Rick Pitino laments state of Louisville basketball after ousting: 'They torched the program'
Louisville basketball has enjoyed a certain aura of success since the Denny Crum years, but the Cardinals seem primed for another disappointing season in 2023-24.
Louisville has started this year 5-6 in its second year under Kenny Payne, the third Louisville coach since Rick Pitino was ousted in October 2017 — before the 2017-18 season started — amid a bribery scandal. David Padgett coached Louisville that year before Chris Mack coached for three-plus years. Mike Pegues ended the 2021-22 season as an interim, and Payne came in after.
Pitino is now in his first year coaching at St. John's after three seasons at Iona, where he led the Gaels to two NCAA Tournament appareances. He is off to a 7-3 start in 2023-24. The coach, who was exonerated of the claims that got him ousted by Louisville by the Independent Accountability Resolution Process (IARP) in 2022, also had his 2017 firing modified to a resignation in 2019. Pitino talked about the state of Louisville since his ouster in an interview with "The Messenger," lamenting the state of the program since his exit.
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Rick Pitino comments on Louisville basketball
“They torched the program,” Pitino said of Louisville's Board of Trustees, whom he claimed was packed with Kentucky fans who helped to hasten his leaving.
“I don’t revel in the demise of the program at all,” he said. “I love the people at Louisville, the fans there, the tradition. I want them to do well. I’ve tried to lose my bitterness about what happened. I was falsely accused, and I’ve moved on to greener pastures.”
Pitino, however, has no interest in returning to Louisville to try to right the ship.
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“I would never even answer the phone if they called,” he said. “I wish them well. I want them to do well down the road because of all the good memories I have, but for me, I’m either at St. John’s, or I’ll be retired.”
Clearly, the bridge between Pitino and Louisville is well and truly burned. The 71-year-old coach may not be retiring yet or even soon. But it doesn't look like a reunion is in the cards for Louisville and one of its most notorious coaches.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Rick Pitino laments Louisville basketball's struggles after ousting
