Monday, July 09, 2001
Pitino returns to college recruiting scene
The Associated Press
INDIANAPOLIS — Louisville coach Rick Pitino didn't wear the typical attire to the Nike All-America Camp Sunday afternoon.
He walked into the gym with no clothes bearing his team colors — red, white and black — and no school name emblazoned across his chest. He let his assistant coaches worry about that.
For Pitino, the official opening of the summer recruiting period was something else — an opportunity to reacquaint himself with the college recruiting process.
“I haven't been to one of these for four or five years,” said Pitino, who accepted the Louisville job last spring. “The recruiting periods are so much shorter now than when I first coached that I really enjoy it. It used to be that these things went on 12 months a year.”
That's hardly the case these days, when the NCAA is trying to cut back on summer recruiting, and during a period in which Pitino needs more time on the road to rebuild the Cardinals program.
Finding players, however, is not as easy as it once seemed even for Pitino, a remarkably good recruiter who won a national championship at Kentucky.
Since last visiting a venue that showcased high-school players, the fashionable talk has been about leaving college early or jumping straight from high school to the NBA.
There are other changes, too.
“Guys don't shoot it as well as they used to,” Pitino said after spending the better part of three hours watching about 190 players on display for a couple hundred college coaches. “Everybody says defense is a lost art or that passing is a lost art, but shooting is a lost art, too.”
That's something Pitino doesn't understand.
“You'd think shooting would get better over time,” he said. “Especially with the 3-point shot, but it hasn't.”
What's taken precedence instead are college coaches trying to sell teenagers on the importance of coming to their schools for an education.
Pitino's pitch is a little different; he wants them to help him rebuild the Louisville program, and Pitino seems well on his way.
Many of the best players in Indianapolis now mention Louisville among their top choices.
Meanwhile, Pitino tries to avoid discussion of talk du jour — whether players are ready for the NBA.
“They're more agile,” Pitino said. “But I think they're in more of a rush. I always tell kids, 'It's OK to plan for the future. But it's good to play in what I call the precious present.”'
Pitino didn't just spend the day watching prospects, he also was busy greeting old friends from the coaching fraternity.
“Everybody says 'Hi, it's great to have you back,”' Pitino said, chuckling. “Until we start playing, and then they want to beat my ass.”
If Pitino is to prevent that, he knows he has work to do — hard work that began Sunday.
“We're really down,” he said. “We're about two recruiting classes from being competitive. Two classes in a row. We have a good class coming in, and we need another right behind it. But it is good to be back.”
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