Pitino’s week of wins hard to match

If you think you’ve had a good week, feel free to step in Rick Pitino’s shoes. The head coach of the Louisville Cardinals men’s basketball team didn’t hit the lottery, but his recent success is comparable.

Reaching the pinnacle of college basketball, Pitino and his Cardinals won the national title for the third time in school history (the school’s first since 1986). What’s more impressive is that it’s Pitino’s second championship.

Even more impressive is that Pitino became the first coach in NCAA Division I history to multiple titles at two different schools.

Still not impressed? Pitino didn’t just win a title for two schools, he won a title for two schools in the SAME state, winning his first in 1996 while at the helm for the Kentucky Wildcats. That stat alone is enough to keep any grown man happy.

But, wait: there’s more.

During the season, several Louisville players told Pitino that if and when they won the title, he had to get a tattoo. Their head coach responded by saying, “Hell yeah, I am getting a tattoo.” Reportedly, he is keeping his promise to his players and plans on getting his new ink.

Pitino cemented himself alongside the likes of John Wooden, Adolph Rupp, Mike Krzyzewski, Bob Knight, and Dean Smith as one of the greatest college basketball coaches of all time Monday night.

It didn’t come easy for Pitino, though.

He lost his best friend and brother-in-law during the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Another brother-in-law died during a freak accident. He also committed adultery and then was extorted by the same woman.

His tenure at Louisville has been anything but smooth sailing, yet this week has helped eased the pain of all those incidents and brought triumph to the legacy he is building.

Speaking of triumph, anyone paying attention to March Madness now knows the name Kevin Ware.

The sophomore guard out of the Bronx, N.Y. suffered a greusome broken leg during a regional final game that could’ve easily broken the spirit of this Cardinal team, yet his words “I’ll be fine, you guys win this game,” served as motivation that Louisville used en route to its championship.

No, even this was not the end of Pitino’s magical week. He celebrated his 37th wedding anniversary. His son, Richard, was named the new head coach for the Minnesota Golden Gophers men’s basketball team. Goldencents, a horse he co-owns, won the Santa Anita Derby and qualified for the Kentucky Derby.

Did I mention that Rick Pitino was also deservingly elected into the Basketball Hall of Fame? Throw that into the glorious run Pitino had.

Now, I don’t know many people who have had quite such an experience inside seven days, and I doubt I’ll ever witness this again, so a resounding congratulations is in order.

Battling back to beat Wichita State in a national semifinal, then surging from behind to capture the title over Michian, on top of all Pitino’s other accolades, was the icing on the cake.

The head coach conquered anything in his path this week, something not only sports fans, but anyone can admire. Thank you for setting a new bar, Mr. Pitino.