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Seton Hall's Kevin Willard on embattled Rick Pitino: 'I support him 100 percent'

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Seton Hall's Kevin Willard on embattled Rick Pitino: 'I support him 100 percent'
Updated on October 18, 2017 at 4:08 PM Posted on October 18, 2017 at 3:53 PM

By Jeremy Schneider

jschneider@njadvancemedia.com,

NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

NEW YORK -- Kevin Willard first deflected.

Asked on Wednesday if he had talked to Rick Pitino, his mentor and former Louisville coach who was fired after the program was implicated in an FBI bribery and fraud investigation, the Seton Hall coach said it was a personal matter and he wouldn't answer questions on that subject.

But before the next question could be asked at Big East Media Day, Willard reversed course and offered support for the embattled coach whom he coached under with the Boston Celtics and then at Louisville.

"All I'll say on the Rick Pitino thing is I support coach 100 percent," Willard said. "He's like a second father, I love him to death. I'm thankful for every day I worked for him, because he helped me become a better person and a better man. I know who he is and the type of person he is. I support him 100 percent."




Where is SHU picked to finish in the Big East?

Seton Hall, fresh off a second trip to the NCAA Tournament, was picked to finish high in the Big East.

Pitino was terminated his contract with "just cause" on Monday, three weeks after he was placed on unpaid leave by the former Big East school. That move came after Louisville was found to be part of an alleged scheme that funneled cash from sports apparel companies to high school recruits.

Willard coached with Pitino in Boston from 1997 to 2001. When the Hall of Fame coach left for Louisville, Willard came with him. He was there from 2001 until 2007 when he left for the head coaching position at Iona.

But Willard's connection to Pitino goes deeper than that -- his father, Ralph Willard, coached the New York Knicks with Pitino from 1987 to 1989 and then was an associate head coach with him at Kentucky for a season.

Willard was asked a general question about the scandal before the Pitino question, and he did not hesitate to address the matter, which has rocked the college basketball world and led to the arrest of several assistant coaches.

"No matter what organization, what business, you're going to have people not doing the right thing. I feel college basketball is actually in a pretty good state, I think more people are watching it, more people are going to games. I think kids are getting education, kids are staying in school and doing better in class than they eve have," Willard said. "It's unfortunate what happened, it's not good, something has to be done about it, we do have to change. It can't keep going on. But at the same time, we're doing a lot of good for these kids. There's a lot of guys out there doing a lot of great things. I tend to focus on that. Unfortunately, we don't like what's happened, and as coaches we have to make sure it doesn't happen."

Seton Hall, which was picked second in the Big East's preseason coaches poll and had three players earn preseason all-conference honors, will travel to face Louisville on Dec. 3. David Padgett, who was an assistant under Pitino, is serving as interim head coach for the Cardinals.

http://www.nj.com/setonhall/index.s...ck_pitino_i_support_h.html#incart_river_index
 
What ??

Innocent till proven guilty but it doesn't look good for Pitino. I guess I respect the loyalty but if what they say is true Willard is in the wrong here, just my opinion.

Can't tell someone not to support a friend but I disagree.
 
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I have no issue with his answer. I don't agree with him but the relationship the two have had since Willard's college days created a very strong bond between the two.

Did anyone expect him to say anything differently?
 
Poor response. What he should have said is that people should reserve their judgement on Pitino until the whole process has played itself out or words to that effect. Given Pitino's track record on his sexual escapade and the hooker scandals and now the Bowen alleged bribe he should have avoided any statement supporting Pitino. Lyons and Willard should have anticipated there would be a question about Pitino as well as the payment to recruits scandal and had responses prepared.
 
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I actually don't have any issue with what he said either. In large part Willard's career was molded by Pitino. It's personal.

But then again I also think the pay to play outage is hypocritical. Pitino is guilty but is also being vilified by something that's commonplace because of how this whole situation is structured. And everyone benefits.
 
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Willard said he was like a second father. I would support someone that close to me as well. He shouldn’t care what you or anyone else thinks.

OK, fair enough, but I don't think you should take it so personal. We are a group of fans who voice our thoughts without any malice, all good.
 
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Has Richard pitino said anything publicly about his dad? curious to see if he was a loyal as Willard. Maybe after hearing Willard’s remarks, rick pitino can call his son and tell him to stop taking our recruits too.
 
Willard said he was like a second father. I would support someone that close to me as well. He shouldn’t care what you or anyone else thinks.

Kevin was speaking at the Big East media day and was there as the head coach of Seton Hall , not as Kevin Willard an individual and that requires him to be more circumspect with his comments on what is a hot button story. What would the reaction be if one of the local papers or ESPN published or aired a story with this headline : Seton Hall coach supports Pitino and contained all the misdeeds we've seen with Pitino and Louisville.
 
I don't have a problem with anything Willard said. Loyalty is admirable and Pitino is his godfather and a very close family friend. Kevin is very tight with him. You have to be yourself and Kevin was just being truthful about how he feels. Expecting him to say anything else comes off very phony IMO.
 
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Exactly. He supports Pitino, the man. Not the coach, his actions... nothing controversial in that statement.

It was more about what RP meant to him and helped shape his career and person, but he didn’t support the actions or imply that Ricky shouldn’t have been fired.
 
