RP show

[Alex Wang <awang@mit.edu>]

My impressions from the Rick Pitino show this weekend:

Rick had a discussion forum with Mercer, McCarty, Walker, and Bowen.
He asked if they thought of themselves as role models or entertainers.
Mercer said entertainer because the kids don't know the athletes well
enough to be role models, and that their role models should be their 
parents or people they know. McCarty and Walker said role model, and 
Bowen said both.

Pitino then asked how they keep themselves motivated after making it
to the NBA and getting the money. Mercer said that he has plans beyond
basketball which excelling in basketball would help achieve. McCarty
said something similar. Walker said that he was motivated by wanting
to win a championship and being one of the top players in the game.
Bowen was motivated by the desire to become the best player he can and
improve all aspects of his game. 

Pitino asked about alcohol use and the only person who drank (occasionally)
was Mercer. Finally they all said that their own role models were their
parents.

Afterwards, Pitino also gave his impression of the NCAA tournament. He
picked five teams that could win it: Kansas, Arizona, Duke, North Carolina, 
Kentucky. He favored Kansas and mentioned, "Have you ever seen a team that
had the top two picks in the NBA draft, as Kansas may have with LaFrentz
and Pierce?" although he mentioned that Jamison could be in there somewhere.

I remember that last year, Pitino was hoping for LaFrentz or Pierce to 
enter the draft early in order to take them at #3, so he must believe 
that they're comparable or superior talents to Mercer. 

Alex