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PROVIDENCE — It’s the matchup that most craved.
John Calipari vs. Rick Pitino for a spot in the Sweet 16. The two Hall of Fame coaches will sport different colors than they wore in their Kentucky-Louisville years. Calipari is now with Arkansas and Pitino is leading the St. John’s program. It’s a script even Hollywood couldn’t write.
It’s two legendary bench bosses — with over 1,700 wins combined — and marquee programs in college basketball. No. 10 Arkansas (21-13) and No. 2 St. John’s (31-4) meet on Saturday at 2:40 p.m. at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence. The game is on CBS with Andrew Catalon and Steve Lappas calling the action.
“They're a team that's going to be prepared,” Calipari said of St. John’s. “They're going to play hard. They're going to play rough. It's going to be bump-and-grind. You're not getting a free layup without getting bumped. That's [Pitino’s] teams.
“The second-half numbers are ridiculous. They're wearing you down like you're in combat, and if you're not used to it — hopefully we understand that. We talked to the kids about it, but they're good. He's done a great job with his team.”
Outside of Kansas and Omaha, which fell to the two in the first round on Thursday, college basketball salivates over another Calipari and Pitino contest. It will be their fifth NCAA Tournament meeting and they’ve split the matchups to this point.
Arkansas edged Kansas, 79-72, and St. John’s blitzed Omaha by 30 points in the opening round.
“[Arkansas] has a great lineup,” Pitino said. “Their size is what's imposing. Their size, they can step out and do so many things. They're quite impressive.”
Their history stems back to early years as basketball masterminds. Pitino, 72, was a counselor at Five-Star Basketball Camp when Calipari, 66, was a camper. The camp, founded by Howard Garfinkel and Will Klein, has sent plenty of stars to the NBA and hosted legendary coaches.
“We started in that camp and I have always looked up to him because when I was a camper he was a counselor,” Calipari said. “When I became a counselor, he was a speaker.
“Knowing what he did at Boston University and then Providence, then goes to the Knicks — I can go on and on. Everywhere he's been, he's made a difference.”
Calipari and Rick Pitino have faced each other 23 times as college head coaches, with Calipari leading, 13-10. They also met six times as NBA head coaches and each won three times.
As for their yearly Kentucky vs. Louisville contests, that’s one of the most intense rivalries in the game. They would have wanted those wins for themselves and their programs regardless of whether they were facing each other.
“The relationship with the kids to get them to play hard and play with a winning attitude, that's something he's always done,” Calipari said. “Again, understand I don't know how long he was at Louisville when I was at Kentucky, but you're not going to be friends when you've got those two jobs.”
But outside of their early basketball careers, the pair isn't familiar with each other. They just share a love for basketball.
“I certainly have great respect for him, but we're not really close,” Pitino said of Calipari. “Everybody tried to talk that way. It was just a Kentucky-Louisville and Louisville-Memphis thing. We don't know each other's wives or children. We're not really close friends. Bill [Self] and [Calipari] have a very close relationship. But I don't know a whole lot about him except he's a terrific basketball coach.
“We're both Italian, we both love the game. I think that's where the similarities end.”
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Rick Pitino and John Calipari talked about each other at March Madness
Continue reading...
John Calipari vs. Rick Pitino for a spot in the Sweet 16. The two Hall of Fame coaches will sport different colors than they wore in their Kentucky-Louisville years. Calipari is now with Arkansas and Pitino is leading the St. John’s program. It’s a script even Hollywood couldn’t write.
It’s two legendary bench bosses — with over 1,700 wins combined — and marquee programs in college basketball. No. 10 Arkansas (21-13) and No. 2 St. John’s (31-4) meet on Saturday at 2:40 p.m. at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence. The game is on CBS with Andrew Catalon and Steve Lappas calling the action.
“They're a team that's going to be prepared,” Calipari said of St. John’s. “They're going to play hard. They're going to play rough. It's going to be bump-and-grind. You're not getting a free layup without getting bumped. That's [Pitino’s] teams.
“The second-half numbers are ridiculous. They're wearing you down like you're in combat, and if you're not used to it — hopefully we understand that. We talked to the kids about it, but they're good. He's done a great job with his team.”
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Outside of Kansas and Omaha, which fell to the two in the first round on Thursday, college basketball salivates over another Calipari and Pitino contest. It will be their fifth NCAA Tournament meeting and they’ve split the matchups to this point.
Arkansas edged Kansas, 79-72, and St. John’s blitzed Omaha by 30 points in the opening round.
“[Arkansas] has a great lineup,” Pitino said. “Their size is what's imposing. Their size, they can step out and do so many things. They're quite impressive.”
Their history stems back to early years as basketball masterminds. Pitino, 72, was a counselor at Five-Star Basketball Camp when Calipari, 66, was a camper. The camp, founded by Howard Garfinkel and Will Klein, has sent plenty of stars to the NBA and hosted legendary coaches.
“We started in that camp and I have always looked up to him because when I was a camper he was a counselor,” Calipari said. “When I became a counselor, he was a speaker.
“Knowing what he did at Boston University and then Providence, then goes to the Knicks — I can go on and on. Everywhere he's been, he's made a difference.”
You must be registered for see images attach
Calipari and Rick Pitino have faced each other 23 times as college head coaches, with Calipari leading, 13-10. They also met six times as NBA head coaches and each won three times.
As for their yearly Kentucky vs. Louisville contests, that’s one of the most intense rivalries in the game. They would have wanted those wins for themselves and their programs regardless of whether they were facing each other.
“The relationship with the kids to get them to play hard and play with a winning attitude, that's something he's always done,” Calipari said. “Again, understand I don't know how long he was at Louisville when I was at Kentucky, but you're not going to be friends when you've got those two jobs.”
But outside of their early basketball careers, the pair isn't familiar with each other. They just share a love for basketball.
“I certainly have great respect for him, but we're not really close,” Pitino said of Calipari. “Everybody tried to talk that way. It was just a Kentucky-Louisville and Louisville-Memphis thing. We don't know each other's wives or children. We're not really close friends. Bill [Self] and [Calipari] have a very close relationship. But I don't know a whole lot about him except he's a terrific basketball coach.
“We're both Italian, we both love the game. I think that's where the similarities end.”
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Rick Pitino and John Calipari talked about each other at March Madness
Continue reading...
