Rick Pitino May Have Received Some Good Advice

In a bizarre story coming out of Louisville over the weekend, it appears Rick Pitino is being extorted. Well, someone is attempting to extort the UofL men's head basketball coach. I'm not sure if he actually has to pay out the money from the threat to have been extorted. Anyway, attempting to extort is just as illegal as extorting. Pitino released the following statement yesterday:

“My family and I were recently threatened as part of a criminal scheme to extort money. Upon receiving these threats, we reported this extortion attempt to the FBI. While I did not want to make this matter public, I recently learned that the individual behind this extortion attempt has already gone to the media with false, defamatory and outrageous allegations in an attempt to pressure me to cave in to this scheme. I want to make it clear that I intend to vigorously defend my reputation and the character of my family against any criminal scheme to extort money. I am hopeful that the media and public will recognize the slanderous nature of this direct and malicious attack. My family and I appreciate the support we have received from Tom Jurich, Dr. James Ramsey, and the entire Louisville family. Because this is a federal criminal investigation, I cannot comment further at this time. Any inquiries should be directed to my attorney, Steve Pence.”

However, prior to this statement, no news outlets had reported on any defamatory or outrageous allegations concerning Pitino. More information rolled in yesterday and it appears the culprit behind the scheme is this woman:

(scary)

So, based on Pitino's released statement this woman is alleging Pitino had an affair with her at best, and who knows at worst. One would assume she told Pitino she would be airing whatever it is to the public unless Pitino paid her a certain amount of money. Pitino refused to pay (bad move, unless really untrue) and decided to issue a preemptive strike by releasing a statement.

The really wierd part of the story is that this women is the former wife of UofL's current equipment manager and Pitino's former personal assistant when he was with the Boston Celtics. One would also assume Pitino had spent quite a bit of time with his friend's wife at social gatherings, dinners, etc. It all makes for quite a weird story that should develop over the next few days.

Pitino's statement publicizes this women as a criminal so any statement she gives concerning the allegations against Pitino are received under that cloud. It seems like a pretty smart move at this point. The only way I see it as being a mistake was if this women was bluffing, and hadn't gone public with her story. Pitino maybe knows her better than most, and likely realized she was certifiably crazy.

Regardless of whether her story is true or false, Pitino has shown she is a criminal, a crazy criminal. And with the way Pitino is deified in Louisville, this woman's story will be hard for locals to believe.

Despite the outcome of this it serves as an important lesson to the youth: Never promise crazy a baby. Don't do it.

EDIT UPDATE: The lawyer of the woman being investigated by the FBI for attempts to extort Pitino has released a statement that all but admits guilt on the part of his client. He says:

“There is a federal investigation going on, and there may be criminal charges placed against her as a result of what coach Pitino has brought to the attention of the FBI,” Clay said. “. . . There are no counter allegations, and as far as I am concerned this criminal investigation is going to proceed to a logical conclusion and I hope that we can put this matter behind us as quickly as possible.”

I told you Pitino was deified in that town. I'm not a lawyer yet, and by no means feel as if I have the intelligence to give others advice, but here is what I say if somehow reached (which would have been hard to do in the first place): No comment at this time. That doesn't seem to hard.

It appears the advice Pitino received to release a preemptive statement is more than paying off.

March Madness: Elite Eight

To all the readers out there (I believe your name is Chris from Duke) who were upset by my failure to predict the Elite Eight games, I apologize.

If it makes you feel any better, you didn't miss anything, as I would have gone 1-3 for the weekend. I had UNC over Oklahoma but also believed Louisville would top Michigan State, Pitt would top Villanova, and, in an upset, Mizzou would top UConn. If you're keeping tabs at home that puts me at 46-14 for the tourney (when you factor in my 4-0 record for the second day of the Sweet 16).

Despite my poor showing, I really wasn't that surprised by the outcomes. However, Louisville really disappointed against the Spartans. Coming in as the number one overall number one seed, the Cards lucked into the easiest road to the Elite Eight. After playing a near-perfect game against Arizona in the Sweet 16, the Cards ran into a focused Michigan State squad that outplayed and outworked the favorites. Unfortunately for Cards' fans, this was without a doubt Louisville's best chance to win a championship during the Rick Pitino era. While a return to the Sweet 16 is a definite possibility for UofL next season, it does not appear that they will be quite so formidable.

That being said, I'll be back next week with Final Four picks.

