NCAA Basketball FanHouse

Pitino Preaches 'Blinders' at Big East Media Day

Brett McMurphy — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 16:16:00 EST

NEW YORK -- Despite recent revelations that Rick Pitino had an extramarital affair and then an alleged $10 million extortion attempt against him, the Louisville coach said those concerns have not been an issue with recruits.

"What you failed to realize in recruiting, it hasn't come up one time in one phone call," Pitino said. "Because you're [media] interested in it, because it's your job ... [but] the players and the recruits are not interested.

"All they're interested in are their futures, making their lives better for their families some day, becoming the best player they possibly can be and winning games. And that's really what they're tuned into."

Pitino was at Madison Square Garden Wednesday as part of the Big East's men's basketball media days. It was the first time Pitino had been in the World's Most Famous Arena since March 14, when he cut down the nets after his Cardinals won the Big East Tournament title.

The atmosphere was certainly different Wednesday. Surrounded by dozens of reporters, the 57-year old Pitino was decked out in a dark pin-striped suit with a handkerchief tucked into the left breast pocket. He sat at a table taking questions about the past incidents, but did not address any specifics of the events that thrust him into the headlines, saying he wanted to "focus on basketball."

In August, Pitino, who is married, admitted to what he called an "indiscretion" with Karen Sypher at a Louisville restaurant in 2003. Sypher later told Pitino she was pregnant and he gave her $3,000 so Sypher could pay for medical insurance and not an abortion as Sypher claimed.

Sypher also has been accused of trying to extort up to $10 million dollars from Pitino, but countered that he sexually assaulted her. Sypher has pleaded not guilty to federal charges of extortion and lying to the FBI.

When asked about the difficulties of dealing with the recent events the past few months, Pitino said: "I really just want to focus on basketball."

"The best thing for me is to put it behind me," he said. "You all have had difficult times in your life that you had to get through. I've gotten through it. I'm no different than any of you. We'll get through it, no problems.

"I don't want to tell you about my difficulties because -- you guys look in the mirror and ladies look in the mirror, you have difficult times in your life -- so I'm no different than you."

Pitino said he wasn't nervous about facing the media on Wednesday.

"You have a job to do," Pitino said. "You all misread my press conference, that's the only mistake you made. I wasn't chastising you all in the slightest way. I had had enough. My family had enough.

"I needed to step up for my family and for myself, get something off my chest and get you to understand certain facets."

Pitino promised there would not be any more distractions concerning these events.

"There will be no more distractions," he said. "I owe it to my team. There may be for a few hours one day a personal distraction on my part [may occur], but there won't be any team distractions."

Louisville senior guard Edgar Sosa said when news of Pitino's affair and then the extortion attempt went public, he was bombarded with questions from friends and fans.

"Questions that you basically couldn't answer," Sosa said. "A lot [of the time] being stopped in the mall and also people calling you, trying to get information out of you. It was kind of difficult telling people I don't know what's going on, you need to ask someone else."

Sosa said Pitino has never held a team meeting to address the team about the incidents, but made it clear he would remain their coach.

"He made it known to all of us he's gonna be here, he's going to be our coach, our mentor and lead us, like he does every year," Sosa said.

Pitino also had to deal with another off-the-court distraction when Terrence Jennings and Jerry Smith were arrested Oct. 11 and then pleaded guilty to resisting arrest outside a party at a southern Indiana restaurant.

Pitino said the players would not be suspended any games and added his punishment is much worse than missing games.

"If you knew exactly what happened, I had 50 worse things happen [while coaching] at Providence, 100 things worse happen [while coaching] at Kentucky. I know what happened was an unfortunate situation. The young men learned from it. Thankfully no one got hurt. The young men knew where they made their mistake.

"They were disciplined, like I discipline all my players. I can assure some people, the first question is: are they going be suspended? These players - compared to what I put them through - much rather would be suspended. Much rather [than] the hell that they pay."

Pitino would not disclose details of the punishment.

"There will be no more distractions. I owe it to my team. There may be for a few hours one day a personal distraction on my part [may occur], but there won't be any team distractions."
- Rick Pitino "It's between me and them," Pitino said. "It's always been that way."

Unfortunately for Pitino, the details of his relationship with Sypher went very public. Pitino used a horse racing analogy in dealing with the distractions.

Pitino, who owns thoroughbreds, said he had previously spoken with Hall of Fame jockey Nick Zito a long time ago about why horses wore blinders and asked how it makes them run faster.

He was told "it helps them to just concentrate on the lane they're running in, the path they're following because horses always get distracted and want to look around," Pitino said. "They look around during the race? I couldn't fathom that.

"In this sport [basketball], many times when people have great success, they get distracted. Many times when they face adversity, they get distracted. It affects you both ways. That's what I was alluding to [in an earlier interview] with putting blinders on -- you have to follow your path and stay focused on where you're trying to get with your team."

The Cardinals, who have reached the Elite Eight the past two seasons, were picked to finish fourth in the Big East by the league's coaches.

"All of us have to focus on what's going to make them what they were last year and the year before," said Pitino, who has made five Final Four appearances, including winning the 1996 national title at Kentucky. "We have a lot to replace.

"I can tell you this is the best attitude I've coached at Louisville. I don't know if it's best team yet. That makes it fun for all of us."

Sosa said his coach hasn't changed in the past few months.

"New York people are tough," Sosa said. "Coach P's going to be fine. He's normal as ever. It has not [affected] what we're tying to accomplish.

"Coach P is still the same person and he will lead us like he does every year."

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Pitino Preaches 'Blinders' at Big East Media Day originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 16:16:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Full-Court Press Awaits Pitino at MSG

David Steele — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 18:45:00 EST

Filed under: Louisville

Rick Pitino's appearance at New York's Madison Square Garden Wednesday will surely be less pleasant than his previous one, when his Louisville team won the Big East tournament championship last March.

In the arena, at the conference's preseason basketball media day, Pitino will almost certainly face another volley of questions about his troubled offseason, this time specifically about his decision not to suspend two starters who tussled with off-duty police at an off-campus party two weekends ago.

In an interview with ESPN.com published four days after the Oct. 11 arrest of Terrence Jennings and Jerry Smith in Jeffersonville, Ind., Pitino said that the two players would be punished internally, "but no, they will not miss any game time.'' His action, or lack thereof, raised questions about whether he still could wield the authority to discipline players, after he was not disciplined at all by the university after his August acknowledgment of a past extramarital affair and its role in a sordid extortion investigation of the ex-wife of one of his staffers.

With both players accepting a plea bargain on Monday in return for probation and community service, the doubts were raised again.

"He has not made any changes in his original decision to deal with the players internally,'' school spokesman Kenny Klein said Tuesday. Klein added that Pitino made his decision after speaking "extensively'' to Jennings and Smith and other witnesses that night and felt he did not need to wait until it went through the court system.

"Coach Pitino has a long history of being a strict disciplinarian with his players,'' Klein said, adding that while the coach likely discussed the punishment with athletic director Tom Jurich, all coaches at Louisville were generally given the discretion to set their own standards for punishment.

Jennings, a sophomore center, and Smith, a senior guard, pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count each of resisting law enforcement, and were each sentenced to one year of probation, 40 hours of community service and a fine of $504 to cover court costs. Prosecutors chose not to follow the arresting officers' recommendation of stiffer charges; the police report stated that Jennings had to be Tasered twice, and that Smith shoved an officer while trying to come to Jennings' aid. Both players apologized to the court at the sentencing.

It was a first offense for both players, and in Pitino's eight seasons as Louisville coach, there is no record of his players' arrests or other entanglements with police. Pitino, however, has suspended players, most recently former center Derrick Caracter, who was sat down at least three different times for multiple games during his two seasons at Louisville before he transferred to Texas-El Paso after the 2007-08 season.

Those suspensions were for numerous team-rules violations, including missed curfews.

Pitino last appeared before a large media gathering Aug. 26, at an impromptu press conference on campus in which he scolded the media for its coverage of him and the scandal, but took no questions. At the program's annual tip-off luncheon in Louisville two weeks ago, Pitino spoke before a crowd of supporters and made reference to the controversy only by mentioning a "negative environment'' he wanted them to ignore.

The irony of two players critical to Louisville's success this season landing in jail just months after Pitino's summer in the spotlight, has not been lost on observers around the sport and around the state of Kentucky; they have filled up message boards and comment sections demanding that the school hold Pitino accountable for the negative light his case had cast on it.

Back in August, after the revelations by Pitino and the accusations of Karen Sypher, Jurich, the athletic director, said in a statement, "I'm a million percent behind him ... I expect Coach Pitino to be the head coach at the University of Louisville for a long time.'' School president Dr. James Ramsey said in his own statement that the incidents "saddened and disappointed me,'' but commended the coach for admitting them.

