Kentucky Basketball: Thank You, Rick Pitino

In case you missed it, after his University of Louisville Cardinals lost to the rival Kentucky Wildcats 75-73 on Saturday, December 26, head coach Rick Pitino made an obscene gesture at Wildcat fans as he left the court and was a no-show at the post game press conference. For a seasoned coach that makes upward of $6 million per year, it was yet another incident in a long line of incidents that have brought shame to himself, his program and the Cardinal fans. Fox Sports Aaron Torres went so far as to call Pitino the “least likable figure in college sports.” Other media folks didn’t go that far, but most were in agreement that Pitino’s conduct was unbecoming a man of his stature.

Two days after the Louisville/Kentucky game, Rick Pitino issued a statement that stated, in part, that the Kentucky game and playing in Rupp Arena is just too emotional for him to handle. And, is it often does, the Louisville media backed up Coach P by publishing a piece directed at the Big Blue Nation. Insider Louisville dot com decided that instead of taking Pitino to task for his boorish behavior, it was time to lecture Wildcat fans on what Pitino did while he was in Lexington.

Kentucky fans that are 30 and older remember the Sports Illustrated cover titled: Kentucky’s Shame. We know and it’s well documented the shape the program was in when Rick Pitino arrived on campus in 1989. In the shadow of the SMU football scandal, the Wildcats were looking at the NCAA death penalty. Clearly, this was the absolute lowest point in the program’s history. Rick Pitino was able to turn the Wildcat program around. The job he did taking a broken program and putting Kentucky back on top of college basketball is nothing short of a miracle. And the majority of the Big Blue Nation understands that.

Personally, I had no ill will when Rick Pitino left for the Boston Celtics in 1997. He had brought the program from the brink of death to the 1996 National Championship and the 1997 NCAA Runner-Up. He did amazing things for the Blue and White. For Pitino’s efforts, there’s a banner with his name on it hanging from the rafters of Rupp Arena. Between his personal banner and the team banners in Rupp, Pitino’s accomplishments are well documented and given their proper acknowledgement within the Big Blue Nation.

That being said: Rick Pitino now coaches at the University of Louisville, the most bitter of rivals of the University of Kentucky. He had to understand that when he took the job the fans in Blue that worshiped him for 7 seasons, would turn on him. This isn’t rocket science. While it’s fashionable to label the BBN as a bunch of crazed morons, a coach taking the job of his team’s most bitter rival is such a foreign notion that it’s hard to process. Bear Bryant at Auburn? Woody Hayes at Michigan? Coach K in the North Carolina baby blue? Let Nick Saban go to the NFL and then return to college to coach at Auburn. You think the Bama faithful would be welcoming?

Rick Pitino can coach wherever he wants. That’s his right. Kentucky fans can boo whomever they want. That’s their right. Rick Pitino’s behavior on Saturday was boorish and beneath him. He brought all the negative focus on himself. As far as the BBN, he’s an opposing coach. If the Louisville/Kentucky rivalry is too much for him to handle, perhaps it’s time to step down as the Cardinals head coach.

On behalf of the Big Blue Nation, we thank you for your service, Rick Pitino. You did amazing work in Lexington and returned the Wildcats to their former glory. As a thank you, you’ve got a banner in Rupp Arena. That’s it. You don’t get a pass on being a jackass.