The Married Guy's Friday Night Post

Alright, my darlings, I think it's time that I contribute something more than rugged handsomeness to this fine blog, and I put my trip to Home Depot on hold so my Friday evening schedule opened up.

Rick “Hyperbole” Pitino was back to his old tricks, claiming that UofL is capable of winning without T-Will or Earl Clark, but has to have Andre McGee. That's what Pitino said after his Cards got more of a test than they expected from Morehead State. Personally, I think this is just Pitino trying to validate when he described Andre McGee as a better shooting Brevin Knight after McGee signed with UofL. He also described Terrence Williams (it was before he changed his name to T-Will) as a more athletic Dominique Wilkins (D-Wilk?). I kid because I care, Rick, and I am not going to question any tactic Pitino uses in March. The Cards look tough, and I don't think anyone in their region can match their talent and athleticism.

Are dark green jerseys reserved exclusively for mid-majors? North Dakota State, Siena, Cleveland State, Portland State, and Binghamtom are all rocking road green unis for the tourney. And don’t try to church up the Big Ten and say Michigan State wears green. There has only been one NCAA champion from the Big Ten since the 1989, which means that most of the players in this tournament have only been alive to see one Big Ten team win the tourney (Michigan State in 2000). Ergo, the Big Ten equals mid-major for purposes of this post.

In regards to Big Ten futility, the Western Kentucky win over Illinois was the most predictable upset in the history of 5-12 matchups. The Hilltoppers’ victory proved once again that teams that score only 33 points in a game during the regular season never cause any trouble in March.

I’m just really excited that there is a Taco Bell arena. I can just imagine Portland State coach Ken Bone (the one who looks like an older version of Kenneth from 30 Rock), really firing his team up before taking the court. “Come on guys! It’s the NCAA Tournament! We’ve worked all season, and now here we are…Taco Bell Arena!!”

Kansas’s Rock-Chalk chant (incantation?) is the gold standard for creepy school chants. I can’t imagine how much of a lead they have on the runner-up in that category, but the Jayhawks can sleep easy knowing they’ll at least be able to defend that title. That commercial with the Kansas students scares me way more than the “Haunting in Connecticut” one. Speaking of commercials, it just doesn’t feel like March Madness without a good Nash Bridges promo.

USC played great in the second half against Boston College. Taj Gibson was the headliner , with 24 points on 10-10 shooting, but DeMar DeRozan and his four capital letters contributed a solid 18 and 9. DeRozan didn’t live up to his high billing for much of the regular season, but came alive in the Pac-10 tourney. Every year I like to look for the Antonio McDyess of the tourney…the guy who can put together two or three amazing performances, and skyrocket his draft stock. DeRozan may be the torch bearer this season. If so, Michigan State (or Robert Morris) may have its (or his) hands full on Sunday.

I should probably liven up this post with a couple of pictures, but I think Coach K would prefer that all of us spend a little bit of time reflecting on the economy.

Top Coaches

These college basketball coaches have done a good to exceptional job this year. They are in order, beginning with who I feel has done the best job.

Deserving of "Every Damn Penny!"
Bill Self - Self has done a remarkable job with his Kansas squad this year. Until last year, many of his Kansas teams were noted for their underachievments. However, after losing Kahn, Robinson, Chalmers, Rush, Arthur, and Jackson after their National Championship season, this year's Jayhawks are right back in the hunt for a number one seed and playing their best basketball of the season heading into the postseason. They lost roughly 85 percent of their scoring from last year, and 87 percent of their rebounding. Self's work this year may be his most impressive coaching effort. His name should be in the top 3 considered for National Coach of the Year.

Jeff Capel - The Sooners are one of the more fun teams to watch in all of college basketball. They have the Player of the Year, potential Freshman of the Year and Coach of the Year. The emergence of Juan Patillo has given Capel an incredibly athletic team. Oklahoma recently dropped two without their star big man, Blake Griffin, but this will be a very dangerous team as either a one or two seed. Capel should be applauded for his development of Willie Warren, a guy I didn't think was much more than an athlete coming out of high school.

Trent Johnson - Besides an unexplainable loss at Utah, LSU's season has been quite remarkable. Johnson inherited a team of misfits, egos, and underachievers, saddled with the early departure of Anthony Randolph. He has turned them into a great defensive team with an excellent scoring tandem of Mitchell and Thornton (not the balding one). He's recruited a freshman named Storm Warren, and if that's any indication, Johnson and the hotbed of Louisiana recruits will maintain a hold of power in the SEC West.