Amidst an outcry by Pitino supporters and critics, Jurich and Ramsey chose not to punish Pitino in any way.

Louisville's season opener is Nov. 17 in a nationally-televised doubleheader in St. Louis, against Arkansas. (The other game pits Memphis against Kansas.) One of Pitino's former players at Kentucky, John Pelphrey, coaches Arkansas, and last month Pelphrey issued a suspension of undetermined length to one of three players who were questioned, but not charged, in a reported sexual assault in August. Pelphrey justified the action, which included other unspecified punishments to the other players, by saying, "Although the student-athletes involved have been cleared of any criminal wrongdoing, we expect Razorback student-athletes to adhere to a higher standard and code of conduct.''

Full-Court Press Awaits Pitino at MSG originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 18:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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At Louisville, None Major in Accountability

David Steele — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 19:50:00 EST

Filed under: Louisville

Raise your hand if you didn't see this coming a mile away.

Back in August, during the toxic dump of details of Rick Pitino's role in an extortion case that dragged the reputations of the coach, the University of Louisville and the basketball program through the mud, one obvious question that arose was whether Pitino's authority as head coach was undermined forever. After all, how can any coach who exercises that little self-discipline ever expect, much less demand, discipline from his players?

He can't. And this week, the red-and-black chickens have come home to roost.

Two Louisville players, Terrence Jennings and Jerry Smith, were arrested last weekend after a conflict with police officers at a party in nearby Jeffersonville, Ind.; both will be charged with resisting law enforcement, according to published reports. Jennings ended up being Tasered and Smith handcuffed when he came to help.

Pitino said that neither will miss a game "They will be punished, and are being punished right now,'' he told ESPN.com. The punishment is coming before practice even officially begins Friday. Again, it will not involve any missed games, or even parts of games, he said.

Big surprise.

Remember, the school didn't even feel a need to slap Pitino's wrist, after the seemingly endless reports of late-night extramarital trysts atop a restaurant table, of payoffs and abortions and bizarre employee-marriage triangles. The athletic director, Tom Jurich, said after the allegations became public -- and after Pitino admitted, in his own defense, that he had consensual sex with his accuser -- that he stands "a million percent behind him.'' School president Dr. James Ramsey went only far enough to say he was "saddened and disappointed,'' praising Pitino for setting a positive example for the students by admitting his mistake (once the feds showed up to ask him about it, naturally).

Jennings and Smith had better hope that Jurich and Ramsey are "a million percent'' behind them if the publicity surrounding their arrest ever goes negative. Granted, they remain only charges now, not convictions, but Jennings did apologize publicly, and the players are undergoing the unspecified punishment. Which one can assume is harsher than the complete lack of punishment Pitino received.

Of course, they have little reason to think university officials won't have their backs. If the public face of the program and one of the significant figures in not just the sport currently, but in its history, can walk on what he did without as much as a cross word from his bosses, there's no reason whatsoever for either player to fear any serious repercussions for their actions.

For a man, Pitino, praised so effusively by his own superiors for teaching life lessons from his nationwide humiliation, he can't possibly believe that his players aren't reading that lesson this way: Do well on the court, and all will be forgiven.

He had to know that his turn was coming. After showing the type of utter lack of self-control that's more associated with college underclassmen -- especially entitled-athlete underclassmen -- he was going to face
disciplining his own, and send a message that what they did was unacceptable and was not to be condoned, much less applauded as a fine example of being a role model.

When it happened, Pitino didn't do it, at least not in any noticeable way. Or is it that he couldn't? He likely is the only one who can answer that. Everyone else has to guess, based on what he's already gotten away with himself.

Nobody has to guess this, though: Pitino is now reaping what he had sown. What's gone around has come around. And if this is the only time it happens from now on, he'll be even luckier than he was this past summer.

At Louisville, None Major in Accountability originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 19:50:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rick Pitino Makes a Fool of Himself

Greg Couch — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 23:50:00 EST

Filed under: Louisville, Coaches

Rick Pitino is unraveling.

That's my interpretation of his press conference Wednesday, called so that the Louisville basketball coach could, well, who knows? It sounded like a man who has been under a lot of self-inflicted stress, who wanted to find someone else to blame and wanted someone to feel sorry for him.

This was sad, desperate and pathetic.

More Coverage: Jay Mariotti on Bluegrass Stain | Pitino Blasts Media

"I told you last time that I wasn't going to say anything until the trial," he said. "But I think it's really necessary that I do now because I'm a little upset. This is a day I went home to comfort my wife who, obviously, as you would imagine the last seven months would be having a very difficult time, as her husband was blackmailed through the NCAA Tournament and extorted for millions of dollars."

Now, I don't know Pitino's wife, but would it be fair to suggest that her difficult time was not directly related to her husband being blackmailed, but instead to the fact that he did something to be blackmailed for?

The stress from being blackmailed, as he alleges. The mess from cheating on his wife, his family and his reputation in an upscale restaurant. The ethics of spending for an abortion in violation of his religious beliefs. The accusation that no one believes, that he committed rape.

Put it all together, and this is what you get, Pitino rambling nearly incoherently, blaming media, blaming his accuser, not seeming to realize who started the problem.

Pitino said his sex scandal involving Karen Cunagin Sypher has been pure hell for his family, and was upset about TV reports of audio and video recordings that Louisville police released to the media showing Sypher making accusations of assault.

Pitino has admitted to having consensual sex with Sypher six years ago, and said she has been blackmailing him. His attorney said he gave her money for health insurance to cover an abortion. Sypher came back with allegations of assault.

But on Wednesday, Pitino complained that on the day Sen. Ted Kennedy died, apparently when he was home comforting his wife, they broke into the news in Louisville with an update about Sypher's tapes.

"That's a pretty sad commentary on us," he said.

To get this straight, he's saying his wife was upset about the blackmail, and then the media made things worse with their reports. Notice anyone missing from the blame here?

He also complained that his family and friends in New York are reading bad things about him in the tabloids.

"Everything that's been printed, everything that's been reported, everything that's been breaking in the news on the day Ted Kennedy died is 100 percent a lie, a lie," he said. "All of this has been a lie, a total fabrication of the truth."

All of it?

"Except what I told you."

Which, two weeks ago, was that you had been lying all along. It might be time for Pitino to step away from his job to breathe a little fresh air. It seemed that he was going to survive this scandal when, two weeks ago, he said if you admit to your problems and tell the truth, then they become part of your past. But it's not working out that way after all.

Look, the media have been known to do some low-down things. But at this moment, I'm not really into being lectured on ethics from Rick Pitino."Enough's enough," he said. "Everybody is tired of it. We need to get on with the important things in life like the economy and really some crucial things in life like basketball."

I didn't make that up. He counted basketball as a crucial thing in life. And maybe for him, it is now. It's the one thing he might have some control over.

I'm sure that this is just a bad idea of a sexual encounter that has gone to hell for Pitino, a hypocrite who preaches family values. He said that he understands the media, understands that everyone needs stories in this bad economy, but why are they letting this happen? And he suggested that if you're watching TV and a story about his problems comes on the news, "If you're fans of anything we've accomplished good, just change the channel. And if the newspapers want to write about it, just read something else."

Look, the media have been known to do some low-down things. But at this moment, I'm not really into being lectured on ethics from Rick Pitino.

The good news, he pointed out, is that Louisville basketball will go on as a powerhouse, and that he's still going to be able to recruit top-10 players. This won't change anything. Well, that isn't just good. It's apparently a crucial thing in life, like the economy, even on the day when Ted Kennedy died.

Email me at gregcouch09@aol.com

Rick Pitino Makes a Fool of Himself originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 26 Aug 2009 23:50:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rick Pitino Calls a News Conference to Tell People to Stop Watching News

Chas Rich — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 23:07:00 EST

Filed under: Louisville, Big East, Coaches, Media Watch

I do not think anyone is quite sure what Louisville coach Rick Pitino hoped to accomplish with his ~~rant~~ press conference decrying the media coverage of his looming extortion trial and all the tawdry, salacious and crazy details.

If, as he claims in the press conference, it is an appeal to people to ignore any media reports and just wait until the trial so that all will be adjudicated, he failed. He all but guaranteed a new wave of talk, blogging, tweeting and ruminating about the matter on a national scale.

Couch: Pitino Makes a Fool of Himself

Pitino, on the Louisville campus, with the Louisville logo all in the background explained how the university, his lawyers and others all told him to say nothing. He, however, just couldn't take it any longer. The final straw was that the Louisville police released audio and video recordings of the phone calls and an interview they conducted with the woman charged with attempting to extort Pitino, Karen Sypher.

