‘I love him.’ Kentuckians cheer for Pitino in NCAA Tournament.
Former Kentucky coach turned Big Blue Nation villain Rick Pitino had fans from the Bluegrass State rooting for him Saturday in the NCAA Tournament.
Among the fans cheering for Pitino-coached Iona was Marta McMackin, the administrative assistant for UK’s basketball program in a span that began with Joe B. Hall as coach and ended with Billy Gillispie’s hiring in 2007.
When he restored Kentucky’s preeminence in the early 1990s, culminating in the 1996 national championship, Pitino and his three-point shooting/full-court pressing style were adored by UK fans.
Four years after leaving for the Boston Celtics, Pitino became a villain by accepting the job as Louisville coach in 2001.
“Not by me,” McMackin said. “I love him.”
McMackin was not alone in that sentiment watching Iona lose to Alabama 68-55 in an NCAA Tournament first-round game. Among the familiar faces she said he saw at the game were Louisville businessman Ron Carmicle, Joe Iracane (a Pitino friend dating back to the UK coaching days) and the son of Jodi DiRaimo (a former Lexington restaurant partner of Pitino’s).
“Whenever I have asked him for something, he came through,” McMackin said. “I love him, Joanne and the family. I love them all.”
When Iona got an NCAA Tournament bid by winning the Metro Atlantic Conference Tournament, McMackin texted Pitino asking for help in getting tickets to the Gaels’ first-round game.
“He texted me right back and said, yes,” McMackin said. “And so, he got me two.”
McMackin and her husband, Ron, drove to Indianapolis on Saturday morning. They drove back to Lexington on Saturday evening after Alabama rallied late to win the game. If Iona had won, they planned to drive back to Indianapolis for Monday’s second-round game.
McMackin did not get a chance to speak with Pitino.
“But he looks good,” she said. “His coloring was better than the last time I saw him. It looked like he had had some sun.”
The game allowed McMackin to see Hinkle Fieldhouse, the historic home court for Butler and a setting for climactic scenes in the movie “Hoosiers.”
“The ambiance there is as neat as it can be,” McMackin said. “It’s one of those buildings you go in and get a cold chill because of the history of it.”
Coaching Iona in the NCAA Tournament allowed Pitino to meet his goal for the first season as coach, said McMackin, who added that the Gaels had had to overcome disruptions this season caused by the coronavirus.
The success no doubt helped feed speculation that Pitino might be a candidate to become Indiana coach. Pitino shot that down during a pre-NCAA Tournament teleconference.
When asked about the hypothetical possibility of Pitino having Kentucky, Louisville and Indiana on his coaching resume’, McMackin laughed before saying, “Oh my God, I’d have to be an Indiana fan.”
