Here’s the deal with being a true New Yorker, in Rick Pitino’s case, a native New Yorker: Sometimes you’re going to tick off some people and other times you’re going to get ticked off.
The bad blood can last the few seconds it takes for a schoolyard scuffle to be resolved or it can last a lifetime.
Pitino has known both sides of that street and the yellow line. Sometimes he starts it, sometimes he ends it. Never does he run away from it.
Take yesterday at the New York Athletic Club where the Big East Conference held its media day. Pitino was asked about the impending loss of Syracuse to the ACC.
He said there would be no loss on the court because of the addition of Memphis and Temple but the league would feel the loss of Syracuse fans in attendance and excitement in the Garden.
“I want to see how many fans they bring to Tobacco Road,’’ said Pitino.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim was being apprised of Pitino’s remarks. Boeheim is an upstate New Yorker but all those nights playing in the Garden and days recruiting the city has made him a bit salty at times.
“Rick said all summer that if Louisville could have left [the Big East] they would have left,” Boeheim said. “Everybody knows it and I’m really tired of him saying what Syracuse should be or should have done because they would have left in a heartbeat. Everybody knows it.’’
Boeheim may or may not have made a reference to Pitino being full of feces. Pitino said, ‘We’re both full of it.’’
The two coaches’ teams just happen to have been voted by their fellow league colleagues to finish 1st (Louisville) and 2nd (Syracuse) in the preseason poll.
So now we have our story line for the season. Syracuse plays at Louisville on Jan. 19. Louisville plays at Syracuse on March 3, in a game that could decide the regular-season title.
Remembering that Boeheim hired Pitino when he got the Syracuse job back in 1969, leaves us to believe this disagreement won’t linger.
But you never know with Pitino. If he’s not starting it, he’s finishing it, or in the middle of it.
Yesterday he was starting it, which tells you just how much Pitino likes this Louisville team. It goes 10 deep and has three starters return from last year’s Big East Conference Tournament champs and Final Four team.
When asked about the loss of UConn coach Jim Calhoun to retirement, Pitino recounted those halcyon days when he was the coach at Boston University and Calhoun was at Northeastern.
Should the two happen to pass each other on their daily runs along the Charles River they never acknowledged each other. Not a nod or a wave, nothing.
But yesterday Pitino said how fond he had become of Calhoun and how much he admired how hard he got the Huskies to play. So what advice could Pitino offer Kevin Ollie, the new UConn coach?
“All you need to do is be nice to the media,’’ said Pitino, “and you already bypassed Jim Calhoun.’’
When asked about the loss of Notre Dame, Pitino said, “I never considered Notre Dame as being in the Big East.’’
Last, but not least, Kentucky and his ‘friend’ John Calipari.
“John is a marketing genius, he really is,’’ said Pitino. “He wants to Tweet. He wants to do this. He wants to do that. He’s way ahead of the curve. He’s going to put a practice on his computer so his fans can see. It’s just not my makeup.
“I don’t want to give my time up to Tweet. I want to enjoy life.’’
So is Cal not enjoying life?
“I take my hat off to him,’’ said Pitino.
He wasn’t wearing a hat.
He then pointed out how he enjoys the relationships he builds with his players over their three- and four-year careers.
“There’s more to a program than just what you put on the court,’’ he said.
Somewhere in Lexington John Calipari, king of the one and done, was chewing on a towel.
“All I want to do is have some fun and wake up the next day,’’ said Pitino.
You never know what trouble you’ll find.