A local Louisville station aired them and that did it. Of course, Pitino being Pitino had to link it to the poor economy, struggling times for the media, and Senator Ted Kennedy's passing as if they were somehow connected just added to the surrealism (on the bright side he skipped any 9/11 references).

Part of the oddity is that transcripts had already been made available, so there was nothing new in what aired. Yet, it pushed Pitino to complain about all media coverage including the New York Post interview with Sypher. Pitino made sure to note that he was the victim in all of this. But then, none of these interviews have exactly helped Sypher. She has continually come off as delusional, lacking credibility and unsympathetic, and all reports have mentioned that she is the one facing jail time.

Pitino's objection seems to be that his affair with her is part of the story. That he and his family are not getting the love and support he expects.

In a way it reminds me a bit of his unraveling in Boston. As things continued to go south. He was being questioned, belittled and mocked at every turn. Clearly it bothered him and he started lashing out in the media at the fans and the media coverage. His famous "Larry Bird is not walking through that door" rant was the seminal moment.

Wednesday's press conference seems like a similar point. He just reached a point where he needed to vent and have his chance to manipulate the media and the story. Unlike in Boston, he's winning at Louisville so he will get fan support. Like Boston, though, it won't change the media coverage.

Rick Pitino Calls a News Conference to Tell People to Stop Watching News originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 26 Aug 2009 23:07:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Getting Sick of Pitino Stories

Chas Rich — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 00:15:00 EST

Filed under: Louisville, Big East, Coaches, Media Watch

Yes, I know, nothing but Rick Pitino news. If it isn't his attorney trying to split hairs about whether Pitino directly paid for an abortion, a Louisville campus right-to-life group unsurprisingly calling for his firing, or the lady with whom he had the affair giving a credibility-free interview to the New York Post, this has stayed at the top of the sports news cycle all week.

Primarily, the story has generated speculation. Lots and lots of speculation.

How is his reputation? How damaged is it? Can he really recruit effectively? (Brief pause. Of course he can. The kids Pitino recruits are blue-chippers looking to the NBA. Pitino's ties to the NBA and track record of sending kids to the pros was not damaged. That's why present recruits are sticking with their verbals.)

Then there is the questioning of Louisville. Are they doing the right thing by sticking with him? Should they invoke the morality clause in his contract? Why won't they? (Another brief aside, this column in particular is amazingly self-righteous and vindictive. Bringing up his daughter, and specifying her high school. Then adding, " We know how cruel kids can be at that age." Nice.)

Even that Louisville coach Rick Pitino has issued his statement and apology of sorts comes the analysis of whether it was sufficient. Whether it was merely damage control. How calculating it was. Was it merely an apology for getting caught? Did it involve attempts to manipulate emotions by referencing previous personal loss and national events?

Is it any wonder that things blow quickly through a news cycle? This event is getting analyzed and broken down non-stop until people are absolutely sick of hearing, watching or reading any more about it. At least until some new salacious tidbit is offered, to restart the whole thing.

Let's simplify things. Rick Pitino is not getting fired from Louisville. He is still the only coach out there that has taken three different teams to the Final Four. He wins basketball games and recruits ferociously. While this is a scandal and stains Pitino forever, there is nothing illegal done by Pitino (other then some probable health code violations at the restaurant where he had the tryst). It is all about Pitino's personal life. Most importantly from the standpoint of the University of Louisville, nothing in this mess brings an NCAA investigation down on Louisville athletics.

Even imagining if Louisville did fire him, ESPN would snatch him up in a heartbeat to be an analyst. By next spring, programs would be paying search consultants hand-over-fist to get Pitino to agree to take their millions.

Very little actually will change. Other than opposing fans having some new material to yell at Pitino and Louisville.

Getting Sick of Pitino Stories originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 15 Aug 2009 00:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Karen Sypher: I Wanted Rick Pitino's Baby, He Forced Me to Have an Abortion

Michael David Smith — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 12:25:00 EST

Filed under: Louisville

Karen Sypher, the woman who is accused of extorting Rick Pitino and is in turn accusing Pitino of sexually assaulting her and encouraging her to get an abortion, has begun speaking out publicly about what she says Pitino did to her.

Sypher and Pitino agree on a few things: That the two met in a Louisville restaurant on August 1, 2003, that they had sexual intercourse on a table in the restaurant that night, that Pitino gave Sypher money a couple weeks later, and that Sypher had an abortion.

Beyond that, the two sides couldn't be further apart. Sypher is attempting to portray Pitino as a rapist who used threats to force her to have the abortion, while Pitino and his lawyers are portraying Sypher as a vicious liar who is facing criminal extortion charges for trying to get money out of Pitino.

In an interview with the New York Post, Sypher was adamant that she did not want to have an abortion, but that Pitino's threats against her family led her to conclude she had no choice but to have the abortion:

"I'll never forget. I wanted to have the baby, but Rick said my children would all be in concrete. I lived in fear for five years," she said.

"I prayed to God, 'Please, I don't want this.' When they called my name [at the clinic], I stood up."

Sypher was not married when she met Pitino, and her name at the time was Karen Cunagin. She later married Pitino's Louisville equipment manager, Tim Sypher, and they are now getting divorced. Karen Sypher says she now believes the whole marriage was set up by Pitino to get her off his back. Pitino's lawyers say Karen is delusional:

"This woman is incapable of telling the truth," said Pitino's lawyer, Steve Pence. "She is extremely deceitful, and in many ways disturbed."

Sypher provided the New York Post with medical records from her abortion, including paperwork showing she checked off boxes indicating she felt "confident" and "strong" that she was doing the right thing, and that she did not think abortion was murder or that she would not regret having an abortion.

That seems to call into question her claims that Pitino coerced her into having the abortion, but she insists that's how she feels now. Holding up the ultrasound picture taken from the day of her abortion, she told the Post, "This is all I have of the baby."

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Karen Sypher: I Wanted Rick Pitino's Baby, He Forced Me to Have an Abortion originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 14 Aug 2009 12:25:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rick Pitino's PR Team and the $3,000 Lie

Clay Travis — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 22:00:00 EST

Filed under: Kentucky, Louisville, Big East, Coaches, Police Blotter

Every time news breaks, like the Rick Pitino imbroglio did Tuesday night, I always feel a little twinge of sympathy for the lawyer who ends up hurling a semantic argument into the whirlwind of 24-hour news coverage. These days news coverage has room for two opinions: you're right or you're wrong. The shades-of-gray approach doesn't sell.

But that doesn't mean lawyers don't try to split hairs. Think Bill Clinton asking what the meaning of is, is. Inevitably, these hair-splitting defenses blow up. Which brings me to this, according to his lawyer, Rick Pitino didn't pay for Karen Sypher's abortion. Heavens no. What he did was pay for an uninsured woman to get health coverage .... which she then, oh by the way, used to have an abortion. That's a great story except for one flaw, pregnancy is a preexisting condition. So adding health insurance doesn't cover an already existing pregnancy.

Oops.

Bad excuse. But not as bad as the 10 excuses for the $3,000 the legal team considered and rejected. Read on for those.

At moments of crisis like these, I always picture the frenzied public relations team -- which represents a variety of conflicting interests, the university, the coach, the lawyer -- all huddling together to come up with a response that minimizes the damage for everyone. You've got to make sure you repent while protecting yourself from further legal liability, apologize while being humble, and whatever you do, don't take a question.

Don't take questions is the first advice any lawyer gives in these circumstances. I attended a legal seminar about how to deal with media interest for famous clients and the only quote I remember from the entire day was one white-haired lawyer slamming his hand down on the table. "Whatever you do, don't let the damn client take questions. Read the statement and get out."

Not surprisingly, Pitino read his statement and got out without taking questions. Which means we still have an awful lot of things left to be unpacked here. Among them, how can you be certain you're pregnant in two weeks? How can you be so careful in your personal life that you have a designated driver, yet so reckless that you have sex in a restaurant while your designated driver is still there? How many other college coaches are reading these stories right now and thinking, crap, this happened six years ago, I thought I was in the clear. Speaking of which, why not keep paying the extortion fee? The amount of money that Karen Sypher was demanding is miniscule given what Pitino made. Yeah, the truth can set you free, but it can also get you fired. So I guess the truth, more accurately, can get you free time.

Can you imagine the e-mails Kentucky politicians are getting? One public school, Kentucky, gets to demand that another public school, Louisville, fire its coach for an off-court act. So you get to be morally judgmental and it helps your college program? That's a daily double in the South, the only thing better is when the rival church's preacher gets sent up the river for tax evasion.