I knock Willard as much or more than anyone but there was nothing wrong with his answer. He stayed loyal to a friend. If Slick Rick is charge and found guilty of something, Kevin can always say he knew nothing about what Rick did at the time and wishes him well now. End of story.
 
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I am not the president of the Willard Fan Club, but I take no issue with his comments. Pitino is (in hopefully limited ways) his professional mentor, and gave him his entree into coaching, providing access that even Ralph Willard could not.

Now, I think it's plain as day that Pitino is pond scum; a narcissistic, misogynistic, lying cheater who is bound by no sense of ethics. But even people like him have genuine relationships with people, and he has one with Kevin Willard. And Willard - who is an ethical man - feels bound by loyalty to lend him his public support. What's the big issue? His opinion is not going to influence the legal process here, and he gets to keep his friendship with the guy. As long as he's not running Seton Hall basketball in any way influenced by Pitino - and there is no indication he is - what is the harm in him showing some human emotion to someone he feels loyal to?
 
I am not the president of the Willard Fan Club, but I take no issue with his comments. Pitino is (in hopefully limited ways) his professional mentor, and gave him his entree into coaching, providing access that even Ralph Willard could not.

Now, I think it's plain as day that Pitino is pond scum; a narcissistic, misogynistic, lying cheater who is bound by no sense of ethics. But even people like him have genuine relationships with people, and he has one with Kevin Willard. And Willard - who is an ethical man - feels bound by loyalty to lend him his public support. What's the big issue? His opinion is not going to influence the legal process here, and he gets to keep his friendship with the guy. As long as he's not running Seton Hall basketball in any way influenced by Pitino - and there is no indication he is - what is the harm in him showing some human emotion to someone he feels loyal to?
It's akin to showing support for Harvey Weinstein!
 
Catholic are you relating bribery to sexual predators? Just confirming sometimes the church confuses me
Cf. Pitino and Karen Sypher affair, intercourse in an Italian restaurant, the abortion he engineered, matching of Sypher with an assistant to get rid of her, reporting the spurned woman to fbi and getting her sent up the river....presiding over a prostitution ring that was servicing recruits, etc.

46, Are you kidding me?
 
It's akin to showing support for Harvey Weinstein!
Not really. The vast majority of Pitino's crimes are against the game of college basketball, not actual living humans. Weinstein's are almost exclusively against women. Pitino is a loathsome person, to be sure, and probably no more ethical than Weinstein, but let's not conflate the two. They're rather dissimilar.

Really, though, the point was about Willard maintaining public support for someone he's close to. I'm sure it wasn't easy, and he knows he's losing a bit of face for it, but there can be found some integrity in it, oddly enough. It's complicated.
 
Exactly. He supports Pitino, the man. Not the coach, his actions... nothing controversial in that statement.

It was more about what RP meant to him and helped shape his career and person, but he didn’t support the actions or imply that Ricky shouldn’t have been fired.
This is exactly where I am.

Pitino is like a 2nd father to KW and he said he supports him 100%. He didn't say Pitino wasn't at fault or didn't do anything wrong in this case (or condone anything that went on), just that he supports the man.

I have no problem with his statements whatsoever. Whether Pitino did or didn't do (or knew or didn't know) about all the goings on, those closest to someone will (hopefully) always stand by them as friends/family, especially in times of circling the wagons. I think Pitino is an arrogant prick and a complete snake...but I have no problem with KW's comments on the subject.
 
Not really. The vast majority of Pitino's crimes are against the game of college basketball, not actual living humans. Weinstein's are almost exclusively against women. Pitino is a loathsome person, to be sure, and probably no more ethical than Weinstein, but let's not conflate the two. They're rather dissimilar.

Really, though, the point was about Willard maintaining public support for someone he's close to. I'm sure it wasn't easy, and he knows he's losing a bit of face for it, but there can be found some integrity in it, oddly enough. It's complicated.

The girls in the prostitution ring servicing his recruits and players were women, one or two may have been under age. Karen Sypher was a woman. The baby he made sure was a aborted was a human snuffed out to protect his reputation so that his adulterous behavior would not become known....

The bribes for recruits pales in comparison.

But his shamelessness is the common thread and even surpasses Weinstein who is in rehab.
 
Another thread run amok.

I despise Pitino and have been a frequent and vocal Willard critic. But I find no fault in his comments.

It's basic human loyalty to a man who --although a scumbag-- helped him greatly. Saying no comment was not an option. He appreciates what the man did for him. Nothing more, nothing less.
 
Personally I think this was an inappropriate and unfair question to ask Willard.
 
Unfair maybe, but Pitino is his mentor and it's the biggest story in college basketball right now imo. Seems a legit question to ask. Now if he stayed with his deflection and was continually peppered with it then I completely agree.

Sounds like he deferred but then changed his mind and offered a response before another question was asked.
 
The girls in the prostitution ring servicing his recruits and players were women, one or two may have been under age. Karen Sypher was a woman. The baby he made sure was a aborted was a human snuffed out to protect his reputation so that his adulterous behavior would not become known....

The bribes for recruits pales in comparison.

But his shamelessness is the common thread and even surpasses Weinstein who is in rehab.
Shameless indeed. Pitino is an embarrassment.
 
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