Mike Anderson - Mizzou's 40 minutes of hell is wreaking havoc in the Big 12. Anderson has brought national attention to the program again, but this time it's not for vioalations by a smirking ex-Dukie. Did anyone realize Snyder coached Missouri until 2006? I thought he was out of there by at least 2004. Anyway, Mike Anderson brought in five freshman and two transfers this year to bring up the talent level and it appears everyone is fitting in nicely. They are a fun team to watch.

Dino Guadio - Though their conference play has been less than steller, with losses to Georgia Tech and NC State, they also have huge wins over UNC, Duke, Clemson, and Florida State. Many people forget Wake is a young team, maybe explaining their inconsistent play, with most of their production coming from sophomores and freshman. Jeff Teague is an all-world point guard and Aminu has developed into a sensational freshman. With such a young team, Guadio has done an outstanding job to put the Deacons in a position to gain a 2 or 3 seed.

Rick Pitino - Louisville finally looks like a team deserving of a preseason top five ranking. Pitino deserves the credit for this Louisville team's reemergance towards the latter part of this year. He has Preston Knowles and Andre McGee playing much better basketball, Terrence Williams has developed into a (would have won a lot of bets) complete player, and Terrence Jennings is providing defensive and, now offensive, energy from the bench. This Louisville team didn't start as a top five team, but they do look like one now. Surprisingly (to almost everyone who has watched Louisville the past three years), Williams is the heart, soul, and talent of this team. Without him, I sincerely doubt whether Louisville would be a ranked team at this point in the season.

Lorenzo Romar - Washington got off to a rough start, but Romar finally has the Huskies atop the Pac 10 standings. Winning against Washington State would clinch the Pac for the first time in Romar's seven year career. Washington has three guys averaging over 15 points a game, and a stud point guard in Isaiah Thomas. They are bringing in Abdul Gaddy, a top ranked high school guard, next year.

Deserving of Most of their Contract
Tom Izzo - Izzo fo Shizzo has developed a deep team in East Lansing. Kalin Lucas is the engine of this big slow PT Cruiser, but it has a lot of parts - parts that work well together. They play defense, rebound, and slow down every team they face (not a tall task in the Big 1o, but still). They force teams to play at their pace, but Lucas will burn the defense for easy baskets throughout the game. They are an extremely tough team, always seeming to make plays when they are needed. Typical of an Izzo team, the Spartans are poised to make some noise in March.

Roy Williams - Maybe a bit surprising to see Roy Williams and the second-ranked Tar Heels in the middle tier, but with the talent passing through Chapel Hill this year, it has not been one of Good Ole Roy's finest coaching jobs. They have one of the top point guards, top power forwards, and top shooting guards in the nation, but the Tar Heels sporadically commit themselves to defense. This might just be the new trend at UNC and Roy may have to practically go undefeated to be recognized as Coach of the Year.

Mike Krzyzewski - Outside of dropping 4 of 7 during conference play, it's been a remarkable season for the Blue Devils. They had their flopping asses handed to them by North Carolina and Boston College, but rebounded well with four straight wins. It's a typical Duke team, but with excellent floor spacing (Or so I hear). Their travels are receiving some hype on youtube, and if you are a believer of good, I assume you are hoping for one to cost them the game against their first round matchup in the tournament. Despite all of that, Coach K has done a good job with these . . . uh . . . guys. Gerald Henderson has finally lived up to his billing coming out of high school and Jon Scheyer shoots the ball . . . uh . . . I can't do it. Duke's the worst, I hate them.

Bruce Weber - Although Illinois lost a game to Penn State earlier this year 38-33, Weber deserves a lot of credit for where the Fighting Illini are at this point in the season. Although, if playing in any other conference, even the SEC, I don't think this Illini team is .500 in conference play. They fit in well with the other Big 10 teams, and Weber has really overacheived with this group of guys. Prior to this year, I couldn't have told you a player on their team besides Alex Legion.

Jay Wright - Wright may have been included in the top tier if not for his loss at Georgetown over the weekend. The Wildcats returned virtually the same team from last year, where they were a 12 seed that reached the Sweet Sixteen, losing to eventual champ Kansas. Wright dresses well, is married to a former cheerleader, and has hair I deeply envy. For that he gets a handshake, but he has also done an impressive job this year.

Ben Howland - UCLA has somewhat underperformed during their conference play, but with their last two games at home should finish the season at 24-7. I doubt many are expecting UCLA to make a fourth final four appearance in five years, but this team has some experienced talented players and could possibly win the PAC 10 regular season title.