After all the internal public relations debate, Pitino's lawyer attempted to argue that the $3,000 he gave Sypher was for health insurance and not an abortion. It was a bad argument that made Pitino look worse. Fortunately for Pitino it wasn't as bad as the 10 rejected suggestions for how to explain away the $3,000.

Here goes:

1. It was a down payment for a hit on Christian Laettner.
Even though they starred in that ridiculous commercial this spring, I don't believe that Pitino wouldn't like to give Laettner a nice elbow to the kidney at some point. The charge of the Aminu Timberlake brigade.

This has the added benefit of straining Kentucky political alliances. On the one hand Kentucky fans want Pitino gone, on the other hand, at least the money was going to take out the top nemesis in the state of Kentucky.

2. Abort? I thought she said a port. Portuguese wine, you know, I love it.
Remember when there was a controversy over whether Hillary Clinton called a Jewish campaign worker, "a Jew bastard" or merely yelled, "you bastard." This could be the equivalent. Pitino claims Sypher merely asked for a bottle of wine that she otherwise couldn't afford, and he helped her out.

"She's a oenophile, I'm a oenophile," he'd say, shrugging his shoulders.

3. Strength coach payments for personal training sessions.
Quick question, how many people out there would marry someone that they knew had a sexual relationship with their boss? What's more, how many people would marry a divorcee with four kids, who slept with their boss at a restaurant on the night she met him?

Would anyone do this? Isn't this when you pull your friend aside and say, "I know, I know, she's pretty hot and you're not getting any younger, but, man, she slept with Ricky P. at the restaurant while she was married. And he wasn't the first one. Won't be the last either."

Every male friend of this strength coach should get punched between the legs by the Louisville president.

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Pitino Extortion Case

Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino makes a public apology concerning his involvement in a scandal in Louisville, Ky., Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009. Pitino's comments were the first since news broke Tuesday that he told police that he and Karen Sypher had sex on a table at a Louisville restaurant six years ago. (AP Photo/Garry Jones)

FR50389 AP

Pitino Extortion Case

FILE- In this April 24, 2009, file photo, Karen Cunagin Sypher, listens as her attorney speaks to the media outside Gene Snyder Courthouse following a court appearance in Louisville, Ky., A newspaper is reporting that Louisville coach Rick Pitino told police he had sex and paid for an abortion for the woman accused of trying to extort him for $10 million. The Courier-Journal of Louisville reported on its Web site Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2009, that Pitino told police he had been been drinking in a Louisville restaurant and had consensual sex with Karen Sypher in August 2003. (AP Photo/Brian Bohannon, File)

** FILE ** This Dec. 18, 2008 file photo shows Louisville head coach Rick Pitino on the sidelines against Mississippi in an NCAA college basketball game in Cincinnati. A newspaper is reporting that Louisville coach Rick Pitino told police he had sex and paid for an abortion for the woman accused of trying to extort him for $10 million. The Courier-Journal of Louisville reported on its Web site Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2009, that Pitino told police he had been been drinking in a Louisville restaurant and had consensual sex with Karen Sypher in August 2003. (AP Photo/Al Behrman, File)

Karen Sypher walks into Federal Court in Louisville, Kentucky, on Thursday, April 24, 2009. Sypher is charged with extortion by U.S. District Court in connection with threatening correspondence toward University of Louisville head basketball coach Rick Pitino. (Jonathan Palmer/Lexington Herald-Leader/MCT)

MCT

4. The money went for a prop bet placed on the first of March to this query: Kentucky will be in better shape as a basketball program than Louisville within six months. 100-to-1 odds.
The only people happy about this story are Kentucky fans. Seriously, they're ecstatic, almost as happy as they were about Patrick Sparks' three-pointer against Michigan State putting the game into overtime in the Elite 8. You should see the gloating e-mails from Kentucky fans.

Think about it from their perspective. In the middle of March, Louisville, their most hated basketball rival on the planet, entered the NCAA Tournament as the overall No. 1 seed. Meanwhile, Kentucky slinked into the NIT where it bowed out on the road at Notre Dame. Five months ago, the Wildcats were in the midst of the Billy Gillispie implosion and now Louisville has to fight a battle to keep Pitino as its coach, they've got Coach Cal and the top recruiting class in the country, and as if that weren't enough, Pitino's top basketball recruit just left high school early and signed to play pro basketball in Israel.

I mean, in all honesty, what are the odds on any of this actually happening? Much less all of it?

C-A-T-S.

5. The money was supposed to go to Derrick Rose. Coach Cal offered him half that to sign. We doubled it.
Admittedly, this would lead to NCAA probation. But it would be bittersweet because it might lead to Coach Cal getting fired too. Speaking of which, is there any other state in the country with a dirtier collegiate aura than Kentucky? It's a penumbra of filth. The only state that could even come close would be Connecticut, and that's based on Jim Calhoun by himself.

6. The money was for carpet-cleaning in the old Rick Pitino's restaurant in Lexington.
Does anyone else wonder what went down after hours when Pitino was in Lexington and had his own restaurant?

No wonder you couldn't get in that place on basketball weekends.

7. We were thinking about adopting children from Africa and that was the adoption fee. Karen offered to be our go-between.
In general, if you're white, being willing to adopt a child from Africa gives you a pass for anything else you've done wrong in life. No matter what.

8. The money was a consulting fee for Charles Barkley since Sir Charles can curse people on air, go drunk-driving for oral sex with prostitutes, and gamble millions of dollars. All of which makes him more beloved.
Barkley's advice to Pitino was controversial. "If I got caught having sex in a restaurant, I'd just have Kenny and Ernie turn it into a funny skit."

Like this.

Ernie: "You talked to a married woman's kids before you had sex with her?"

Barkley: "I talk to everyone's kids before I have sex with their mom in the restaurant. Ask Kenny."

Everyone laughs.

Kenny: "At least I got a ring."

9. Replica championship rings from 1996
Pitino has given up on actually winning another championship at Louisville. So to make the team feel better, he had the 1996 Kentucky basketball rings recast and gave them out to the Cardinals team.

"I want you to know what a championship ring feels like," Pitino said, "because I'm never going to win another one."

10. White Suit Dry-Cleaning
I hear they can get soiled fairly easily.

Rick Pitino's PR Team and the $3,000 Lie originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 13 Aug 2009 22:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Rick Pitino Concedes Affair, Paid for Abortion as Melodrama Plays Out

Chas Rich — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 23:52:00 EST

Filed under: Louisville, Big East, Coaches, Police Blotter

There's something like 10 kinds of crazy in the ever-expanding story on Louisville coach Rick Pitino and his relationship with the alleged extortionist Karen Cunagin Sypher. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that the information she was holding over the married Pitino's head involved an extramarital affair. Still, this is now approaching pure soap-opera levels of melodrama.

The latest, as reported by the Courier-Journal, is that Pitino admitted to police investigators that he did have sex with Sypher and subsequently gave her $3,000 for an abortion after she claimed she was pregnant.

The sexual interlude took place after-hours at a restaurant where he had been drinking at the bar. According to the interview, Pitino strongly suggested that he may have been drunk. He told the police this after Sypher had recently made allegations that he raped her back in August 2003.

"Luckily" for Pitino, his executive assistant had been there as Pitino's designated driver. He corroborated Pitino's version. From the Courier-Journal's report:

That witness, Vinny Tatum, an executive assistant to Pitino, told the FBI that he didn't see what happened but heard "only the sounds of two people that seemed to be enjoying themselves during a sexual encounter," according to Abbott's report.

Oh, it gets sleazier. Sypher got in touch with Pitino a couple weeks later to let him know she was now pregnant and he was the father. They agreed to meet at the condo of the strength coach for the Louisville basketball team, Tim Sypher, a longtime friend of Pitino's. There, the still single Karen Cunagin decided to get an abortion but claimed not to have the medical insurance to pay for it. Pitino gave her $3,000 to cover the costs.

Tim Sypher, who was there that day, and Karen Cunagin, apparently started dating, er, shortly afterward and were married six months later. (How does that even begin to work?)

For a while, what information and news that had been leaking really made this look like a completely crazy woman going after Pitino. Her attorney had quit, and the court had to appoint one for her. She lacked much credibility as she claimed that Pitino raped her that night, and then said he sexually assaulted her at Tim Sypher's condo at their second meeting -- while Sypher was upstairs. And then married Sypher six months later.

Rick Pitino will most likely still be coach at Louisville. His reputation and image, though, are toast. The creepiness. The weirdness. Everything about this is just ugly, tawdry and sleazy.

