From: jb118@prism.gatech.EDU (Jeffrey N. Burch)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.basketball.college
Subject: Pitino Interview on ESPN
Date: 6 Apr 92 14:30:48 GMT
Organization: Georgia Tech Research Institute -- EOL

In article <1992Apr6.023240.22919@bronze.ucs.indiana.edu> jheuring@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (Jonathan Paul Heuring) writes:
>
>Yet, the officials controlled the game too much.  Did anyone see the interview
>with Rick Pitino on ESPN Friday night?  He said the main difference he liked 
>between the NBA and the NCAA was that the officials didn't control the game in
>the NBA.  If a ref or team of refs is going to call a game closely, he should set that from the beginning of the game, just like a baseball ump sets his strike zone (had to get that in with tomorrows events).  Refs are also very 

Just as I was about ready to hit the sack, I flipped to see Pitino's 
interview with Dick Shaap (it was on ESPN at around midnight).  I missed 
~5 minutes of it, but it sounded like an interesting interview (Pitino usually 
interviews very well).  Rick mentioned, among other things, that it was his
plan to have one of Feldhaus or Pelphrey front Laettner, but he didn't say
why this didn't happen.  The answer might possibly be in what he mentioned
later, that he and his coaching staff were expecting the pass to be to 
Laettner, who would quickly pass the ball to a man on the wings who would
take the shot.  If you look at the videotape of that play, you'll notice
Pelphrey backing up and moving to the side as soon as Christian catches the
ball, to try to cover a wing shot.

Rick said he agreed with the ref's call on the Timberlake Tap, which gave
CL the technical but no more.   I believe he said something about making
a greater effort next year to stay within the coaches box, but I can't
be sure about this last (he may have said it in a radio post-game
interview after the Duke loss).  It was 12:30 AM or so when the program
concluded, and I wasn't at my sharpest.

When asked about Mashburn's turning pro, Rick said that, if after next
season Jamal would be one of the top 5 picks, he would have a long 
discussion with him about the pros and cons of coming out early.  If he
would be a lower pick than that, Rick would advise Jamal to stay. Rick
was extremely pleased that Shaq left so that the SEC teams wouldn't have
to face him any more.

One of the reasons he left the Knicks, he claimed, was that he was 
bothered by some of the negative press he received, particularly since
he knew his family and friends were reading it or hearing it in the news
media.  At Kentucky, most of the local press coverage never reaches NYC,
so it doesn't bother him as much.

Several other topics were discussed, but I can't remember the specifics...

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Newsgroups: rec.sport.basketball.college