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University of Louisville
EA SPORTS ALL-STARS
Pitino Makes Louisville Coaching Debut
November 01, 2001 | Men's Basketball
Oct 31, 2001
By CHRIS DUNCAN
AP Sports Writer
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Rick Pitino was finally back in his element Wednesday night at Freedom Hall.
He hollered, paced, yanked players out of the game for making mistakes and vigorously applauded when they did something right in Louisville's 81-63 exhibition victory over EA Sports.
Hired in March to replace Denny Crum, Pitino was coaching a college game for the first time since his Kentucky team lost to Arizona in the 1997 NCAA championship game.
"I felt great, because when you're as happy as I am working with these guys, you feel really good," said Pitino, 352-124 in 16 seasons as a college coach. "I'm excited about teaching them. It's great to have so many eyes wanting to learn with such a positive attitude.
"I'm really having fun."
Ellis Myles led the Cardinals with 15 points and 15 rebounds, Reece Gaines added 19 points and point guard Carlos Hurt had 11. Eric Holmes led EA Sports with 23.
Pitino jokingly asked two police escorts how to get to the Freedom Hall court as he left the locker room minutes before tipoff.
He was all business once the game started, settling into a baseball catcher's stance and barking instructions at a fast pace from the opening minute.
Pitino clapped enthusiastically and yelled, "Great!" when the Cardinals' full-court pressure yielded an early turnover by EA Sports, a team comprised of former college players.
He screamed at Erik Brown for passing on an open 3-point shot and Carlos Hurt and Luke Whitehead for not sprinting back on defense after missed shots. He pulled freshman Larry O'Bannon out of the game twice for defensive mistakes.
The Cardinals opened a double-digit lead in the first 15 minutes, using the same frenetic style Pitino used to restore Kentucky to a national power in the 1990s.
"The first 15 minutes was as good as it gets, watching guys pass the ball, watching guys run the break and not turn it over," Pitino said. "That was really fun to watch.
Louisville's swarming defensive traps generated 11 first-half turnovers. Louisville's 3-point shooting, another Pitino trademark, wasn't as good, as the Cardinals went 1-for-11 from 3-point range in the opening half. They finished 5-for-26.
"If they didn't take it, I'd be very upset with them," Pitino said. "The fact that they kept firing - they'll make it. We've become a very good shooting team. It's just, we were tired.
"The only time I'd be upset is if they'd stop shooting. The fact we were getting so many open 3s meant we were doing a good job of fatiguing our opponent."
EA Sports cut a 13-point halftime deficit to seven early in the second half. Pitino called a time out, and Louisville went on a 7-0 run to restore its double-digit lead.
The Cardinals built the lead to 16 and stayed comfortably ahead the rest of the way.
Pitino repeatedly chastised players for not getting back on defense. But he often applauded his team on offense, even when a player committed a turnover.
"All in all, for this early in the season, I'm very pleased," he said. "We just have to get used to playing fast."
The exhibition game drew a sellout crowd. An HBO camera crew also was in attendance, shooting footage of Pitino for the weekly cable show "Real Sports."
Louisville's first regular-season game is Nov. 18 against South Alabama.
Pitino said it was important for Louisville to win on Wednesday, after a 12-19 season in 2000-01.
"They're doing fine," Pitino said. "I can't be any more pleased. They can't give me any more. Now, they just have to learn certain offensive things and defensive things."
