Marc Cofman's Rick Pitino Article

[Way Of The Ray <wayray@ix.netcom.com>]

If there's no season, Pitino will concentrate on the draft...

                  Boston Herald
                 
                  Pitino plies his trade - for kids
                  by Mark Cofman

                  Monday, December 14, 1998

                  Rick Pitino and the Celtics coaching staff accomplished
                  something yesterday the NBA has been unable to do all
                  season.

                  They were actually on the basketball court to honor a
                  scheduled date.

                  The event was the sixth annual Red Auerbach Youth
                  Foundation High School Basketball Clinic at Brandeis.
                  Under normal circumstances, the clinic would have followed
                  a Celtics practice in preparation for a game tomorrow
                  night against the Charlotte Hornets. But with the NBA
                  lockout having erased the first six weeks of the schedule
                  and threatening to shut down the remainder of the season,
                  Pitino appeared more than happy to ply his trade for a
                  different audience.

                  ``I was actually looking forward to this because it gives
                  me a chance to deal with some basketball for a change,''
                  the Celtics coach and president said before instructing
                  more than 1,000 boys and girls from 41 high school teams
                  across the state.

                  ``We haven't been able to talk about basketball, and we
                  haven't really been able to do anything with it. So it's
                  fun to be able to get back and just talk about it a
                  little,'' he added.

                  Pitino, as part of team management, is prohibited from
                  discussing specifics of the lockout or negotiations under
                  guidelines set by NBA commissioner David Stern. But he
                  acknowledged the apparent apathy the general sports public
                  has displayed toward the absence of pro basketball this
                  season.

                  He, too, has seen fans fill the void by simply turning
                  their attention to other sports.

                  ``Everything the fans are doing is correct,'' said Pitino,
                  an avid baseball and football fan himself. ``Certainly I
                  think anytime you have a strike - or a lockout as such -
                  everybody's upset.

                  ``They're upset with the people picketing, the people
                  crossing the picket line. They're upset at the whole
                  situation. It's not pleasant. But once you get back to
                  work, and everything we hope is back to normal, I believe
                  basketball will flourish once again.''

                  Pitino stresses ``hope'' because he knows the negative
                  impact labor disputes can have on fan interest. He watched
                  as Major League Baseball struggled for a few years to
                  shake off the residual effects of the 1994 strike, which
                  forced cancellation of the final two months of the regular
                  season and postseason.

                  Pitino is also realistic enough to know the NBA has
                  reached the danger zone. Soon the league will have no
                  recourse but to scrap its entire season. Negotiations
                  between the players' union and owners broke down after
                  just 30 minutes Saturday, with no talks scheduled this
                  week.

                  ``I've been doing a little bit of everything these days,''
                  said Pitino, spending considerable time with his staff
                  discussing potential trades, available free agents and a
                  course of action if and when the lockout ends. ``I've been
                  spending more time with my family. I'm writing a book
                  right now. I've been doing a lot of reading. But mostly,
                  I've been watching college basketball.

                  ``If there's no season, then obviously the college draft
                  still has to be addressed. We've got to make sure we've
                  seen every player play.''

                  That shouldn't be a problem if the NBA shuts down its
                  season. There will be plenty of free time available for
                  Pitino and general manager Chris Wallace to scout the
                  nation's collegiate talent. Wallace was also in attendance
                  at yesterday's clinic, as were ex-Celtic great Jo Jo White
                  and WNBA stars Nykesha Sales and Cindy Blodgett.