Report: Rick Pitino Concedes Affair, Paid for Abortion as Melodrama Plays Out originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 11 Aug 2009 23:52:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ralph Willard Would Rather Serve

Chas Rich — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 12:21:00 EST

Filed under: Louisville, Big East, Coaches

"Better to reign in hell than serve in heaven. " John Milton, Paradise Lost.

Ralph Willard turned that quote on its head in every way. The head coach of the Holy Cross Crusaders has apparently decided that he would rather give up his successful reign as head coach of his alma mater to return to being an assistant to Rick Pitino at Louisville.

While there is no word on Willard's Web site yet, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv is reporting that Willard has decided to accept Pitino's offer to be his assistant coach. It is doubtful that Willard will take much of a paycut. It is more likely that he will get more money from Louisville to be Pitino's assistant.
Willard and Pitino are old friends and Willard has been Pitino's assistant at Kentucky and with the New York Knicks. His son Kevin Willard was also a Pitino assistant at Louisville for several years before being hired as the head coach of Iona.

When the news first broke that Pitino had offered the job to Willard broke, Pitino explained that it was no big deal.

"Yes, I have offered the position to Ralph," Pitino said in a statement released by Louisville. "I've also offered the last four openings we've had at Louisville to Ralph because he's always my number one choice. I do it every time and it's nothing new. I fully expect him to turn me down for the fifth straight time."

Apparently five times is a charm.

The speculation from the side of why Pitino would pursue his old friend so diligently, is that he needs his friends as the messy trial for extortion looms.

On the other side, Willard has fought prostate cancer in 2005 and had heart issues in 2008. So, perhaps he wanted to re-evaluate his career. It does seem odd, though. Being an assistant and recruiting for Rick Pitino at Louisville does not seem like a less stressful job than being head coach of the top teams in the Patriot League.

Ralph Willard Would Rather Serve originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 10 Jun 2009 12:21:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Woman Charged in Pitino Extortion Case

FanHouse Newswire — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 23:00:00 EST

Filed under: Louisville, Coaches, Police Blotter

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- The estranged wife of a longtime aide to Louisville men's basketball coach Rick Pitino faces charges that she tried to extort the coach, at first demanding cars and tuition for her children, then later asking for $10 million, according to a federal complaint filed Friday.

Karen Cunagin Sypher, 49, who also is accused of lying to the FBI about the case, did not enter a plea at a court appearance Friday and was released on her own recognizance.

Karen Cunagin Sypher, 49, who also is accused of lying to the FBI about the case, did not enter a plea at a court appearance Friday and was released on her own recognizance.

Sypher's husband and Cardinals equipment manager, Tim Sypher, on March 6 brought Pitino a written list of demands including tuition, two cars of her choice, paying off her house and $3,000 per month, according to the complaint. The demands later escalated to $10 million, the complaint said.

According to the complaint, the note said, "If all is accepted, I will protect Rick Pitino's name for life."

What sort of information Sypher may have been trying to use to extort the successful coach was not included in the complaint, which only said Pitino believed it was related to an unspecified encounter with the woman in 2003, two years after Pitino took over Louisville's basketball program.

The 56-year-old coach first brought up the extortion allegations last week, when he said he had reported them to the FBI. Pitino's attorney, Steve Pence, released a statement and said he has directed the coach to have no further comment on the case.

"While Coach Pitino takes no comfort in this prosecution and remains astonished by these events, it marks a turning point that allows him to focus with a clear mind once again on his family and his team," said Pence.

Outside the courthouse, Karen Sypher's attorney, Thomas Clay, declined to predict what might happen in the case.

"The criminal complaint clearly reflects other people were involved in this," Clay said. "Whether they will be charged, I don't know."

Clay also declined to comment on Sypher's allegation against Pitino. In court, she answered only "yes, sir" to questions from U.S. Magistrate Judge Dave Whalin, and she would not comment later.

According to the complaint written by FBI Special Agent Steven Wight, Pitino received two voicemail messages on Feb. 26 from a man who did not identify himself and a third call on Feb. 28. Pitino told Wight the first two concerned personal allegations that were "criminal in nature" and could harm the coach's reputation, and the other was a threat to make the allegations public in two weeks.

Wight said the truth about the allegations against Pitino is "suspect" and were left out of the complaint.

Pitino Extortion Case

MCT

Karen Sypher, center, charged with trying to extort Louisville men's basketball coach Rick Pitino and of lying to the FBI, stands holding her son (who declined to give his name) and listens as her attorney Thomas Clay, left, speaks to the media outside the Gene Snyder Courthouse following a court appearance Friday, April 24, 2009 in Louisville, Ky. Sypher did not enter a plea in the case and was released on her own recognizance. (AP Photo/Brian Bohannon)

Karen Sypher, charged with trying to extort Louisville men's basketball coach Rick Pitino and of lying to the FBI, leaves the Gene Snyder Courthouse following a court appearance Friday, April 24, 2009, in Louisville, Ky., Sypher did not enter a plea in the case and was released on her own recognizance. (AP Photo/Brian Bohannon)

Karen Sypher, left, charged with trying to extort Louisville men's basketball coach Rick Pitino and of lying to the FBI, stands next to her son (who declined to give his name) and listens as her attorney Thomas Clay speaks to the media outside the Gene Snyder Courthouse following a court appearance Friday, April 24, 2009 in Louisville, Ky. Sypher did not enter a plea in the case and was released on her own recognizance. (AP Photo/Brian Bohannon)

Karen Sypher, charged with trying to extort Louisville men's basketball coach Rick Pitino and of lying to the FBI, listens as her attorney Thomas Clay speaks to the media outside Gene Snyder Courthouse following a court appearance Friday, April 24, 2009, in Louisville, Ky., Sypher did not enter a plea in the case and was released on her own recognizance. (AP Photo/Brian Bohannon)

Karen Sypher, the estranged wife of Louisville's basketball equipment manager, is seen in a photo, date not known. The FBI is investigating Sypher regarding extortion allegations leveled by coach Rick Pitino, her attorney said Sunday, April 19, 2009. (AP Photo/The Courier-Journal) ** MAGS OUT NO SALES ARCHIVE OUT **

Since Pitino's announcement, Karen Sypher has given some media interviews, mostly saying she's just defending herself. One station that did an extensive interview said it chose not to air her allegations because they could not be confirmed.

Tim Sypher, 48, voiced his support for his boss in a statement last week, and divorce papers for the couple, who married in April 2004, have been filed in recent weeks. The relationship between the men goes back to the days when Pitino coached the Boston Celtics, when Sypher was Pitino's personal assistant from 1997 to 2001, according to his resume on file at Louisville.

Pitino told Wight he met with the Syphers after the first two calls and asked what she wanted. Karen Sypher then talked about a house, cars and cash. Pitino told Wight that he played the voicemail for her and she denied knowing about the calls.

Kenyon Meyer, Tim Sypher's attorney, said his client is not being targeted in the criminal investigation and is cooperating.

"This whole series of events has just been devastating," Meyer said.

Tim Sypher's mother, Joan Sypher, of Raynham, Mass, said her son loves sports, which helped him land a job with Pitino, first as a driver.

"My son was not married or anything, and of course when you're a driver for somebody you have to be available 24 hours, so that's how he got the job," she told The Associated Press earlier this week by telephone.

Wight said Karen Sypher's attorney later mailed a letter to Pitino repeating the allegations made in the voicemail. In it, Sypher also accused Pitino of orchestrating the threatening calls, Wight said. The attorney filed a divorce petition and made demands of Pitino, including one for $10 million, Wight said. An affidavit containing the allegations against Pitino and attached to the petition has been sealed.

Assistant U.S. Attorney John Kuhn asked Whalin to bar Karen Sypher from hurting Pitino's reputation while on bond, and Clay said his client agreed not discuss the coach in public.

Pitino signed a three-year contract extension with the Cardinals in May 2007 that could keep him at the school through 2013. The deal pays him an annual salary of $2.5 million a year if he stays until the end of the contract. He'll receive loyalty bonuses of $3.6 million in 2010 and 2013 if he remains with the school.

Pitino led Louisville to the Final Four in 2005, the third school he has taken there. The others were Providence in 1987 and Kentucky, which won the national championship in 1996.

Kuhn said a federal grand jury is scheduled to meet May 11-12 and could hear the case against Sypher.

The FBI interviewed her earlier this month about the calls and said she failed a polygraph test to her during the second interview. She then gave false information about the caller's identity, leading to charges of lying to the FBI, Wight said.

Also, a man the FBI said admitted making the calls told Wight that Karen Sypher talked about getting $200,000 to $400,000. The unidentified man said Sypher asked him to make the calls "during a critical period in the basketball season to increase the pressure" on Pitino, Wight said.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

Woman Charged in Pitino Extortion Case originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 24 Apr 2009 23:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jeremy Tyler Rocks the Establishment

Greg Couch — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 20:46:00 EST

Filed under: Louisville, NBA Prospects, Recruiting

It makes too much sense. That's the problem. The logic sounds too right. But Jeremy Tyler is a trailblazer now.

Not a Portland Trail Blazer. No, he won't be allowed to play in the NBA for two years under the terms of league commissioner David Stern's cold-hearted, disingenuous rule requiring young men, basically, to become marketed stars in college before starting their chosen profession.

Well, Tyler is getting around that rule, getting around a system that's not built for him. Here's the plan: Tyler, a 17-year-old high school junior in San Diego, has decided to bypass his senior year -- remember, high school -- to play pro in Europe.

Why? To improve his game. Going against pros, he will learn far more than he would against high school kids this fall, college men next year. The plan calls for him to get his GED. As a side, he'll make six figures instead of making nothing while waiting to go to the NBA. There must be some flaw in that. It's all too neat somehow. Does our sports system now encourage kids to be high school dropouts? In Tyler's case, it might be the right thing to do.

"Nowadays, people look to college for more off-the-court stuff, versus being in the gym and getting better," Tyler told The New York Times.

"If you're really focused on getting better, you go play pro somewhere."

The problem is that NBA scouts seem to be agreeing with this. Last year, Brandon Jennings from Los Angeles was considered the nation's best high school point guard. He finished high school, then chose not to go to college, but instead to play professionally in Italy. He has described an ugly scenario there, where everyone treats him as a kid. Sometimes, he sits out games. It is not the glamour he expected.

"It's tough man, I'll tell you that," he told the Times. "It can break you."

Still, Jennings is making over $1 million, and is expected to be an early first-round draft pick in June.

Jennings was the first player to choose Europe over college since the NBA rule. And now Tyler is the next level, moving the bar one more step by bypassing his senior year of high school.

Next up? The line will keep moving. Next up, 16-year-olds. Then 15. Meanwhile, the street agents who run college basketball get more and more powerful. Tyler and Jennings both used Sonny Vaccaro, the former adidas exec who all-but professionalized youth basketball, to help with their deals.

Slippery-slope arguments are never the best, really. But Jennings broke ground, and now Tyler is following with his own twist, and the slide has started.

These lines aren't easy to draw. Eighteen-year-olds are adults. But isn't your sensibility bothered at all by a 17-year-old? That's just one year different.

Something seems wrong, though, when a 17-year-old puts sports ahead of education.

And think of your own childhood. As a high school junior, would you have been OK moving to Europe -- Tyler hasn't picked a country or team yet -- and just living there as a professional?

Do you speak the language? Are you ready for the daily responsibilities of paying bills, budgeting money? Do you know how to do your laundry?

In most cases, this would be doomed for failure. But maybe Tyler, a 6-foot-11 center, is too good for this to flop. Already, he's projected as the No. 1 pick in the draft in two years.

He becomes the test case. And believe it: Kids are watching.

So is the NBA. So is the NCAA.

We further professionalize our kids, and then the kids who aren't quite Tyler's level will forgo studies to try Europe. How will that one work out?

There's the slippery-slope thing again.

The best thing about this is the delicious screw-the-system aspect. As I understood it, Stern put in the age rule, which technically requires players to wait a year after high school to be eligible for the NBA, as a humanitarian thing.

Most players who jumped from high school to the NBA weren't doing well, and Stern suggested that the move was too much for them. They needed a year of college not just for basketball but also for life experience. They weren't ready for all the spotlight.

Latest College Basketball Images

North Carolina basketball coach Roy Williams and players Ty Lawson, left, and Wayne Ellington settle in behind the microphones for a news conference at the Smith Center on Thursday April 23, 2009 in Chapel Hill, N.C. Lawson and Ellington announced Thursday that they would enter the draft, ending their college careers a few weeks after leading the Tar Heels to their fifth NCAA championship. (AP Photo/The News & Observer, Robert Willet ) ** ONLINE OK **

North Carolina head coach Roy Williams answers a question during a press conference for Ty Lawson (left) and Wayne Ellington (right), who announced their intent to leave school at the end of their junior year and enter the NBA draft on Thursday, April 23, 2009 at the Smith Center in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Robert Willett/Raleigh News & Observer/MCT)

MCT

North Carolina's Ty Lawson (left) and Wayne Ellington (right) announced their intent to leave school at the end of their junior year and enter the NBA draft during a press conference with head coach Roy Williams on Thursday, April 23, 2009 at the Smith Center in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Robert Willett/Raleigh News & Observer/MCT)

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North Carolina coach Roy Williams and Wayne Ellington enjoy a laugh during a press conference where Ellington announced his intent to leave school at the end of his junior year and enter the NBA draft on Thursday, April 23, 2009 at the Smith Center in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Robert Willett/Raleigh News & Observer/MCT)

MCT

North Carolina coach Roy Williams and Wayne Ellington talk following a press conference where Ellington announced his intent to leave school at the end of his junior year and enter the NBA draft on Thursday, April 23, 2009 at the Smith Center in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Robert Willett/Raleigh News & Observer/MCT)

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Davidson's Stephen Curry laughs with Fred Sanders following a news conference where Curry announced his intent to enter the NBA draft in Davidson, North Carolina, on Thursday, April 23, 2009. (Jeff Siner/Charlotte Observer/MCT)

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Davidson College head basketball coach Bob McKillop listens to a question for Stephen Curry, who announced that he would forego his senior year and enter the NBA draft in Davidson, North Carolina, on Thursday, April 23, 2009. (Jeff Siner/Charlotte Observer/MCT)

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Davidson's Stephen Curry paused during a news conference where he announced his intent to forego his senior year at Davidson College and enter the NBA draft in Davidson, North Carolina, on Thursday, April 23, 2009. (Jeff Siner/Charlotte Observer/MCT)

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From left, former NBA star Dell Curry, Davidson College head basketball coach Bob McKillop and Stephen Curry talk following a news conference where Curry announced his intent to enter the NBA draft in Davidson, North Carolina, on Thursday, April 23, 2009. (Jeff Siner/Charlotte Observer/MCT)

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U.S. President Barack Obama (C) is pictured with players from the 2008 NCAA national champions, the University of Florida football team during a ceremny held in their honor in the East Room of the White House in Washington April 23, 2009. REUTERS/Jason Reed (UNITED STATES POLITICS)

Reuters

Call him Nanny Stern, as he just wanted what was best for our kids. Sure, sure. First, Stern conveniently made these touching comments only after his endless promotion of LeBron James, who had made the jump from high school.

No, Stern's real reason for the rule was that NBA teams didn't want to fork over millions to young players who weren't ready. Teams can't help themselves but to draft high school jumpers for some reason. With the rule, players develop on someone else's dime.

Also, the NBA would no longer fill up with unknown high school kids, but rather with college stars, marketed wonderfully by the hype of the NCAA Tournament.

Meanwhile, the NCAA was happy to go along with it, as its tournament was starting to waver in image because all the best players weren't bothering to go to college.

Well, college is usually the right choice. But not for everyone. An 18-year old-man is an adult who should be able to start his career, not be forced to play a year without pay to benefit others, benefit the system.

So Tyler is fighting that. He's not going to be well-known after coming back from Spain, if that's where he goes. And NBA teams will risk losing him to other NBA teams. Or, heaven forbid, the kid decides he loves Spain and wants to stay there.

The more kids who go to Europe, the more likely Stern's rule will fall. And look for the NCAA to start talking about paying players. Come on, some poor young men can't even afford a plane ticket home or a Big Mac. Just a few bucks to college players?

Real argument: We need to pay them to keep up with European teams. Slippery slope. But Tyler might be starting something big here. We just don't know what yet.

Jeremy Tyler Rocks the Establishment originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 23 Apr 2009 20:46:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jeremy Tyler Becomes First Player to Leave High School Early for Pro Hoops

Michael David Smith — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 22:26:00 EST

Filed under: Louisville, Recruiting

We've reached the point in American sports where a player leaving college early to turn pro is routine. But Jeremy Tyler, a 6-foot-11 basketball player from San Diego, is doing something unprecedented: He's leaving high school early to turn pro.

Tyler, considered the best high school big man in the country, had originally committed to enroll at Louisville. But he now tells the New York Times that he'll drop out of high school and play pro ball in Europe, most likely for a team in Spain. Tyler told the Times that he's making the move because he's too focused on getting better at basketball to spend time hitting the books, adding that "people look to college for more off-the-court stuff versus being in the gym and getting better."

Brandon Jennings finished high school last year and played professionally in Europe instead of going to college, but no American player has dropped out of high school to play pro ball in Europe.

Some will criticize Tyler for choosing sports over education, but I think he's doing the right thing: Thousands of athletes go through a charade of being college students when they're really just on campus to hone their athletic crafts, and it's refreshing that Tyler is honest enough to admit that he just wants to think about basketball.

The 17-year-old Tyler left San Diego High School before finishing his junior year, but he says he'll try to get his diploma by taking classes online. He also says he's ready to spend two years in Spain before returning in June of 2011 for the NBA draft.

Tyler told the Times of his European excursion, "It will help me get better and grow up."

Latest College Basketball Images

Davidson's Stephen Curry, right, talks with his father and former NBA player Dell, left, and coach Bob McKillop, center, after a news conference at Davidson College in Davidson, N.C., Thursday, April 23, 2009. Curry announced he would enter the NBA draft. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Davidson's Stephen Curry smiles during a news conference at Davidson College in Davidson, N.C., Thursday, April 23, 2009. Curry announced he would enter the NBA draft. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Oklahoma City high school star Xavier Henry, right, announces that he has committed to play basketball for Kansas, during a news conference in Oklahoma City, Thursday, April 23, 2009. Henry is considered the third-rated prospect in the country by both Rivals.com and ESPNU. Looking on at left is his mother, Barbara Henry. (AP Photo)

Oklahoma City high school star Xavier Henry announces that he has committed to play basketball for Kansas during a news conference at Putnam City High School in Oklahoma City, Thursday, April 23, 2009. Henry is considered the third-rated prospect in the country by both Rivals.com and ESPNU. (AP Photo)

Davidson's Stephen Curry pauses during a news conference at Davidson College in Davidson, N.C., Thursday, April 23, 2009. Curry announced he would enter the NBA draft. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Davidson's Stephen Curry, left, is congratulated by Davidson College president Tom Ross, right, after a news conference at Davidson College in Davidson, N.C., Thursday, April 23, 2009. Curry announced he would enter the NBA draft. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Oklahoma City high school star Xavier Henry laughs during a news conference in Oklahoma City, Thursday, April 23, 2009. Henry, who announced that he has committed to play basketball for Kansas, is considered the third-rated prospect in the country by both Rivals.com and ESPNU. (AP Photo)

Davidson's Stephen Curry, right, and his coach Bob McKillop, left, take questions during a news conference at Davidson College in Davidson, N.C., Thursday, April 23, 2009. Curry announced he would enter the NBA draft. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Davidson's Stephen Curry, right, talks with his father Dell, left, and coach Bob McKillop, center, after a news conference at Davidson College in Davidson, N.C., Thursday, April 23, 2009. Curry announced he would enter the NBA draft. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Davidson's Stephen Curry, left, chats with his mother Sonya, center, as his father Dell, right, looks on after a news conference at Davidson College in Davidson, N.C., Thursday, April 23, 2009. Curry announced he would enter the NBA draft. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Jeremy Tyler Becomes First Player to Leave High School Early for Pro Hoops originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 22:26:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pitino's Alleged Extortionist Is 'Scared'

Matt Snyder — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 11:35:00 EST

Filed under: Louisville, Big East, Coaches

We now know the identity of the person who allegedly tried to extort millions of dollars from Louisville's head basketball coach Rick Pitino. Her name is Karen Sypher, and she is the estranged soon-to-be ex-wife of Tim Sypher, the equipment manager for Pitino's Cardinals.

The allegations levied by Sypher against Pitino are still being kept under wraps, and her divorce documents have been sealed by the courts, but it's not too tough to see the underlying concern here. We have a young woman who is going through a divorce and allegedly threatening to go public with something that could potentially harm Pitino's public image. Hmmmm ... I wonder what she is threatening to say?

For her part, Sypher claims she is both scared and misunderstood.

"How can you judge me when you ... have not walked in my shoes ... and you don't know what I'm going through?" Karen Sypher asked.

On a televised reports (on Louisville's WDRB), her mother also got into the action.

Karen Sypher's mother, Judy Cunagin, said, "Everybody is being very unfair to my daughter" and "she isn't able to tell the truth about what happened."

The station did not broadcast Sypher's allegations against Coach Pitino, and stated that she was given an inconclusive polygraph test.

This is certainly a weird situation for the very well respected coach, and it's very possible Sypher's claims are made public quite soon. Stay tuned.

Pitino's Alleged Extortionist Is 'Scared' originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 21 Apr 2009 11:35:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Billy Donovan Hires Richard Pitino

Matt Snyder — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 15:30:00 EST

Filed under: Florida, Louisville, Big East, SEC, Coaches

Rarely do assistant coaching hires make the news, but this one is just too interesting to pass up. Billy Donovan, former assistant to Rick Pitino, has hired Richard Pitino, the 26-year-old son of Louisville's head basketball coach. The younger Pitino has been an assistant at Louisville for the past two seasons.

The intertwined relationships here are quite unique. In the past, there has been speculation that one of the reasons Donovan didn't take the head job at Kentucky was due to his close relationship with Pitino. The two often talk about how they consider each other family.

This seems like a case where the younger Pitino needed to be out of his father's shadow in order to grow and develop into a head coaching candidate down the line. It's very doubtful that this was done without Rick Pitino's full blessing, as evident by his public stance.

"Richard and I have been talking this possibility over for the last two weeks," Rick Pitino said. "Billy is like a son to me and there's no other person in the country that I would rather have Richard work with than him. We both agree that this a unique opportunity for Richard to develop his own identity while helping Billy build his program back to national prominence."

After two consecutive national championships, Florida has spent the past two postseasons in the NIT. Both the playing roster and coaching staff have been decimated in the wake of those championship teams, so, with Pitino in house, Donovan will look to get some sort of continuity back in Gainesville.

Billy Donovan Hires Richard Pitino originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 20 Apr 2009 15:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pitino Says He's an Extortion Victim

Matt Snyder — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 13:10:00 EST

Filed under: Louisville, Big East, Coaches

Louisville's head basketball coach, Rick Pitino, alleges he and his family are currently the victims of an extortion scheme. FOX Sports reports Pitino has apparently been in contact with the FBI in an attempt to get the matter resolved for the past month.

Unfortunately, with his being a highly paid public figure, Pitino faces much greater risks than the average extortion victim. It turns out, the extortion was being kept under wraps by Pitino and Louisville administration until, as Pitino says, his hand was forced.

"My family and I were recently threatened as part of a criminal scheme to extort money," Pitino said in a statement. "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."

I honestly haven't seen anything come through any reputable outlet or blog where Pitino was slandered, but he's the one being threatened, so this appears to be an astute preemptive strike by the 56-year-old coach. It sounds like we could be hearing nefarious information about the coach in the next few weeks from anonymous "sources," and that we should take them with a gigantic grain of salt.

Pitino Says He's an Extortion Victim originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sun, 19 Apr 2009 13:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Big East Tournament Preview: Everyone Is Playing, Except Bubble Teams

Chas Rich — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 08:01:00 EST

Filed under: Cincinnati, Connecticut, DePaul, Georgetown, Louisville, Marquette, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Seton Hall, Syracuse, Villanova, West Virginia, Big East

The Big East Tournament gets underway Tuesday, and this year the Big East Tournament (BET) matches the construction of the conference -- oversized, a bit confusing and very clearly divided.

The Big East at this point has seven teams that are definitely going to the NCAA tournament and one team that lies way out on the fringe of the bubble. This year, the BET is all about teams trying to improve or maintain their projected seeding for the Big Dance.For the first time, the BET includes all 16 teams. The Big East, though, did not want the top teams to have to play too many games in a row before the NCAA Tournament or risk damaging their seed with the possibility of a really bad loss. To protect the top teams, the top four get a double-bye and do not play until Thursday. The next four teams seeded from No. 5 to No. 8 get a first-day bye. That leaves teams No. 9 through 16 to face each other.

Those teams in the bottom half have no chance of going to the NCAA Tournament, and to win the BET they would have to win five games in five days. The odds are prohibitively stacked against that. So much so, that the opening day is not televised anywhere. There are free webcasts at the Big East site.

Matchups

Tuesday: DePaul (16) vs. Cinci (9); St. John's (13) vs. Georgetown (12); Rutgers (15) vs. Notre Dame (10); USF (14) vs. Seton Hall (11).
Wednesday: 16/9 Winner vs. Providence (8); 13/12 Winner vs. Marquette (5); 15/10 Winner vs. West Virginia (7); 14/11 Winner vs. Syracuse (6)

You can view the bracket and times here (PDF).

What Teams Want

Playing for No. 1 Seed: Pitt, UConn and Louisville
Trying to improve seed: Villanova, Syracuse, Marquette and West Virginia
Hoping to find a golden ticket: Providence
Next stop, NIT: Notre Dame, Georgetown, Cinci
Where is the CBI: Seton Hall, St. John's
Just stopping by to say hello: USF, Rutgers, DePaul

Storylines

The Bubble is an Illusion for Providence
Every conference is supposed to have a bubble team. The Big East really does not. Nonetheless, for purposes of keeping punditry with standard storylines, Providence will be proffered as a Big East bubble team.

The Friars' RPI is hovering around 70. With the exception of knocking off Pitt and Syracuse, they were the beneficiary of an unbalanced schedule that gave them six five games against the bottom four of the Big East. That gave them the edge in finishing above .500 in the conference. They did beat Cincinnati twice, which only made the Big East bubble more barren.

Will the Big East Get Three No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament?
That will be the most discussed issue in the BET. Pitt seems like a virtual lock for a No. 1 seed even if it goes out and loses its first game. They have the No. 1 RPI, they are No. 2 in both polls. They have been a top-five team all season. UConn was considered another lock, but how do you deny the regular season Big East Champion in Louisville? It just does not seem possible that the NCAA selection committee would pick three No. 1 seeds from the same conference. UConn and Louisville do not meet unless both get to the championship game. If so, that could decide the issue.

How Far Will Marquette slide?
The injury to Dominic James has been devastating. Before that, the Golden Eagles were looking like a No. 2 or 3 seed and seemed like a guard-heavy team that could go far in the NCAA Tournament. The Golden Eagles played tough against UConn, Louisville and Pitt but still lost. That was not so bad, even encouraging. But then Marquette lost at home, on senior day to Syracuse. That was damaging. If Marquette does not win a couple games, they could see themselves as a No. 6 or 7 seed by Sunday night.

The Big East is a Beast: It is the biggest and was supposed to be the toughest conference. With four teams in the top 10 and six teams ranked in the Top 25, there is plenty of quality in the conference. The issue is that the bottom is so weak. DePaul went 0-18 in the Big East. Rutgers is a wreck. South Florida is very slowly improving. The sheer size is the issue. Teams at the bottom have a hard time getting out from under the pile.

Predictions

Day one: Cincinnati over DePaul; Georgetown over St. John's; Notre Dame over Rutgers; and USF surprises Seton Hall.
Day two: Providence over Cincinnati; Marquette over Georgetown; WVU over ND; and Syracuse beats USF.
Quarterfinals: Louisville over Providence; Villanova over Marquette; Pitt over WVU; and UConn over Syracuse.
Semifinals: Villanova upsets Louisville and UConn finally beats Pitt.
Championship: UConn

Big East Tournament Preview: Everyone Is Playing, Except Bubble Teams originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 10 Mar 2009 08:01:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Louisville Wins the Big East

Chas Rich — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 23:25:00 EST

Filed under: Louisville, West Virginia, Big East

Louisville survived in Morgantown to win its first Big East regular season title. What it means immediately is that the Cardinals will be the No. 1 seed in the Big East Tournament and will not have to worry about the possibility of facing UConn or Pitt until the Big East Championship game. It also keeps alive the possibility of Louisville stealing a No. 1 seed for the NCAA Tournament -- most likely from UConn.

West Virginia nearly got the win, despite a no-show from Da'Sean Butler and Alex Ruoff. Louisville completely locked down those two, but freshmen Devin Ebanks and Kevin Jones picked up the slack. The player WVU could not contain, though, was Terrance Williams. The Louisville forward did everything with 20 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds and 6 steals. He was the best player on the court and carried the Cardinals.

No. 6 Louisville 62, WVU 59: Recap | Box Score | RPI | Scores

Louisville Wins the Big East originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 07 Mar 2009 23:25:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rick Pitino Brings Back the Sartorial Splendor of the White Suit

Chas Rich — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 21:09:00 EST

Filed under: Louisville, Big East, Coaches

Last year, when Louisville announced a "white-out" for their game with Georgetown, coach Rick Pitino brought out a splendid white suit for the event. Of course with the Cardinals trailing in the game, Pitino changed into a dark suit for the second half. He later claimed that he needed to change because he spilled soda on the suit in the first half. The Cards rolled and Pitino vowed that he would not wear a white suit unless it was for the Kentucky Derby.

A year and another "white-out" later, Pitino brought back the white suit for the Marquette game for all to enjoy.

DYST V3 test

LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers watches as Mo Williams #2 takes a shoe to the face by Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers after a steal in the closing seconds of the first half at The Quicken Loans Arena on February 8, 2009 in Cleveland, Ohio. (David Liam Kyle, NBAE/Getty Images)

David Liam Kyle, NBAE/Getty Images

Brazil's Diogo (L) vies for the ball with Paraguay's Hernan Perez during their U-20 South American Championship football match in Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela on February 8, 2009.(Juan Barreto, AFP/Getty Images )

Juan Barreto, AFP/Getty Images

A Dalmatian looks at its handler as a judge goes to touch the dog during the first day of the 2009 Westminster Dog Show in New York Febru ary 9, 2009.(Lucas Jackson, Reuters)

Lucas Jackson, Reuters

Denver Nuggets forward Chris Anderson touches his head during a time out in the first half of their NBA basketball game with the New Jersey Nets in East Rutherford, New Jersey February 7, 2009. (Ray Stubblebine, Reuters)

Ray Stubblebine, Reuters

Margarita Marbler, of Austria, skis to a bronze medal finish the ladies moguls freestyle FIS World Cupskiing qualification at Cypress mountain in West Vancouver, British Columbia, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2009. (Jonathan Hayward, The Canadian Press/AP)

Jonathan Hayward, The Canadian Press/AP

West Virginia guard Darryl Bryant (25) is fouled by Providence guard Jeff Xavier (1) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Morgantown, W.Va. Saturday, Feb. 7, 2009. West Virginia won 86-59. (Don Wright, AP)

Don Wright, AP

Missouri's DeMarre Carroll, top, celebrates the Tigers' 62-60 win over Kansas in Columbia, Missouri, Monday, February 9, 2009. (Rich Sugg, Kansas City Star/MCT)

Rich Sugg, Kansas City Star/MCT

David Clarkson #23 of the New Jersey Devils fights Erik Reitz #4 of the New York Rangers during their game on February 9, 2009 at The Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey (Al Bello, Getty Images)

Al Bello, Getty Images

Driver Patrick Sheltra (60) begins to spin coming out of the fourth turn during the ARCA 200 auto race in Daytona Beach, Fla. Saturday, Feb. 7, 2009.

Darryl Graham, AP

Spain's Nuria Lla g ostera Vives serves the ball, in this multiple exposure, to Iveta Benesova of the Czech Republic during their Fed Cup tennis match in Brno February 7, 2009.

Petr Josek, Reuters

Rick Pitino Brings Back the Sartorial Splendor of the White Suit originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sun, 01 Mar 2009 21:09:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Louisville Wears Down Marquette

Chas Rich — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 14:25:00 EST

Filed under: Louisville, Marquette, Big East

Marquette gave it a battle. In their first full game without Dominic James, the Golden Eagles would get a big test against Louisville. The two teams went back and forth in the first half, but Louisville slowly took the lead and never let go, yet Marquette always kept the game within a couple of scores.

Marquette's lack of depth caught up to them in the second half, though. Late in the game you could see the Marquette players were just a step slow, their shots falling just a little short, their legs offering less lift.

No. 6 Louisville 62, No. 8 Marquette 58: Recap | Box Score | RPI | Scores

To win in Freedom Hall against this Louisville team, the entire Marquette team -- especially the guards -- had to have a very good game. That did not happen.

While Wesley Matthews did what he could, Jerel McNeal had a horrible game, finishing with only 10 points on 3-for-19 shooting. Maurice Acker only took five shots made just one. David Cubillan could not bring himself to pull the trigger the entire game. That only increased the onus in the backcourt on Matthews and McNeal. It also made it that much easier for Louisville to focus their defensive effort on the two.

That is something that Marquette is going to be facing the rest of the season. Without the threat of James attacking the basket -- to say nothing of his passes to find open shooters -- Marquette becomes easier to defend. Dominic James by himself averaged over five assists per game. Without him, Marquette only managed seven assists for the game. The ability to utilize Lazar Hayward and Chris Burke inside just did not happen. The Golden Eagles, all too often, were stuck passing along the perimeter and eventually McNeal or Matthews taking a shot.

While Louisville is playing the typically aggressive, pressing defense expected from a Rick Pitino team, the offense is really sharing the ball well as well. Louisville continues to look like a team starting to peak at the right time.

Louisville Wears Down Marquette originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sun, 01 Mar 2009 14:25:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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