I like Pitino, which is a statement that is probably the equivalent of calling in artillery on your own position in combat. I think he is smart, decent, poised, communicates well, handles criticism well, and is willing to learn from his mistakes. I agree that he was probably not ready for a power five Division 1 coaching position at the time he was hired, but I view that as a produce of a University Administration and AD that were still unwilling to invest big bucks in our revenue sports at the time. And I also agree that any coach -no matter how likable - ultimately needs to be judged on his or her results; and, I, for one, want our program to rise to the VERY top.
I think Pitino’s 6 year 37-67 Big Ten conference record is a bit misleading. I don’t think any coach could have overcome the loss last year of four of his top 6 players early in the season. And I think that if we had survived our last second loss at Nebraska, most of us would be feeling more positive about this year. My own hope is that we can recover from that loss and to go on to an NCAA berth and win or two.
I disagree with critics of his recruiting. I agree, he had a number of misses early on, but I think last year’s class is very strong. Oturu is demonstrating that he deserved the four-star rating he was credited with, and I think Kalscheur has shown that he was under-rated by the services. Additionally, my understanding is that Omersa is the best athlete among them. I’m concerned about next year’s class, but there is time to address that. A strong finish to the season is likely to help a lot.
In the end, I think it’s up to Mark Coyle to decide what’s best for the program. I take heart from the fact that, with the support of Eric Kaler that I hope will continue under Joan Gabel, the University has demonstrated a much greater willingness to invest in the revenue sports. I think Coyle has made what appear to be a number of strong hiring decisions. I also understand that he did not hire Pitino, and he may well want his own person to head up the basketball program. But for the most part, I don’t believe that coaching changes often result in quick fixes, and that program stability is usually the key to long-term success. If Coyle does make a change, I hope that he will already have a strong replacement in hand before he makes that announcement.