KSR - 2024-10-12 - KSR Pregame - Rick Pitino

Episode Date: October 13, 2024

Matt speaks with former UK MBB HC Rick Pitino.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter.

Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where SportsSlice comes in. I'm Timbo, and every episode we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story behind the headlines. And we're going straight to the source, the athletes themselves, their locker room stories,

their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear. Listen to Sports Slice on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your And for more, follow Timbo Slica Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. What's up, guys? This is Clivert Taylor the 4th. And on my podcast, The Clivert Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee.

We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker, this linebacker walks up to me. He goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time out. Quarterback on office blue with 42. A rep, my mama want you to wave at her. What? Where's he at?

Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Cliverts show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. American Soccer is about to explode. The World Cup is coming. Ramos sending on to Ernie Stewart the chip. I'm Tab Ramos. I'm Tom Bowker.

On our podcast, Inside American Soccer, you'll get the real storylines, the biggest decisions, and the truth about the U.S. national team. It wouldn't be a huge surprise if our team ends up in the quarterfinals or potentially a great run into the semifinals. Listen, Inside American Soccer with Tom Bogart and Tab Ramos on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcast. Hey, I'm Deanna Maria Riva, and on my new podcast, How Hard Can It Be? I call on my Gen X squad from Ohio to Hollywood as we navigate Midlife's most fantastic BS. Unfiltered conversations from night sweats to futas to scheduling sacks.

Wait, what's that? Is it just me or does every woman my age want to look at Pinterest instead of having sex sometimes? They say we can't polish a turn, but we're sure going to try. So let's get blunt with laughs, tears, or tears of laughter. Listen to How Hard Can It Be with Diana Maria Riva on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. All right, back here on the KSR pregame show and something I don't know that I ever thought would happen, joining us Rick Petino. Rick, how are you? I'm great.

I'm going to visit my house tonight where I live. Is Matthew Mitchell still live there? Yes, he does. And he was nice enough to invite me over. And we built the house. Bill Wana built the house. And my kids were just young then. Now 1's 45.

So time is past. Yeah, it's a tough age. What was it like last night with the ovation and being back and rump and the adulation you got from the fans? You know, I came within inches of crying my eyes out. It was really very emotional for me because I was backstage in the back with all my players. And that was great to see them. Even Todd Sobodo, who's gone through a very difficult time and then seen all the guys. It was very, very emotional for me.

And then walking out became more emotional. Was there a hesitation? Did you worry about what the reaction would be? or did you feel like it would be positive? You know, I didn't know I was going to speak. I didn't obviously know I was going to get that type of ovation, but it was one of the better nights of my life. So it really touched me.

So let me ask you about, I mean, you loved this place, and then, you know, you end up going to Louisville, et cetera. During that period of time, did you think I'll be able to go back there? I was hoping, you know, hoping. Obviously it didn't end well for me at the other place. and I wanted to come back to this place because I had, I never had a bad day here. You know, never had, everybody has a bad, bad month, bad year with a job, but I didn't have both Providence and Kentucky.

I never had a bad day. And that's interesting when you're a coach, not to have a bad day, bad week, bad month. But it's natural to be in the, you know, you're in a rivalry and you're at Louisville. I've always thought it's got to be hard to be at Louisville and like Kentucky or be at Kentucky and like Louisville. How did you find yourself balancing that? You know, it's sort of like the Mets and Yankees now. Okay.

So although Louisville, Kentucky is a lot different. I'm rooting for the Mets. I am a diehard Yankee fan. Grew up worshipping Mickey Mantle names that are a lot older than you, obviously. But Mannel, Maris, Howard, Berra. They were my idols growing up as a kid. But I root for the Mets. So it's different with Kentucky, though.

Kentucky is different than any job I've ever had because you, it's special. It really is a special place. You get very emotional when you, I told the kids downstairs and said, you're not going to realize it now because you haven't grown up in Kentucky, not all of you, but someday you're going to come back here and you're going to realize what it meant to put on that uniform. What's it in 2012 in the Final Four in 2014 in Indianapolis and the Sweet 16? what's that locker room right because you can't kind of put it like you're both trying to reach that goal

when you play in kentucky those two times yeah they it was a good game very good game and i was proud of our guys uh we missed a mid-range jump shot which would have made it very close i remember that shot yeah but they had uh kowcurek i think took the shot but they had a great team yeah great team and certainly just to make the final four was awesome but for the state of kentucky to play each other and have this type of, you know, we're a small state, and you had two teams in the final four. So tell me about Pope reaching, I assume he said, Coach, I want you here. And I actually believe the video you made that morning the day he was hired, actually was a big part of the fan base getting behind this. What made you feel like this was a time to kind of re-engage with this?

Well, because Mark is my captain of a championship team. So it was the time for me to come back because he's the coach. and he's a special guy. I went to visit him at Utah Valley State when I was out of work. And I never knew these two guys would be great coaches. One was Billy Donovan, and the second was Mark Pope. Because Mark was a Rhodes Scholar candidate, learning to become a doctor. Billy Donovan was a shy, humble kid.

Both had the same qualities. It was never about them. It was always about what they represented. They didn't have egos. I call egos, you know, edging greatness out. if you have confidence, that's great, but ego's not great. And both Billy and Mark had the same quality of humility, selflessness. And I knew after watching Mark at Utah Valley State practice, he was going to be a great one.

He's a great offensive coach. He knows how important defense is. And I thought he was the perfect choice. And that's why I did the video. I'm not on Twitter, although I tweet. My son tweets it out. My son tweets out my stuff. You don't sit there with your phone and type it with your thumbs.

Okay. that to do he tweets out what i want to say okay and uh i don't have to read the bad things yeah you don't want to do that i do that so um i i did the video because he was telling me that a lot of people are really against mock popi and coach they want the bailing got i said no man he's the perfect guy and i did that video just to help the kentucky fans understand this is the perfect guy but and i think it worked but then i also thought think it brought back for a lot of kentucky the warmness they had for when they were younger and you were the coach. When you were at Louisville, obviously Kentucky fans and media, probably myself included,

not probably yes, were hard on you. Did you find yourself holding any bitterness? I mean, I think it would be natural if you did. No, I guess what you don't understand, Matt, is this. I was at a low point in my basketball life. It's the first time I failed with Boston Celtics. first time I failed and all I wanted to do is get back to this place not thinking Louisville Kentucky but just thinking I had such great memories of of working here I just want to get back

to the state where I had so many friends I said it at my Hall of Fame speech if friendships in life could could be the rallying point for someone self-esteem and so on then for me I'd be to Warren Buffett of friendships because I made so many great friends here. It lifted my spirits up so much to come back. But I took the Michigan job. A lot of fans, myself included, said they wish you had taken it because then it wouldn't have been a thing. Yeah.

So I'd sign with Michigan and my wife said, look, you know Kentucky. You have all your friends there. You don't know Michigan. You know no one. You'll be happier. So with that in mind, I came back certainly. had a lot of great years. I love my players.

The fans were great to me. But now it gave me a chance to put it all back together. I don't know if I'll get the opportunity to come back. So when Kentucky fans were coming at you as the Louisville coach, that didn't hurt? It hurt, but I understood it. Okay. It hurt, but I understood it. I understand.

When I went to Greece, the greatest rivalry I've ever seen in my lifetime was Ponnetonikos versus Olympiacos. Yeah. One of my players was. the best man at the wedding of somebody from Olympiacos, and I had to meet that, I became the national coach. I had to meet them at 12 o'clock at night at a Starbucks because they couldn't be seen together.

Oh, like wrestling. So I understood it. But now it's behind me. I'm at St. John's, and it's great. It's behind me. I can appreciate all the memories. So you can. Do you, now that you've had that moment,

do you think you'll come back here more often? Definitely because Rick Avon, my business partner and very, very dear friend. And I have so many great friends here. Seeing the players was very emotional for me last night, very emotional. Just a couple quick things because they're telling me you got to go. So let's go. Are you really a UK football doctor? Oh, I gave, well, I don't want to say what I can.

I didn't give a lot of money. I gave $15,000. That's pretty good, yeah. Mark Stoops came in and was nice enough to come in. Eddie Grand's a good friend of mine. They came in to play golf with me. We played wing foot. We had a great time.

I love Mark Stoops. Love Eddie. I was just coming. I wasn't coming in for Big Blue Madness. I didn't think I could make it because of the practice schedule, but I was able to change it to 1 o'clock. So I was able to make it. But originally I wasn't planning on.

So you are going to the game tonight. I am going to win? I hope they're going to win. I'm going to be on the sidelines for a while. I'm a big Mark Stoops fan. What he's done with Kentucky football, they said couldn't be done. and he's done it.

I watched the Ole Miss game was awesome. Even the Georgia game was awesome, and I hope they get tonight. You think you'll have a series where you're playing in Rupp with St. John? I want to play Kentucky. We're trying to work it out, but Mark can't come back to Madison Square Garden

the following year because of commitments. But we're trying to work it out. I would actually love, I'm sure Mark wants to go to the Garden. I would love to play the game in Arthur Ashe Stadium in front of 23,000 people. Oh, dude, that would be amazing. Yeah, I can get that done, but it's up to Mark whether he would, the players always want to play in Madison. That would actually be, that would actually be really cool.

Well, one thing I want to say to you before you go, we have a very good mutual friend and Peron Johnson who played for you at Louisville who helped set this up. And he has always said to me, you two guys would actually like each other after all of the things. and I think it is big of you to do this. I really mean that, and I appreciate it. I wish you luck, and hopefully we can take a time where we can sit and have a longer form interview. That would be great, and I appreciate you having me, and I love the Kentucky fans.

I want to see the football team. Cape up tonight and go home with a smile on my face. All right, Rick, thanks a lot. Thanks, Matt. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite, unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends, me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk, that David Letterman help make you funnier.

This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Last night, a blown call changed a game.

This morning, the internet lost its mind. And nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo, and every episode we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story behind the headline. And we're going straight to the source, the athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear.

Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. What's up, guys? This is Clifford Taylor the 4th. And on my podcast, The Clifford Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker walks up to me. He goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her.

What? Quarterback on office blue 42. Hey, rec, my mama want you to wave at her. What? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Cliverts show on the IHeart Radio app. Apple Podcast or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, fam?

It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano. It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast, Point Game, the playoffs. We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season. And I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments. If we didn't talk ever again, I was funny. You just understood. That's how personal it got.

Wow. Then after that game 7, Marquis keep coming to you. He's like, you know, I love you, dog. You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs. This was just basketball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio. Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

American Soccer is about to explode. The World Cup is coming. Ramers sending on to Ernie Stewart the chip. Score! I'm Tab Ramos. I'm Tom Boe. On our podcast, inside American soccer, you'll get the real storylines,

the biggest decisions, and the truth about the U.S. national team. It wouldn't be a huge surprise if our team ends up in the quarterfinals or potentially a great run into the semi-final. Finals. Listen, Inside American Soccer with Tom Bogart and Tabramos on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcast.