"I am the punishment of God. If you had not committed great sins, God would not have sent a punishment like me upon you."
-Genghis Khan, to his Muslim foes, before the slaughter
For the life of me, I cannot figure out what the sins of Cardinal nation are. Was it sticking by Pitino throughout his adulterous affair? Was it his hiring in the first place 10 years ago? Was the construction of the Kayefseum a Babel-like affront to the basketball gods?
What, O what, did we do to deserve this? And by this, of course, I mean him.
John Calipari, the swarmy, pudgy, petty coach of the Wildcats is squarely at our gates. And if Cardinal nation isn't rightfully afraid, it should be.
UK's run to the Final Four in a "down year" (a year in which they have only 3 NBA prospects and two professional tweeners) is the official announcement to the world that so long as Calipari is coach at UK, they will be a threat to cut down the nets every year.
And we are fated to share territory; UofL needs to recognize this new paradigm and adjust accordingly. There are no "bridge years", not anymore, they cannot be afforded. This season's confirmation that Cal's one-and-done methods do, in fact, work can only be viewed as a call to arms for Cardinal nation to step up or be left in the dust.
What does this mean practically? It means Rick Pitino needs thoughtful consideration of whom he chooses to refill his assistant ranks, it means he needs to look in the mirror, cease with the world-weary "I'm just an old coach that's seen it all before" schtick and regain that singular drive that made him great.
UofL is 0-2 against the Wildcats in the Calipari Era, with two first round tourney exits to boot. I fear a long losing streak in the annual rivalry until that drive is regained. Pitino's multi-tasking, the TV gigs, the perpetual job-flirting and retirement rumors betray that mindset.
The program cannot afford our coach and captain looking at his Louisville legacy instead of focusing on hanging our next banner. Not anymore.
The vibe around the football program is so good right now not because of our invincibility (though I think we'll be damn good) but because of our firm belief in Charlie Strong's vision, that we're building towards something. Rick Pitino's vision for Louisville basketball has become somewhat muddled. His promises of never dropping from the Top 20, the rebranding last season to "lightning quick" basketball that was somewhat forgotten, they ring hollow. We don't need gimmicks; we need a leader to build a team, not just dangerous underdogs, but the kind that T-Will recently alluded to, the kind with swagger and unrivaled athleticism. Anything less, and Calipari's Cats will trump us year after year.
I don't want Calipari to waddle off to the NBA. I don't want him to be taken down by enterprising sportswriters delving into the secrets of his remarkable recruiting success.
I want to beat him.
UK's run to the Final Four in a "down year" (a year in which they have only 3 NBA prospects and two professional tweeners) is the official announcement to the world that so long as Calipari is coach at UK, they will be a threat to cut down the nets every year.
And we are fated to share territory; UofL needs to recognize this new paradigm and adjust accordingly. There are no "bridge years", not anymore, they cannot be afforded. This season's confirmation that Cal's one-and-done methods do, in fact, work can only be viewed as a call to arms for Cardinal nation to step up or be left in the dust.
What does this mean practically? It means Rick Pitino needs thoughtful consideration of whom he chooses to refill his assistant ranks, it means he needs to look in the mirror, cease with the world-weary "I'm just an old coach that's seen it all before" schtick and regain that singular drive that made him great.
UofL is 0-2 against the Wildcats in the Calipari Era, with two first round tourney exits to boot. I fear a long losing streak in the annual rivalry until that drive is regained. Pitino's multi-tasking, the TV gigs, the perpetual job-flirting and retirement rumors betray that mindset.
The program cannot afford our coach and captain looking at his Louisville legacy instead of focusing on hanging our next banner. Not anymore.
The vibe around the football program is so good right now not because of our invincibility (though I think we'll be damn good) but because of our firm belief in Charlie Strong's vision, that we're building towards something. Rick Pitino's vision for Louisville basketball has become somewhat muddled. His promises of never dropping from the Top 20, the rebranding last season to "lightning quick" basketball that was somewhat forgotten, they ring hollow. We don't need gimmicks; we need a leader to build a team, not just dangerous underdogs, but the kind that T-Will recently alluded to, the kind with swagger and unrivaled athleticism. Anything less, and Calipari's Cats will trump us year after year.
I don't want Calipari to waddle off to the NBA. I don't want him to be taken down by enterprising sportswriters delving into the secrets of his remarkable recruiting success.
I want to beat him.
As long as Pitino is your coach, it won't happen.
ReplyDelete