou Holtz or John Calipari.
tjoyce@mit.edu