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
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