I've been balling like a baby for the last 15 minutes.

 

Shepherd was very good as well.

A very moving speech by Rick Pitino, his speech and comments were all class and this U.K. fan for one certainly appreciates them. All had very moving comments about "Mr. Wildcat". Bill Keightly touched an entire state regardless of if a person had ever met the man or not. I had not personally met him but somehow feel like I had known the man all of my life.

Pitino was speaking from the heart. Last night was not about basketball. It was about Mr. Bill a dear friend of Pitino's. I felt the compassion and I welled up as he spoke. A good man paying tribute to a great man. I appreciate Rick Pitino for what he did for Kentucky basketball. I respect him for the heart he showed last night. Great speech.

 

Well said my friend, well said. :thumb:

My impression of Pitino was that he never quite understood the magnitude of UK basketball, it's history, and it's fan support. I believe that he thought he could come to Louisville and a large percentage of the fans who adored him at UK would switch allegiances and become U of L fans. He was shocked at the reception he recieved his first time back at Rupp.

 

I think he understands now and IMO it's time to forgive and forget. I'll never root for Louisville but I can be a Pitino fan once again.

 

I agree Pepper, I could never pull for U.L. in any way but I respect Rick Pitino.

I actually teared up. I wasn't expecting to at all.

Great speech. I hope this finally puts to rest any animosity towards Pitino. I never understood the need to boo him or the hard feelings anyway. He didn't leave UK for UL, he left for his dream job with Boston and came back because he liked Kentucky. I've never held any hard feelings towards him and actaully like UL much more than I did before he was there.

Exactly ...

Kentucky fans have absolutely no reason to harbor such ill will toward Pitino. He did exactly what he said he would do, which was restore the program to the elite level of college basketball, after taking over a program in disarray.

 

Of course, it's hard to expect such rational thinking from UK fans ...

 

Classy...

Did you notice that the apparent succession of UK coaches is now Hall, Pitino, Smith and Gillispie?:lol:

 

I noticed that as well. Pretty interesting.

Not to get off from Pitino who did an amazing job, but I thought his former manager and coach at J-town Jeff Morrow did an outstanding job. When he told the story of his father being a very private man, but Bill Keightly getting him out of his shell. And him saying that his father for years would drive to Lexington to bring vegetables on a weekly basis to Keightly. I thought that was an amazing story and helped explain how special a person he really was.

Are you sure those were real UK fans.:lol:

 

Those die hards and the ones that would do that.

Did you seriously just get on a thread like this where a lot of UK fans are on here saying nice things about the man and call UK fans irrational in general? That is just beyond me.

 

Why not most are.

This isn't the one you were referring to but still decent nonetheless:

 

 

http://ukathletics.com/index.php?s=120726095284184508&change_well_id=2&url_article_id=21894#trans1

 

The transcripts on UKathletics.com

 

Thanks for the links and videos Boon, Duck and Addict. :thumb:

If the UK job was ever back open would RP come back home?

Is it just me or was the job open last year?

Is it just me or was the job open last year?

I seem to remember reading something about it ... :lol: